Listen

We know that the whole creation is groaning together and suffering labor pains up until now. And it’s not only the creation. We ourselves who have the Spirit as the first crop of the harvest also groan inside as we wait to be adopted and for our bodies to be set free. We were saved in hope. If we see what we hope for, that isn’t hope. Who hopes for what they already see? But if we hope for what we don’t see, we wait for it with patience.

Romans 8:22-25

Think

When my wife and I were foster parents, we were matched with a little girl who was 14 months old. Her case was moving toward adoption, and we hoped and prayed that she would find a forever home with us.

We were not yet her “official” parents though. The case had to go through the court system. There was a lot of paperwork. I kept contacting the lawyer, and he said he had no update. Maybe a couple more months. This waiting seemed like forever. It felt like we were groaning.

If you have been part of an adoption you know how complicated it can be. There is a lot of waiting involved. You know you could be heartbroken at any moment, but you cling to hope.

After almost 20 more months we finally received an official letter saying that our child was “adopted for life.”

Our hearts were overjoyed after all this waiting. For us this was a lesson in hope: the Spirit was with us all along in our groaning and waiting, holding us like a mother holds a child.

Kyle Caudle

Pray

Holy Spirit, hold me in hope as I patiently wait to be changed by you. Though I cannot always see the final results, let me trust you in the process. Amen.

Go

Breathe in, Breathe out

Breathe anew this day

Through the power and presence of the Spirit

Who goes with you

Every step of the way