Does anyone else have a fascination with layovers as you're waiting between airplanes? For me, there's always been this mysterious beauty in the in-between; wanting to savor every moment of the time capsule I feel like I'm in at airports. Maybe it's just me...but I've always tried to buy plane tickets with some type of layover. Weird, right? Who wouldn't just want to get to the destination! Maybe this will all change once we're traveling with our children but I pray that I never lose my wonder in the in-between of destinations.
My first solo flying experience was at age 15 when I boarded a place from Rochester, NY with the destination to Jackson, Mississippi. I was attending a summer dance intensive and absolutely could not wait to finally be present in the place I had been dreaming about! The fact that I was able to go was a miracle all in itself and I was convinced NOTHING was going to get in my way from arriving in Jackson on that July day. However, little did I know that God was going to teach me an important lesson about trust. I arrived to my layover city (Charlotte, NC) and was stuck. Storms were hovering over the southern states and there were no planes coming or going until the next day. I had no choice but to be flown back home and travel the next day to Mississippi. All worked out well but you can imagine the disappointment of not being able to arrive when I thought I would. It was a lesson of trusting the Lord in the midst of not seeing; in the middle of unknowns...of believing He would get me to where He was sending me.
I could share so many stories like this after fifteen years of traveling around the globe but today I stand in my own "layover," so to speak. It's the layover between seasons of life. It's the layover between pregnancy and birth. It's the layover between it being just my husband and I while waiting for our son to be born.
And I don't believe I'm the only one standing in a "layover." You probably are too. Maybe it's a similar one or maybe it's vastly different. We're all on this adventure called life; waiting on something & needing an extra push of encouragement, perseverance, patience and courage. I pray that today is the day we find new strength as we wait upon the Lord; knowing deep within that His ways are always best.
So, why do I enjoy layovers so much?
It's a place to pause and reflect.
It's a place to "just be" after all the travel preparations are done.
It's a place to make sure I've got my boarding pass, snacks + freshened up a bit before the next flight. (I like to brush my teeth between flights!)
Well...here I am at 40 weeks + 4 days pregnant and I feel like this is the longest layover of my life. All you mamas out there totally get it so I need not explain in great detail =) My husband and I are in this weird place where time is almost standing still until it's "go time." And I'll be real today: it's such a beautifully awkward place to be. We know what's coming but have no specific time for "departure" so-to-speak. We know that soon we will be able to hold our son and share his name with all of our family and friends, but we have no idea the exact day and time. We are literally in this place of having no other option than to wait.
And what if in the waiting God is teaching me a powerful lesson as a Mom? What if the waiting isn't about me? What if it's about our son growing to his strongest capacity before entering our arms? Perhaps the wait is teaching me to lay down my own selfish desires and to want what's best for our little guy. And above all, God knows what's best for our children. The Lord will give Ben and I wisdom and discernment, of course, as we raise our kids in light of the Word of God, but God will always know what's best for them (including when they will come into the world!)
I pray that my heart grows in patient anticipation during this time...no matter whether we have hours or days left of waiting; and no matter what our son's birth story will be. I pray that, as a Mom, I would continually release my children to the One who created them and to gladly welcome seeing God's best unravel in each of their lives. I pray that I would hold my hands open to Jesus everyday, surrendering my own desires to receive His very best for our family.
Dear friend, whatever kind of layover you find yourself in today, may you be filled with peace and rest in the wait. The Lord knows...
Amen.