March 8 2021

We could all stand to practice patience on a daily basis. Especially my wife, who has given me full permission to share our difficulties with patience over the last few years. It’s something we both struggle with in different ways - but like many other people, it really comes down to accepting that God’s plan is different than the one we’ve laid out in our minds.

In high school, all I wanted to do was graduate and start working. No stopping to smell the roses! The day before I proposed, Dana was mad that I hadn’t proposed yet. Before we got married, I purchased a trailer on the Kankakee River for us to live in after the wedding. Although she was optimistic about making it our own and living there, 6 months in, she cracked under the pressure of traveling to laundromats, a low-pressure sandpoint water pump, and a “manual” septic system. At about the one-year mark, we were so close to renting an apartment closer to work (she had even filled out the renter’s application). Then one day, a Zillow alert popped up with our current home. Right price, right location, right size - it took almost 2 months from the day we found it to officially close. It felt like one hurdle after the other with the mortgage broker. In fact, we almost felt like it wasn’t God’s plan for us to live there at one point!

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6

Looking back at all of the frustration we (she) experienced, we can only equate this with impatience and difficulty trusting God’s plan for our lives. Two and a half years into our marriage & looking back - we can 100% see the reasons that the loan was delayed, that it took so long to find a “real” house, and how our time in the trailer was only to our benefit. I can’t help but reminisce on all the ways God was clearly taking care of our family.

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12

While we know those early “hurdles” will seem so small compared to the ones to come, we also know that God is in control & there’s a reason some things don’t work out right away. We can have hope and joy about the wonderful things to come, and still be OK that they aren’t here yet. So even when you feel like something should have happened already, keep faith! It might happen tomorrow, maybe next month, or even next year. But have confidence that some day, you’ll understand why God’s plan was so much greater than yours.