The Day Before You

Two years ago today, I was DONE. Like, stick-a-fork-in-me done.

I'd felt like I had been pregnant for about a year. But it was just that I was nearing the end of my second pregnancy in a year's time. 10 months earlier, we were blindsided with a missed miscarriage, and then happily shocked 8 weeks later to learn I was pregnant again. And I could not wait to hold THIS child in my arms.

I knew I was at least close, but at the end of this high-risk, too-many-concerns-and-scares pregnancy, "close" just didn't feel close enough. My due date was 15 days away, but I really, truly, honestly didn't feel like I could go that many more days before holding my baby girl. I spent that day praying and crying and worshipping, but I was READY for her. I told the Lord, "I honestly don't think I can wait any longer to have her here in my arms."

And the next day, she was.

I think of January 23rd as my "Day Before You" with Aila. I've got one for Justin (July 13, 2000--the day before I met him), and for Trevor (February 13, 2005--the day before I found out I was pregnant). With Aila, it was the day before her birth. Because we'd been on a long road. A long road.

Some of us are still in the "hope deferred" category, or to put it simply, we're in a WAIT. I was there on July 13, 2000, February 13, 2005, and January 23, 2008. But I was ONE DAY AWAY from being in the "longing fulfilled" category and I didn't even know it.

I love that about hope. We can be in the middle of a WAIT, but we never know when we might be walking through a "Day Before You,"--Just one day shy of our wait ending. We never know when God is primed and ready to blow things wide open and FULFILL. And always in ways that are "immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine" (Eph. 3:20).

Happy birthday tomorrow, my beautiful Aila Grace. You were absolutely, positively worth the wait!

(Last two photos by Jeff Hayes, Turlock, CA -- jeffstrade.com)