"SATURDAY"

Trusting each of you had a wonderful Easter weekend!  We sure did!  Before I go any further, I want to say this.  Easter is not about what I want God to do for me.  It is all about what He already gave to me!  His life!  So that I could be free and in relationship with God!  And I am so grateful!

Usually the big moments of Easter for me are GOOD FRIDAY and the VICTORY of SUNDAY!  However, this year, my "aha" moment rested on SATURDAY!

I tried to "remain in the moment" with each day of the EASTER weekend.  Friday, my heart was heavy with the sacrifice and pain of Christ.  Sunday was filled with JOY of His resurrection and VICTORY!!!

SATURDAY.............I tried to imagine what Jesus' family and followers were experiencing.  In their mind, at that time, after His death and before His resurrection {remember He rose again on the third day},  I imagine they were filled with grave disappointment and doubt.  I bet they did not anticipate that Jesus would really die.  Afterall, with all of the healing He had demonstrated, wouldn't He save Himself to show WHO HE REALLY WAS!?!?!?!?

I imagine it seemed, to them, that nothing was happening that "Saturday" after His crucifixion.  They had no idea what God was up to with the resurrection.  To them, it was just a day of mourning.  Their dream of Jesus being the Messiah had faded.

Over the weekend I was reading Faith Barista, and she in her post "Sometimes things get worse before they get better," she quoted pastor Pete Wilson from his book called PLAN B:

“Saturday… It seems like a day when nothing is happening. 

It’s a day of questioning, doubting, wondering and 

definitely waiting…helplessness or hopelessness.

Is it possible that Saturday is actually a day of preparation?

… Saturday was the day God was engineering a resurrection.”

I pondered this analogy from many different perspectives.  As I often do with many thoughts these days, I also applied this analogy to our adoption.  Our current time in our own personal "waiting room."  Our longer-than-projected time of waiting.  Our "Saturday."

Oftentimes, I spend our "Saturday" looking for signs of something happening.  Something progressing us toward bringing our son or children home.  When I see no signs of such forward movement, I can become filled with questions, doubt and a sense of helplessness.  Yes, even hopelessness, on occasion {when I take my eyes off of God}.

God brought this whole message even closer to home as I was trying to "stay in the moment" on this last Saturday.  The Saturday between Good Friday and Easter.  The Saturday when nothing good seemed to be happening for Jesus' family and followers.  The very Saturday that was the day God was engineering the resurrection of Christ.

Do you see it!?!?  As we all sit in our own "waiting rooms" ~ whether we are waiting to be joined with our child, waiting for that job promotion or that physical healing.  Whatever it is we are waiting for. When we are in the "Saturday" where we see no signs of anything happening.........GOD IS PREPARING!!!!

HE IS WORKING TO RESURRECT OUR DREAM!  He is in preparation of turning our dream into our REALITY!  Even when it seems nothing at all is happening!  HE IS AT WORK ON OUR BEHALF!

I was divinely reminded that my hope is not in my dream of becoming a mother...............

My hope is in Jesus!  

As Pete Wilson says {I really think I have to get this book!}, "There are two different types of hope in this world.  One is hoping for something and the other is hoping in Someone."

WHERE ARE YOU PLACING YOUR HOPE THESE DAYS?!?!?!?

I do not know how long our "Saturday" will be.  I do not know how long your "Saturday" will be.  But I DO KNOW THIS.........because of Easter Saturday ~ the "Saturday of preparation for Christ's resurrection" ~ our hope is in God's eternal love for us.  He first loved us!

Because of such a love as this, we all can trust that God is walking alongside us every single day.  Including our "Saturdays" of nothing happening.  And we must all remember that He is also simultaneously preparing for our victorious Sunday!

The day when He resurrects our dream into our reality!