I remember sitting in the hospital waiting room, ignoring my very full bladder because my eyes were fixed on the screen. The words next to my husband’s ID number said in surgery, but any second it could change to in recovery. That would be the moment I could breathe.
I knew he had heart issues when we got married 5 years earlier, but I never thought we would be here this soon. Heart surgery usually happened farther down the line when the kids were grown and having tiny humans of their own. But he needed this. He couldn’t wrestle with his boys or carry them in his arms without feeling faint. He couldn’t mow the lawn or take out the trash because he didn’t have the strength. Trials and tests and tears led us to the unwanted breaking point, and we finally decided to take the risk and just do it.
So here we were. We had arrived at the sacred middle ground. This place where pain from the past intersected with faith for the future. Doctors told us the success probability was high. All we had to do was wait and see, a skill that has never been my forte.
Let me say in full confidence, waiting is not for the weak. It takes strength and courage to still our hearts and trust Jesus for the days to come. And most days I wish I could be a little braver. But here’s the thing, my friend:
You are truly in such good company.
If you are a living person, you will unavoidably find yourself in the middle at some point on your journey. And at that moment you can stand and look around and know that you are not alone in your struggle to find peace in the midst of the anticipation.
There were three days between the death and resurrection of Jesus, three days for His disciples to mourn and wait and wonder about their future (even with Jesus’ clear blueprint of upcoming victory!). Their best friend and loyal Lord had died, and I am certain the absence of His light made the darkness even darker. But — and I love how there’s always a but with God —
Our middles are just as important as our beginnings and ends.
Sometimes we wish we could bypass the middle and fast-forward to the final chapter where our prayers are answered and our desires fulfilled. But we have such a kind God, and He doesn’t waste a single second in our lives. He doesn’t push the pause button when we feel like life stops moving. He is always working for the good of those who love Him, and that includes you.
For the disciples, what appeared to be defeat was actually the greatest victory ever known to man. A sorrowful end was actually a new beginning. And Jesus’ followers may not have understood, but those three days of waiting were needed. More transformation was done in seventy-two hours than any other time in history. Death lost its sting, sin no longer had a hold, and our relationship to God was wonderfully restored. Love turned over the grave and on that Easter morning when the tombstone was rolled away, our Savior revealed to the world the purpose of our hard middles.
Waiting is the breeding ground for hope. The Bible says:
For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see? But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently.
Romans 8:24-25 (NIV)
Sweet friend, you cannot reach the end without first experiencing the middle. It’s the heart of our story, and it teaches us to live in confident expectation of God’s goodness and grace. He promises us beauty and victory and a steadfast love to see us through.
Right now I can hear my husband wrestling with our boys in the other room, so this thankful wife can attest. You may have to wait a little longer than three days, but stay hopeful. Your day of resurrection is coming.
[bctt tweet=”Waiting is the breeding ground for hope. -@writerbeckyb:” username=”incourage”]
Leave a Comment
Bev @ Walking Well With God says
Becky,
So many scriptures talk about waiting “patiently” on the Lord. I often felt guilty because I thought of patience as being a place of passiveness and contentment – not being uptight. “Patience” in a biblical context is very active. When we wait “patiently,” we endure, we persevere, and we often times suffer. Having patience does not mean it’s going to be easy. God is more concerned, ultimately, about our character, not our happiness in life. There are going to be times when we have to wait, endure, persevere, and even suffer through the middle. Like you said, it doesn’t mean God isn’t working. He is always working and often His greatest work is being performed when the world looks bleakest to us. The ultimate resurrection was SO worth the wait. Praying that I can have patience in the ongoing resurrections in my life. Terrific post!
Blessings,
Bev xx
Becky Beresford says
Bev,
So glad it encouraged you! Praying for you (and me!) as we wait for God to resurrect our stories. 🙂
Love,
Becky
Kathleen Burkinshaw says
Dear Becky, thank you so much for sharing this difficult yet uplifting time in your family. This message of waiting, definitely takes on a new meaning today on the midst of Covid-19. Waiting to see how many now have it in my county, waiting to see if any country successfully can contain it, waiting to go back to work while wondering how bills will get paid, waiting to see if anyone we know or if we ourselves get the virus, and even waiting for the toilet paper aisle shelves to be full again. Being reminded that the Resurrection happened, to hear that your husband has recovered enough from surgery to wrestle with your boys again, gives me some peace and opens up my heart to hope.
Praying you, your family and all your readers stay well and safe ❤
Becky Beresford says
Kathleen,
There is SO much waiting going on right now with this pandemic… I’m there with you. I’m glad these words helped bring you some peace and hope. Our Jesus is far above anything we will encounter on this earth. Easter has come and is coming.
Love and prayers,
Becky
Ros says
Thank you for this Becky!
May God bless you & your lovely family.
Becky Beresford says
Ros,
Thank you so much! Same to you, my friend.
Love,
Becky
Stephanie says
Needed this ❤️
Becky Beresford says
Stephanie,
Me too! Lol. I think I was writing this for my own heart as well. Thank you for reading, and I’m glad it encouraged you.
Love,
Becky
Dawn Ferguson-Little says
We are all at this time all over the World in the Middle. Waiting wondering when this Coronavaries will go away. Why some of us. Have probably said. God have you not waved a magic wand taken it away. Especially the unsaved. With so many over the world taking it and so many dying from it. Family’s. Then turned into sadness. We don’t always have the answer to everything. We all especially the unsaved look at us saved at times like now. Say where is this God you so much pray to. Belive in. Hay your God not doing much now. No wonder I don’t believe in nor would I get saved or want too. But we as Saved people have continue to say to the them we might not have all the answers. But we are still going to put our trust in God. Believe God is doing something. Even though we don’t see it at the moment. Keep Praying trusting God no matter what. Keep read his Word the Bible and Trust the Promises in it. We that are Saved all over the world meet us in the Middle Keep Hope Keep Believing Keep Trusting Keep looking up To God. Even in these Days. Remember what God done for Us in days Gone past. When we do. We will see that God was faithful. God then never let us down. So God today will do the same. God will not let us Down. Thank you for another good reading. Xxx
Becky Beresford says
Dawn,
Yes we are ALL in the middle and it’s a NEW middle we’ve never been in before! You are so right, remembering what God has done in the past proves His faithfulness in the present. He won’t let us down and He will help His children rise up from these hard times. Praying for you, my friend.
Love,
Becky
Kathy Cheek - The Hope Collection says
Thank you for sharing your powerful and difficult family story to encourage us in our waiting and the hope we will find when we wait with our trust placed in the Lord!
I just published a 31 day eBook “The Hope Collection” because I love to write about the hope we have in God in all of our life circumstances.
Becky Beresford says
Kathy, your eBook sounds amazing! This world needs so much hope right now. 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Love,
Becky
Katherine Hampton says
How timely! I really needed to read this today… I am not very good at waiting. But I am using this wait time to increase my faith.. Thank you for this message of hope!!
Camilla Hubbard says
Thank you for your post today, It has put a new perspective in my mind about waiting in the middle, and having patience even though struggling. And isn’t it great that even in these uncertain times, we can be certain of God’s promises, in which He never fails, always compassionate and merciful and Loving.
I’m glad your waiting produced a wonderful result and prayers were answered in the affirmative. God bless,
Beth Williams says
Becky,
Waiting is tough, especially in a hospital. God can work miracles in that waiting. He can woo us to Himself. It is then that we cling to God & the hope He gives us. The early Christians & disciples had to wait. They waited 3 long agonizing days. They didn’t know what to expect at the end. After that wait they got a great surprise that Sunday. Life is like a sandwich-a beginning, middle & end. The middle is filled with all sorts of stuff- & they get mushed together. That’s how life can be. The middle of life is what matters most. It’s where our character is built & god refines us. God hones our hope & trust in the waiting times of life. Romans 5:3-5 states it best: Not only so, but we[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Blessings 🙂
Rose Young says
Dear Becky: I read this and just bawled. My husband has an large aneurysm on his Aorta Valve. If it pops, he’s gone. Our Surgeon, said to be the best in our city, saw him March 19th and said, we cannot do the surgery until after the virus…set a tentative surgery for May 18th. He will have to have open heart surgery and his valve replaced and aneurysm repaired. They found the aneurysm Feb. 2nd accidentally when they did a scan for his diverticulitis. He has never had any other health issues, especially not heart. This was a shock. The surgeons office got his records wrong, they admitted. We patiently waited for them to see him. They admitted they should’ve seen him right away and already done the surgery. but now, they won’t do it because of the virus and the great risk of him catching it in the hospital after his surgery. Anyway, we have tried to be strong and wait on the Lord. We are definitely in the Middle! This devotion was exactly what we both needed. Such a blessing and inspired us to embrace the Middle! Thank you and so glad your husbands surgery was successful! Many Blessings, Rose