Yesterday after school Owen and I were doing ourAdvent house Christmas ritual.  He (and the other kids too) find their bible verse for that day in one of the doors, as well as a small treat. We read the verse together, talk about it, and then both of us pray that God will do this in his life.  Then he gets the treat!

Yesterday’s verse for Owen was from Romans:   “Lord, give Owen hope and encouragement in all things that would please you.   Teach Owen to wait patiently for your promises to be fulfilled.”   Romans 15:4

I was trying to teach him what it means to wait for God’s promises to be fulfilled.  I reminded him of God’s promise to me four and a half years ago that he would provide a bigger home for us.  I told him that God hasn’t fulfilled it yet, but we still are waiting for God to fulfill it (sometimes patiently, sometimes not so!).  Then Owen said, “Mom- don’t you think it’s a good thing that God hasn’t fulfilled it yet?  Because he wants us to move to Ishinomaki.  He was waiting because he knew the tsunami was going to come and we were going to move up there to help out.  We didn’t know, but He knew.  So he was making you wait a long time.  He wants to give us a bigger house in Ishinomaki!”

His words made me cry.  We have been worried about him recently because we know it will be especially hard for him, our child who hates transitions,  to move.  But to hear him share with me words of  Truth, words of perspective, words of hope – it touched my heart.  So far the possible tsunami homes in Ishinomaki have not seemed like good options.  We have been praying.  It is possible God will guide us to a home that is not bigger for this next stage of our lives, and then we will wait longer. But we trust in God;  we trust in his timing and care for our lives.  Sometimes it takes a child to remind me.