While We Were Waiting

For nearly our entire marriage, Seth has been waiting.

We weren't even married a year when he decided to take the firefighter's exam for our city. I remember him studying in our little apartment. I remember him running around my sister and brother in law's neighborhood to train. I remember all the nerves about the tests.

I remember the initial reservations I had. My husband? A firefighter? A paramedic? A civil servant?

I admit, I wasn't sure it was a good fit for him.

I wasn't sure it was a good fit for me either.

But I had never seen Seth show particular interest in any specific career up to that point, so I wasn't about to stand in his way.

We didn't know we'd have eight years of waiting back then. That would have been sort of depressing to know at the beginning. Admittedly, there was a lot of discouragement during those years.

But God used those years to ready us both.

Gradually, I had time to process all that it would mean to have a husband with a dangerous job. God used other things to grow in me a measure of independence. Seth has always worked long hours and has had to miss various holidays and events because of work. I learned to be okay with this and grew grateful for family and friends who lived nearby to help make some things special, especially for our kids. He taught me to write things down that I wanted to share with Seth at the end of the day, like silly things our kids said or milestones they reached. He taught me to photograph and blog often for my husband's benefit. He used diabetes to teach me the value of life and to not be afraid of illness or death, but to treasure the time we have been given. Diabetes also showed both of us that Seth could master medical knowledge and not be squeamish about injections or things like that.

And God worked in Seth even more. I think he would agree that he wasn't ready eight years ago. He wasn't ready six months ago. There were a lot of personal obstacles to overcome, such as a short temper, easy frustration, social skills and submission to authority. He had to learn to master personal integrity and honesty and what it truly meant to be a child of God, a husband, and a dad. Biggest of all, he had to learn to find pleasure in whatever God had in store for him and not focus on the life or job he didn't have. Peace and contentment.

And now the wait is over. We received notice several days ago that Seth obtained a spot in the December class at the fire academy.

I'm so happy to say that I have full confidence that Seth is ready. God writes the best stories. This is the perfect time for Seth to make the transition to this new career. This is the blessing that came from the years of struggle and waiting. This wouldn't nearly be as sweet if we hadn't had those trials.

I am so proud of you, Seth. And I am sure that you will do well in the academy, not because of your own strength and skill, but because you know now that you can do nothing without Christ.

I love how our story is unfolding. :)