Journey in the Waiting

“God is with you in your waiting: he has heard every prayer, listened to every cry, kept track of every sorrow.”- Ann Swindell

There are places in each of us that need the Lord's tenderness to attend to. None of us are completely whole. We have bruised hearts from past hurts, worries from present concerns and hopes for things that seem too far away for us to grasp. That's what the book, "Still Waiting" by Ann Swindell, is all about. In her debut book, Ann shares with her readers her personal story on waiting for God's healing. This past month, Pearls of Hope completed this book and embarked on a journey... a journey of waiting.

"But... how can you journey in waiting? Isn't that contradictory?", you might be wondering.

Well, for the first 3 chapters, I thought the same thing. Many of the girls expressed their confusion from the start because the book's focused seemed to be more on healing than on waiting. The author was courageous in sharing her personal story, though at times it felt as if she were stuck in her waiting for healing. But as we turned each page and found ourselves at the end of our 14th book, we realized that waiting is a journey, because it's in those places where we feel uncomfortable, unheard and forgotten, God begins to draw us nearer to Himself.

"We don't always understand what God does or doesn't do. But we always know- we always know-that he loves us"- Ann Swindell

Waiting is a journey, not just for us, but also for the Lord to come and minister to us with His healing, His hope and ultimately the tenderness of His love.

"Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest". -Matthew 11:28

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you"- James 4:8

In Christ, there is rest for our souls. In our waiting moments: when the next job seems forever away, in our singleness, in a lonely marriage or when we find ourselves begging God for conception, where ever we find ourselves waiting, God is right there with us! We never have to wait alone and the lessons that we learn in those moments that seem so stagnant, well, they propel us into the future that God had intended for us all along.

He loves us, especially in our waiting, and He invites us to allow Him to produce His presence in us, while He tends to the tender places that needs His gentle touch. So, in our waiting, while we ask for healing and direction, favor and victory, we know that we do not wait in vain. Our God loves us, and He is always for us!

Find rest for your soul in your waiting. You are never alone.

Katrina McCain, President

We are BACK in session!!!

Last night was an amazing beginning to our first new Bible Study of 2015: Children of the Day, by Beth Moore. I cannot begin to tell you all how excited I was to reconnect with my old Pearls and welcome in new visitors and guests! For the past 2 months, we took a break from our weekly meetings to enjoy the holidays with our families and to just rest in knowing that God's grace is sufficient. During our time away, we did not eliminate meeting all together, as you well know! We enjoyed Birthday parties, movies, carnivals, random nights of nothing at each other's homes, snow tubbing and church serving. It was a much needed break, but I'm so glad to say that we are back in session!

As the days continued to roll over and as we drew nearer to the night of this new study, many of our girls expressed the interest of other girls who had visited our blog, our Facebook page and our instagram page. They felt as if they wanted to be a part of what we are striving to do- which is to simply create a community of women who have the desire to grow in Christ, provide encouragement and accountability through Christian friendships and to be used by God to serve others around us. It was my most greatest joy to not welcome one new guest...not two new guests... but 7 new guests, with 2 more who are planning to attend next week!!!! Let me tell you, a living room full of 15 girls is a very exciting sight to see!!!! We had to move tables and pull in chairs, with no room to spare! It was incredible and wonderful and every other good word that you could ever think of!

The house was full of joy! There was so much laughter and jokes, flashes from camera's and plates full of food! We talked, we read scripture, we prayed and we hugged. Last night couldn't have gone any better and I am so thankful to the Lord, because our growth is the evidence of His Spirit at work through us.
As I looked around at all the old and new faces, I realized that being a Christian is truly a state of living and experiencing. We are called to reach out, connect, encourage and to love; not just quote scripture or maintain traditions. The life of a Believer is the most beautiful existence, because we are moving and thriving and producing that which is eternal.

Last night, we learned from the first session that God wants to do a "Remix" in our lives and in our hearts. He isn't interested in us just re-doing and re-playing the same conversations and the same events over and over again. He wants to be alive in us! He wants to use us to reach others and to love without limits, share His truth with confidence and engage others in the knowledge and hope of Jesus Christ! God wants to bring in new people, new events, new challenges and new victories, but we must have a willingness to follow Him where ever He may lead us. I pray that we all are willing to arise to that calling:

"Lord, have your way in me"!

I'm so honored and so thankful to be a part of such a loving and dynamic group of women! We are all different- coming from different backgrounds, different careers, different forms of education and different places in our walk with Jesus. But one thing we have in common- the only thing that truly matters- is that our hearts are joined together in anticipation for God's promises and with an expectation to receive more of Him in our lives! I am amazed at my God and I look forward to the weeks ahead, learning, serving and loving with these beautiful sisters in Christ!

Let's get started on the next path of our journey!

~Pearls