These shoes won't fit!

I just love the Mills. Potomac Mills, Concord Mills, Arizona Mills-- I love them all! In fact, I bought my wedding dress at the Mills. Recently Kris took Jake and I to the Mills for a day of REAL shopping. We haven't been able to do that in a very long time so we were pretty excited. Arizona Mills is about an hour drive or so from our house; so by the time we arrived we were hungry. We sat down at one of our favorite eating places there- Johnny Rockets. Mmmmm....cheeseburgers, french fries, and a cherry coke.

After we ate, it was time to hit the stores. Jacob needed pants for school, so we started with that. Then we moved on to shoes for Kris and I. While Kris was looking I wandered over to the ladies shoe department. It seemed like every pair of shoes I thought was even remotely cute and affordable were all sold out in my size. Does the whole world wear a size 7? , I wondered. I moved on to the next aisle when I saw them-- a pair of really pretty black heels with a shiny little bow on them. (not a geeky looking bow, but a tactfully placed little bow) And they had one size 7 left! I quickly grabbed them and went to find somewhere to sit and try them on. (Before I go on you have to understand what it's like for me to go shoe shopping. I HATE shoe shopping. My true size is a 7 N....who even carries that? No store that I've ever seen. So it usually takes me HOURS upon hours of trying on shoes before I finally MIGHT find something that doesn't fall off my feet-- which is usually why I just find it easier to wear flip-flops!) Well, this black pair was a 7 M, of course, but I thought I'd take my chances anyway and try them on. They were so cute on, and I just loved them. However, as I started walking around the store in them, my right heel kept slipping out of the shoe. The left heel wasn't much better. Aside from that, they were so comfortable! Very cushiony... Well, by this time Kris had walked over - just in time to hear me complain. I went on and on about how much I hate shoe shopping, and "why can't they ever make shoes that fit me?" "Why do I have to deal with this every time we go shoe shopping?" "I don't want any other shoe, I want these!" I was just really upset. So I walked out of the store with no shoes. After awhile, maybe an hour or so later, we came across the BASS shoe outlet store. I LOVE this store, and had forgotten it was there. Kris agreed to take Jake and meet up with me in a bit, so I went into BASS by myself. Within ten minutes I had found a pair of really cute black heels, complete with a strap to hold my skinny feet in- and for a smaller price then the ones at Rack Room that had been too big. Almost immediately after I put them on my feet, I felt the Lord say to me "See? if you would wait patiently you will find what you need."

I wonder how many times we do this in our lives. We are spoiled, I think. We want everything here, and now and have no interest in waiting for them. How often do we get mad and want our own way? I found that I needed an attitude adjustment that day. Yes, a pair of shoes is kind of a small thing; but if you apply it to all the different things in your life it makes a huge difference. Kris and I have once again been asked to wait for another child. Believe me, I have thrown fits, I have bawled my eyes out, I have yelled "It's not fair!" and "after all we've been through, WHY???" Just like I had no idea that the right shoes for me were an hour later into our shopping, I have absolutely no idea if/when we're every going to be able to have another child. Biologically or adopted. Getting all upset didn't make the shoes fit me any better, and getting all upset about our infertility struggles is not going to bring a baby to us any faster. Maybe there is an area in your life where you could learn to be more patient- to wait for God's perfect timing.

Lamentations 3:25 says, "The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him." My prayer as I begin this new week, in this new month, in this new year, is that I might be more patient. That I might remember that the Lord is good, and that He will send good things in the right time that I need them. And who knows, maybe it's just around the corner!