Going to the Hard Places.

This could also mean having the hard or tough converstations.

"I have always wanted to adopt, but isn't it hard, I mean isn't there a lot of paperwork and traveling and hard to wait?"

And I answer: Yes.  I hope that if this is the only thing holding you back from adopting you call an agency tomorrow.  So you really want to live your life never going to the hard places?  Never traveling because you are scared to fly?  (That one is me by the way).  Not adopting, because all the paperwork scares you. 

I for one search my house for a little something called patience.  And I search.  When I am in a tizzy, I call for Ceal and say, "It is time to look for our friend, patience!! I can't find her! And I am in great need of her today."  And Cealy and I search.  We usually find her somewhere funny.  Reading the Word, you will find that God asked His disciples to wait.  YIKES!  I am so bad at that.  Everyone had to wait.  You learn a lot when you wait.  It is not easy, but He commands us to go to the hard places.

Not long ago I met 7 of my favorite people in Chicago for the weekend.  I lived with them in college and love our time together.  One of my besties had cancer in high school.  She kept talking about all these doctor appointments she had to go to lately.  Of course I ask, "Why are you going to the dr. so often?"  She answers: "I always have had to go.  I go for tests or blood work or some scary MRI."  Me: "What, how did I not know this?" -"Well you never asked.  No one did.  My family won't even talk about it with me.  I had cancer.  I conquered it.  I still have appointments that scare me to death but no one ever wants to talk about the hard stuff.  Everyone wants to know I beat it, and we cheer to that, but I have never been able to tell the hard and sad and downright frightening part of cancer." 

And my heart dropped.  I never asked.  I actually drove her to a couple of appointments in college but I never asked about what it was like for her.  I don't enjoy watching the commercials with children dying from starvation.  Not my favorite.  I don't enjoy watching St. Jude's commercials, because I get sick to my stomach so changing the channel is what is best?  I didn't ask my best friend about what it was like in the thick of cancer.  What it IS like for her to visit the doctor every 6 months for tests, always praying they see nothing.  Shame on me. 

I have to continue to go to the hard places.  I am traveling to pick up my sons.  I don't like to fly, in fact I am downright scared to fly anywhere.  I am the chick pressing that button when we hit a bump asking if I should assume the death position.  But I am going.  I am going to that hard place.