Christian ladies TTC, we can encourage one another.

[Godsjewel]

I believe there is something special about a child who comes forth from a barren womb. I am not saying that a child easily conceived is any less special or that his or her life is not designed by the Almighty. However, I truly believe that when God chooses to make the conception and birth of child the vehicle through which He changes the lives of the men and women involved, I absolutely believe there is something unique in that child. Let’s look at the lives of children of barren wombs presented in Scripture.

Isaac
Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah when they were 100 and 90 years old. Talk about an infertility story! The conception and healthy birth of Isaac speak volumes to those of us who struggle with infertility. Even thousands of years later, we can point to Isaac and say “I know God can overcome infertility. Isaac was proof.”

Isaac didn’t have to wait until millenniums had passed before you could see someone special in his life. In an almost unimaginable moment, God instructed Abraham to take this child he had waited so many decades for, place him on an altar and take his life. We all focus on how Abraham obeyed and God spared his son. But look at Isaac. A young man with an old father. He could have fought his dad and there probably would have been no struggle to overtake him physically. There is no record of such an interchange. Apparently, Isaac had faith in his father--and his Father--and laid down on the altar. I guess when you understand that God could give you life inside a 90 year old womb, you can find the faith to believe that God can raise you from death at an altar.

Isaac also prayed for his infertile wife to conceive. Imagine hearing about infertility all your life, only to find that your wife couldn’t conceive. Perhaps Isaac had a great understanding of how infertility wreaks havoc on a woman’s heart. Maybe he was afraid he would have wait 70 years for a baby. Either way, Isaac prayed and Rebekah conceived. She conceived another child of a barren womb, Jacob

Jacob
Child of a child of a barren womb! Multi-generational infertility! How was Jacob used of God? He was the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. Remember the conversation God had with Grandpa Abraham? “See the stars, Abraham? Count them if you can! They are your descendants.” 12 boys. That’s a lot of stars! Jacob was given the profound task of raising the leaders of the tribes of God’s people. One of those tribes would eventually birth the Son of God. What a responsibility. I find comfort in the fact that the task of raising these boys was placed squarely in the lap of a child of a barren womb.


Samson
We don’t know a lot about Samson’s mother other than she “was barren and had borne no children.” (Judges 13:2) An angel of the Lord visited her and told her she would have a child. He instructed her that this child was to be consecrated to God even before his birth, as God had a plan for his life. They raised him in the way they were instructed to by God.

A perfect man? Not at all. Samson made his mistakes and he paid dearly for them. But look what Scripture tells us over and over again about Samson: “...the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily,” (Judges 14:6 and also in Judges 14:19, Judges 1:14) He served as a judge for 20 years, and throughout his life, he performed amazing acts of strength because of the touch of God.

John the Baptist
John’s parents were well beyond child bearing age. Maybe they once stood where you stand today--wondering if you’ll ever see your husband’s eyes looking at you in the face of your child. But God moved and Elizabeth conceived. What role did this child of a barren womb play in God’s plan? He was the forerunner of the Messiah! He went before his cousin, Jesus, and told everyone to get ready. Messiah’s coming!

Who’s to say that the child of your barren womb won’t do the same?

So were these children of barren wombs perfect? Not in the least! (That’s okay--yours won’t be either!) Isaac played favorites with his sons. Jacob was known as a deceiver. Women were Samson’s weakness. But these children were announced by angels. used of God and changed the course of history forever. Our lives are impacted today because of their lives centuries ago.

Yes. I believe there is something special about children of barren wombs.

 

[BRK06]

hi Ladies,

sorry i haven't been posting a lot lately...Congrats to all the BFP's so far - and those ttc plese hang in there ur turn is coming.

well, my doc prescribed fertomid -50 for the first time this cycle and i decided on cd41 when Af was no where to be found...and got a shock of my life i just stood there in the toilet and said "thank you lord" and i stil thank him, me and my DH are thrilled and ill be seeing my doc 2moro so he can check on me...

Thanks to all of u ladies - u did help me a lot by strngthing my trust in him...

i pray that the lord bless each and everyone of you with ur heart desires.he is able! and it will happen in his right time.

Praise God!! Congratulations Sis!! Praying for you and the baby! H&H nine months

 

[BRK06]

I’m back!!! This past weekend at the women’s conference was wonderful, just what I needed. The Pastor spoke on our desires and God has placed those desires in us and some of us have set them on the back burner and it’s time to put them on the front burner. He has placed many desires, whether it be to go into ministry or go back to school, God says now is the time. She also was saying how God wants to dig deep into our hearts and clean out whatever hurts, scars and fears that have been holding us back.

At the end of the service the altar was open for prayer. I made my way up to the front and she placed her hand on my forehead and said, “God does not withhold any good thing from you, the devil is a liar, God loves you”. I began crying. Thank you Lord that you don’t withhold any good things from those who walk upright. The next day I went home and looked up that scripture and stumbled across this….

No Good Thing Does He Withhold

“Where are you, God?”

This question frequented my journal last winter. I’m not sure if I have ever had such a faith-shaking season in my life as this past one. The idea of relating to God as a kind father was laughable to me. What kind of caring father would bring His daughter through insurmountable pain and emotional turmoil, and then leave her alone to deal with it.

I entered this past season of my life in an already emotionally tired state. Multiple marriages of those close to us had ended in divorce and I had already dealt with my first two pregnancies ending in miscarriage. Aching for a change and for some slight bit of good news and joy, my third pregnancy came at just the right time. I found out I was pregnant for the 3rd time in early November. From the day I found out about that baby, I just KNEW their life had such deep purpose and meaning. I could hardly contain my joy for this new life. I could feel the winds changing, bringing a breeze of peaceful joy. After seeing the tiny heart beat and the steady growth of this new life, everything seemed to be moving along flawlessly.

About a month later, on a weekday afternoon, I noticed a potential problem. But after being checked out by the doctor, everything seemed to be fine. A week of bed-rest should bring healing to the whole situation, he said. So I laid in bed, day in and day out, waiting for things to get better. To my very surreal and unfortunate dismay, things did not get better, and our third child died in my womb late one Sunday night. My immediate reaction was to pull from the bank of scriptures in my heart: the Lord gives and takes away, but I will bless His name, He doesn’t ever withhold good things from those who walk with Him, He works every situation out for good. I declared decidedly in my heart, “I believe that God is ultimately working out everything for good in this situation and I will not cease to praise His name because of this.”

This lasted about a week. It was at that point that I began to have issues God. It wasn’t so much that He had let another child die, but that He didn’t seem to be bringing me any sort of comfort at all. In fact, I had never felt such a lack of His presence in my life as in this time. I spent hours crying, praying, begging at least for Him to just be near to me. And, silence. What kind of God leaves me alone to deal with this? Doesn’t bring me any comfort or even let me know He is with me. On top of that, within 1 month and a half of our 3rd child’s death, I learned of 3 other close friends pregnancies. It was about every 2 weeks that Jimmy and I would learn of yet another couple who was expecting. In determination to never be bitter at the wonderful gift of life my friends were being given, I was driven to my knees in prayer. I didn’t know what else to do but to pray for these friends and the little lives that God had chosen to give them. And in that moment, I heard God speak to me in the quietness of my soul for the first time in a while: “Now you know what I want you to do: I want you to pray for these babies and their mothers.”

Immediately I responded, “You’ve got to be kidding me?! That’s the first thing you have to say to me? After all that’s happened?” Yet, however skeptical I was of my God at this point, I knew enough that to not follow Him and trust Him is pointless. So I took up the charge to pray for all the other pregnancies around me, while my body was still physically recovering from a lost one. It was in this time that I began to ponder the idea of faith. What does it look like to have faith as defined in Hebrews 11:1: “being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see.”? How could I choose to believe the Word of God only when it makes sense to me and only when I can see and feel God’s presence? Would I deny the very words of the One I stake my life on simply because I can’t understand how it could be true? By very definition, faith exists when you can’t see!

So, about a month and half into this challenging time, still without a sense of God’s presence, I began to study the Word diligently and choose to believe what it said. I have never done anything more contrary to my natural inclination. “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted” (psalm 34:18) I don’t feel like He is near, but He says He is. So I guess I’ll believe He is. He IS near to me. I will be convinced of this. “He withholds no good things from those who walk uprightly” (psalm 84:11) Well, it sure seems like He’s withholding a number of good things right now, one being Himself, two being children. But, according to His Word, He is not keeping anything good from me. Ok, well, I don’t get it AT ALL, but I will grieve the loss of this child and believe that in their death, you have not withheld any good thing. Somehow, someway, that makes sense. He has given me every good thing!

I spent many nights at our church’s prayer room alone. In determination, I would walk around and say (or yell) outloud: “God loves me and is not keeping anything good from me.” “The Lord is here with me and near to me. He cares for me and is working out all these things for my good and for His glory.” “I will trust Him!!” Everything in my mind and feelings screamed out: “THIS CAN’T BE TRUE! Where is He then?” But I was determined. I WILL believe Him. I WILL trust Him. I WILL choose to lean on His Word.

David’s psalms were such an incredible encouragement to me in this time. It’s beautiful because He is brutally honest with God about how He feels, even accusing God of abandoning Him and forgetting Him. Yet he always returns to the TRUTH of the Word of God and the history of how God has come through in the past. This became my example of how to be honest with God (which I think is of vital importance in our relationship with Him) and yet not forsake the truth of His word simply because it doesn’t feel true. Over time, it became habit to rely on the Word over my feelings. It also became habit to pray for my friends instead of letting my heart run to bitterness and jealousy. And, oh, how I have benefitted from those trying months!

What in God’s Word do you have trouble believing? Do you believe your feelings more than the Truth? Don’t let your feelings run your life. Don’t believe everything you feel and think. Stand firm on the Word of God, speak it to yourself, write it out in your journal, choose to believe it. Have faith, even in difficult times. That is what we do as Christians, walk by faith, NOT by sight (or feeling for that matter).
“No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.” ~Psalm 84:11

In my last post, “Faith in Difficult Times” I shared about my struggle to believe the Word of God over my own feelings after the miscarriage of our 3rd child. Psalm 84:11 is one verse that took incredible amounts of faith for me to believe. After all, if God isn’t holding anything good from me, then why in the world is He withholding children from us? It’s in His Word that He says children are a blessing.

After walking in truth week after week, despite my feelings, it amazed me to see how my feelings began to align themselves with the Word of God. I began to ask God for what my heart was truly longing for: “the fullness of joy in His presence” (psalm 16:11). After a couple years of tragedies and sorrow, I simply longed for deep, profound joy. Yes, I hoped that God would allow our children to one day live outside the womb, but what I was really truly longing for was the joy I find in His presence alone.

During this time, we began seeing a fertility specialist, as was suggested to us by our doctor considering this was our 3rd miscarriage now. Through that process I found that I did have a condition in my womb that I was born with that kept our babies from growing, and had a minor surgery to fix the problem. After months of waiting on God and crying out to Him and seeking to walk in truth, I began to see change. My conversation-like relationship with God was being restored and I was walking in more joy day after day! Just to feel the nearness of God again was all I really wanted. Then in May, Jimmy and I left for our trip to Israel, and what a joy that was! The biggest surprise of our trip was to find out in Jerusalem that I was pregnant again!

Baby number 4 was here. My honest emotions on the front end weren’t as full of excitement as you’d think. Although, after my surgery, I had no reason to think this one would end in miscarriage, I couldn’t help but feel like I needed to guard my heart. I had such a mix of emotions: grieving that our 3rd baby wasn’t here, excitement to be pregnant, fear of losing this one, and everything in between. But after a while, I began to trust God with this baby one day at time, celebrating what I had for the moment, and trusting Him for the future.

It was a couple months later that I had a random conversation with another artist’s wife at a retreat who works in the hospital and sees many births throughout the year. After I explained to her the condition that I had, she began to share with me something that brought chills down my spine. She explained that, although unlikely, it was possible for me to have carried those first 3 babies to term in my condition. (Yes, I knew this, but I was more angered by that truth than comforted as I longed to have held those children). The outcome of such a pregnancy, she continued, is almost always tragic and sometimes fatal. Either the baby will suffocate in the 3rd trimester due to lack of space, it will have incredible deformities and problems from growing in a womb without enough space for it, or when the mother goes into labor, her uterus could rupture. When this happens, the mother could die from lack of blood loss, and if she does not die, will surely never have children again.

It took me a good week or two to completely soak in the gravity of what I just learned. Without knowing something was wrong, I was looking at facing some incredibly traumatic and fatal situations. And God knew this the whole time. Without the death of our 3rd child, we would have never went to see if anything was wrong. It was because of those 3 deaths, that God made a way for us to have a healthy pregnancy now, and for me to have more children in the future!

No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly….

How gracious of My God to allow me to see behind the curtain to what He had known the whole time. He didn’t owe it to me to show me the whole story. He has always asked me simply to trust Him. But He was gracious enough to let me know part of the reason why He allowed me to go through the suffering I did. He was making a way for a healthy baby now! By the way, I am currently 16 weeks pregnant with no problems! I have had an absolutely perfect pregnancy with a very healthy baby! And I am thanking God every day for the little lives He allowed to go before this one and make way for it to be born, Lord willing, one day.

Back in December, in my darkest days, I remember telling God, “I believe one day I will look back on this season and thank you for doing what was best for me. I truly believe that. But right now, I’m pretty angry about this.” I didn’t understand then how such pain would ever be turned for good. But sure enough, now I do look back and say, “Thank you God for working this out for my good and Your Glory! You really do know what You’re doing.”

I’m not sure what your story is and what pain you’ve suffered. But will you choose to believe that God works all things out for the good of those who love Him and that He doesn’t withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly. You may not see how it is working for good until you are in God’s presence when this life is over. But whether He reveals to you what He sees behind the scenes or not, He has called us to trust Him and believe His word! And sure enough, without fail, He has always been true to His Word in my life.

For now, I am trusting God and celebrating this little one He has made way for. Thank you, Yahweh, and may You get all the glory!

Author- Kelly Needham

Welcome back Sis!! It sounds like your conference was enlightening! Thank you for sharing this testimony. It is the perfect message for me this week

 

[Godsjewel]

Hi Ladies!

I just wanted to see how everyone is doing and if anyone has any vacation plans coming up.

I'm so excited to be able to go to San Diego, CA for the first time. I hear it's beautiful there. We will also be heading to L.A. to Universal Studios. Tay will start school in 4 weeks, can't believe how fast the summer is flying by.

Praying and believing for more summer BFPs

 

[Godsjewel]

When you face a crisis in your life such as infertility, you must come face to face with your true belief about God. Is He who He says He is? Can He--will He--do what He says He will do? In times of crisis, we must grapple with the fact that we are called on to trust the God who sometimes says “No”.

When infertility enters your life, a lot of things can happen. Some people turn to doctors. Others decide to trust God to allow conception to happen naturally. Some people tell everyone they know so they can garner support, and some choose to keep their situation very private. Emotions go haywire and decisions must be made, but one thing is usually constant when infertility invades the home of a Christian couple: we pray.

We ask God to reverse the barrenness we carry. We cry out for healing of endometriosis or polycystic ovaries. We promise Him that we will be good mothers, that we will not only take these much-desired children to Sunday School, but we’ll teach the class as well. We beg and plead with Him to end our struggle with infertility and give us the baby that only He can provide.

But sometimes--at least for a time--God says “No”.

What does it mean when God says “no”? It feels like He has abandoned us or that He is somehow unaware of how badly we want a baby. Maybe He thinks I wouldn’t be a good mother, so He withholds from me the blessing of my womb. It would be so much easier if God was unable to give me a baby! Then I could imagine Him saying “Oh child! I wish I could grant this desire. I want to place life in your womb so badly, but I just cannot. I would if I could, but I cannot.” Then it would feel like He was a partner in this struggle with me, rather than a holy being that I must convince of my desire and commitment to being a good mother!. How do I serve this God who says “no”?

If your heart is hurting today, and you are struggling with how God must feel toward you and your infertility, let’s turn together to the Word, and examine another who heard God say “no”. Perhaps you’ll understand a little better how He loves you. Mark 14:35-36 says this:

And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if possible, the hour might pass Him by.

And He was saying, “Abba! Father! Everything is possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.

This emotional passage of Scripture lets us in on the intimate exchange between God the Father and Jesus the Son, in the hours leading up to the excruciating execution of Jesus. He is praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and you can hear His anguish dripping from every word. He cries out to His “Abba Father”--the literal translation is like us crying to our “Daddy”! Can’t you hear Him?

“Daddy, please! Please, Daddy! Please let this cup--let Calvary pass from me! If it’s possible, Daddy, please! It’s going to hurt! The weight of sin will be crushing! Oh Daddy, please, if it’s possible, make another way!”

Didn’t Jesus know whether or not it was possible, or whether or not God could make another way? Of course He did. Read on...

Everything is possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will but what You will.

God the Father, heard the anguished cries of His only begotten Son, begging Him to let the cup of Calvary pass from Him and God said “no”.

Why did God say “no”? He had a greater plan. If He had allowed Jesus to by-pass Calvary, infertility would be the least of your worries. Your eternity would be a terrifying reality. God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, told Jesus “no”.

Did God love Jesus that day? Absolutely. Did His heart break to tell His hurting Child “no”? Without a doubt. He does the same for you.

You’ve begged God to let this be the month you conceive. God says “no”. You’ve asked Him to let you avoid medical treatment, but you pick up the phone to make the appointment because God said “no”. Others have babies so easily, yet your family is formed through tears and years. Hard to understand? Unquestionable. But God has a greater plan. Will He always say “no”? Of course not. He has marvelous works in store for you. He just knows that for a time, He must say “no” to allow the greater plan to unfold, and He weeps with you as your tears fall.

Trust the God who sometimes says “no”. His plan for you is unimaginable. His mercy for you is inexhaustible. And just as He loved His only begotten Son, He loves you enough to sometimes say “no”.

 

[beckysprayer]

Hi Ladies!

I just wanted to see how everyone is doing and if anyone has any vacation plans coming up.

I'm so excited to be able to go to San Diego, CA for the first time. I hear it's beautiful there. We will also be heading to L.A. to Universal Studios. Tay will start school in 4 weeks, can't believe how fast the summer is flying by.

Praying and believing for more summer BFPs

That sounds like fun! I've never been to either city, but I bet you will all have a great time.

hi Ladies,

sorry i haven't been posting a lot lately...Congrats to all the BFP's so far - and those ttc plese hang in there ur turn is coming.

well, my doc prescribed fertomid -50 for the first time this cycle and i decided on cd41 when Af was no where to be found...and got a shock of my life i just stood there in the toilet and said "thank you lord" and i stil thank him, me and my DH are thrilled and ill be seeing my doc 2moro so he can check on me...

Thanks to all of u ladies - u did help me a lot by strngthing my trust in him...

i pray that the lord bless each and everyone of you with ur heart desires.he is able! and it will happen in his right time.

Congrats!! Praying for a happy and healthy nine moths for you!

 

[Praying4bump]

I believe there is something special about a child who comes forth from a barren womb. I am not saying that a child easily conceived is any less special or that his or her life is not designed by the Almighty. However, I truly believe that when God chooses to make the conception and birth of child the vehicle through which He changes the lives of the men and women involved, I absolutely believe there is something unique in that child. Let’s look at the lives of children of barren wombs presented in Scripture.

Isaac
Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah when they were 100 and 90 years old. Talk about an infertility story! The conception and healthy birth of Isaac speak volumes to those of us who struggle with infertility. Even thousands of years later, we can point to Isaac and say “I know God can overcome infertility. Isaac was proof.”

Isaac didn’t have to wait until millenniums had passed before you could see someone special in his life. In an almost unimaginable moment, God instructed Abraham to take this child he had waited so many decades for, place him on an altar and take his life. We all focus on how Abraham obeyed and God spared his son. But look at Isaac. A young man with an old father. He could have fought his dad and there probably would have been no struggle to overtake him physically. There is no record of such an interchange. Apparently, Isaac had faith in his father--and his Father--and laid down on the altar. I guess when you understand that God could give you life inside a 90 year old womb, you can find the faith to believe that God can raise you from death at an altar.

Isaac also prayed for his infertile wife to conceive. Imagine hearing about infertility all your life, only to find that your wife couldn’t conceive. Perhaps Isaac had a great understanding of how infertility wreaks havoc on a woman’s heart. Maybe he was afraid he would have wait 70 years for a baby. Either way, Isaac prayed and Rebekah conceived. She conceived another child of a barren womb, Jacob

Jacob
Child of a child of a barren womb! Multi-generational infertility! How was Jacob used of God? He was the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. Remember the conversation God had with Grandpa Abraham? “See the stars, Abraham? Count them if you can! They are your descendants.” 12 boys. That’s a lot of stars! Jacob was given the profound task of raising the leaders of the tribes of God’s people. One of those tribes would eventually birth the Son of God. What a responsibility. I find comfort in the fact that the task of raising these boys was placed squarely in the lap of a child of a barren womb.


Samson
We don’t know a lot about Samson’s mother other than she “was barren and had borne no children.” (Judges 13:2) An angel of the Lord visited her and told her she would have a child. He instructed her that this child was to be consecrated to God even before his birth, as God had a plan for his life. They raised him in the way they were instructed to by God.

A perfect man? Not at all. Samson made his mistakes and he paid dearly for them. But look what Scripture tells us over and over again about Samson: “...the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily,” (Judges 14:6 and also in Judges 14:19, Judges 1:14) He served as a judge for 20 years, and throughout his life, he performed amazing acts of strength because of the touch of God.

John the Baptist
John’s parents were well beyond child bearing age. Maybe they once stood where you stand today--wondering if you’ll ever see your husband’s eyes looking at you in the face of your child. But God moved and Elizabeth conceived. What role did this child of a barren womb play in God’s plan? He was the forerunner of the Messiah! He went before his cousin, Jesus, and told everyone to get ready. Messiah’s coming!

Who’s to say that the child of your barren womb won’t do the same?

So were these children of barren wombs perfect? Not in the least! (That’s okay--yours won’t be either!) Isaac played favorites with his sons. Jacob was known as a deceiver. Women were Samson’s weakness. But these children were announced by angels. used of God and changed the course of history forever. Our lives are impacted today because of their lives centuries ago.

Yes. I believe there is something special about children of barren wombs.

Thank you! That is really encouraging!

 

[wristwatch24]

Hi ladies,

I haven't posted here in a while. I just wanted to check in and say hello. I'm going to try to come back here more often. I've been very depressed lately with TTC and feeling very lost. I need to keep my eyes on God and be around others who do more.

Hugs to all.

 

[Godsjewel]

Hi ladies,

I haven't posted here in a while. I just wanted to check in and say hello. I'm going to try to come back here more often. I've been very depressed lately with TTC and feeling very lost. I need to keep my eyes on God and be around others who do more.

Hugs to all.

I'm sorry you've been feeling that way

Take comfort in knowing that God has a plan in all of this and He has not forgotten you.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted*and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

 

[xxx_faithful]

Hi lovely ladies. I was spending some time with God today and felt these words come to me. I hope you will find some inspiration Xoxo

Just like the vows I wrote to the man you made for me, as are the vows I make to the children you have planted in me.

I vow to teach them the qualities of your nature and the whispers of your heart. To show them a world without greed, a universe of contentment.

I vow to show them what it is to follow you each day, to never jump ahead, and to never fall behind.

I vow to remember during days of exhaustion and sleep deprived nights, to remember it is nothing compared to the days of longing for a child and the agony that would consume me.

I vow to give them to you each day, as they are not my own but a temporary gift on earth for me and my husband.

Lastly I vow to take a moment each day knowing that you Lord have remembered me. You have answered my deepest desire, when I was tired, you gave me breath.

Xx

 

[wristwatch24]

Hi ladies,

I haven't posted here in a while. I just wanted to check in and say hello. I'm going to try to come back here more often. I've been very depressed lately with TTC and feeling very lost. I need to keep my eyes on God and be around others who do more.

Hugs to all.

I'm sorry you've been feeling that way

Take comfort in knowing that God has a plan in all of this and He has not forgotten you.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted*and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

Thank you so much

 

[wristwatch24]

Hi lovely ladies. I was spending some time with God today and felt these words come to me. I hope you will find some inspiration Xoxo

Just like the vows I wrote to the man you made for me, as are the vows I make to the children you have planted in me.

I vow to teach them the qualities of your nature and the whispers of your heart. To show them a world without greed, a universe of contentment.

I vow to show them what it is to follow you each day, to never jump ahead, and to never fall behind.

I vow to remember during days of exhaustion and sleep deprived nights, to remember it is nothing compared to the days of longing for a child and the agony that would consume me.

I vow to give them to you each day, as they are not my own but a temporary gift on earth for me and my husband.

Lastly I vow to take a moment each day knowing that you Lord have remembered me. You have answered my deepest desire, when I was tired, you gave me breath.

Xx

I really love this and feel like I was encouraged by God to come here today just to see this post. Thank you so much.

 

[Godsjewel]

I love my dog! He acts like he lives only to love me. I walk in the room and his whole little body starts trembling and wiggling until his back feet come up off the floor and his expressive little face just lights up. No matter what mood you’re in, you have to laugh when you see Charley so thrilled with my existence.

I realized something about my dog the other day. He is absolutely petrified to go down a flight of stairs. Anytime I pick him up and head for the first step, he goes from a wiggling, licking ball of fuzz to a shaking, shivering, whimpering pooch in no time flat. This realization became clear one day when I scooped Charley up in my arms and trotted upstairs to check out what my husband was doing. My husband and I talked for a minute and I headed back downstairs with Charley tucked in my elbow. It was then that Charley started trying his best to claw his way up over my shoulder and hide in my hair. He literally had tears on his face and was scared out of his goofy little mind.

I had to make a real effort to hold on to Charley that day. He was fighting me so hard that I almost dropped him. Finally, I pulled him off of my shoulder and literally wrapped my arms as tightly as I could around this silly little dog. I held him as close to me as I could and “sweet-talked” him all the way down the stairs, reassuring him that he really was okay and wouldn’t meet his demise on the staircase. When we got to the bottom of the stairs, I rubbed his head, set him down and he very gratefully ran off to play with his fake bone.

Does infertility feel like a giant staircase to you? The daily struggle you face can be as upsetting to you as the staircase was to Charley. You become afraid of all of the decisions you must face, and you wonder if you’re going to be okay. You don’t know how on earth you can get from start to finish without being gravely wounded. You must feel like Charley!

Don’t you realize that your struggle today is no more intimidating to God than the staircase was to me? I wasn’t afraid to take my goofy puppy down the stairs because I knew that I knew how to walk down the stairs, and I knew I could carry him down the stairs safely as well. There was no doubt in my mind that I had the ability and the know-how to get him to the first floor of my home where his toys awaited. In his fear, he didn’t realize that he needed to stick with me and not fight me. I was the one who was going to keep him safe. I wrapped my arms around him and carried him through what was a scary journey for him, though it was nothing to me. God does the same for you.

Scripture tells us that God promises to be near the broken hearted. We often use this Scripture when talking about grief and death. However, we all know that hearts break every time a period starts, or hormone levels are not what they should be. In those times when your journey to parenthood becomes scary and frustrating, I believe God wraps Himself around you and carries you through just like I did for Charley. The journey is not frightening to Him. He knows He has the ability to take you to where you need to be. He knows how to get you there, and He knows you’ll be fine as long as you stick with Him!

If you’re struggling especially hard today, feel God’s arms around you. Let yourself rest in the knowledge that He knows the way you take, and He knows just what to do to carry you through

 

[Godsjewel]

Lately I've been doing some more research on infertility and have come across multiple christian blogs of women that have been dealing with infertlity for 9, 11, 13 years. My heart goes out to them and I ask that during this time, you take the opportunity to get on your knees and pray for those ladies who have been in this battle for many, many years. I know in doing so, God will bless you.

Therefore, make it your habit to confess your sins to one another and to pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16


Here is one page I came across...

Speaking to women and mothers, I share my testimony as proof of God’s love and promise. As a mother of 5, I will never understand the emotions of a mother who can not birth a child but I am familiar with being a mother who felt like I could not birth purpose. “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 54:1

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary,barrenness is defined in multiple ways: 1) not producing offspring; 2) lacking vegetation, especially useful vegetation. 3) unproductive of results or gains; unprofitable; 4) habitually failing to fruit; 5) lacking inspiration or ideas. Barrenness in the Old Testament was considered to be a curse. The Bible reference 7 women that were barren: Sarah, the mother of Isaac, Rebekah, the mother of Esau and Jacob, Rachel, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, Samson’s mother, Hannah, Michal and Elizabeth. Each one of these women, once God opened up their wombs, birthed purpose.

God showed himself to be faithful regardless of the obstacle that presented itself. He still used them even in their condition and circumstances. One would say today, “Why is she so old or why did she wait so long to have a child?” But to overcome an obstacle that seemed to be insurmountable for the testimony of his glory and his name, what a mighty God we serve. Insurmountable is the problem of sin, guilt, shame, fear, worthlessness and hopelessness. The voice that would attempt to tell us that we will never be anything. But nothing is too hard for the God we serve.

My womb was barren for ten years. I gave up on every vision that God had given me. Though I birthed my children, I could not hold on to the promises and the visions that God had given me. I walked in defeat, but when I gave it all over to God, he gave me the courage to continue on. He gave me the vision and showed me the end. I trust him to lead me and guide me in the direction to bring it all to pass.

“Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband: the Lord of host is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refuse, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. Isaiah 54: 4-8

For the mothers that have lost hope on their dreams and aspirations, God will open up the womb and bring forth purpose in your life. So many of us have relied on the report or opinion of others that we wouldn’t be anything. But just like Elizabeth, God is going to cause the womb to leap and bring forth fruit to bring healing to a dying nation.

 

[xxx_faithful]

Hi ladies,

I haven't posted here in a while. I just wanted to check in and say hello. I'm going to try to come back here more often. I've been very depressed lately with TTC and feeling very lost. I need to keep my eyes on God and be around others who do more.

Hugs to all.

Hi beautiful I'm very sorry to hear your not feeling the best emotionally. Praying that you hold fast to anything that makes you feel lighter, more whole, and a happier you. Xx

 

[Mrstruth]

Hello ladies I would love to join the thread

 

[Wowmrswilson1]

Hello I would love to join as well it's about time I found a christian true but leave like me.

 

[Godsjewel]

Hello ladies I would love to join the thread

Welcome My name is Sarah and I'm so glad you joined us. I pray the Lord encourages you through this journey by this thread.

 

[Godsjewel]

Hello I would love to join as well it's about time I found a christian true but leave like me.

We would love for you to join us

If you feel comfortable, would you mind sharing with us a little bit about yourself.

 

[Godsjewel]

Throughout Scripture we see people just like you and me who have experienced all the joys and sorrows that life brings. We see marriages and we see divorces. We see joy and we see sorrow. We see families expanding and we see them dwindling. It is no mistake that the Giver of Life included stories of grief within His living Word. If you feel alone in your struggle to survive the struggles you face in trying to conceive, take heart! You’ll find understanding written within the pages of the Bible.

When you cry out to God and feel as though your prayers are pounding on the closed doors of Heaven, perhaps you feel like David felt. You have a day where it feels as if life is feels somewhat normal, only to suddenly crumple beneath the weight of an empty cradle. Peter could understand. You find yourself wondering why God didn’t show up when you needed Him the most, and you have just joined an involuntary sorority with Mary and Martha. There are gallons and gallons of tears spilling forth from the pages of God’s Word, but within every story, we see God faithfully intervening and bringing hope and healing to those He loves so very deeply. There is no problem you could ever have that the Bible isn’t interested in. There are no answers that are not written within its pages. You can glean so many nuggets of truth from these precious, sacred words to heal the hurt and give encouragement which the world simply cannot give.

If you could have a face-to-face conversation with Jesus Christ today, what would you say to Him? What would you ask Him? What do you imagine Him saying to you? Envision Jesus Christ Himself peering outside of the pages of Scripture and speaking straight into the baby-shaped void in your heart. What do you need Him to say to your broken heart? Friend, hear Him speaking to you through the Biblical stories of people just like yourself.

I have a challenge for you today. Set aside some time for you and your spouse. Turn off the tv. Don’t even look at a computer. Sit down with just the two of you and the Word of God. Flip through the pages, and search together for true stories of couple who have fought the same battles the two of you are facing. No, you probably won’t find where someone had doctor’s appointments every day leading up to their egg retrieval, but you will find a woman with the issue of blood who had spent all she had on doctor’s and couldn’t find relief! Join David on the battlefield. Perhaps you’ll pick up some armor and weapons to help you fight your war. Kneel down beside Mary as she pours her oil on the feet of her Master. Smell the fragrance of true sacrifice. Eavesdrop on the disciples at Calvary. You’ll find understanding from a Father who has Himself grieved the death of His Baby, and perhaps your heart will begin to heal. What a precious opportunity for the two of you to find your story in the Word of God. I’ll guarantee you’ll find yourselves there!