I've Lived Enough Life to Say

“Let’s start trying for a baby!” I was finally ready and told Michael it was time. He had been ready for awhile, but I was still wrapping my mind around it. We had been married 5 years or so. When we had been courting, he had made it plain that he wanted children. 3 or 4 kids sounded perfect for him. Me, I was thinking 1 or 2. But I had been reading books and now I was embracing the idea of a big family. As many as the Lord would provide. The main author I had been reading was a big proponent of large families, homeschooling and trusting God. I assumed that once I was off birth control I’d be pregnant soon. I mean, isn’t that the way it goes?

A couple months went by and I wasn’t pregnant. A few more went by. Each month I eagerly waited to have a missed period, but each month I was disappointed.

Then I had a miscarriage at 12 weeks. We were devastated. Well meaning people told us at least now we knew we could get pregnant and assured us we’d soon get pregnant again. And yes, I did get pregnant a few months later. Only to have another miscarriage 12 weeks later.

A couple more years went by, one month at a time. One disappointment at a time.

We kept praying and waiting for an answer from the Lord. We kept trusting the Lord, or at least trying to. At some point I came across this quote. I liked it so much I decided I needed it in my home so that I could see it all the time and remind myself that God’s answer would come in His time, not mine. “Faith in God includes faith in His timing.”

I had some minor health issues I was dealing with and decided to do a Daniel fast: eating only veggies and fruit for a period of 10 days. Daniel 1:8-13. The next month I got pregnant again. We asked our home group to pray over the baby and for protection. I passed the 12 week mark and gave a sigh of relief. I had a pretty normal pregnancy and in November Josiah was born. The Lord had answered our prayers for a child. In His way, in His time.

If we were sitting, chatting over a cup of coffee, and you were going through a time of waiting, trusting God, I would encourage you that God’s ways are not our ways. His timetable doesn’t always match up with ours. But He is worthy of our surrender, putting our trust in Him. He is answering even if it seems like a long time in coming. He sees a much bigger picture than we do. We don’t know the why’s and why nots, but we can TRUST Him, He has a plan for us, He’s working it out for our good and His glory.

Blessings, Gail