Double Blessings

It is hard for me to even start this blog post because I am so completely overwhelmed by God's blessings and faithfulness.  My breath is taken away as I gaze down at the perfect faces of my two children.  I still cannot believe that after years of begging and pleading with God to bless Jacob and I with a child he has given us a double blessing.  God's timing is perfect.  [For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1)  Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” (Genesis 18:14)] God has been faithful to barren women all the way back to the beginning of his people.  What an encouragement for those who are trusting in the Lord to provide a child. Many years ago a friend who was struggling with infertility said that she believed the hardest thing for a woman to trust God with is her fertility.  A few years later when it became apparent to me that we would struggle to have a child, I immediately remembered her words and decided to place my trust in the almighty God who can handle anything big or small.  Although the hurt never went away each month when I realized I was not pregnant, I also had the quiet hope and assurance that I could trust in God since everything is in his hands.  Looking back I realize that he allowed me to go through this great struggle for several reasons.  I can identify with and encourage other women who also have struggled with infertility and my faith in the Lord has grown tremendously through this experience.  God often grows our character and faith through struggles, not blessings.  God has turned something that could easily have become bitterness or anger into joy and thanksgiving and he did this not when we heard the news "you're pregnant," but from the first day we gave our struggle to Him years ago.  

For those of you who are reading this and are in the midst of the painful struggle with infertility, I write this to be an encouragement, not to rub salt in a wound.    I'm thankful that God did give us children, but my purpose here on earth, to glorify God and bless others, would have remained the same with or without children.  Perhaps we would have adopted (and still might) or maybe God would have used me in a completely different capacity.  What I do know and hope you draw comfort in can be summarized with this scripture verse: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29:11)

For those of you who prayed for Jacob and I along the way, thank you with all of my heart!  We felt your prayers and are so excited to be able to share our blessings with you.  God has designed us to be part of a community and I drew great comfort in knowing that our community was interceding on our behalf. THANK YOU!