Giants On The Battlefield of Loss
Everybody loves the story of David and Goliath. The giant David faced was obvious. Goliath seemed to be an insurmountable foe. But what are your giants?
Oh, your giants are there, and they are probably many! Perhaps you have had much experience on the battlefield of infertility or pregnancy loss. You’re a seasoned warrior in a battle you never intended to fight. You’ve done all you know to do to ensure success this time. But time after time, your giant stands in the way and grasps victory from your hands. Perhaps you’ve survived longer and longer each time, butit’s never been long enough for your baby to survive. Do you tremble at the thought of trying to conceive again because you simply don’t think you can survive another disappointment? The giant of Fear is threatening to destroy you. Come against the giant of Fear in the Name of the Lord! Isaiah 9:6 is your armory, where your weapon can be found! And His Name will be called…Prince of Peace. “I come against the giant of Fear in the Name of the Prince of Peace!”
Have friends and family become so uncomfortable by your tears that they have simply stopped coming around or have the invitations to family gathering suddenly disappeared? Are the giants of Loneliness and Isolation tormenting you and screaming out your name so loudly that you have begun to turn away from those you love? Come against the giants of Loneliness and Isolation with the Name of the Friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). Are you collapsing at the feet of the giant called Weakness? Don’t feel like you’re strong enough to last for the duration of the conflict? Defeat the giant called Weakness with the Name of the Lord found Isaiah 26:4! You’ll see the giant of Weakness bow its knee to the Lord Jehovah, our Everlasting Strength!
But wait! There’s a giant that seems to scream more loudly and threateningly than all the rest. What about the mighty giant of Sorrow? It’s probably the largest and most powerful giant on the battlefields of miscarriage and infertility. It has defeated you time after time after time. No weapon you’ve brandished against it has accomplished much. Time after time, Sorrow comes against you. Time after time, you dissolve into a pile of tears and pain. Since you’ve begun the quest for parenthood, your heart has been blindsided with pain you never saw coming. Is there a standard to raise against this powerful warrior?
Take heart, hurting friend. Reach back into your quiver and pull out a mighty weapon! It’s found in Psalm 3:1-3:
“O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, ‘There is no deliverance for him in God,’ But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.”
Here, the same David who fought with Goliath is calling out to God at another point of conflict in his life. He’s telling God how his adversaries have increased and how so many are rising up against him that people are saying there is no help for him. Sound familiar? “I don’t guess they’ll ever get over losing that baby!” “I guess I’ll never be a grandparent!” The giant of Sorrow takes another step toward you. “The pain is so deep! The sadness is so profound! I’ll never be truly happy again!” Sorrow throws its head back and laughs at your pain!
But just as David did in the valley of Elah, join all the righteous warriors of the centuries and proclaim to the giant of Sorrow that God is a shield about you! Any fiery darts are forever extinguished when God Himself is your Shield! You may just hear Sorrow begin to take a step back! That’s not all! Is your head bowed down with despair and you can hardly lift your face to carry on with your day? Verse 3 says He is your glory and the Lifter of your Head! Come against the giant of Sorrow with the Name of God Almighty, your Shield! God Almighty, your Glory! God Almighty, the Lifter of your Head! The thundering you hear is the giant of Sorrow falling at your feet for all the armies of the world to see!
Adapted from When Love & Sorrow Embrace: The Sufficiency of God’s Grace Through the Heartache of Miscarriage, (c) 2006 Beth Forbus.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Nothing is Too Hard
Nothing is Too Hard
Is anything too difficult for the Lord?
Genesis 18:14
For nothing will be impossible with God!
Luke 1:37
In the stories of the births of Isaac and Jesus Himself we see some similarities. Astonished parents. Surprise. A promised child. But I want to point out to you a couple of very similar and wonderful statements undoubtedly proclaimed with a twinkle in the eye of the holy messenger who was honored to share it. Go back with me to Sarah’s tent as the angel of the Lord told her at the tender young age of 89 that within one year she would finally bear the child she had craved her entire life. What was that blessed question to the dazed octogenarian? Is anything too difficult for the Lord? (Genesis 18:14) I know she laughed but I can’t help but think that the angel had to at least snicker at her expression!
Now jump ahead to the central event of mankind--the birth of Christ. Look with me as a scared young girl stares an angel in the face as he tells her she is carrying the Lamb of God in her virgin womb. What was his message to this confused young girl? For nothing will be impossible with God! (Luke 1:37)
See any similarities? Both of these statements were uttered to reassure the mothers of children who otherwise could not have been born! It took a miracle to breathe life into the womb of a 90-year-old woman and even more miracle working power to bring the Son of God into the human body of a virgin teenager! I absolutely love that God placed those two Scriptures boldly screaming out through time and eternity that nothing is too difficult for God right smack dab in the middle of the accounts of these children! Both statements were uttered in response to the conception of children! That really speaks to me as a woman who has felt the sting of childlessness myself!
Let me tattoo on your heart right now--Nothing is too hard for God! Nothing! Hallelujah! Endometriosis? It’s nothing to the Great Physician! Unexplained infertility? Not to an all-knowing God! Miscarriages? Stillbirths? God understands--remember He knows the sting of losing a Child. His child died, too. Adoption? He is the original adoptive parent!
Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing is too difficult for God and He’s fighting this battle right along with you! Disease? He can heal! Financially strapped? His very Name--Jehovah Jireh--proclaims to you that He is your Provider! Confused? He can lead you to the right doctors or support groups! Tired? He can give you rest! Barren? He can open your womb! We serve such a wonderful God. I’m so glad He loves me and cares about my hurt!
Is anything too difficult for the Lord?
Genesis 18:14
For nothing will be impossible with God!
Luke 1:37
In the stories of the births of Isaac and Jesus Himself we see some similarities. Astonished parents. Surprise. A promised child. But I want to point out to you a couple of very similar and wonderful statements undoubtedly proclaimed with a twinkle in the eye of the holy messenger who was honored to share it. Go back with me to Sarah’s tent as the angel of the Lord told her at the tender young age of 89 that within one year she would finally bear the child she had craved her entire life. What was that blessed question to the dazed octogenarian? Is anything too difficult for the Lord? (Genesis 18:14) I know she laughed but I can’t help but think that the angel had to at least snicker at her expression!
Now jump ahead to the central event of mankind--the birth of Christ. Look with me as a scared young girl stares an angel in the face as he tells her she is carrying the Lamb of God in her virgin womb. What was his message to this confused young girl? For nothing will be impossible with God! (Luke 1:37)
See any similarities? Both of these statements were uttered to reassure the mothers of children who otherwise could not have been born! It took a miracle to breathe life into the womb of a 90-year-old woman and even more miracle working power to bring the Son of God into the human body of a virgin teenager! I absolutely love that God placed those two Scriptures boldly screaming out through time and eternity that nothing is too difficult for God right smack dab in the middle of the accounts of these children! Both statements were uttered in response to the conception of children! That really speaks to me as a woman who has felt the sting of childlessness myself!
Let me tattoo on your heart right now--Nothing is too hard for God! Nothing! Hallelujah! Endometriosis? It’s nothing to the Great Physician! Unexplained infertility? Not to an all-knowing God! Miscarriages? Stillbirths? God understands--remember He knows the sting of losing a Child. His child died, too. Adoption? He is the original adoptive parent!
Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing is too difficult for God and He’s fighting this battle right along with you! Disease? He can heal! Financially strapped? His very Name--Jehovah Jireh--proclaims to you that He is your Provider! Confused? He can lead you to the right doctors or support groups! Tired? He can give you rest! Barren? He can open your womb! We serve such a wonderful God. I’m so glad He loves me and cares about my hurt!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
A Christmas Secret
A Christmas Secret
Shh! Can you keep a secret? You can’t tell! My husband’s Christmas gift has been sitting on our kitchen counter for two weeks and he doesn’t know it! It’s wrapped up in a beautiful, decorative box that is quite ornate. The uniquely shaped box he assumes to be a new Christmas decoration is actually a gift he has been hinting for for quite some time! He walks by it every day and has no idea! He stands within inches of his present and reads the mail! I have to admit, I enjoy being a little sneaky and the thought of hidden treasures makes me smile.
Do you realize that God has hidden treasures all around you today? He understands that infertility can take a toll on your heart--especially around the holidays. He knows the burden that baby hunger brings, so He gives you an extra measure of love. He may not have placed them in brightly colored boxes on your kitchen countertops, but they are there!
Where are these hidden Christmas gifts from God? Perhaps God has given you a measure of His love in a phone call from a friend who just called to check on you after she knew you had an important doctor’s appointment. Just the fact that she cared spoke volumes to your heart! (A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.--Proverbs 25:11) Remember your pastor’s sermon that really seemed to speak to your heart? Maybe God was being a little sneaky and placed that in your pastor’s heart just for you. There are many times we receive emails telling us that a Daily Double Portion was just what someone needed for the struggle they were going through on a particular day. God had placed a hidden treasure right in front of them--right on their computer screen! Something as simple as an encouraging book you find in a Christian book store, or even a song on the radio can remind you of the love God has for you in troubling times. Perhaps you’ve never considered that encounters such as these can be more than just coincidences and could actually be hidden gifts from God to help you through this most difficult journey through infertility!
Remember when you were a little girl? Did you sneak around the house at Christmas time, trying your best to find the Christmas gifts you knew were hidden somewhere just out of sight? Why not be like that again? Look around you for the hidden treasures of God’s love.
As women who want to get pregnant we are absolute professionals at looking for signs. Every time we are in the midst of a two-week wait between ovulation day and day 28, we look for a sign we are pregnant. Could that twinge mean anything? I don’t think I feel very well today. Could that be morning sickness starting? Why not put this unintentional talent to work for you? Look for a sign that God is offering you extra encouragement today? “Could that song be God’s way of reminding me that He really is Emmanuel, God with me? He won’t leave me--even through infertility!”
God loves you. He’s passionate about you. He wants to show you His love for you. And when you find His gifts of love, I believe He smiles.
Shh! Can you keep a secret? You can’t tell! My husband’s Christmas gift has been sitting on our kitchen counter for two weeks and he doesn’t know it! It’s wrapped up in a beautiful, decorative box that is quite ornate. The uniquely shaped box he assumes to be a new Christmas decoration is actually a gift he has been hinting for for quite some time! He walks by it every day and has no idea! He stands within inches of his present and reads the mail! I have to admit, I enjoy being a little sneaky and the thought of hidden treasures makes me smile.
Do you realize that God has hidden treasures all around you today? He understands that infertility can take a toll on your heart--especially around the holidays. He knows the burden that baby hunger brings, so He gives you an extra measure of love. He may not have placed them in brightly colored boxes on your kitchen countertops, but they are there!
Where are these hidden Christmas gifts from God? Perhaps God has given you a measure of His love in a phone call from a friend who just called to check on you after she knew you had an important doctor’s appointment. Just the fact that she cared spoke volumes to your heart! (A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.--Proverbs 25:11) Remember your pastor’s sermon that really seemed to speak to your heart? Maybe God was being a little sneaky and placed that in your pastor’s heart just for you. There are many times we receive emails telling us that a Daily Double Portion was just what someone needed for the struggle they were going through on a particular day. God had placed a hidden treasure right in front of them--right on their computer screen! Something as simple as an encouraging book you find in a Christian book store, or even a song on the radio can remind you of the love God has for you in troubling times. Perhaps you’ve never considered that encounters such as these can be more than just coincidences and could actually be hidden gifts from God to help you through this most difficult journey through infertility!
Remember when you were a little girl? Did you sneak around the house at Christmas time, trying your best to find the Christmas gifts you knew were hidden somewhere just out of sight? Why not be like that again? Look around you for the hidden treasures of God’s love.
As women who want to get pregnant we are absolute professionals at looking for signs. Every time we are in the midst of a two-week wait between ovulation day and day 28, we look for a sign we are pregnant. Could that twinge mean anything? I don’t think I feel very well today. Could that be morning sickness starting? Why not put this unintentional talent to work for you? Look for a sign that God is offering you extra encouragement today? “Could that song be God’s way of reminding me that He really is Emmanuel, God with me? He won’t leave me--even through infertility!”
God loves you. He’s passionate about you. He wants to show you His love for you. And when you find His gifts of love, I believe He smiles.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Loved
We are in the full swing of the holiday season! Choirs sing “Joy to the World”! Shoppers gleefully cram bags full of half-priced treasures into bulging car trunks and rush back into the malls to find more bargains! Decorations are hung, the air is crisp and everyone is filled with the anticipation of glad reunions with family and friends in the coming weeks.
Yet your heart is still broken. Your womb is still empty. Your world is still wrapped in infertility.
Christmas is supposed to be a time when we lay aside the heaviness of the year and celebrate family and friends. For the woman struggling with infertility, it can be the hardest time to celebrate. You really are grateful to God for the gift of His Son, but it’s hard to see pictures of mangers and babies, even if the baby is Baby Jesus. While everyone around you basks in the glow of the love of friends and family, infertility can cause you to feel alone and even sometimes unloved.
If infertility has caused you to feel unloved today, please open the pages of God’s Word today and find Ephesians 3:16-19. As you read its message, envision the writer, Paul, wrapped in chains in a prison cell, but freer than any of his captors. Hear his raspy voice, alive with passion as he locks eyes with you, looks deep into the hurt your heart carries and says to you “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
Can you hear his chains rattling as this impassioned apostle’s gestures grow more animated? And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (NIV)
Oh, hurting friend! I wish you could know how much God loves you! It’s so easy to be convinced that God has forgotten you when you have cried out for a baby for so long, yet you’re still not pregnant. The holidays seem to intensify your struggle and make you so much more sensitive to the hurt. If the enemy whispers in your ear that God doesn’t love you, remember he is the Father of lies. If he--the Father of lies--says you are unloved, that is proof positive that you are cherished and desired!
In quite a paradoxical way, I believe God can even use your infertility to show you how much He loves you. The desire you have for a child is so great. You want nothing more than to have a child to love and nurture, and to see yourself in your child’s eyes. Your greatest wish is to provide for a child and teach a child all the great lessons of life. God, your Father, has the same great desires for you, His child. He wants nothing more than to have such a relationship with you. He so wants to love and nurture you, and to see Himself in you. He wants to provide for you and to teach you. Can you see the parallels? Let these truths show you the love God has for you. You are loved and desired by God, just as a child of your own is loved and desired by your own heart, even before conception.
His love for you is wide and long and high and deep. His love surpasses knowledge! It’s so massive, it’s mind boggling and literally incomprehensible! How could we possibly understand a love that is willing to sacrifice a Child on our behalf? God’s love for you is boundless, endless, measureless, exhaustless. He understands your desire for a child and feels the same. His love for you is overwhelming--even in the midst of infertility.
We are in the full swing of the holiday season! Choirs sing “Joy to the World”! Shoppers gleefully cram bags full of half-priced treasures into bulging car trunks and rush back into the malls to find more bargains! Decorations are hung, the air is crisp and everyone is filled with the anticipation of glad reunions with family and friends in the coming weeks.
Yet your heart is still broken. Your womb is still empty. Your world is still wrapped in infertility.
Christmas is supposed to be a time when we lay aside the heaviness of the year and celebrate family and friends. For the woman struggling with infertility, it can be the hardest time to celebrate. You really are grateful to God for the gift of His Son, but it’s hard to see pictures of mangers and babies, even if the baby is Baby Jesus. While everyone around you basks in the glow of the love of friends and family, infertility can cause you to feel alone and even sometimes unloved.
If infertility has caused you to feel unloved today, please open the pages of God’s Word today and find Ephesians 3:16-19. As you read its message, envision the writer, Paul, wrapped in chains in a prison cell, but freer than any of his captors. Hear his raspy voice, alive with passion as he locks eyes with you, looks deep into the hurt your heart carries and says to you “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
Can you hear his chains rattling as this impassioned apostle’s gestures grow more animated? And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (NIV)
Oh, hurting friend! I wish you could know how much God loves you! It’s so easy to be convinced that God has forgotten you when you have cried out for a baby for so long, yet you’re still not pregnant. The holidays seem to intensify your struggle and make you so much more sensitive to the hurt. If the enemy whispers in your ear that God doesn’t love you, remember he is the Father of lies. If he--the Father of lies--says you are unloved, that is proof positive that you are cherished and desired!
In quite a paradoxical way, I believe God can even use your infertility to show you how much He loves you. The desire you have for a child is so great. You want nothing more than to have a child to love and nurture, and to see yourself in your child’s eyes. Your greatest wish is to provide for a child and teach a child all the great lessons of life. God, your Father, has the same great desires for you, His child. He wants nothing more than to have such a relationship with you. He so wants to love and nurture you, and to see Himself in you. He wants to provide for you and to teach you. Can you see the parallels? Let these truths show you the love God has for you. You are loved and desired by God, just as a child of your own is loved and desired by your own heart, even before conception.
His love for you is wide and long and high and deep. His love surpasses knowledge! It’s so massive, it’s mind boggling and literally incomprehensible! How could we possibly understand a love that is willing to sacrifice a Child on our behalf? God’s love for you is boundless, endless, measureless, exhaustless. He understands your desire for a child and feels the same. His love for you is overwhelming--even in the midst of infertility.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Hope
Hope
What exactly is hope? Is it positive thinking? Is it the same as faith? From a Biblical standpoint, hope is something certain, as of yet unrealized. It is something you look forward to with certainty, yet you have not yet attained. It is much like a reservation in a restaurant. You get dressed for dinner, drive to the restaurant, walk in the door and tell the host or hostess your name, fully expecting that a table will be ready for you at the appointed time. You expect that the dinner you request will be prepared and served and your hunger will be satisfied. You have no doubt or reason to believe that this chain of events will not be carried out as planned. Such is hope!
Has infertility taken your hope away? No test is too difficult, no financial setback too great if you have the hope of conceiving, but if you feel hopeless in your quest for a baby, despair can set in and it is easy to throw your hands up and give in.
Do you realize God is your partner in hope? The struggle you face with infertility may cause you to question whether God is on your side or if He has forgotten you. Does He care if I conceive? Does He care if I am successful in other areas of my life? If you want to know about God and how He feels about you, turn to His Word! Dive in to the pages of the book He wrote about Himself! See what He has to say about Himself and about you. See what He has to say about hope.
For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4
Remember that Scripture is a source of great encouragement for you. God has given you His word to encourage you and give you hope! Read His word and find encouragement to help you with your battle with infertility!
'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
God’s plans for you are full of hope. Full of certainty.
Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. Psalm 42:5
You can place your hope in God--the certainty of God. He is unwavering. Even if your circumstances change every time you have an appointment with your doctor--a new diagnosis, a different medication, more questions. Hope in God--place your confidence in the certainty of who He is, and find help in the very presence of God.
I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. Psalm 130:5
Waiting is such a hard part of the infertility struggle. It seems as if your entire adult life has been nothing but waiting for a baby! As you wait, you can put your hope in the Lord and in His infallible word. Hope--something certain, yet unrealized. Wait for God’s perfect plan to be brought about in His perfect timing, whatever His perfect plan for your life is. Place your hope in His perfect plan for you as you wait for the Lord.
In hope against hope he (Abraham) believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, " So shall your descendants be." Romans 4:18
Abraham gave us a beautiful example of hope as he waited for a child! He believed in hope that God would do what He said He would and give him and Sarah a baby in their old age! God came through and Isaac was born! Abraham believed with certainty that God would give him a child, and God did! (By the way--what an encouraging story for those who need God to perform a healing miracle in their physical bodies!)
For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. Romans 8:24-25
...rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,... Romans 12:12
Keep persevering in prayer! Keep praying for God’s will for your life and your family! Thank God for the hope He gives you.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
It is our prayer that you will feel the peace of the Holy Spirit when you realize the hope you have from Heaven, that God is for you and not against you, and that God’s plan for your life is amazing!
What exactly is hope? Is it positive thinking? Is it the same as faith? From a Biblical standpoint, hope is something certain, as of yet unrealized. It is something you look forward to with certainty, yet you have not yet attained. It is much like a reservation in a restaurant. You get dressed for dinner, drive to the restaurant, walk in the door and tell the host or hostess your name, fully expecting that a table will be ready for you at the appointed time. You expect that the dinner you request will be prepared and served and your hunger will be satisfied. You have no doubt or reason to believe that this chain of events will not be carried out as planned. Such is hope!
Has infertility taken your hope away? No test is too difficult, no financial setback too great if you have the hope of conceiving, but if you feel hopeless in your quest for a baby, despair can set in and it is easy to throw your hands up and give in.
Do you realize God is your partner in hope? The struggle you face with infertility may cause you to question whether God is on your side or if He has forgotten you. Does He care if I conceive? Does He care if I am successful in other areas of my life? If you want to know about God and how He feels about you, turn to His Word! Dive in to the pages of the book He wrote about Himself! See what He has to say about Himself and about you. See what He has to say about hope.
For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4
Remember that Scripture is a source of great encouragement for you. God has given you His word to encourage you and give you hope! Read His word and find encouragement to help you with your battle with infertility!
'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
God’s plans for you are full of hope. Full of certainty.
Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. Psalm 42:5
You can place your hope in God--the certainty of God. He is unwavering. Even if your circumstances change every time you have an appointment with your doctor--a new diagnosis, a different medication, more questions. Hope in God--place your confidence in the certainty of who He is, and find help in the very presence of God.
I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. Psalm 130:5
Waiting is such a hard part of the infertility struggle. It seems as if your entire adult life has been nothing but waiting for a baby! As you wait, you can put your hope in the Lord and in His infallible word. Hope--something certain, yet unrealized. Wait for God’s perfect plan to be brought about in His perfect timing, whatever His perfect plan for your life is. Place your hope in His perfect plan for you as you wait for the Lord.
In hope against hope he (Abraham) believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, " So shall your descendants be." Romans 4:18
Abraham gave us a beautiful example of hope as he waited for a child! He believed in hope that God would do what He said He would and give him and Sarah a baby in their old age! God came through and Isaac was born! Abraham believed with certainty that God would give him a child, and God did! (By the way--what an encouraging story for those who need God to perform a healing miracle in their physical bodies!)
For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. Romans 8:24-25
...rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,... Romans 12:12
Keep persevering in prayer! Keep praying for God’s will for your life and your family! Thank God for the hope He gives you.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
It is our prayer that you will feel the peace of the Holy Spirit when you realize the hope you have from Heaven, that God is for you and not against you, and that God’s plan for your life is amazing!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving--Again!
Happy Thanksgiving Again!
In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6
Yesterday, we encouraged you to begin thinking about what you have to be thankful for, even if that list does not include a baby. We looked at things in the physical realm of our existence. Today, let’s look at the bountiful blessings God has poured on us in the spiritual realm.
I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20 God promises to never leave you—even in the midst of your struggle with infertility! Be thankful that God is there.
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 God promises He’s your strength when you’re too weak to go on, and help for you in your trouble. Be thankful for a refuge and help.
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1 God loves us! He certainly didn’t have to, but chose to! How great is His love! Be thankful for God’s love.
Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. 2 John 1:3 I’m so glad He gives me His grace, His mercy and His peace. I know I need it! Be thankful for grace, mercy and peace.
How about coming up with some more reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving? The easy thing to do would be to let yourself get caught up again in your hurts and disappointments. Fight that urge to fall into a depression! Find things that you are thankful for, whether big things or small!
In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6
Yesterday, we encouraged you to begin thinking about what you have to be thankful for, even if that list does not include a baby. We looked at things in the physical realm of our existence. Today, let’s look at the bountiful blessings God has poured on us in the spiritual realm.
I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20 God promises to never leave you—even in the midst of your struggle with infertility! Be thankful that God is there.
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 God promises He’s your strength when you’re too weak to go on, and help for you in your trouble. Be thankful for a refuge and help.
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1 God loves us! He certainly didn’t have to, but chose to! How great is His love! Be thankful for God’s love.
Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. 2 John 1:3 I’m so glad He gives me His grace, His mercy and His peace. I know I need it! Be thankful for grace, mercy and peace.
How about coming up with some more reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving? The easy thing to do would be to let yourself get caught up again in your hurts and disappointments. Fight that urge to fall into a depression! Find things that you are thankful for, whether big things or small!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving!
In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6
Give thanks? Are you nuts? I want to give up and you want me to give thanks? For what?
Chances are that you’ve been dreading the holidays ever since the holidays were over last year. Times when families gather is supposed to be wonderful, joyous and enjoyable, but when you are struggling with infertility, the last thing you want to see is all those relatives dragging in diaper bags and the newest pictures of their little darlings. You’ve cried. You’ve prayed. You’ve hidden in closets so you don’t have to ooh and aah over the latest addition to the Thanksgiving celebration. What do you have to be thankful for?
What do you have to be thankful for?
It’s so easy to get totally consumed in your quest for a child that you forget that you truly are blessed. It’s such a vicious cycle! We get bad news and we obsess on what’s not right in our lives. The more we ponder what’s wrong, the less able we are to focus on what’s right. We get down and begin the cycle over again by obsessing on what’s wrong.
Let’s look at what’s right! God is blessing us in ways we may not think about. Here are some ideas to get you started:
With the exception of our fertility issues, most of us have healthy bodies. Few of us are attached to an oxygen mask. Let’s give thanks for the systems of our bodies that work right.
Most of us have at least some family members and friends who love us, even if they don’t understand our fight. Even if they say stupid or hurtful things, we know they love us. Give thanks for your family and friends.
We are blessed financially, even in the midst of tough economic times. Those of us in the United States live in the richest nation in the world. Even if you struggle financially, you have a roof over your head. None of us will starve before morning. Let’s give thanks for our finances.
We live in the greatest country in the world. Whether you agree with how things are run or not, you live every day in freedom. When we attend mass, church services or support groups run by Christian organizations, we don’t hover in fear of someone coming in to blow our brains out. Let’s thank God for freedom!
God’s blessings are upon us! Tomorrow we’ll look at how God blesses us in the spiritual realm.
In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6
Give thanks? Are you nuts? I want to give up and you want me to give thanks? For what?
Chances are that you’ve been dreading the holidays ever since the holidays were over last year. Times when families gather is supposed to be wonderful, joyous and enjoyable, but when you are struggling with infertility, the last thing you want to see is all those relatives dragging in diaper bags and the newest pictures of their little darlings. You’ve cried. You’ve prayed. You’ve hidden in closets so you don’t have to ooh and aah over the latest addition to the Thanksgiving celebration. What do you have to be thankful for?
What do you have to be thankful for?
It’s so easy to get totally consumed in your quest for a child that you forget that you truly are blessed. It’s such a vicious cycle! We get bad news and we obsess on what’s not right in our lives. The more we ponder what’s wrong, the less able we are to focus on what’s right. We get down and begin the cycle over again by obsessing on what’s wrong.
Let’s look at what’s right! God is blessing us in ways we may not think about. Here are some ideas to get you started:
With the exception of our fertility issues, most of us have healthy bodies. Few of us are attached to an oxygen mask. Let’s give thanks for the systems of our bodies that work right.
Most of us have at least some family members and friends who love us, even if they don’t understand our fight. Even if they say stupid or hurtful things, we know they love us. Give thanks for your family and friends.
We are blessed financially, even in the midst of tough economic times. Those of us in the United States live in the richest nation in the world. Even if you struggle financially, you have a roof over your head. None of us will starve before morning. Let’s give thanks for our finances.
We live in the greatest country in the world. Whether you agree with how things are run or not, you live every day in freedom. When we attend mass, church services or support groups run by Christian organizations, we don’t hover in fear of someone coming in to blow our brains out. Let’s thank God for freedom!
God’s blessings are upon us! Tomorrow we’ll look at how God blesses us in the spiritual realm.
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