Infertility Blues... Again.

I woke up this morning with a suffocating lump in my throat. The sickening pit in my stomach, the desire so strong I could explode, met with the realization that I may never be... pregnant. After being 18 days late, this morning... I felt all of that hope crash all over again. I know some of you are thinking, "but aren't you and your husband called to adopt..." or "how selfish is she to want to be pregnant when she's adopting..." Trust me, I've said the same things to myself over and over again. A good friend of mine who has walked in my shoes shared some wise words to me once that adoption does not cure infertility. I couldn't agree more... adoption does not cure infertility, but daily searching for my identity in Jesus and finding my fulfillment in Him does.

I am no where near perfect... I have struggles on a day to day basis just like everyone else. I squeeze my toothpaste from the center of the tube, forget to replace the toilet paper roll, let dirty dishes pile up in the sink, and I struggle with real sin every single day. Finding my fulfillment in anything but Jesus is sin, but the beautiful thing about all of our sin is that it's never bigger than Jesus and His grace covers it all. 

My husband and I were called to adopt a newborn baby domestically eight months ago. Since that time God has grown me in ways that I can't even describe and has proven His faithfulness again and again. I know that He has big plans to use our story to bring so so much glory to His name. I have made incredible friendships with people literally all over the world since our announcement. I've heard stories similar to mine with all sorts of amazing journeys of how God brought a baby into their lives. I cannot tell you guys how much your encouragement, prayers, and support have meant to me over the past several months. Know that I still struggle, I still feel pain, and I still battle with infertility. At the same time, I have such a deep longing to get the phone call that could come literally any day now, from the birth mom that Jesus has for us. I cannot wait to be able to tell our baby the beautiful story of how their adoption impacted so many people, and how they were loved and pursued before they were even conceived. My struggles with infertility in no way lesson my burden and calling for the child we are adopting. 

I decided to blog today because I know that keeping these feelings to myself rob God of potential glory and I want nothing more than for Him to use every single bit of our journey to help encourage others on their journey as they go through similar emotions. Honestly, I immediately felt guilty over the excitement I have been feeling the last 18 days that I might be pregnant. My mom reminded me earlier this morning that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose" (Rom 8:28). This means that He allowed these 18 days and the feelings that have accompanied them, as part of His preparation in us for what's to come. If nothing else, it has reminded me that God has given us exactly what we needed when we needed it throughout our journey, His timing is perfect, and He isn't finished with our story. 

Thanks for reading! I appreciate your prayers today...

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7 Days...

Seven days since we made our adoption announcement. Seven days full of my inability to express my gratitude for all that Jesus has done. Seven days of Satan not having any ground to stand on in his attacks...

Today I woke up feeling different though. Today I am struggling with fears and insecurities. Today I have cried 3 times.

Why is it that when God has moved in extraordinary ways right before our eyes, it only takes a split second for us to doubt His faithfulness?

I received an Instagram direct message from my best friend a few minutes ago and it could not have been anything but Jesus because of the perfect timing, so I wanted to share it with you guys...

The truth is everyday is not going to be easy—but no one ever said having a baby was easy.

On this 8th day, I am thankful for SO much that God is doing in our lives, so I am choosing to reflect on those things.

I'm thankful for:

- Friends who move when God asks them to

- A God who keeps His promises and is capable to do ALL things

-All 1228 people who have liked and shared our page

-Everyone who is praying for us and our baby

-Each and every person who has already given a donation. Today we have raised $1300 of our $40,000 goal (in JUST 8 days)!

Thank you all for sharing my story and for all of the encouragement we have received. Chip and I are eternally grateful and cannot wait to share with our baby the names of each of you that helped he/she come home.

I try and stay in touch with my readers on a personal level through social media. Share this post to pass it on, and then click here to find me on Facebook. 

Pain

Jesus knew pain and exposed His emotions during His suffering. He has been teaching me that although I know that what we are going through is ultimately for His glory, that He wants me to be real with my feelings during the process. He wants me to expose my suffering to Him and not be superficial in my prayers. I will have good days and I will have bad days, and I must allow myself to experience the pain as well as His strength.

I can hold tightly to these truths during the process...

God is a good God who wants good things for His children. 

God is faithful and knows His children's desires. 

God will get the glory for my suffering. 

He has chosen us to go through this. 

Our story will preach the gospel and point people to Jesus. 

I am not alone in this process. 

God has a child out there for us. 

Gods plans are ALWAYS greater than our plans.

I try and stay in touch with my readers on a personal level through social media. Share this post to pass it on, and then click here to find me on Facebook.