My verse today was 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Just thought I would share my heart.
"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."
We all have something in our lives...that thing that makes us think, 'if this would work out, everything would be perfect!' Of course when I read this, my mind immediately goes to the fact that I'm supposed to be thankful for my infertility. The verse is very clear, it's God's will that I be thankful in ALL circumstances of my life. It's so easy to be thankful for the good...the things that make me happy. It's not so easy when it comes to the difficult things. God wants me to praise Him for this thing that makes me cry on a daily basis...the want to conceive a child.
I can't say that I've got this down but I can say that I continue to trust God's best during this time in my life. I'm doing my best to develop an attitude of gratitude...even for the not-so-easy things, like infertility. He has taught me so much already and if He continues to make me wait for a child, I can only believe it's because He still has something to teach me in all of this.
Today, I thank Him for what He has taught me up to this point and I count my infertility as a blessing!
We've come a long way, baby. :)
Love to all,
Jill
17 comments:
boy do I struggle with being thankful for my infertility! I know I should be because I know however we have a child (IUI, IVF, adoption) I know I will be SO thankful when it happens, when it happens I know it will feel like just the right time too. It is hard to be thankful for going through the waiting and procedures, but your right we need to be thankful through the storm as well, not just the happy things are going right times in life.
It is so encouraging to see what God is doing in your heart. I'm definitely not there right now, but I love seeing that you are. It gives me great hope!
I am praying for you and think of you often. I truly hope your prayers are answered soon! Stay strong.
I know exactly what you mean, it is the times when things are hard that God uses those challenging things to help you grown and change! I really admire your positive attitude! I really thought I was getting to that point and then Monday happend! But it is a daily battle for me to keep a good attitude. I try to remind myself of all the blessings I do have and that this experience has really brought William & I closer together and closer to God. So I guess thanks for reminding me to keep a positive attitude because today I was feeling pretty crummy.
~Stephanie
I love this post. Are you sure you weren't at our Bible study last night? We talked about the very same thing - wanting the fullness of God, and yet often time we perceive the fullness of God to be our will (or our petitions). Are gratitude is often based on His answering our ideas of fullness, instead of the other way around: we should be grateful for every situation. Often times we pray with the expectation of "your will be done" but really we mean "we hope your will is our will" instead of it really being His. Being thankful for everything - even things as crazy as infertility - almost seems foreign to us. And yet, through this post, I love how you change perception and acknowledge God's hand in the whole process of growing you. It's awesome.
**BIG HUG**
Beautiful post! I found you through I believe in miracles...you're so right. Clearly we're going through IF because we have something to learn from it, and we should continue to be thankful for ALL our circumstances, including IF! Thank you for the beautiful reminder. :)
Wow! Thank you for the reminder!
We should be grateful for the ability to communicate with our husbands, the desire to have children being exemplified, the choices we have been given, and the time alone we have shared.
Great post! Thanks!
You have simply the best attitude I swear...it is truly inspiring to me! What a beautiful person you are both inside and out...I'm happy to have stumbled across you sweetie :-) Thank you for you kind words, and I'll drop you an email sometime soon - but just the kind words you have given me is enough :-) ((hugs))
Your strength in this situation continues to impress me. I hope you find the comfort you deserve.
Your attitude of gratitude is an amazing testament of your faith. God worked on my heart and I felt once I got to the point-- where you are-- recognizing how God HAD blessed me and trusting in him 100%... he then, answered our prayers! It's so encouraging to read your words. I understand--truly. Praying for you guys and thanking God for filling you with peace and joy!!
Thanks for visiting my blog today and offering me your encouragement. I really appreciate it. I'll follow along on your journey, too. I hope the Lord grants us both our hearts' desires.
:-)
Found your post through I Believe in Miracles - thank you for writing this! It's exactly what I needed to read today (and every day). We, too, have been struggling with IF for 22 months, and I agree with you, it's brought us closer to God than I ever thought possible. I feel inspired by the way you look at this and am going to work more diligently to remember these words as we forge onward. Thanks.
Hi Jill - I was thinking about your blog today after I had a chance to read a few of your posts from your IVF experience. I'm interested in how you feel about the fact that you all were so open about it with family and friends. In retrospect, was that a good decision for you all? I'm interested because we're getting ready to go through IVF ourselves, and have been a little torn about this decision. I'm curious about your experience, especially when you look back. Thanks.
Thanks for your feedback, Jill! I really appreciate the input. We've told a few friends and our parents, but we're preparing to "go public" very soon. I do so appreciate your support, and know that I am praying for you as well.
Today, I'm just focusing on being grateful for the journey. Take care! I'll be in touch!
l.
Very nicely put. Great post. I believe that God has a plan for all of us. He is not giving us children for a reason. Not sure what that reason is yet, but I also believe in time, if its meant to be, it will be by His Will. We can do our part, IVF, meds, etc,. But at the end of the day it is His Will that gives us or not a child. Thanks for writing this, reminding us to be thankful for eveything. xoxoxoxo
This post is beautiful!
It is so great to see that infertility has not made you loose your faith in Our Father....
I to believe that during infertility journeys GOD moulds and teaches us. During these hard, difficult, trying times as we try and wait for our baby to arrive we need to hold onto knowing that God knows the desries of our hearts and that He will bless us in His time.
Keep looking to God and I hope your day to hold your little one will be soon
xxx
found your blog through my good friends jay and emily and i actually thought that i was linking to our other friends named alex and jill, however, i was very encouraged by your positive attitude in your circumstances. it is so true that most times we choose to focus on the difficulties on the path instead of the Road Maker to begin with. I myself being the product of adoption pray that however God chooses to build your family that you take each building block and make your tower strong
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