Let's be honest, babies are conceived and born quite often, so I'm not writing this post to try to get you more excited about my family's life. God has been good to us, but there is a back story. In my opinion, back stories are what make the "front stories" carry weight or sink in a titanic way (pun intended). They substantiate the claims and add relevance to what is said in the main storyline. I have a back story to tell.



We went to the doctor and things looked good from their perspective. There was no reason why she shouldn't have been pregnant. If you're familiar with their procedures, the husband is the next link in the chain to get checked out. I was willing to do this, but not excited about it. It had been thirteen months since we started trying now, and we were considering using medical intervention.
I vividly remember going into our spare bedroom (at the time, but it later became Micah's room) and kneeling on the floor to pray. It was a little after 11:00 PM and Elizabeth was sleeping, but I couldn't sleep. I begged God to give us a child, and I did something I will never regret. I told God that if He gave us a child, I would surrender that child to Him for whatever purpose He had. That might scare some of you, but that's because you don't trust God. I trust Him, even with the lives of my children. I lay no claim on my children, because they belong to Him. I can't say for sure, but I think that prayer changed the game. Perhaps the reason for the waiting was that God was waiting for me to surrender--to release my psychological hold on "my family".
I don't remember counting the days, but shortly after that night, my wife conceived our first son, Micah. The subtlety of answered prayer means I cannot "prove" to anyone that our son is the direct result of prayer, but I can be convinced in my own heart. That's enough for me.
Micah Callan Devine was born April 25th, 2011, earlier than expected. See also "Why I Love Being a Dad". We were so thankful and so excited to be parents. It's an expensive cost, but I also believe that waiting for something can cause us to cherish it more. We love Micah like neither one of us knew we were capable of.
So this is old news, right? Well, the story continues. We both agreed that having two children in diapers was tough business. We decided to hold off on "trying" to get pregnant until Micah was at least 18 months old. His first birthday was exciting, and shortly after that we moved from Alabama to Tennessee. After settling down in Tennessee for several months, we decided it was a good time to start trying again. It was September 2012. We thought things would be better this time because we already knew we were able to have children, which we didn't know before. We were excited.
Three months went by, then six, then eight, and we started reliving the first attempt--frustration, irritation, helplessness, and impatience. Ten months, twelve months, and it didn't make sense to us. I thought we learned our "lessons" the first time and this time God would ship the child overnight via FedEx and life would be great. Nope, our plans were not God's plans.

My wife showed me the positive pregnancy test in October 2013 after another thirteen months of waiting. We are waiting still to meet the wonderful little person, but at least we know the package is in transit and we have a tracking number. God is wonderful because He gives us what we need when we don't know we need it. I know there are people out there that have waited years for children and had far more difficult circumstances than us. This story is not to tell you how wonderful we are for surviving--it's to encourage you. Whatever it is you're waiting for from God, don't be discouraged. Don't listen to the lies in your head. Press on. Pray. Trust. Love. And remember, if it hurt you, there are other people that are hurting, and maybe God can use you to help them.
Image credits:
Cyberspace image from http://stickyjesus.com/2012/03/10-steps-on-the-digital-road-to-reaching-millions/sj-cyberspace/
Amazon box image from http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/8/3850330/amazon-prime-launches-in-canada
Clock image from http://phillipkelley.net/the-worse-waiting-god-wishing-have/
Discouraged man image from http://www.safeinhome.com/blog/feeling-discouraged/
Sad woman image from http://sathiyam.tv/english/general/cervical-cancer-a-reality-that-can-be-avoided
Well, after reading this, I'm sure I am not alone in saying that in the future, I will think twice before asking "when will the next baby come?" I can relate to your story just because Jim and I went through a similar experience during the first couple years of our marriage. So I know from personal experience that it can tear you up, and potentially tear up your marriage as well. We endured, and though our outcome was not the same, we still have faith in God that, whatever happens, it His will. Thanks for sharing this story.
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