A BUNDLE TO LOVE
By Carolyn Dale Newell
Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no Children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die!”
Genesis 30:1 NKJV
At age twenty-three, that longing hit me. You know the one. The desire to have a child is strong by nature. Some women elect not to have families, but for the rest of us, a life without a child is empty. The yearning is so strong because it is God’s plan for us to be fruitful and multiply. When that overwhelming longing hits, nothing will satisfy it, but a little bundle of joy.
Discovering that becoming pregnant is difficult can create despair. I went from taking my temperature every morning and faithfully keeping the charts through all the infertility tests. Each month, I eagerly awaited the good news, and each month, the doctor started the process over again. Pills to jump-start my cycle, and fertility drugs followed. For six months, that was the routine.
Strolling through the baby department, gazing at the adorable outfits, the tiny sleepers, and all the baby gear was thrilling. So soft and so cute! Then my eyes sprang a leak, and I made a quick exit, leaving the store to cry.
I prayed nightly for a child. It could be a boy or a girl. It did not matter. I just wanted a bundle to love. I wasn’t attending church. Wasn’t reading my Bible. Wasn’t living for God. The truth was that I did not know Jesus Christ personally at that time. I prayed, unaware that my prayers never hit the ceiling. After I was genuinely born again, I learned that God does not hear the prayer of a sinner, except the genuine request for salvation. Once I was gloriously saved, I struggled to accept the fact that God did not hear those prayers because He answered them. Yes, I finally became pregnant, but it had nothing to do with my prayers. It was part of God’s amazing plan.
Scripture is filled with barren women whose wombs eventually carried babies. Sarah miraculously bore Isaac in her old age (Gen. 18:10-11). Rachael’s need for children was stronger than life itself (Gen. 30:1). Not only did Hannah weep for a child, she endured the biting words of Elkanah’s other wife, who became pregnant easily (1 sam. 1-20). God blessed all these women with newborns, but that may not always be the case.
Your answer to prayer may come in the form of adoption or a foster child. Some couples remain childless. We can’t wrap our minds around the fact that potentially good parents cannot conceive, but many unmarried women have multiple births. It is not for us to understand, just trust God.
That is much easier said than done. I wish I had the answers you long for, but Jesus is the answer. He is the source of life, the master of miracles, and the carpenter for the broken.
- This is an excerpt from the chapter “When a Mom Hurts” in my memoir, “Believe: A Journey of Faith” which I am currently writing.
Heavenly Father, we lift up barren wombs to You today. Throughout Scripture, You brought life to many who were dead: Sarah, Rachel, and Elizabeth, just to name a few. Please open the doors to give mommas and daddies a bundle to love. Until then, or if it is not Your plan, shower them with amazing grace. We thank You and we trust You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
DIG DEEPER
Read Genesis 30:1-24.
HIKING THE TRAIL
Infertility is difficult year-round. Don’t allow a national holiday to overpower you with despair. Pray, guarding your heart through Mother’s Day and throughout the year. There is always hope with Jesus. The impossible becomes possible in prayer.
Copyright 2017 Carolyn Dale Newell.
A Mountain of Faith 