Tag: fertility

Strike Out the Negative Thoughts So That You Live With More Hope and Power

Posted on by Evangeline

Kamilah Giraud - Thought StoppingIt’s my pleasure to provide a “rerun” of Kamilah Browning Giraud’s guest blog post from 2015. She shares with us how she used “thought stopping” to get through her mother’s illnesses as well as her own struggle with infertility/miscarriages. Kamilah made the decision that she could depend more on God’s Word than she did on the doctors’ diagnoses. I hope her words encourage you to use the “STRIKE” method to turn away your negative thoughts and live with the hope, positivity, and power that God’s Word brings!

Be sure to read the 2018 Update below! 🙂 

Strike ‘Em Out by Kamilah Giraud

How many times do you go through a day and have “random” thoughts that are completely unrelated to your job, or to the task at hand? I’m sure there are some statistics that give an average, but I can even share with you that in the few minutes it has taken me to sit down and share the first few sentences with you, I have already thought about; how cute my co-worker’s shirt is (as she walked by my door), whether or not I will eat the salad I brought to work, or go to the cafeteria (as my stomach growled), and I even thought about what color I should get my nails painted next (as I looked down at the keyboard while typing). Now as trivial and harmless as these “random” thoughts may be, they all still served the same purpose–taking my focus away from what it is I have set out to do.

TOXIC THOUGHTS

While some may perceive these “mental vacations” as healthy breaks, others might find them as nuisances. I tend to ignore them most of the time because if I gave those thoughts much thought, then I would not have time for anything else. This scenario can be a little entertaining, but what about more disturbing thoughts that sound like, “Why bother running, you’ll always be fat”, or “It’s too hard to save money and pay my bills, so I’m probably never going to buy a house.” And what about the thought that comes up that sounds like, “Why keep trying? It hasn’t happened yet. I am fooling myself.”?

These  less trivial, less mundane, and certainly less entertaining thoughts can so easily surface throughout the course of the day and yes… they too serve the same purpose of taking your focus off that which you have set out to do. So then what type of recourse do we have against these thoughts? Well a good friend of mine name Paul, (whom I have actually never met) was imprisoned and wrote some most amazing letters that reflected how in spite of being in a place of true suffering, we can still choose joy. Even though I never met my friend Paul, and although his letters might originally been written in about 62 A.D, you cannot tell me that he didn’t address me directly in his letters too!

Philippians 4:8  says, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”  Paul understood how these “random” thoughts can come to steal your peace. I can bet while he was imprisoned he had more than a few thoughts that popped up serving the sole purpose of stealing his focus off of spreading the gospel.

Paul said to fix your thoughts, which to me implies the need to replace “broken” thoughts. Broken thoughts are the ones that shatter your dreams, and distort your promises. Broken thoughts are lies from the enemy, and broken thoughts are contrary to the truth. So let’s do what my friend Paul urges. Let’s fix those broken thoughts by using thought-stopping, or what I call the STRIKE method.

S.T.R.I.K.E. Method

Stop the Thought
Replace it with God’s Word
Imagine what it looks like
Keep seeing it
Embrace the truth

As the broken thoughts begin to surface you can stop the thought. Many times that is an internal stop, but I have had to audibly say “Stop” in order to refrain from repeating the broken thought in my head.

As soon as you “stop the thought”, you need to replace it with God’s Word. Replace it with the truth–those thoughts that are honorable, right and pure. Replace it by thinking of things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

As you think on those things, imagine it and see yourself in the manifestation of it.

Keep visualizing the thoughts and keep seeing it. This is a faith walk, and we cannot be moved by what we see in the natural, so allow yourself to keep seeing through the eyes of Christ, and know that He sees His promises.

Embrace the truth! God’s word is true. As believers, we are not exempt from the suffering that’s inherent to human existence, but the good news is our faith gives us a different and hopeful perspective that is based on the truth. God is forever faithful and the truth is that He has plans for you to prosper and not to harm you. He has plans to give you hope and a future. That is the truth and you can embrace it.

S.T.R.I.K.E. out your negative thoughts: Stop the Thought. Replace it with God’s Word. Imagine what it looks like. Keep seeing it. Embrace the truth. Click To Tweet

Our thoughts may or may not respond to 3 STRIKES and be “out”, but if the negative thought comes to bat again, just as sure as a pitcher’s form and speed improves with practice, yours can too. All you need to do is throw another STRIKE.

Thought Stopping - Philippians 4:8

 

2018 UPDATE:

Kamilah is an overcomer! She consistently replaced the negative thoughts with Word-based positive thoughts. She meditated on the best, not the worst. Knowing that the power of life and death were in the words she spoke, she made her conversations align with God’s promises (Proverbs 18:21). Kamilah acknowledged that her miracle was in God’s hands AND her mouth!

She is now the mother of a beautiful baby girl! 

How Your Thought Life Could Be Affecting Your Fertility

Posted on by Evangeline

It’s important to know the factors  that affect fertility, isn’t it? Have you ever considered that your thought life could be one of the factors? Proverbs 23:7 NKJV enlightens us about this:

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Here’s a graphic that I shared in my book, Live to Win.  It may help you see how our thoughts can actually become the seeds of our destiny.

Thought Life - Live to Win

From that graphic, it’s easier to see that our thought life is important, isn’t it? The thoughts we repeatedly think tend to eventually become the words we speak. Since our words shape our actions and future, we really need to pay attention to what we’re thinking. In other words, think about what you’re thinking about.

“My son, give attention to [think about] my words.” Proverbs 4:20 (emphasis added)

God’s Thoughts

The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that God said the thoughts He thinks about us are positive and good. They are thoughts of peace and not of evil. His thoughts about us, which are expressed in His Word, give us a future with a hope-filled outcome. Does His way of thinking indicate that God thinks you should be infertile and that you should forever remain that way? No—He’s thinking thoughts of fertility and abundance toward you!

God says that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. This means there’s room for improvement when it comes to our thought life. Instead of dwelling on the fact that another monthly menstrual cycle has started, or that you have a referral to yet another fertility specialist, choose a higher thought, a God-given thought. God-given thoughts are always based on His Word. Take time to meditate on His promises of fertility and allow them to shape your thoughts throughout each day.

Your Thoughts

Instead of wondering if you’ll ever get pregnant, choose to think about something else. Fix your thoughts on God’s love for you. Think about things from God’s Word that are lovely, true, pure, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). That’s thinking like Jesus thinks.

It just feels better when you think about good things, especially the things that God has said in His Word to bless you. It makes a significant difference in how you feel physically and emotionally. When you dwell on things that are good and uplifting rather than things that make you feel fearful, full of despair, and desperate, life is better!

Jesus has made a way for you to bring good things into your life and it starts with your thought life. Make the conscious effort to pay attention to what you’re thinking about today and enjoy thinking about the good things God has for you.

If you feel that you need help with improving your thought life, particularly about fertility, check out my Bible Reading Plan on YouVersion.

While You Endure the Storm Do You Ever Wonder “Where Is God?”

Posted on by Evangeline

It’s been a while between the last message from me and this one. Thank you for your patience.

In this season of infertility, you probably wonder to yourself, “Where is God? When is He going to show up and turn this thing around?”  I’ll admit that I did! Doubt and impatience sometimes got the best of me. But when it feels like Jesus is nowhere to be found, it’s important to recognize that it’s just a feeling and not the Truth. The truth is He is right there with you, promising to never leave you. He is ever-present and already well-proven to be able and willing to help.

Let Psalm 46:1-2 (The Passion Translation) encourage you:

God, you’re such a safe and powerful place to find refuge! You’re a proven help in time of trouble— more than enough and always available whenever I need you. So I will never fear.

Let Jesus be your Superhero!

There’s no need to fear… He’s the best ally and friend you could ever have. Recognize that He’s for you and not against you.

Call on the Lord; talk with Him from your heart. Invite His love into your situation. He cares about all the practical things in your life– your health, your marriage, your finances, EVERYTHING. He wants you to seek Him for wisdom on what your next step should be. He’ll never grow tired of your desire to have a heart-to-heart with Him.

Align your words with His promises. What comes out of your mouth is powerful. So much so that your words will either promote life/success/blessing or death/failure/affliction within your situation. Let what you say be based on what He has said.

All of these things are important. I think the BEST thing to do in this season of asking,”Where is God?”, is to consistently ask God for a fresh revelation of His love. When you know how much He loves you, that is a HUGE difference-maker in every circumstance of your life.

 

where is god
Photo courtesy of Microsoft Images

Infertility Help for the Holidays

Posted on by Evangeline

This post about navigating the holidays was originally shared a few years ago. Its message is timeless, so I’m sharing it again (with a few tweaks). Hopefully, you’ll find it uplifting! 

Holidays can be difficult to navigate when you’ve been declared infertile. I remember how easy it was to get caught up in all that was going wrong (infertility). It would have been easy to paint myself into a corner and have a pity party.  I could have chosen to neglect enjoying what’s meant to be a festive and fun time.  With the disappointment that comes month after month, it can become difficult to maneuver through the emotional drain of infertility, the possible health scares, the financial toll, and the marital problems that tend to stealthily creep in.

But during the holiday season, I encourage you to make a DECISION to look for the things in life you can be thankful for. A thankful heart looks beyond its present negative circumstances to the positive possibilities that lie ahead.

You may be asking yourself, “What do I have to be thankful for when all I want is to get pregnant and it isn’t happening?”

Holidays - Be Thankful

 

Here are 5 ways you can choose to be thankful during the holidays:

 Be thankful that God is with you. 

If you’ve asked Jesus into your heart, He has promised to never leave you and to always bless you with his unfailing grace. Be thankful that you can rest in knowing that God is for you and not against you (Romans 8:31).

 

Be thankful that there is nothing too hard for God, not even infertility!

Some people believe that we’re to thank God for putting us in tough situations because that’s how He teaches us something. I believe God is a better teacher than that. He can get his point across to us without putting us in tough situations. I believe that tough situations are brought to our lives by the devil but God can and will bring us out of them. Trust in God’s ability and willingness to make good come out of bad (Genesis 18:14; Genesis 50:20).

 

Be thankful for role models.

Be thankful that He has given so many examples of women who overcame infertility and that He has made promises in the Bible that relate to your fertility. Thank Him that you can count on Him to make good on those promises (Luke 1:7, 24).

 

Be thankful that God hears you as you pray His promises.

“So is my Word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me [through your confession of it] without producing results. As you believe and speak it, My Word will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” ~Isaiah 55:11 [paraphrased]

When you’re in the throes of difficult circumstances, life can become overwhelmingly sad and anxiety-laden. But remember, the One who has the power to change your circumstances is always right there with you in the midst of them, ready to display His power. Trust His love and His promises. God the Father wants to bring you out of the grip of tough times into His gentle caress of peace and rest. That’s what He planned for your destiny.

Giving thanks to God is the means of focusing on the solution rather than the problems we have. When we give thanks in the midst of our problems, we keep victory’s door open. When we’re dealing with infertility, or any other trying circumstance, being thankful to God is the best way to express that we expect Him to show Himself strong on our behalf. Thankfulness reinforces our belief that He will make good things happen.

 

Be thankful that He loves you unconditionally.

God the Father loves you just as much as He loves Jesus (John 17:23)! To have someone who always loves you is wonderful! No matter how much you doubt God’s ability, willingness, and timing, He still loves you. That’s something to be thankful for!

 

You can choose to make the best of the holiday season, in spite of your experience with infertility. One powerful way to do so is to express gratitude for what you have. Consider how you’ve been blessed in your health, relationships, career, finances, etc.

What will you choose to thank God for during the holidays?

 

Elisha Kearns’ Thoughts About “A Seed of Hope” Fertility Devotional

Posted on by Evangeline

A Seed of Hope - Elisha KearnsElisha Kearns has been a God-send to me. During her struggle with infertility, she has encouraged me many times about how my book, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility, has helped her.  Elisha is a blogger and speaker who shares from her heart. It’s as if she were sitting right across from you, giving you loving encouragement in the midst of your struggle. You can find her at www.WaitingForBabyBird.com.

Earlier this year, I thought it was time to do a few updates to A Seed of Hope;it has recently been revised. Also, it now includes questions at the end of each of the 60 daily devotions. These questions are great for individual reflection or for fertility support groups to study. I’m pleased to let you know that Elisha graciously agreed to write the Foreword for the revised edition of A Seed of Hope.

A Seed of Hope Foreword

Here is what she shares in the book:

I am not sure if you are new to infertility or if you have been traveling this journey for months or even years, but I think we can all agree no matter the time spent on this unexpected path to parenthood that it is tough.  Really tough.  When I began walking this bumpy road filled with sharp turns and potholes, I wasn’t prepared. Were you?

I thought infertility was simply the inability to conceive after one year of actively trying. And rightfully so, because isn’t that the definition? But ask me now, nearly six years after leaving my doctor’s office numb and confused, then going through several failed treatment cycles and a miscarriage, and I will quickly tell you that the definition Google search gave me years ago is not even close to being accurate, and maybe you feel the same. Infertility, when you break it down, is somuch more than just the inability to conceive.

I have learned it is also a series of losses that you are forced to grieve month after month. It’s almost like a grave that keeps following you around as it grabs your hope and buries more and more of your dreams with each failed cycle. It’s a fierce battle between your faith and your circumstances. A battle you must fight to win every day. And a battle that is exhausting. But sweet friend, while I have learned so much about infertility through my experiences, I have also learned what it is not. And it is not going to win.

In 2012 after my last failed treatment cycle using In Vitro-Fertilization (IVF), I found myself falling further into a sea of despair thinking God had forgotten me. I couldn’t figure out what I had done to deserve this form of punishment and this type of shame. Every day, I felt as though I was trying to scoop the water out of my sinking ship with a small Dixie cup, only to keep watching the water come pouring back in.

My Search for Relief

It wasn’t until during one of my late night internet searches in which I was looking for something, anything that could give me relief from the intense pain my heart and soul was experiencing that I found her; I found Evangeline and her book, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises for Fertility. And friend, once it was in my hands just a few short days later, I couldn’t put it down. Each entry was a breath of spiritual fresh air as her words brought life to the parts of me that were dry and wounded.

I found her personal struggle and unwavering faith in God to be the powerful inspiration I needed in my time of weakness. Her daily dose of encouragement helped me shake off the lies of the enemy so that I could stand firm and live my day faithfully with a hope-filled focus. A focus that has continued to enable me to believe in the Truth that victory over childlessness, no matter the diagnosis or cause, can be mine— and even yours.

It is my prayer and strong belief that as you dedicate each day to reading this 60-day devotional, as well as put to practice the undeniable tool of speaking God’s word over your situation as Evangeline teaches you to do, that you will begin to feel your hope supernaturally rise to a new level. You will begin to see yourself with the victory, rather than without. I also believe that you will begin to feel stronger in your faith, as well as empowered to know that while infertility is what it is— heartbreaking…dream shattering…soul crushing and faith breaking…you will also begin to know deep down within your spirit what it is not. You will know that because of the power of Jesus, it is not going to win.

Use This Tool

So grab a pen, a cute journal and marinate yourself with the Spirit-filled words of this book. Let it be a tool that helps you no longer see your situation through your eyes, but rather through His. You are a victor through Him, and victory over sickness and disease can be yours.

Thank you, Evangeline, for pouring out your heart and spreading God’s Truth to a community of men and women struggling to conceive. Your dedication to the Lord years ago saved me from turning away from my faith. My hope and prayer today is that through your revised edition, it will continue to help save others who are like I once was— trying to scoop water out of their boat with a small Dixie cup.

May God bless each of you reading these words with the deepest desires of your heart.

Elisha Kearns

Author of the faith-based nationally known blog, Waiting for Baby Bird

You Are a Victor!

If you’re struggling with infertility and you desire Scripture-based encouragement, get your copy of the revised edition of A Seed of Hope at www.BooksByEvangeline.com. It will help you see more clearly that you are indeed already a victor in Christ– even over infertility!

Battling Infertility? Here’s an Effective Scripture-Based Prayer

Posted on by Evangeline

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have already been given the victory over everything the devil can throw at you… even if you’re battling infertility. In Him, you’ve been redeemed and made a partner to the biggest winner of all time! Prayer is a means of accessing the victory.

How do you pray? Have your prayers been filled with words of defeat, self-pity, and unbelief? Or do you pray with confidence that God’s promises of victory are for YOU?

Battling Infertility with Prayer

Here’s a prayer that can galvanize you in the belief that you are a victor and not a victim:

Prayer - Battling InfertilityFather, I’m Your child and I stand in the truth of your Word. I am in covenant with You and an heir to all your blessings. My spouse and I desire to have a baby. I stand on Your Word, with expectancy and thanksgiving, that  I receive that special gift from You. In the authority I have in Jesus, I speak to the “mountain” of infertility, “Be dried up at the root, never to affect our bodies again.”

We are redeemed from the curse. I believe that my womb is blessed and is a safe environment for our baby to grow. We look to experience a beautiful pregnancy, with no suffering during it.  Our expectation is a safe delivery that goes smoothly and quickly.

Thank You Father, for loving me.

Thanks for answering this prayer for the precious child you have created specifically for us.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

[Scripture references: Galatians 3:26, 29; Ephesians 2:4-6; Philippians 4:6; Mark 11:12-14, 20-24]

Coach’s Corner:

Here are a 3 questions to ponder. I encourage you to write the answers in your journal (or start one if you don’t have one!) .

  • How satisfied am I about my current level of expectancy and joy?
  • What does God’s Word say about expecting Him to come through on His promises?
  • How can I more effectively “speak to the mountain” of infertility using God’s Word?

If you’d like more encouragement and insight so that you more fully address the spiritual aspect of infertility, contact me to see if personal coaching might be of benefit to you. I’d love to talk with you about it!  🙂  #iHopeCoaching

 

 

Image courtesy of Nuchylee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Did You Know There’s a SPIRITUAL Aspect of Infertility? #NIAW

Posted on by Evangeline

It’s National Infertility Awareness Week. Are you aware that there’s a spiritual experience associated with infertility?

Many people ignore the spiritual aspect of infertility.

It is so easy to lose focus on the spiritual nature of infertility when the physical aspect consumes your thought life and begins to overtake your daily life. You and your spouse can become so obsessed with finding the cause and the cure for your situation that it can rob you of your peace. When you’re not experiencing peace, you’re likely to ignore the one thing that can bring about the solution you’re looking for.

Spiritual Unrest

Some studies have shown that the degree of severity of a physical disease is often related to the degree of emotional and spiritual unrest being experienced by the patient. That unrest must be addressed. This is why it is important to strengthen yourself spiritually while dealing with infertility. Acknowledge the need to ask God for wisdom when faced with overcoming the enemy called “Infertility.” It may seem like a Goliath-sized enemy to you, but for God, “Infertility” is already a defeated foe because of what Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection.

Infertility is not too hard for God to break or destroy. God said so when he defeated infertility in Sarah’s life:

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” ~Genesis 18:14

The story of each woman in the Bible that struggled with infertility ended with her becoming an overcomer and giving birth, no matter her age, socio-economic status, or how long she had been infertile.

Stay WITH God

Luke 18:27 shows that Jesus said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible WITH God” (emphasis mine). That preposition, “with,” is an important word because it means “in close proximity to”.  You can come close and join yourself WITH Him by asking Him for help and for wisdom in the decisions you make, by reading His word, and by speaking and meditating His Word.

Even if you feel as if God has turned his back on you and no longer hears your prayers, look to Him. When is seems like God is ignoring you (He’s not), look to Him. Even though things haven’t changed after you’ve begged, cried, and pleaded in your prayers, look to Him. And yes, when you find yourself thinking, “I’ve had enough of this. Let’s just throw in the towel and give up,” look to Him. Why? Because the bottom line is, He has never left your side. He loves you immensely and wants His best to be demonstrated in your life. You have an enemy but it is not God, it’s Satan. Jesus is the One who has the power to eradicate this issue and He desires to do so. He needs you to know that He is there with you, standing with you in the face of this enemy. Then you can have faith that He always keeps His promises.

Make a Decision

Make a decision to consistently address the spiritual aspect of infertility.  It will make a positive difference! Trust that God’s Word is true for you. Keep your focus on His promises of fertility. Ask for a fresh revelation of His love for you. It will bring you guidance, comfort, and ultimately, greater peace.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You: because he trusts in You.”
~ Isaiah 26:3

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: but not as the world gives… Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” ~ John 14:27

Find more direction about how to spiritually address infertility… check out my fertility devotional, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility.

spiritual aspect of infertility-A Seed of Hope

The Struggle of Infertility is REAL but So Is His Grace–Don’t Give Up!

Posted on by Evangeline

The struggle of infertility may seem insurmountable but God’s grace is bigger AND more powerful. Here’s help so you don’t give up.

Many times during infertility, you feel like you’re about to fall apart (usually monthly). There is probably no one else in your life who truly understands what you’re going through, so talking to others about it can be difficult, unproductive, and very frustrating. That frustration can make you choose to just suffer silently. THAT is not a good choice! When you’re trying to hold all that emotion inside of you, it’s only a matter of time before you start to feel like you’ll explode. That explosion is sometimes expressed in anger, self-pity, sadness, bitterness, self-condemnation, depression, and many other destructive ways.

BUT, there is One who can help!

The struggle of infertility is NOT too big for Jesus.

In the midst of the all the pain and asking, “Why me?”, Jesus is the One who is capable of understanding this situation and helping you to get through it without falling apart. Colossians 1:17 [NIV] says, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ” His love and grace are available everyday to comfort and guide you through the struggle so the negative emotions don’t overtake you and make you feel like everything is falling apart.

Look to Him today and on a daily basis. Trust His hands to hold you and to keep things in your life held together.

Let Him hold your whole world in His hands.

You can find more encouragement, comfort, and peace in my book, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promise of Fertility.

In the struggle of infertility He holds your world in His hands
Photo courtesy of Microsoft / Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis
hope - a healthy habit

She Got Through It By Living On Borrowed Hope — You Can Too

Posted on by Evangeline

Have you ever borrowed anything from a friend because you had completely run out of that item? It’s nice to know that when you’re in a pinch, someone is kind enough to share what they have to make up for what you don’t.

Amazingly, if you feel like you have completely run out of hope, you can borrow some of it too! That’s what a friend did as she struggled with infertility. You can read a portion of her story of victory here.

What I’d like to share about her story that you won’t read in her blog is something she recently said to me while we attended an event. She told me that before she met me, she had been reading my Bible reading plan about fertility on YouVersion. It had been a source of hope for her during a dark time in her life. She considered it a source of “borrowed hope” because she had simply run out it. She didn’t want desperation and bitterness to overtake her. As a believer in Christ, she knew she had to keep hope alive within her… somehow. Borrowing hope from the Biblical accounts of those 8 women in my reading plan helped her maintain hope until she eventually experienced victory and gave birth to a son.

Seeing how others experience victory should prompt us to feel hopeful, not envious or pitiful. When we make a decision to celebrate the victory of others…when we remain determined to have a positive mindset…when we choose to believe that what God has done for others He will do for us… we can live life hope-filled.

Borrowed hope from the victorious experiences of others may be what you need in order to get through the struggle. Or maybe their experiences can serve to boost the hope you’ve forced yourself to maintain.

Either way, today, make the choice to rest in knowing that God loves you and ALWAYS keep His promises.

It’ll make the struggle easier.

God Did it Again — Another Victory Over Infertility!

Posted on by Evangeline

overcoming infertilityVictory over infertility is not too hard for God (Genesis 18:14)!

This is a letter that testifies of God’s goodness and His willingness to work on our behalf. It is from Camille, a reader of my blog. I pray it encourages you to not give up on God’s promises of fertility. Her story starts back in 2014.

An Overcomer

Back in November my husband and I decided to start the process for IVF.  This was after trying 3 unsuccessful IUIs before I ever read your book. So we thought we would go for it and if it was God’s will, it would happen for us.

We both believe that God is the giver of all life and we found a wonderful fertility specialist. What was so special about him is that when we met with him, he was very open and passionate about his belief in God being the orchestrator and creator of life and that his role was “helping setting the scene” from a medical standpoint for God to do his work. This was very important to me as sometimes these doctors do get the notion that they are in control and see themselves as God.

We went through the process of taking a lot of drugs and ended up having 9 eggs retrieved. There were 4 that survived. They implanted two and that is how we got our little boy and we have two more frozen embryos that we plan to have implanted in another 1.5-2 years.

My pregnancy was amazing. I had very little nausea and vomiting. I worked up until last my 39th week.  We have been blessed beyond measure. Our friends and family who have prayed for us this entire journey had 3 different baby showers for us. We have been provided with more than we could ever need for this baby and things keep coming. When God blesses you, he always go above and  beyond!

Reading A Seed of Hope

My husband and I read your book and it was so encouraging.  I would re-read certain passages over and over again when doubt and fear crept in. When I purchased your book, I posted something on your website/blog I believe only one time (I cannot remember what I posted). However, the day that you contacted me via email was a very interesting day. I was talking with my best friend about my struggle with infertility.  She and her husband had just given birth to my god-daughter through IVF and while I was extremely happy for her. However, I thought, “Why isn’t God not making it happen for me?” You see, I felt I had done things the “right way.” Coming from a family of teenage mothers, including my own who had me at 15, I waited. I went to college, found a God-fearing and loving husband, and we purchased our dream home. I went back to school to get a second Bachelor’s degree and we traveled the world. We certainly were ready!

However, on this particular day of talking with my best friend, I was so down and depressed. Usually she knew the things to say to keep me encouraged because she had gone through the same thing, but on this day, nothing was working. I think it made me more upset because I had gotten to a point where I felt she could no longer relate because she  had her baby. That’s another story.

Fighting Anger and Depression

I remember going to Wal-Mart to get some household supplies after getting off the phone with her and when I came out it was pouring down raining. With no umbrella and getting completely soaking wet, I looked up to the sky and said to God, “Come on… are you serious?” I was so full of anger and depression. However, when I got home, I had an email from you! Now I had never spoken to you and am sure that I had only posted on your blog just one time. This was a sign to me that the Lord hears us and He sends people our way (sometimes even strangers) to show us that He is still with us even when we think He is not. I have used this story as a testimony.

I’m sorry I wrote so much, but I really wanted to let you know how much you and your book has meant to our lives. You following up with me is another reminder of the importance of telling our story of God’s greatness and continued blessings. Please know that you are making a difference and that the Lord is truly using you to change lives.

If God did it before, He’ll do it again. He’s no respecter of persons. Keep your hope alive!

Hope is Having Only Positive Expectations. It is powerful and has an eternal purpose (1 Corinthians 13:13). The purpose of hope is to give you greater inner strength. It serves you no matter what you’re feeling or experiencing.

I pray that Camille’s story of victory over infertility will give you hope!