I'm sharing this story because I hope that it will be an encouragement to others and a testimony of God's faithfulness in my life.
(Disclaimer: I want to start off by acknowledging that God does not always work in the same way for each person. I know that fertility is a sensitive issue for so many families. Please know that I am not sharing my story without much thought and prayer and my heart truly goes out to each one who is dealing with or has dealt with infertility of any kind.)
So here is our story. We wanted to grow our family by getting pregnant for about two years now. And so, after a year of not being able to get pregnant. I decided to go see a fertility specialist back in October 2014. After my evaluation, the doctor recommended that I begin treatment for mild PCOS. So I began taking some medication and injections to try to regulate my hormones and after two months of treatment, with no results I (we) decided to just stop the treatment. It was so stressful and frustrating, expensive and hard on my body. I remember feeling so helpless and hopeless.
At that point, I spent some time really seeking the Lord and His vision for my life. I struggled with the thoughts that I might not ever have another child. I struggled with feeling like I was ungrateful, after all, I did have Lauren. My ultimate desire was to follow Him and His will for my life. In January I really felt like I had turned a new page in my relationship with God and my faith in His will for my life. But each passing month was still a sad reminder that we still weren't expecting.
Anyways, in February, I really felt like God was calling me to draw closer to him and to fast one day each week for the season of Lent. Now I really don't like fasting, and during these past few years I would always use the excuse that I might be pregnant as a reason for not fasting. But I really felt God calling me to step out and fast. So I did.
Each week that I fasted, I was reminded of God's overwhelming faithfulness to my family and how wonderful it was to become more intimate with the God who had control of every aspect and detail of my life and body. During the last week of Lent, when I was about to break my fast for that day, I realized that I might be pregnant. I decided to take a pregnancy test and it was positive. I could hardly believe my eyes.
I was (and still am) so overwhelmed by God's grace and goodness to me. We are now due with our second child this December. Looking back over these past 2 years, I can already see the ways God has moved and changed me to be a better follower of Him. His timing is perfect and in His will is the best place to be.
I feel like I have learned so much about God and finding my peace and hope in Him and not my circumstances. I hope that no matter where you are in life, this will encourage you to find your hope in Him alone.
-Sarah