The Empty Swing

THE EMPTY SWING

Each story is different...  

~Some have hoped for children for as long as 20 years   

~Some have been trying to get pregnant for only 2 years

~Some couples have teenagers in their home, but would love just ONE MORE baby. 

~Some couples were blessed with a child right away, but now they are experiencing Secondary Infertility

Despite each story, the pain of infertility is real to all.  There is an emptiness; a VOID that desires to be filled with a child.

I am dedicating this post to the many ladies

 I have been privileged to meet and 

pray for through the years 

that are dealing with the trial of infertility...

Dear hurting Lady, This post is just for you!

For those that know me, you may think that now that we're adopting I CAN'T understand anymore and that I've moved on and I don't care about my past trial, but thats not true. You see, I don't want to waste my trial - God gave me the trial of Infertility and my GREAT BURDEN for you ladies was born from my own experience!!! My infertility for the past 9 years  has SHAPED MY ENTIRE FUTURE LIFE!  It will forever affect me and I have honestly prayed and asked God to help me to NEVER FORGET where I've come from. 

I know your hurts. I understand your trial. I know your thoughts,  your tears, & your prayers. I understand those sweet moments when you see a child and you just smile and dream inside; you recognize the desire, but you're okay. I also understand those moments when your heart literally hurts, you can't breath, you sob for hours, and you're NOT OKAY!

Many of you I pray for, might not even know I pray for you. But I do!!!! I pray for you, by name, EVERY Tuesday. 

Many of you, I have tried to reach out to you and it has not been received. That's OK. I'm not offended. When I am concerned for you, I just take you to the throne of my Heavenly Father who I know can love and care for you more than I can. I know your hurt and I also know its a VERY personal trial and many times an invisible trial to others around you. It can be a sensitive issue and just know that in your secret moments of hurting when you feel like nobody cares, remember I CARE and GOD CARES! 

For many of you, I know you go from month to month trying and its just exhausting. You go from one session of tears to the next and you just survive from day to day... Guess what? You're going to make it...God will wrap you in his loving arms. He knows YOUR sorrow and holds your tears in a bottle(as it says in Psalm 56:8)
Ladies, cling to His Word.  PLEASE hang in there! You don't have to ALWAYS be strong, but PLEASE NEVER QUIT!!!!!  You never know when God will choose to end your trial, or give you an answer... You may have to wait a few more years, you may have to wait a few days... For us it was 8 years of waiting and then within a 24 hour period we went from having NO idea of what our future held, to God giving us an answer! 

Here is a quote from another article I wrote:

 "I believe NOW we are seeing God's perfect plan

 for our lives begin to slowly unfold in front of our eyes... 

You see, one day we did NOT know God's plan, and then the next day 

He chose to reveal it to us..."

God might not answer your prayer in the way you expect. He tends to, many times, answer our prayers differently than we expect. I prayed to get pregnant for soooooo long, but than God changed my desire and I CAN'T wait to adopt. Yes, I'm still getting a baby, but its a different answer.  For those with kids already, but you want more - God might not give you another one, but He might take your desire away OR he might impress on your heart to do Foster care and you'll get to "mother" many more...  Who knows... Just remember HIS ways are higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:9)

You might have to pray EVERYDAY for peace and trust, but thats OK too. (I did...sometimes MANY times a day)

I know its rough...You see all these cute families and you wish it would happened to you. 
All your friends take their kids to the park and you tag along, wishing that your child was enjoying the swings too. 
It's really emotional!!! 

For me, through the years, I collected baby stuff. We have some baby furniture tucked away in our storage unit  and also a hope-chest  full of maternity clothes, baby clothes, and baby necessities for...ONE DAY!!!!  

Seems like everything ends up at...
ONE DAY THIS...

ONE DAY THAT...

ONE DAY WE WILL...

Well, please know that

ONE DAY...

YOU WILL hear the giggles of your children

as daddy pushes them higher and higher in the sky

and they swing back and forth while

mommy snatches at their toes with each upward swing!

Your swing might be empty, but for now, fill it up...

WITH YOU, 
with dreams
with lessons from this trial,
with prayers,
with a hurting, yet hopeful woman of God...

I LOVE YOU, Sweet Ladies!

Walking by Faith

*If you haven't read it yet, I'd encourage you to read my post "Hoping & Coping"

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