Infertility has a way of making you unravel from the inside. You look the same to everybody else, but inside, you are exhausted and depleted. And so, very alone.
I didn’t know when I went through infertility that thousands, upon thousands of women silently struggle with this all over the globe. Maybe I would have reached out, if I had known where to reach.
If you find yourself in the awkward-to-talk-about season of infertility, may I invite you to listen to my recent podcast conversation with Sara R. Ward?
In this episode, we talk openly about the unexpected struggle of infertility. The despair, lonliness, and confusion–but also how the Lord met me in an unexpected and powerful way. I share how the Lord pursued me, spoke to me, and showed me more of who He was, so that my eyes could be opened to His beauty. (I also share ways you can support and honor a friend walking through infertility.) So, please tune into our conversation, I believe it will encourage your heart, no matter what season you are in.
You can listen here on Spotify.
Or, listen here on Apple podcasts.
[You can also listen to the “Made for Hope” Podcast on nearly all podcast apps. Our conversation is called, “Finding Hope through Infertility with Rebekah Fox” Episode 16.]
How did I meet Sara?
We met in our online Hope*writer’s group, and I had listened to Sara’s “Made for Hope” podcast long before I was ever a guest. Something I love about her podcast, is that she helps listeners to discover God’s unexpected gifts in the midst of our brokeness.
Sara is not a stranger to deep brokeness and trajedy.
She has lost a son.
She has walked through crisis. Heartache. And deep grief.
She’s wrestled with questions of,
“How will I survive this?”
“Can anything good come out of this brokeness?”
But in the depth of her pain, God’s gifts somehow emerged.
And they can emerge in your life, too.
In every episode of her podcast, Sara helps walk you through those “before and after moments” that totally change your life, the “messy middle” moments of trying to cope with the pain, and lastly, how to discover God’s gifts in the midst of the struggle.
I truly encourage you to listen to (not just my conversation with Sara), but to her conversations with so many different women who have walked through various forms of grief, heartaches, and despair. It will inspire you to rediscover hope, joy, peace, and redemption in your own life.
Sara also has an award-winning book called, “Made for Hope: Discovering Unexpected Gifts in Brokenness.” In it she shares her stories of trajedies and devastation, but also the hope she discovers and the gifts God gives to her in the midst of it.
Right now, you can read Chapter 1 for free by going to Sara’s website. I just recently ordered two of her books. One for me, and one to give away to you.
How to win a copy…
To enter my “Gratitude Giveaway” and win this book, a “You Do Miracles Still” t-shirt, a “The Battle Belongs to You, God” necklace, and 2 Brandon Fox Worship CD’s you need to do just two things by Thanksgiving 11/26:
- Download my free gratitude journal pdf, “Blooms in the Desert,” by going here!
- Fill out 30 things you are thankful for by Thanksgiving at midnight! If you cannot print the journal, you can also participate by simply writing yo
ur list in a notebook, or on any paper. (I do not need to see a picture or anything, just the honor system that you did it!;) - Enter your email into the Rafflecopter Giveaway form here! (Winner will be chosen the day after Thanksgiving!) I can only ship to U.S. residents, but I still encourage my amazing international friends to participate!
This is been a hard, uncertain year for so many people. To walk through infertility only compounds that feeling of uncertainty, and discouragement. But we are not simply victims of our circumstances. We have a God who not only helps us to survive these seasons, but thrive in them. We have a God who is faithful, and whose promises are certain, and who can be trusted at all times.
Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
He who promised is faithful.
This is why my blog exists. Because God showed up in my darkest, lowest places, with His radiant light. And His hope abounds and breathes new life into dead things. And this is why Sara’s book and podcast exist, because while headlines, or diagnosis’s can make your heart unravel, you have a God who loves you, formed you, and wants to fill your life with His beautiful purpose and gifts. As Sara reminds us, you were “Made for Hope.”
I just want to speak that over you today,
You were made for hope.
Therefore, as a people of hope, let us throw off everything that is dragging us down, and rise, just like the balloons Sara holds on the cover of her book. Let us be filled by His Spirit, who gives us real life, that no one can steal away.
Listen to our “Made for Hope” Podcast conversation here. Apple useres, go here.
Get to know Sara R. Ward, and download first chapter of her book here.
Download my your new gratitude journal using the form below!
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