If you read my post of January 5th A Daily Walk with God you would know that I have never considered myself a writer. I do, however, feel called to use my ability to write to share the goodness of God with others. My challenge is trusting God to provide the download, to give me the content to share each week. I have to set aside my control instinct and seek God’s guidance. As a type-A personality, this isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Especially when I start to push up against self-imposed publishing deadlines. I get nervous. I’m not sure why. I know He is always providing if I would just listen.
I did know just the moment this week when he gave me the topic for this post. I just stalled out putting pen to paper. And then God repeatedly reminded me of what he wanted me to share. In my mind I had summarized the moment as “using our bad stuff to help others” OR “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” As I delayed and delayed sitting down to write, I heard that old expression about 3 more times throughout the week, on TV, in conversation. Weird. Then last night I went to church for the start of a new Bible study. I received my copy of the book. It had lemons on the cover. I opened to chapter 1 – a picture of a lemon tree. OK, God. I hear you. I know what you want me to share.
Last week I saw Facebook post by a friend of a friend. It said “Never let go of hope. One day you will see that it all has finally come together. What you have always wished for has finally come to be. You will look back and laugh at what has passed and you will ask yourself… ‘How did I get through all of that?”’ The message resonated with me and I quickly responded how true that has been in our life. That our 4-year struggle with infertility and pregnancy loss now feels like the blink of an eye as we spend our crazy days watching our three boys grow up before our eyes.
What I had no way of knowing in responding was that this woman was herself on a 4-year journey of infertility. My response had struck a chord. She reached out to me privately. My first reaction was to feel bad for so boldly responding on her post even though I had no way of knowing what she was going through. And then I realized my heartfelt and hopeful response led to her contacting me which led to a long phone conversation between two women with a shared experience. She is still in the battle. I had hope to offer. Not just hope offered in well-meant platitudes, but the hope that comes from truly understanding and having overcome.
I knew the lingo: AI, IVF, ICSI, hysterosalpingograms, 3 and 5-day blastocytes, fresh cycles, frozen cycles. She knew I knew. I had walked in her shoes. I had experienced the hope of another IVF transfer, and the heartbreak of another period. I knew the hard emotions of finding out our friends all around us were pregnant. I also knew the sadness of wondering if it would ever be me. My heart was broken for this woman. Although in many ways it seems like such a long time ago, I remembered back to the daily battle where each day felt like an eternity on an emotional roller coaster. Every cycle, every new procedure, every dashed hope.
Although I know that I can pray for this new friend, I can do nothing in my own power to help her. I only have my story to share. How our 4-year struggle with pregnancy loss, infertility, high risk pregnancy, emergency surgeries and surrogacy ultimately produced a family of five! I look at my boys (two of whom I now have to look UP to) and I marvel at the miracle of each of their lives. But I will never forget what we went through. It changed us, dramatically. We became Christians in our absolute lowest moment of the journey. We finally turned over control to Him completely (as if we had any all along). But that journey is not for us to just tuck away and forget about. Rather God has used that struggle over and over as he has placed people in our lives dealing with similar issues. If my pain and sorrow can be used in a meaningful way to relate to and encourage other women, I will gladly go back and relive it.
The lemon to lemonade expression was initially coined by Christian writer Elbert Hubbard in a 1915 obituary where he described the deceased’s life by saying “He picked up the lemons that Fate had sent him and started a lemonade-stand.” As I mulled this expression around in my mind all week, I kept returning to a similar Biblical principle found in Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” The Message Bible says “That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.”
God is the great lemonade maker. Give Him your lemons, see what He does.
Recent Comments