Joy and Peace in Suffering

What do you do when the journey of life gets rough? Do you panic and wonder where God is and why He isn't intervening?

The disciples panicked when they were faced with a furious storm, even though Jesus was with them. (yeah, I know, ridiculous, right?)

*Mark 4:37-41*
A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Do you have faith? Do you trust God and take joy in your circumstances, no matter how painful they are?

*James 1:2-4*
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Don't run from God!!! That's exactly what the devil wants you to do! He has no authority over those who have been saved by Christ! Instead, press harder into God. Beg Him to restore joy and peace to your life!

*Philippians 4:6-7*
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Seek after Him with EVERYTHING you have. The fervent and effective prayer of a righteous man avails much!! And if we are righteous through Christ taking our sins upon Himself, then why don't we capture this concept?? Why do we settle for mediocre misery when we can have joy and peace despite any circumstances in our lives?! It doesn't matter if you're having troubles in your marriage, difficulty conceiving, trouble finding a job, dealing with the death of a loved one, or just depressed by the mundane of life... He meets us where we are! He can bring you peace and joy if you will just ASK!!

*Matthew 7:7-8*
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."

I DARE you to ask in prayer. I DARE you to seek after His promises in the Bible. I DARE you to claim those promises by bombarding the doors of heaven with your prayers!!

Contentment

As I write this blog, I'm sitting at Starbucks by a window, and a group of women showed up with their strollers and occupied the table just on the other side of this glorious piece of glass that is soundproof. How timely that I would be writing this post right now. God sure does have a sense of humor, and it will definitely fuel this post!!

My pastor has a blog, and one day when I checked my email, I read the first paragraph of this post and was floored. "If you ever realized who God made you to be, you'd want to be you so badly you wouldn't know what to do."  Wow. That's not where my head has been. As I sit here and look at these young moms, no older than me, I'm reminded of the almost 1 month old I should be holding, or the fact that I should be entering the second trimester and announcing my pregnancy to the world. I don't know why God does what He does, and I may never know.

So the fact of the matter is that we DON'T know who God made us to be, so how do we live our lives in full contentment, knowing that we're living out God's will for our lives? I don't know that I will ever know that contentment, unless I'm fully focusing on God. Pastor Mike (the same pastor) did a sermon a long time ago and one of the things he discussed stuck with me. He was talking about people who say "Oh, if I just made an extra $5,000 I'd be content." But when they get that money, they want another $5,000, or even $10,000. 

There is never contentment in the things of this earth. I remember thinking that if I could just find someone to date. Then, if he would just propose and we get married. Then, if we just had our own house. And now, if we just had one child. But is that really going to satisfy me? Is it possible that the reason I don't have children now is because God has some great things in store for His kingdom and it requires me having the freedom of time that I wouldn't have with a child? Ultimately I should stop asking "Why?" because all will be revealed in His time. 

I look back on the home we were so desperate to get, and impatiently waited 3 months (it was a short sale) to see if our offer was approved, and when we turned the house down, frustrated and hurt at why God let us waste so much time, I found our house. A brand new house that wasn't finished 3 months before. I looked back and saw the "Why", and I understand why they say "hindsight is 20/20."

All of this wordiness can be summed up in one sentence: God has a plan for your life, so why pine over the things that life could offer when you KNOW, in the depths of your soul, despite all pain and fear, that He only has the BEST in store for those who love Him?? 

Guest Post: The long road to a Rainbow Baby...

Today's post was written by a great friend of mine that I have known for almost 2 years. She was one of the first people that I saw get pregnant during my time TTC that I was over the moon happy for, because I knew her story. For those of you who don't know, a rainbow baby is a take-home baby (that survives pregnancy) that comes after a stormy time, like infertility or a loss.

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I am 1 in 4.
I am the face of the silent 1 in 4.
I have been in silent grief for almost 3.5 years.  

Before I go any further, know that I am blessed. I have a beautiful & healthy almost 8 month old daughter. I am unbelievably lucky. While I have a wonderful & healthy little girl to snuggle with every day... daily I also grieve the loss of my first sweet child.

November 2008... 

Carefree & happy we walked into the dr’s office on a Friday morning, excited to get to hear our little one’s heartbeat. About two hours later we walked out....crushed, devastated, heartbroken. The heartbeat we were looking so forward to hearing wasn’t there. With that one doctor’s visit I had lost my innocence & joy about pregnancy. I had experienced the dark side of pregnancy.

Immediately I wanted to know WHY. Why me? Why my baby? Why. What did I do wrong? What could I have done differently? That night while curled up in a ball & sobbing on the bed in the dark I remembered something that happened 4 days before I got the + I had been dreaming of. We had gone to a neighbor friend’s house to hang out. DH had a couple beers & I had 2 glasses of Moscato, my favorite wine. I unknowingly had alcohol while pregnant. In my head that was my why.

I’ve read & have been told all the medical facts on how it was too early for the alcohol to have affected the baby but it doesn’t matter. Don’t bother telling me the alcohol didn’t cause it. What matters to me is that my little one trusted me from day 1 of formation & I betrayed that trust.

I went back to the dr early the next week to get checked out. I had wanted so badly for things to happen “naturally” & without medical intervention but there wasn’t any sign of that happening. I was given the option of trying medication before a D&C so I chose to do that. I thought the medicine would make it less traumatic. I was so naive. That night I crawled in agony into the bathroom, unable to walk due to the cramping, where I stayed for a few hours. Without going into all the gory details will just say that I saw my baby and it is an image that will be forever embedded in my mind. The medication route was not as “less traumatic” as I had hoped it might be.

Having missed a few days of work I went back into the office at the end of that week & immediately ran into a co-worker who said “hey where have you been?” I responded “oh just needed to take a few days off.” He responded “good for you. Did you have a good vacation away from here?” Holding back tears I mumbled that it wasn’t a vacation, I had a miscarriage, & walked off while he stood in silence. 

Quickly realizing that nearly every time I shared my loss with someone I got misguided comments in return, I decided to be extremely selective on who I told in order to “protect” my relationship with that person. The comments weren’t meant to be harmful but each hit me with the force of a thousand stones...

"At least you weren’t that far along”

"Thank goodness you didn’t tell everyone you were pregnant. That would be so hard to deal with.” 

“God must think it’s not your time yet to be a mother.”

“God knows best.”

When my Grandfather had a massive stroke 3 months after my miscarriage my boss said: “Can you imagine still being pregnant while dealing with this? Good thing you only have him to focus on right now.”

December 2010... 

After nearly 2.5 years of trying to have a baby, I randomly woke up very early in the morning & knew I was pregnant. Wide awake I went to the bathroom & took a test - positive!

I beamed at the word “pregnant” on the stick but quickly my excitement was met with anxiety & fear. During the entire pregnancy I stepped into each doctor’s appointment with trepidation. I followed every rule & old wives tale there was. I was even afraid to jinx the pregnancy by filling out the pregnancy journal a friend gave me. I was hopeful & loved the baby that was growing inside me but my positive view of pregnancy had been distorted & I lived in fear that I would be crushed again.   

August 2011... 

I delivered my beautiful little girl. The weeks leading up to the birth were scary...cervix issue, pre-term labor, & pre-eclampsia landed me on bedrest until my dr decided it was time to get the baby out. I was admitted to the hospital for my induction on Wednesday night and endured 2 days of back labor. Friday night I was finally ready to push. Then with every push the baby’s heart rate dropped. Knowing that I really wanted to avoid a c-section the doctor tried the vacuum twice but it was unsuccessful. I was rushed to an emergency c-section. My husband got scrubbed up & in the operating room just as our little girl was born.

All the fear & anxiety I had during the entire pregnancy melted away when she was placed in my husband’s arms & brought to my head so I could see her. She was here. She had made it safely into the world & into our arms. I could breathe again. I am blessed.

Today... 

I have a wonderful daughter. I couldn’t ask for a better baby. I still wonder about the “what ifs.” What if I had been healthier when I got pregnant? What if I didn’t have that wine? What if the heartbeat was missed, were they 1000000% sure? What if my daughter one day asks me or finds out about her lost sibling, how will I respond?? If that baby had lived, would I have my daughter today? What if I had been a better Christian, wife, human? What if?

 Despite all the “what ifs” I know that I have something that others dream of. I have been given the gift that not everyone gets. Because of my loss I realize just how precious my daughter’s life is & how vulnerable a pregnancy can be. I treasure my little girl & take time to snuggle with her every night. The pediatrician says we need to do sleep training... I say if she wants to be rocked to sleep or have an extra cuddle in the middle of the night, I will happily oblige without complaint. I know just how blessed I am. I appreciate the opportunity to cuddle her at night. Because I know what it’s like to lose a child, every little moment with my daughter is a big moment.

I still haven’t had a drop of alcohol since that glass of Moscato.

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If you would like to share your story on my blog, I would love to feature it! Please email me at sarah.myheartsmusings@gmail.com for more information. You never know how many women your story might speak to!

Guest Post Wednesday: A struggle through infertility and loss

  First, let me apologize for not posting yet this week. I've been taking a couple days to spend some time with family and get some work done. I'm heading home today, so I'll be more active in the future!

Today's post is by a sweet friend of mine that I've known for almost 2 years. We've struggled together through trying to get pregnant, and were reunited through the loss support group we're both a part of. Out of respect for her wishes, I will keep her anonymous, but she's an incredible woman that I am blessed to call my friend!!!

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It was Valentine's day 2010, and my husband handed me the Mayo Clinic Pregnancy Guide. His gift this year was letting me know he was finally ready to start trying to have children (I'd been ready a long time ago of course). Now being of the academic sort, I picked up a copy of "Taking Charge of Your Fertility", a basal thermometer, and a bottle of prenatal vitamins. I switched to decaf and started reading. I was going to do this right. I'd always been a regular sort of gal, so I figured six months tops and I'd be pregnant.  

First cycle we tried I was super patient; I was 17 days past ovulation and finally pulled out a home pregnancy test. Shaking, I paced the bathroom and waited. I was so sure since there was no sign of my period that it was going to be positive. Two minutes later there was only one line staring back at me. I waited the full five minutes, nothing. I waited an extra five minutes... Still nothing. I was shocked, I climbed back into bed and snuggled up next to my husband. "Are you pregnant?" he asks.  I barely got the word “no” out before bursting into tears. I had told myself before we started that cycle that I wouldn't cry. My husband reminded me that it would probably take a few cycles. I knew this, but there is nothing logical about being female and trying to get pregnant. I have a PhD in chemistry and even I can't be 100% logical about the process.  

Eleven months and thirteen more cycles later (for a grand total of fourteen break downs. Yup, I cried every time) I went to see my OB/GYN with my tail tucked between my legs.  Everyone tells you it isn't your fault, but it is so hard not to feel like a failure when things don't work.  She sent me down to the lab for some blood work and wrote a script for my husband to get a semen analysis. My FSH was slightly elevated. The lab wanted to see it under 10 and mine was 11. Also, my husband’s count had come back borderline and his motility wasn't great. She was going to refer me to a reproductive endocrinologist (RE).  

What a huge sigh of relief; they had found something wrong. I warned you that there is nothing logical about this process. And if logic flies out the window when you are trying to get pregnant, the crazies come out in full force when you are dealing with infertility. Because that is what happens after one year of trying with no success.  

The RE ordered a second semen analysis and checked a few more things with me. It turns out the FSH wasn't really that big a deal and since my husband's second analysis came back about the same, we were diagnosed with mild male factor issues. So we moved onto to intrauterine insemination (IUI). With 3-4 follicles and 1 million sperm (much lower than expected...turns out his sperm don't like the spin cycle typically used during the prepping process) we did the procedure and waited. The RE told us not to be hopeful, but two weeks later, for the first time ever, there was a second line!! I was finally pregnant and with my one in a million. I had to wait five more days to get a beta draw because I was on a business trip. The results took forever to come, they should have been around 400 by that point, but came back at 48. I knew then, that it was over. The nurse tried to tell me that all would be okay, it was still within acceptable range. But I knew too much. I know what the detection limit of those home pregnancy tests are and that your beta is suppose to double ever 48-72 hours. Sure enough, two days later, it was only 69. I was to come back one more time... the third test confirmed it, 25. I started bleeding the next day.

I cried of course, but I was oddly not as upset as expected. I had finally gotten pregnant after all. It was possible for me to get pregnant. I told myself this was God's way of telling me that I would get pregnant, that he knew I needed to see that it could happen, but this just wasn't the month He wanted it to happen. It wasn't until the 2nd IUI failed completely that the reality of my loss really settled in. I cried harder that time, and harder still when IUI #3 and #4 didn't work. In fact after #4 failed I had such a complete breakdown that my husband and I decided we would try in vitro fertilization (IVF). I had barely made it through the one trigger shot I had to have with each IUI cycle and only the pain of my loss plus all those failed cycles gave me the motivation for the 40 some odd shots I had to deal with for IVF.  

The success rates for IVF are much higher than for IUIs and I was finally hopeful again. Sure enough, after transfer a single blastocyte, I got another positive pregnancy test. The test was so faint though, that I wasn't surprise when the beta result came back low, 20. Two days later it was 10. Loss number two.  

We took a month off and tried a frozen embryo cycle (we were fortunate enough to have five extra embryos frozen, our snow babies). We transferred two and waited. Beta #1 came back 239! I couldn't believe it. The second and third, 383 and 871. Finally! I had a long way to go, but things had never looked so good.  

Two days later, I started bleeding. I called the doctor and explained what was going on. The RE said it was fine; it happens. Call back if the bleeding gets heavier, but what I was experiencing now was no cause for alarm. The next morning it got a little worse. They brought me in for an ultrasound and there were two little sacs. I was pregnant with twins! It was too early to see the actual babies yet, but I left feeling positive. Even with the bleeding, my babies were still there. But two hours after my ultrasound I probably lost one or both. Three days later I had another bought of heavy bleeding. The ultrasound the next morning confirmed it: empty.  

I keep the ultrasound picture of my two little angels by my computer monitor. I look at them every day. That might be closest I get to ever seeing my own biological children.  We have enough frozen embryos for one more frozen embryo cycle, and then we will probably be moving onto adoption. While we wait to do the final transfer, we're having a few more tests run (the doctors start looking for other things once you've had 2-3 losses). So far the doctors can't figure out why we are having such difficulties. The mild male factor should have been corrected with the IUIs and the IVF. It just doesn't make sense.  

So we are still waiting, with empty arms, hoping again that they find something wrong, something we can fix. I am broken inside, from my three losses, from all the stabs to my tummy and my arms, from all the money we've spent trying to get pregnant instead of being able to save for a house. It just doesn't happen for everyone.

Guest Post Wednesday: "My name is Sarah"

Today's post is by a dear friend who helped me through the darkest hours following my miscarriage... I'm honored to have her share her story with you today! (it's worth the long read!!)

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My name is Sarah, and I am one in four.   My name is Sarah, and I am one in four.  My name is Sarah, and I am one in four.  My name is Sarah and I am one in four.

My name is Sarah and I have lost four beautiful children. 

Thinking back to those moments certainly dig up painful feelings, but I want to share my story.  It is my prayer that my words will not return void, but will be a comfort for someone else.  I pray that through my story you will see the kindness of the Lord as he upheld me through each loss.    

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!”

Psalms 103:1

Early in the fall of 2005, I discovered I was pregnant.  My husband and I had waited for about 5 years before we started “trying”.  Needless to say, I was very much elated when Miss Flo missed her monthly appointment!  I wanted to find a cool way to share this with my husband, so I quickly calculated my due date and then bought a Cleveland Browns outfit that would fit the baby during football season.  I remember feeling so blessed that I was carrying a child.  That day will still live in my memory as one of the best days of my life.   After I shared with my husband, we decided to tell our friends and family almost immediately.  All of a sudden, I saw pregnant ladies everywhere I went and even found out that a friend of mine was due about a week before I was.  She and I went out for (decaf) coffee to bond over our newly discovered pregnancies.  However, unbeknownst to me, my child had already gone to be with the Lord.  

I discovered my loss around week 7 as I had begun to bleed.   My doctor at the time confirmed that I was indeed miscarrying; the baby had only made it to about 6 weeks of life, and began to share with me some facts about miscarriage.  It was at the point I heard the statistic of 1 in 4 pregnancies result in a loss.  I allowed nature to take its course and passed the remains of my pregnancy at home.  To be honest, I have never fully recovered from losing my child.  There are days that I grieve this loss as intensely as the day when I first found out.  Every time I see my friend’s little girl, I am reminded that, had I carried my child to term, he or she would be in first grade probably with a gap-toothed grin and I’d be playing the part of the Tooth Fairy.  Even though losing that child was difficult, I knew the Lord was near to me and laid with me in the darkness as I silently cried over the emptiness I felt.  I chose to bless His holy name. 

“These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

1^st Peter 1:7

It was in June of 2006 that I discovered I was once again pregnant.  Cautiously elated, I shared the news with my husband and we decided to only tell family and close friends.  But once again I began to bleed.  My heart stopped the minute I saw the evidence that I was, once again, going to lose another child.  I had begun to bleed over the weekend and quietly passed my baby at home yet again.  I was 8 weeks pregnant.  I remember crying out to the Lord in anguish and asking, “Why me?”  The answer was, “Why not you?”  As a Christian, I am not guaranteed that life will go smoothly and be perfect.  I am not guaranteed that I will not experience loss in one way or another.  All I know is that my God is a God of love and that, through my losses, His glory would be shown. 

“For I the LORD your God will hold your right hand, saying to you, Fear not; I will help you.”

Isaiah 41:13

Later that year, in the fall, I discovered, yet again, that I was pregnant.  Shaken by my previous miscarriages, I was understandably nervous.  At this point, I had a new doctor who told me that most miscarriages happen within the first 8 weeks and once we heard or saw a heartbeat, the risk of miscarriage drops dramatically.  I had an ultrasound and we saw my baby’s heartbeat.  Comforted by this fact, I nervously waited for those weeks to fly by until I was out of the “danger zone” and they did.  I can remember the slight panic I would feel every time I went to the bathroom.  What I would see?  I couldn’t help but to wonder if I would find evidence that I was going to lose another child.    However, the Lord saw it fit to bless me with a child and on June 26, 2007, I delivered a healthy baby boy. 

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.  Plans to prosper you, not to harm you.  Plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

In early October of 2008, I found out that I was with child yet again.  Still feeling the pain of my previous miscarriages, but bolstered by the birth of my son, I was cautiously optimistic about this pregnancy.  However, like in the other two, I began to bleed around week 9.  I started scouring the Internet for stories of women who had bled but went on to deliver healthy babies.  I hung on to every word in every story and prayed that I, too, would be able to add my story to theirs.  I went in for an ultrasound, and took a VHS tape with me, confident that I was not in the process of losing my baby, but was having some bleeding that was “normal”.  As I stared at the screen of wavy grey, white and black lines, I searched eagerly for some sign of life.   I could tell by the face of the technician that the news was not favorable.  She quietly stopped the ultrasound, handed me back my VHS tape and very kindly directed me to wait in the waiting room to see the doctor.   I could not believe it; I had lost another child.  My doctor told me that this child had lived for approximately 8 weeks.  

My soul was crushed.  My heart was in shreds as I listened to his words.  The moment seemed so surreal—to be honest, I had a very hard time believing it was true.  I went home that afternoon and watched the ultrasound tape over and over again wanting so very much to see what the trained ultrasound technician and doctor couldn’t—a sign that my baby was alive.   I grasped onto the stories I read on the Internet of women who had an ultrasound confirm that their child was no longer alive, but then, miraculously delivering a healthy baby.  Due to age of my baby, I was scheduled for a D & C, and even asked upon waking if the doctor was sure my baby was dead.  I screamed and raged at God for quite some time after that.  I was so angry that women who didn’t even care for their children were having babies like rabbits, yet I, had lost my third child.  I didn’t understand the purpose of everything I was going through.  I struggled to understand why the Lord was allowing this to happen to me when He promised to love me. 

It was during this time and through my raging storm that I heard the Lord speak to my soul.  He reminded me of the time when Jesus was walking on water and his disciple, Peter, wanted to walk to him.  Every time Peter took his eyes off the Lord, he began to sink in the waves with the wind threatening to overtake him.  Peter cried out to the Lord to save him, and in typical Jesus fashion, He said, “You of little faith, why do you doubt?”  The Lord knows my future.  He knows my path.  He truly knows what is best.  I chose to cling to this promise instead of push away from the Lord. 

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

Romans 5:3-5 

A few months later, I conceived another child and thankfully the Lord saw fit to allow me to carry this child to term.  In September of 2009, I gave birth to a beautiful daughter, Isabel.  She is so full of life and radiates love.

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."

John 16.33

In November of 2011, my husband and I were given the gift of pregnancy once more.   We were able to see the heartbeat on the ultrasound around 6 weeks, but little did I know that would be the only time I would see my child on this side of eternity.  My baby died shortly after that, however, my body did not reject the pregnancy until my 10^th week.  As with the last pregnancy, I had a D & C.   While I deeply grieved the loss of this child, much like I did the others, I also had a total feeling of peace that surrounded me.  I knew that the Lord was going to use my story and my life to bring comfort and peace to others.  I knew that the Lord’s glory, love, and peace would be brought to light through my story. 

People often ask me how I did it, how have I survived the loss of four children?  On this side of things, I can answer honestly that I only survived because the Lord carried me through each and every loss.  The Lord wept with me as I wept over each child I would never hold or kiss.    The Lord sat beside me as I raged at Him for putting me through this the first time and then again each subsequent time.  The Lord cried over the breaking of my heart as I cried over the loss of my child.  The Lord never left my side and He will never leave yours.

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You too can share your story!! Send me an email at sarah.myheartsmusings@gmail.com and I can help you get it together!