Just a Season

Introduction
This book touches on a common but sensitive topic in our society. It is an issue that has affected many marriages and families regardless of race, creed, and socioeconomic status. Infertility is or has been a cause of heartache for many families, but like other challenges, it can be overcome.
I know from personal experience that the loss of a child – in whatever stage of pregnancy – or difficulty in conceiving can be painful and frustrating. My journey through eleven miscarriages has certainly borne this out. The entire experience was an emotional roller coaster. I can recall times of frustration and anger as I desperately sought answers that simply weren’t forthcoming. I remember helpless confusion as I wondered why I was suffering so much for something that I’d always considered to be my right as a woman.
Needless to say, women can be fulfilled whether they are mothers or not. But women who do want children will attest that few things evoke similar longing and desire. I can honestly say that I haven’t experienced anything that has hurt as much as a miscarriage. I have heard women who have struggled to conceive say the same thing.
While painfully searching for answers, I became aware that I was not alone in the struggle. I discovered many other people experiencing the same pain, bewilderment, and confusion while holding out for the same hope. I found these people mostly through Internet support forums, which were something of a mixed bag. It was great to draw on the support of others who understood what I was going through and to learn from their experiences, but some of the stories I heard were so harrowing, they just drained me of hope. In writing this book, I hope to offer you more of the former – support and insights into my lived experience. Having survived the tough pain of eleven miscarriages, I want to share my story with you.
I underwent a transformation on my journey to motherhood. I went from being angry, hurt, confused, and uncertain of God’s purposes for me to being assured of His love, confident in His purposes for me and in my ability to claim His promises. I arrived at a fresh understanding of the words of Jesus, as recorded in the book of Matthew:
That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Matthew 6:25–27 (NLT).
I learned that regardless of what my immediate circumstances might suggest, I am valuable to God, He cares for me, and so I can rest in Him.
I also learned to fight. When I came to the realisation that the two main manifestations of delay when it comes to having children – miscarriages and difficulty in conceiving – are both contrary to God’s plan for multiplication and fruitfulness in our lives, I learned to fight for His promises instead. My hope is that I will be able to encourage those facing similar challenges to grasp this awareness of God’s purposes, claim what is theirs, and refuse to settle for anything less.
In the book of Romans, the Bible states that ‘we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose,’ and this has certainly been my experience. Through heartache and pain, I’ve emerged emotionally stronger and deeper in my faith. More amazingly, my experiences have provided me with the raw materials to be a blessing to those going through similar challenges who might be feeling isolated, incomplete, or broken. I have felt all those things but have pulled through, and I believe you can too. I hope that this book will help families going through the challenge of infertility to have faith in God’s love even as they fight for the fulfilment of His promises. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

“Life is a gift …..
Life is a test…...
Life is temporary assignment....”
― Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?