Tag: A Seed of Hope

Infertility Help for the Holidays

Posted on by Evangeline

This post about navigating the holidays was originally shared a few years ago. Its message is timeless, so I’m sharing it again (with a few tweaks). Hopefully, you’ll find it uplifting! 

Holidays can be difficult to navigate when you’ve been declared infertile. I remember how easy it was to get caught up in all that was going wrong (infertility). It would have been easy to paint myself into a corner and have a pity party.  I could have chosen to neglect enjoying what’s meant to be a festive and fun time.  With the disappointment that comes month after month, it can become difficult to maneuver through the emotional drain of infertility, the possible health scares, the financial toll, and the marital problems that tend to stealthily creep in.

But during the holiday season, I encourage you to make a DECISION to look for the things in life you can be thankful for. A thankful heart looks beyond its present negative circumstances to the positive possibilities that lie ahead.

You may be asking yourself, “What do I have to be thankful for when all I want is to get pregnant and it isn’t happening?”

Holidays - Be Thankful

 

Here are 5 ways you can choose to be thankful during the holidays:

 Be thankful that God is with you. 

If you’ve asked Jesus into your heart, He has promised to never leave you and to always bless you with his unfailing grace. Be thankful that you can rest in knowing that God is for you and not against you (Romans 8:31).

 

Be thankful that there is nothing too hard for God, not even infertility!

Some people believe that we’re to thank God for putting us in tough situations because that’s how He teaches us something. I believe God is a better teacher than that. He can get his point across to us without putting us in tough situations. I believe that tough situations are brought to our lives by the devil but God can and will bring us out of them. Trust in God’s ability and willingness to make good come out of bad (Genesis 18:14; Genesis 50:20).

 

Be thankful for role models.

Be thankful that He has given so many examples of women who overcame infertility and that He has made promises in the Bible that relate to your fertility. Thank Him that you can count on Him to make good on those promises (Luke 1:7, 24).

 

Be thankful that God hears you as you pray His promises.

“So is my Word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me [through your confession of it] without producing results. As you believe and speak it, My Word will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” ~Isaiah 55:11 [paraphrased]

When you’re in the throes of difficult circumstances, life can become overwhelmingly sad and anxiety-laden. But remember, the One who has the power to change your circumstances is always right there with you in the midst of them, ready to display His power. Trust His love and His promises. God the Father wants to bring you out of the grip of tough times into His gentle caress of peace and rest. That’s what He planned for your destiny.

Giving thanks to God is the means of focusing on the solution rather than the problems we have. When we give thanks in the midst of our problems, we keep victory’s door open. When we’re dealing with infertility, or any other trying circumstance, being thankful to God is the best way to express that we expect Him to show Himself strong on our behalf. Thankfulness reinforces our belief that He will make good things happen.

 

Be thankful that He loves you unconditionally.

God the Father loves you just as much as He loves Jesus (John 17:23)! To have someone who always loves you is wonderful! No matter how much you doubt God’s ability, willingness, and timing, He still loves you. That’s something to be thankful for!

 

You can choose to make the best of the holiday season, in spite of your experience with infertility. One powerful way to do so is to express gratitude for what you have. Consider how you’ve been blessed in your health, relationships, career, finances, etc.

What will you choose to thank God for during the holidays?

 

God Did it Again — Another Victory Over Infertility!

Posted on by Evangeline

overcoming infertilityVictory over infertility is not too hard for God (Genesis 18:14)!

This is a letter that testifies of God’s goodness and His willingness to work on our behalf. It is from Camille, a reader of my blog. I pray it encourages you to not give up on God’s promises of fertility. Her story starts back in 2014.

An Overcomer

Back in November my husband and I decided to start the process for IVF.  This was after trying 3 unsuccessful IUIs before I ever read your book. So we thought we would go for it and if it was God’s will, it would happen for us.

We both believe that God is the giver of all life and we found a wonderful fertility specialist. What was so special about him is that when we met with him, he was very open and passionate about his belief in God being the orchestrator and creator of life and that his role was “helping setting the scene” from a medical standpoint for God to do his work. This was very important to me as sometimes these doctors do get the notion that they are in control and see themselves as God.

We went through the process of taking a lot of drugs and ended up having 9 eggs retrieved. There were 4 that survived. They implanted two and that is how we got our little boy and we have two more frozen embryos that we plan to have implanted in another 1.5-2 years.

My pregnancy was amazing. I had very little nausea and vomiting. I worked up until last my 39th week.  We have been blessed beyond measure. Our friends and family who have prayed for us this entire journey had 3 different baby showers for us. We have been provided with more than we could ever need for this baby and things keep coming. When God blesses you, he always go above and  beyond!

Reading A Seed of Hope

My husband and I read your book and it was so encouraging.  I would re-read certain passages over and over again when doubt and fear crept in. When I purchased your book, I posted something on your website/blog I believe only one time (I cannot remember what I posted). However, the day that you contacted me via email was a very interesting day. I was talking with my best friend about my struggle with infertility.  She and her husband had just given birth to my god-daughter through IVF and while I was extremely happy for her. However, I thought, “Why isn’t God not making it happen for me?” You see, I felt I had done things the “right way.” Coming from a family of teenage mothers, including my own who had me at 15, I waited. I went to college, found a God-fearing and loving husband, and we purchased our dream home. I went back to school to get a second Bachelor’s degree and we traveled the world. We certainly were ready!

However, on this particular day of talking with my best friend, I was so down and depressed. Usually she knew the things to say to keep me encouraged because she had gone through the same thing, but on this day, nothing was working. I think it made me more upset because I had gotten to a point where I felt she could no longer relate because she  had her baby. That’s another story.

Fighting Anger and Depression

I remember going to Wal-Mart to get some household supplies after getting off the phone with her and when I came out it was pouring down raining. With no umbrella and getting completely soaking wet, I looked up to the sky and said to God, “Come on… are you serious?” I was so full of anger and depression. However, when I got home, I had an email from you! Now I had never spoken to you and am sure that I had only posted on your blog just one time. This was a sign to me that the Lord hears us and He sends people our way (sometimes even strangers) to show us that He is still with us even when we think He is not. I have used this story as a testimony.

I’m sorry I wrote so much, but I really wanted to let you know how much you and your book has meant to our lives. You following up with me is another reminder of the importance of telling our story of God’s greatness and continued blessings. Please know that you are making a difference and that the Lord is truly using you to change lives.

If God did it before, He’ll do it again. He’s no respecter of persons. Keep your hope alive!

Hope is Having Only Positive Expectations. It is powerful and has an eternal purpose (1 Corinthians 13:13). The purpose of hope is to give you greater inner strength. It serves you no matter what you’re feeling or experiencing.

I pray that Camille’s story of victory over infertility will give you hope!

victory over infertility

3 Reasons to Believe You Will Get Pregnant

Posted on by Evangeline

Has it been difficult to believe you will get pregnant because you’ve been trying for a while and nothing has happened?

It’s so easy to believe all the negative reports about infertility. We humans are trained through our normal, everyday situations to focus on and remember the negative circumstances of life. But what if there were powerful reasons to believe something radically different from the medical reports and the advice/counsel you get from friends and family? Would you believe?

Believe What God Said

Here are three reasons to believe that you’ll get pregnant and that you are already blessed and empowered to overcome infertility:

  1. God said none should be barren/infertile, not male or female [Deuteronomy 7:14].
  2. God said ALL things are possible with Him [Luke 1:37] and impossible without Him[John 15:5].
  3. God said He is always with you and His Spirit bears witness to the Truth (what God has said) because His Word is truth[ 1 John 5:6; John 17:17].

We’re told in 1 Kings 8:56 that “not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises He gave.” God is truly a promise keeper. Believe what He has said.

Questions

It’s time to be honest with yourself:

Do you believe that God loves you the same way He loves Jesus (John 17:23b)?

  • Yes or No

Are you making requests based on His promises and then expecting Him to do what He promised (1 John 5:14-15)?

  • Yes or No

Are you speaking His Word out loud because He said that it is medicine to your body (Proverbs 4:20-22)?

  • Yes or No

Will you continue to praise Him in advance of seeing your desire come to fruition, trusting that His answer is always YES to anything He has promised (1 Corinthians 1:20)?

  • Yes or No

I hope you answered YES to each of these questions. If not, it’s okay. That just means you’ve got some spiritual homework to do! 🙂

Take time to read all the Scriptures included in this post. Read them out loud to yourself more than once. Read them repeatedly and frequently over the next few days so that they begin to resonate within you. Look for other scriptures that speak specifically to your situation.

Then ask God to show you how to trust Him more. He’ll be sure to say YES.

To help you get started, download my special report, 12 Affirmations of Faith for Fertility. It’s available to you when you request to join our private Facebook group, A Seed of Hope.  It’s a support group of like-minded women, looking to walk this season of infertility with a perspective of faith and hope. I’d love to see you there!

 

 

How God and the Power of Good Grammar Can Give You Good Success

Posted on by Evangeline

There’s a powerful connection between grammar, God, and your success. In elementary school, or in junior high school, you probably learned about the grammatical impact of using the word “but” in a sentence. It is a conjunction, joining two phrases. It is a powerful word because  “but” essentially negates the idea in the first phrase and implies that something else should be considered. Here’s a quick list of what “but” can do:

  • suggests there’s a chance for a different outcome
  • implies there’s something which should not be forgotten
  • serves to redirect your attention
  • implies doubt in the preceding phrase and a more confident expectation in the phrase that follows
  • marks an opposition to the preceding phrase

As I was writing my book, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility, one of the things that Holy Spirit whispered to me to include was how to use the “Holy But.” I laughed when I heard that– the Holy But. However, I began to understand how using it could bring godly results to our ungodly circumstances. You’re probably wondering what makes the “but” holy. The use of God’s Word following the “but” is what makes it serve a holy purpose in your life. When you find yourself saying some negative things about yourself that you know you should not have released from your mouth, use the Holy But by stating a promise or truth from God’s Word that addresses the circumstance that you previously stated negatively.

God’s Truth is stronger than your facts.  Tweet this!

God’s Truth is stronger than your facts. It is powerful and never changes. God’s Truth never fails. When you believe it and speak it, it can actually change your facts of life. What’s God’s Truth? It’s His words of love and grace toward you (John 17:17). God’s Word doesn’t change– it is powerful and eternal. Use it to pressure your circumstances to line up with what God has said. For example, you may have said in a moment of exasperation, “I feel like I’ll never be pregnant!” Quickly follow that up by saying, “BUT, God said that none shall be barren and that includes me” (Exodus 23:26). Maybe you’re experiencing some financial challenges and you might slip and say, “I’m always broke.” When you catch yourself, say something like, “BUT, Jesus is with me and He prospers me (1 Chronicles 22:11). The key is to negate your negative statement by stating what God has said about the matter using the word “but”. Good grammar really can bring godly results and good success, when you combine it with what God has said about your circumstances. Proverbs 18:21 points out that the words we speak carry the power of life and of death. Do a self-check on your conversations and start using the Holy But when you’ve spoken negatively. Use the Holy But in your everyday conversations to:

  • Express belief about the outcome God has planned for you
  • Remind yourself of God’s viewpoint of the matter
  • Redirect your attention to Jesus’ love for you
  • Erase doubt and affirm your confidence in God’s words
  • Declare your opposition to the negative thing you’ve previously said

It is applicable in any circumstance. It is a simple exercise that will redirect your focus and strengthen your faith. In the midst of negative circumstances, what do you do to redirect your focus to Jesus’ words, love, and viewpoint? good grammar - words of life

Monday’s Marinade – Hope and Love

Posted on by Evangeline

Monday’s Marinade is provided to you as a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week. Start your week by meditating  about how it pleases God when you have confidence in His love for you. Repeatedly think about this and quietly say it to yourself.  Marinate and season your week with hope and a confident expectation of good things happening!

Here’s your spiritual marinade for this week:

Monday's marinade-hope and love

In case you missed it, here are some tips for getting through the holidays.

 

Hope Against Hope

Posted on by Evangeline

Hope--H.O.P.E.

Hope begins in the midst of darkness and never gives up!

Hope is defined as a joyful and confident expectation of good. [Source: Thayer’s Lexicon]

I like to think of hope as:

Having

Only

Positive

Expectations

In this acrostic, “positive” not only means the opposite of negative, it also means confident/fully assured. Therefore, each day you can choose to have a confident expectation of something good coming your way to bring you out of this season of infertility.

The prophet Jeremiah is a case study for how to maintain hope. Consistently recalling what his enemy had done to him caused Jeremiah to get deeply depressed. His mind and emotions were not at peace and he even became oblivious to anything good (Lamentations 3). But, when he chose to recall the good things God had done, he was filled with hope, confidence, and expectancy.

Practice H.O.P.E. daily! Make the choice to recall the good that God has already done in your life. Remember that He is always with you, making Himself available to do you good.

The account of Abraham & Sarah overcoming infertility is referenced in Romans 4 and tells of how he had a steadfast, firm hope in God’s promises. Verse 18 says that he “hoped against hope.” The phrase “hope against hope” means to continue to have hope even though the present outlook doesn’t warrant it. He kept looking for the manifestation of God’s promise of a child.

Give yourself permission to be like Abraham– keep your hope alive even though your natural circumstances may not warrant having hope. When you get tired of waiting, God is still right there to help you continue on. As you trust in Him and His goodness, it becomes easier to maintain and overflow in hope.

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” ~ Romans 15:13 (NLT)

Will you choose to refuse despair and move toward victory each day?

[This post includes an excerpt from my book, Infertility Sucks!]

Delayed but not Denied

Posted on by Evangeline

The manifestation of a promise of God may be delayed but His Word tells us it is not denied (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Have you prayed for a child for a LOONNGG time? Do you feel like God is ignoring your request or is somehow holding back the one thing that you desire with all of your being? Today, I want to encourage you to not give up while you wait.

Take a look at the Bible’s account about the prophet Daniel and the delay he experienced in the manifestation of his requests to God (Daniel 10:1-12). Daniel was a man of boldness; he was not afraid to pray and trust in God, even when it was illegal for him to do so.  Daniel prayed earnestly—he had “set his heart,” that is, devoted himself, to this thing he was praying about.

The Scriptures give the account of how the prophet lamented for 21 days, not understanding why he had not yet heard from God. He mourned during that time, not eating, not anointing himself. Is it possible that the waiting had become a distraction to Daniel? Could it be that in the waiting his focus had changed from the faithfulness of God to the troublesome circumstances surrounding him? Not necessarily. There could be something else working behind the scenes to cause the delay in manifestation.

When God, When?

Do you sometimes wonder WHEN God’s promises will manifest in your life? Delays are a strategic tactic of the devil. It’s during the delays that he seeks to fill your mind with doubt. He wants you to ever so slowly lose your trust in God’s willingness to answer your prayer.  He wants you to become hopeless, thinking that having a baby will never happen for you. delayed but not denied

The devil wants you to believe that God’s promises of fertility are not true for you. He wants you distracted, stressed out, and anxious about your future rather than resting in knowing that God’s promises are true for you.

But, when you look up and see Jesus in the midst of your situation, you see more clearly that He is right there with you. He’s loving you and wanting to give you the desires of your heart. In Daniel’s case, when he looked up and saw God’s messenger, the messenger acknowledged, “I have come in response to your words” (Daniel 10:12 NASB). He said he had been dispatched to bring the answer as soon as God heard Daniel’s request.

What had caused the delay? It wasn’t anything that Daniel had done. It wasn’t anything God had done. Evil spiritual forces had interrupted the dispatch and caused the delay. Have you considered that spiritual forces are causing the delay in the manifestation of God’s promises in your life?  The delay is meant to make you give up, to become hopeless, and to no longer expect that God’s promises will come to pass in your life.

The manifestation of a promise of God may be delayed but His Word tells us it is not denied (2 Corinthians 1:20). Share on X

How can you deal with this delay?

The best way is to continue to hold on to His promises by speaking them daily. Speak them with gratitude, as if they have already been granted to you. As you speak them, you build your faith (Romans 10:17). When you speak them, your mind stays focused on Jesus and His loving power instead of the turmoil of your circumstances. As you speak them, you’ll find it easier to let go of the problem and let God solve it.

It’s important to realize that God loves you. Then it’s easier to believe He has heard your prayer. And you’ll know that He wants His promises to manifest in your life. While you wait, it’s critical to trust in God’s faithfulness and to never give up on His promises.

The spiritual aspect of infertility always needs to be addressed. So remember, delayed does not mean denied when it comes to God’s promises. 

Helpful Scriptures for the Enduring the Delay

While you wait, here are some additional scriptures to consider, speak, and believe.

You are loved: John 17:23b ESV – that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me.

God doesn’t withhold His goodness: Psalm 84:11 HNV– For the LORD God is a sun and a shield. The LORD will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.

You’ve been made blameless; infertility is not a punishment: 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV– “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

Trust Him: Jeremiah 17:7 NLT– “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.” Mark 11:22-23 NIV – “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.

God’s word is true and final: Psalm 119:89 NLT – Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in heaven. Matthew 24:35 NIV – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

It’s a spiritual battle: Ephesians 6:12 NASB– “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places”.

Where’s your focus while you wait—on your problem or on Jesus?

 

Monday’s Marinade

Posted on by Evangeline

Monday’s Marinade is provided to you as a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week. Start your week by meditating on this Word. Repeatedly think about and quietly say it to yourself.  Marinate and season your week with hope and a confident expectation of good things happening!

Here’s your spiritual marinade for this week:

Monday's Marinade Ps 71-14

Win A Signed Copy of My Book

Posted on by Evangeline

Paperback Edition

 

Over on Caroline’s blog, In Due Time, my book is being offered via a Rafflecopter contest.

It’s a fun way to get a free copy of my book. I’ll sign it with a personal note to you.

Check out the contest here. There’ll be three (3) winners!

Will you be one of them?

 

 

 

Fertility Retreat Update

Posted on by Evangeline

If you’ve been contemplating whether you should come to my iHope Fertility Retreat,

there’s still one spot left.

IS IT YOUR’S?

Infertility Retreat