What does it mean to have a “future full of hope”? The prophet Jeremiah from the Old Testament of the Bible wrote of the Lord’s declaration:
“For I know the plans I have for you…plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you…”
~ Jeremiah 29:11-14a
When I first heard this Scripture passage, I was in my early 20s and was going through trials that were very different from those that would eventually become my infertility story. I was attending a Christ Renews His Parish Retreat at my local church parish, which was an experience that truly changed my life. It was my adult conversion experience, you could say.
The Lord’s words of assurance that He knew exactly what He was doing in my life and that my life would be full of joy, beauty, love, and, especially, increased hope, set my soul on fire for Him. All of the burdens I had been experiencing during those early years of my young adulthood had weighed heavily on me, and these three sentences that spoke hope to me inspired me to dive much deeper into my faith and to lean into God, cast my burdens onto Him, and seek out the goodness He had in store for me. And goodness I found — Hallelujah! I found healing from past broken relationships, began my journey with learning how to forgive, discovered a faith community full of people who are now counted among my dearest friends, completely reignited my faith and became heavily involved in and employed by the Church, and soon met the man who is now my husband.
What does this mean for our shared journeys of infertility? It means that we can have confidence that God is active in our lives! He is constantly moving in our lives, turning all things into our good (Romans 8:28). This includes even working our crosses of infertility toward our good.
Had it not been for that retreat, for hearing the words of God spoken to me through the prophet Jeremiah (as being the theme of the retreat, actually) that weekend, I shudder to think of how I might have ever handled what has now become my biggest test of faith, my most difficult experience to stomach — this journey of infertility, realizing now after almost 10 years that my husband and I might never be given the gift of conceiving and bearing a child.
Does this mean that I can always “grin and bear it” because I have read, heard and studied these words of God’s? Um, no. Not even usually. Most often — not even sometimes. But being reminded of them when I’m going through a particularly painful moment in time certainly doesn’t hurt. It can almost always give me at least a quick moment of peace, if even for only that exact moment.
Thank goodness for having found a community of support in the ministry of Sarah’s Hope & Abraham’s Promise for all of the other times when I can’t catch my breath I’m in so much emotional and spiritual turmoil.
The Infertility Prayer Service was first envisioned by our local Diocese of Austin in 2011, and as SHAP was established and founded that same year, it made sense for our ministry to assume responsibility for hosting the annual event in our own diocese for future years. The theme of “Future Full of Hope” was so providential to me since that very Scripture passage had had such a profound impact on me so many years ago.
Now 14 years since the Lord spoke words of hope to me at that retreat, I hold tightly onto them. It has been such a joy to share these words with other hurting couples year after year of our hosting this prayer service.
This year we were blessed to have Taryn and Andrew Schuelke share their story of infertility and testimony of hope during the service. They shared how both of them have always desired to be parents and that their love for children is one of the things that attracted them to each other. A few years into their marriage, they were found out that they were infertile. This was a difficult time for them, however, they found strength and peace through their love for each other and for God. They discovered how marriage can be fruitful in other ways, and they grow in trusting God as he continues to stretch and bless them in different ways. They consider the adoption of their son, David, to be the greatest gift of their marriage. We are excited to be able to share the recording of their testimony in a future post!
Wherever you find yourself in your journey of infertility, I pray that you are able to have the assurance from time to time, if not at all times, that your life is safe in the hands of God. I believe that He knows the desires of our hearts and longs to give us every blessing from above. While this may not mean that every one of us will be able to share in the experience of conception and pregnancy (*hand raised), it does mean that He has a greater future for us than we could have ever imagined for ourselves.
This Infertility Prayer Service is hosted every year in Austin, Texas during the last week of April, which is National Infertility Awareness Week. The service moves around to different parishes every year to allow for different parts of our local diocese to have the opportunity to attend. We thank everyone who was able to attend in 2019 and look forward to praying with and for those who will be able to attend next year!
Even if you were not able to attend this year, please know that we are always praying for you, no matter where you live in our world. Infertility is an incredibly difficult cross to bear, and I encourage you in this moment: You are not alone. We understand. We are here. Our prayers are with you. God’s got this. He does have a future full of hope for you. Trust this.
Reach out to us if you need more encouragement! This is what we do. Peace.
Jen Crowley,
Director, Sarah’s Hope & Abraham’s Promise
