Becoming a Mother

There was a time that I wondered if I would ever be a mother at all. After we got married in 2001, we waited for a few years and then we were pregnant with our first child in the spring of 2005. We were elated because we had finally saved enough to move out of our 1 bedroom apartment and become real homeowners! 

Our happiness quickly took a turn for the worse just a few short months later when I began to have periods of cramping, then spotting. I had been working full-time throughout my pregnancy in rehab. It was heavy work, but I thought nothing of it. I was also very ignorant about heavy lifting while pregnant and monitoring my out-of-control mood swings. I took a lot of my frustration out on my husband. We had told our families and then we lost the baby to a miscarriage. Incompatible genes they told us. Incompatible?? Bind the Devil!! Now, I was no midwife or OB/GYN nurse, but I figured two healthy people could have a healthy baby together without complications. It's been happening for years!

We found out after some testing, that it was a chromosomal mismatch of sorts. Not his fault, not my fault. The baby would have been a girl. I was so crushed. I cried and mourned heavily. "It happens sometimes" is what I was told. They eventually assured us that we could have children together, and to just.....try again. Well, after that green light, it was on, and 6 months later, we were pregnant again with my now oldest son. Fourteen months after that, we had our youngest son. 

God graced us with favor after a very trying period of wondering if being parents was God's plan for us. It put a great strain on our marriage and we were so tempted to blame each other. But we prayed. Through the tears and the heartache, we reached out to our heavenly Father for answers and hope. I continued to struggle greatly over that first loss even after having two more children! I think about how I would not have ever known our current children had we carried our first pregnancy to term. It's mind-boggling, but makes me so grateful to the Lord for (1) getting me through that hard time, (2) blessing us to be able to have children at all and (3) for my two, handsome, perfect sons!

Every Mother's Day is special to me. God has chosen every mother for their particular child. It is an amazing privilege and a wonderful opportunity to make disciples for our Lord. I have dedicated them both back to the Lord. We are raising them for Him. I love my two and wouldn't trade them for anything....ever!

CHALLENGE: Encourage a mom this weekend and give her a sincere compliment on her parenting. Ask if you can pray for her and do it

right away.