Blessings in the Brokenness

“I am so glad that you are pregnant again—I was praying that would happen for you soon.” These are words that I have heard often over the past couple of months that have evoked a vast array of emotions in me. (Before I explain, let me be clear that if you have said these words to me, I am not offended)! As many of you know, Caleb and I have had a bumpy-road journey towards growing our family: a difficult 3-year season with a health issue, dark periods of wrestling with God and doubting His goodness, a long adoption match that fell through prior to the adoption of our son, and most recently, the loss of a child whom we had prayed for and tried for a long time to conceive. Along with these heartaches, we have also experienced great joys—the nearness of God through heartache, the sufficiency of His grace and provision, a deeper knowledge of His goodness, the abundant love of the body of Christ, the inexpressible awe at the way God brought our first child into our lives, and the bles...