Recently, I came across a verse from the Talmud that I’d read once before, many years ago: “Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, ‘Grow, grow.’” Crossing paths with these words again made me think, is there truth to this child’s eye view? Is there someone urging me on as I struggle to become what I’m meant to be?
In the self-imposed isolation that is often our instinctive response to infertility, it can be easy to feel very alone – forgotten by all the people who conceive effortlessly and breeze by us, oblivious to our silent suffering. The world doesn’t seem interested in slowing down to acknowledge our losses, or to comfort us in our grief. And no one seems to know the words to bend over and whisper to encourage us, “Yes, yes. You can, You can.”
Author Susan Jeffers writes, “We have been taught to believe that negative equals realistic and positive equals unrealistic.” She’s right. And as a result, we tend to brace for the worst even when we hope for the best.
We lean toward anticipating failure (especially if we’ve already experienced it), rather than expecting success. We instinctively question our optimism when faced with the many disappointments of infertility. And we doubt that anyone is whispering anything over us… except maybe, “Why are you still hoping?”
So, why are we?
Here’s why I think we should be. Despite the many hurdles we’ve failed to clear and the many defeats we’ve been forced to face, some part of us believes that the “impossible” is still possible. And it is. Scripture tells us that “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” What we, in our realistic assessment of things, believe cannot happen… actually can. Only two things are required to make it so: God’s will and our faith.
Nothing will grow apart from God’s will. No blade of grass. No seed of hope. But when God plants a seed of hope in us, I’m convinced it is for a purpose. There is a plan that involves maturing that seed of hope into a life-changing reality. When? How? I know only that the Holy Spirit has been sent to whisper, “Anything is possible. With God all things are possible. Grow, grow, seed of hope.”
Our faith is tested in this time of waiting and wondering. Will it ever happen? Will the future be anything like what I envision? Rather than worrying whether the seed will grow, we should focus on faithfully preparing the soil for it to flourish. A fertile faith life is the best environment in which to nurture and grow our seeds of hope.
So, is your faith life fertile ground for a miracle? And, are you trusting that God’s will for you is His very best for you – even if it’s not your plan for you? If so, the time is coming when your seed of hope will spring to life and become the future God has planned.
How do I know? Anything is possible.
========================================================
Want to read more about God doing the impossible? Click this link, and then read Pregnant with Hope: Good News for Infertile Couples.
Pregnant with Hope 