“Unexplained Infertility.”
Two of the most painful words that can ever be put together; and these
are the words that have been told to my wife and I for the last eight
years. Unless you have been there, it is
really a difficult thing to explain, but trust me when I say that it
hurts. Infertility is a plague for
couples around the world and when it is “unexplained” it is as if we are
walking around with black and white question marks hanging over our head. Like a small storm cloud that follows you,
pouring down rain upon your head all day, every
day, unexplained infertility is a burden upon your heart, soul, and
mind.
As a man, I take it very serious that I am to provide for my
wife; protect her, guide her, meet her needs, and meet as many of her wants as
possible. My wife’s greatest desire is
to be a mother, and for some “unexplained” reason, we have never been able to
make that happen. Through eight years of
trying to have children, pain and sadness have been the result. Of those eight years, two were spent going
through procedures, tests, surgeries, pills, injections, more tests, and more
procedures and month after month . . . . . . . .
“Why us God?” “Why can’t we do
this God?” “Any teenager in the backseat
of a car can have a baby, but why not us God?”
Words like inadequate – failure – unworthy – not good enough
– bad – unable – all of these have come across my mind throughout this
journey. Then God reminds me of
Abram. Abram and his wife Sarai had faced
infertility for over 60 years when God went to Abram and told him that he would
make a great nation from him; that his descendants would be like the
stars. Unlike Abram, I have nothing of
great value to pass down to my descendants.
No cattle, no sheep, not much land.
I have no kingdom, no servants, and no great fortune. So I cannot relate to the great need to have
a male heir, however, I can empathize on a small level with the frustrations
that he and his wife must have felt all those years.
So here is this husband and wife, who for nearly a century
bore the curse of infertility, and it is them
that God chose to make into a great nation.
That is “unexplainable.” And if I
were to guess, there is an area of your life in which you feel inadequate,
unworthy, unable, and not good enough.
Could it be that God wants to use that exact piece of who you are to do
something great?
Each week I have the opportunity to minister to 60 or more
students who call me “Pip Daddy” and who call my wife “Mama Dawn.” Eight years of “unexplained infertility” and
God gives us young people to love on every day….. that’s “unexplainable.” Also, God has a beautiful young girl somewhere in Bulgaria that is our daughter, and she will be with us one day: unexplainable. Furthermore, if you really know me, you know that I am
not the most interesting person to engage in a conversation. I’m just not very good at it. Yet God allows me to stand up each week and talk
to tons of students, and sometimes hundreds of adults. That’s “unexplainable.”
·
Abram
could not have kids --- God made his descendants too many to count.
·
Moses
could not talk very well --- God used him to speak freedom for his people.
·
David was
a runt --- God used him to kill a giant.
·
Peter
talked too much --- God used him to clearly speak the Gospel.
·
Saul
persecuted Christianity --- God changed his name, and made him a missionary.
And then there was Jesus who . . . well . . . he had no
inadequacies so he decided to take on yours and mine. He took on my sins and your sins so that we
might be free, so that we might be righteous, so that we might be used for His
glory. You know what that is . . . .
that is “UNEXPLAINABLE”
So, how do you feel inadequate today? Maybe God wants to do something unexplainable
with your life today. Will you let Him?
