More Than We Could Ask or Imagine

We wanted to share with you all our exciting news! We are expecting a baby in early March, and we are absolutely THRILLED! I am currently at 16 weeks, and it has been such an adventure so far, processing together the fact that there is a little life growing inside of me. A life that we can’t wait to be a part of, sharing in adventures as a family, and discovering together the blessings of our Lord!

We wanted to share this with all of you to show how God has been faithful in answering prayers. This past year has been a year of grieving for us because Drew and I had two babies who went to be with the Lord before this one. Our first miscarriage happened in early July 2011 and the second happened in November 2011. Our hearts have been so broken over the loss of these two little lives. As we wrestled through all of this together we were shocked at how many families have faced this part of the brokenness of this world. As we shared our story with others Drew and I realized that many families who experience miscarriage often suffer in silence. The truth is that these two little lives are not just a loss for us, but a loss for our friends, our family, and the covenant community. We all miss out on meeting these little ones! It took a lot of time to work through all of our feelings, and trust that the Lord is good despite our loss. Miscarriage, just like all the brokenness of this world, was caused by the fall that we as humans caused. Drew and I had to confess our own sense of entitlement, believing that we deserved to have these babies because of the things we have done for the Lord. We came to realize that it is really by God’s grace that we have any blessing, and not out anything that we deserve. This past year we have learned more and more what it means to cling to the grace of God, and to confess our need for him. We have cried out to God so many times asking him to bless us with a child. Not just us, but so many friends and family have joined us in this prayer. It was such a joy to find out I was pregnant this summer, and from the beginning we have seen God’s grace continue to give us the ability to trust him and his protection of this child.

So why do I write all of this out? I wanted you all to rejoice with us and praise God for his faithfulness! Our God hears and answers prayers. The gospel is what gives us our hope knowing that Christ came to die for our sin and to heal the brokenness of this world. These are verses that we have really clung to:

Ephesians 3:14-21

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

There are many families who grieve because they themselves have experienced miscarriage or infertility. My prayer is that Paul’s words in Ephesians bring you hope. God is able to do far more then we can even imagine. Let’s cling to the hope of his grace together.

-Lindsey