How can I have an attitude of hope when I am childless?
Psalm 62:5, 8Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. . . . O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.
Lamentations 3:20-24I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”
Finding hope does not mean denying the pain we are going through. When we pray, we can be honest with God about everything—our fears, griefs, frustrations, even doubts. If you can have this kind of love for a child you haven’t even met, think of how much God loves you, his child, and how attentively he listens to your every prayer.
Micah 7:7As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Our hope is not based on our circumstances or our own ability—it’s based on the character of our loving God. No matter how powerless we may feel, he is still present with us and at work in our lives.
Romans 5:3-5We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
Infertility can become a long ordeal—a true challenge to our endurance. Still, such challenges can be an opportunity to grow and mature in our faith. Hard times remind us how desperately we need God, and the comfort God gives us during such times can bring us closer to him.
Proverbs 16:9We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
It can be frustrating—even frightening—when we discover that the plans we had for our lives are beyond our control. But though we may not yet have been given the gift of motherhood or fatherhood, God has still given us gifts to be used for his Kingdom. Waiting need not be a time of inaction. Make a choice to serve God in whatever capacity your circumstances allow, and find joy in seeing him at work.
