No matter where you are on your journey, I salute you — your steadfastness, your strength, your resilience in the face of pain and uncertainty.
Today in the UK, we celebrate Mother’s Day. The date changes each year, but wherever you are in the world and whatever day it falls on, one thing remains the same: for women who are waiting, the feeling is the same.
For anyone currently waiting to become a mother, celebrating mothers doesn’t always bring joy. Sometimes it does the opposite — it brings tears, isolation, and dread. The quiet fear that perhaps you may never experience being celebrated in that way.
Yet you are an overcomer.
You have overcome the stigma and the shame, the sorrow and the fear, the dread of tomorrow. And you are still here, still moving forward, still becoming more.
So keep your hope alive.
Continue to have faith.
You are an encouragement. A winner. And one day you will tell your story — the story of how you overcame.
We are thankful for 2024 and welcome it with hope, faith and vigour.
We put our hopes in God and will trust His perfect plan will infold in 2024.
Heavenly father we ask in your mercies to look favourably upon
us in our moments of trying. Replenish our strength for the journey ahead, recharge our spirits so that when in our weakness your strength will multiply ours.
Guide our paths and lead to places where we can access information, and to professionals with the right solutions.
Help us to demonstrate the virtues and values of love, Joy, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness and kindness in the face of adversity, difficulties and conflicts.
Above all may all our actions leas only to you and reveal who you are in us.
I love the seasons of the year, but my favourite time of the year is Christmas I love the display of lights on lawns across the streets, i love the music its magic brings Joy and warmth.
I love the various shows, theatre, school plays bringing people together, I love the pop up shops, the Christmas fairs, the smell of roasted chest nuts as, with hot chocolate brewing as people gather for a spot of ice skating.
Christmas is definitely the most beautiful time of the year.
As we prepare to relax and celebrate the Birth of our saviour Jesus I just can’t help but look at my life and how he’s blessed me. I am grateful for this and for the cross, because of the cross and his blood I am here today.
As a waiting woman or couple, you maybe thinking this isn’t for me Christmas brings too much reminders of what you don’t have.
I want to encourage you to find something to do this year that will satisfy you.
Volunteer at a Charity, find a community of like minded people and connect with them.
Find joy and peace in believing that God’s gift in the person of Jesus also comes with all your desire and as you continue to wait in expectation, you will receive.
I love Christmas not just because of all the wonder things above, but because I am reminded of God’s wonderful gift of love, His Son, Jesus.
Jesus was born at Christmas, love brought him to earth, he had all of heaven but chooses to come to die to save man from sin.
As we celebrate wherever you are, do not let it become same old time of the year of having a few days off work, eat and drinking pause and think about Christ wonderful coming and embrace him this Christmas.
Waiting is part of life, everyone has had to wait or currently waiting or will wait for something significant to come into their lives.
The wait can be about anything, it maybe long or short and often leads to impatience the longer it takes.
Sometimes we wait with friends or a family member comes along to hold our hands or provide that physical, emotional or morals support.
A&E waiting rooms are pictures of pain and misery. People all waiting to be seen for their issues to be addressed.
Who is in the waiting room with you during your waiting period/season?
in His day Jesus was found in unusual places places, he hung out with prostitutes,
with tax collectors, those regarded as extortionist, with women (the woman at the well), and in street coner preaching.
if Jesus was living in our world today he certainly would have been found in fertility waiting rooms.
Jesus is no stranger to hunting people, the centurion whose child was ill, the woman with the issue of blood. He was drawn to the sick and down trodden, the ostracised and outcast.
The waiting room of any infertility clinic is an extremely high anxiety, fear, and pain depository . I used to just scan the faces of those waiting with me. Its amazing the mask we put on.
Our dear Lord and Saviour is a hugger, he would have been in the waiting room with waiting couples, hugging, holding and whispering hope and peace . I imagine he is there right now with you. Lean on him, trust in him and hope in him for your miracle.
He knows what you need and will bring it to pass in His own time.
What does peace look like? I asked the kids at Sunday school.
Their answers were surprising and came in quick succession.
One replied: when I don’t have any fears. another, when I am happy, sleeping and playing, holiday brings peace. when I lie down and there is no sound.
But one child replied: When God calms the storm.
That stopped me in my track. This Child remembered the story of Jesus and the storm. When His disciples were worried about drowning and Jesus spoke bringing calm to the waves and seas.
The various replies can be woven into this one statement: When God calms the storm.
Certainly when Jesus said peace be still there was calm, the waves ceased in obedience to Him.
I wonder, what do you need to be cam in your life today? Your heart might be torn from endless wait in various places at various time.
14 day wait or two weeks wait, for the change in the pregnancy test stick. From the results of a recent surgery.
None of these wait brings peace, we are often anxious for what’s to comes or what might not be.
In this season of Advent, ask God to bring His peace into your heart whatever the situation and he will.
He will calm your storms, because that what he does. He bring peace to every situation. All you need to do is ask Him.
My best friends birthday was approaching, It was a significant milestone. I remembered planning ahead trying to figure out what we’re going to do for her.
I contacted her to find out what she had planned, I persisted in asking her until she said “I won’t be having any celebration”.
I sort of expected it because I’ve known for over 20 years and I have never celebrated a birthday with her or celebrated her birthday. I knew her reasons. However, I did not think that such a milestone would go uncelebrated.
She’s single and not currently in a relationship, she’s approaching the age where having children is considered risky, she’s premenopausal. She is in between jobs and between homes.
The last few years have been really difficult for her having lost her dad, which means both parents will not be around when and if she eventually gets married and have children.
Lack of success and achievement in certain areas of our lives, leaves us disappointed and robbed.
You too may be asking yourself as Christmas approaches, what’s there to celebrate?
Our lives are measured by our achievements, the absence of which deemed us failures.
There is a perceived natural progression of ones life, grow up, go to school, meet your partner, graduate, get married, have children and live happily ever after.
As I’ve come to know, life isn’t always a straight line from A to Z. Life will take you from N to B and, from S to W and back again from V to K.
Live doesn’t give you what you order, God does. Life doesn’t give you what you expect, faith in God does. Life doesn’t give you what you think you should have, trust and hope in God does.
And as a result of not getting to those milestones we decide what, when to celebrate and how to celebrate.
Celebration is not about things. We celebrate because we look inside ourselves and we know that regardless of where we are and how far we still have to go, we have a reason to be thankful because a lot of people did not get as far as we have come.
We are thankful because against all odds, are still standing. we reflect on the good we have in our lives.
I want to encourage you today, If you find yourself void of joy, void of any enthusiasm to celebrate let the births of Christ inspire you.
What is there to celebrate?
For starters, your health, Your amazing support group, The families in your life. For the strength to keep going, your nieces and nephews, for your job.
Count your blessings, and let your focus well on God’s goodness, not on the absence of should have been.
Our cup is not half empty but half full.
This Christmas rejoice in the fullness of joy that Christ brought when he came into our world. This is why we celebrate.
It’s the season of giving and receiving gifts. I have been trying to find the most thoughtful presents for my loved ones and I am sure you are as well.
What will it cost you to do something for someone else? Time, money, your possessions or skills. Going through trying times leaves us focus on ourselves, often too drained to consider giving any of these to others.
I realized this during the most difficult periods of my life, I couldn’t give of myself to anything, I was focused on getting through the stage of infertility, but I knew there were so many in need of my skills and thankfully I decide to keep a journal of my experiences which started faithful wait
Although God freely gives us gifts of love, grace, mercies, forgiveness, protection, provision and love. He makes no demands made of us, because it already cost Him, His Son. It was and remains the most costly gift of all time. The person we now celebrate at Christmas was give. as a gift for many.
His life bought our freedom from sin, sickness, loss, disappointment and gave us a living hope.
His paid once so that we can enjoy his gifts eternally.
So this Christmas consider someone in worse situation than yourself and give them a gift you can afford, or go a step further, give a gift that will cost you something.
Remember Christ promised to surround you with with favor like a shield in the mist of your situation.
He is with you through every circumstance shielding you, so that you can also respond by helping others.
As you receive Gods blessings during this time, and all through the years, find time to share your gift with others.. because what you receive freely cost him everything.
As I read about the baby news of Isreal Houghton and his wife Adrienne, my heart leaped for joy, this couple have been married for about 5 years and behind the scenes they have hoped, prayed, while trying for a baby.
Infertility is no respecter of persons, rich, poor, high class, low class, infertility can and have broken couples, marriages and relationships.
So I was excited for this news that they have conceived via a surrogate mother, and even though they have continued to be public figures, behind the scenes they have pleaded with God, expected, and held on..
So be encouraged, right now, you maybe at your wits end, wondering when Lord, why Lord, How Lord. The behind the scenes experiences where
we cry, we pray, we slop, we start again is not public view, but heavens knows and sees.This poem puts simply
behind the scenes we
fall apart and let the broken pieces of our emotions dance before us.
behind the sciences we sometimes smile and grasp to the last shred of hope, perhaps there will come a day!!!
And hope is all we bond on to.
Behind the scenes we keep on keeping on,
we gather strength and give it one more try,
When strength fails and the future seems bleak,
behind the scenes sometimes the sun comes and breaks through the dark cloud.
my prayer for all those still waiting is to stay the course and trust His perfect plan.
If for you the year holds so much promises on the 1st of January 2022 and now you look forward with trepidation because of a current situation, a news you receive, a disappointing diagnosis,
I want to encourage you to hold on and have faith.
Faith to believe when the way is rough.
Faith to hang on when the going is tough.
Faith will pull you through.
Faith will help you glimpse a way out that will comfort you and give you strength to carry on.
