"Have you ever experienced a bitter disappointment- or even a personal tragedy- that later turned out to be a blessing? Have you ever experienced a temporary loss that, in time, was transformed into a permanent gain? And, do you believe that God has the power to use all your experiences- the good, the bad, and the in-between- for His purposes? If you have answered 'yes' to one or more of these questions, then you know that blessings can, and often do, come through raindrops.
In times of hardship and pain, we may feel abandoned by our friends, by our families, and by our Creator. But if we believe that God has left us, even for a moment, we are mistaken. God never abandons us, not even when the raindrops are falling like buckets. Through ever storm of life, He is ever-present, offering us His grace, His love, and His mercies.
When Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, He prayed, 'Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done' (Luke 22:42). Jesus knew the pain that He was destined to endure, but He also knew that God's will must be done.
From time to time all of us must endure days filled with suffering and heartache. And, as human beings with limited understanding, we can never fully understand God's reasons for allowing the raindrops to fall. But, even when we cannot understand why things happen as they do, we should always trust the One who is intent upon blessing us throughout all eternity.
Can you trust God in times of happiness and in times of hardship? Can you trust Him today?"
I love this entire devotional but especially the bolded! The fact that God never leaves us and is ever-present is something that I have personally experienced throughout every step of this journey. There were trials in my past that I traveled and just felt that God was not there and that He did not care; however, this trial and journey has been much different. I have felt God more present in my life this past year than ever before, including the good times!
The following quotes were also included in the devotional:
If we believe in Jesus Christ, we can face every problem that the world holds.
-Oswald Chambers
Contentment is trusting God even when things seem out of control.
-Charles Stanley
Teach us to set our hopes on heaven, to hold firmly to the promise of eternal life, so that we can withstand the struggles and storms of this world.
-Max Lucado
God uses every cloud which comes in our physical life, in our moral or spiritual life, or in our circumstances, to bring us nearer to him until we come to a place where our Lord Jesus Christ lived, and we do no allow our hearts to be troubled.
-Oswald Chambers.
On a side note, I did test a couple days ago (at 12 DPO) and it was negative. Today is 14 DPO and my plan was to take my temperature this morning and then decide whether or not to test (AF is due today or tomorrow...on average today is AF day). Well, I went to take my temperature and my thermometer finally died. It has been a very slow death over the past couple months. I am just laughing at the irony that it finally stopped today and feel like God is just telling me to relax, trust in Him, and, most importantly, to be patient!
In previous months I would have been frustrated and anxious, needing to know my temperature or whatever else so that I could over-analyze everything and try to figure it out. However, today I am so thankful that I can truly just laugh at the situation and my heart is so full of peace! God is good...I have no idea what His answer is regarding this cycle, but no matter what it will be the right answer because it will be His will!
Praying that everyone going through this journey (or any life struggles and trials for that matter), whether it be infertility, miscarriages, trying to get pregnant for the first time, trying to get pregnant after a loss, being pregnant after a loss or losses...my prayer is that we can all rest in His peace and fully surrender our life to His will...whatever it might be, that we are willing to accept the good with the bad knowing that our God is a Father who deeply loves us and cares for us and He will work out the most difficult of situations for our good!
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