Life After 23

It's not their fault - the book authors, your friends, your study leader.  I understand that.  But it doesn't make the pain ease up at all.  Anyone else who has struggled with infertility knows what I'm talking about.  You sit down to read your devotional or (God forbid!) have a group Bible study, open your book, and at the top of the page: CHILDREN .  It doesn't matter what the rest of the title says, because that's the only word you see, staring up at you like a big red light that, by turns, is mocking you and judging you. You think, "That's it, I'm out.  This whole lesson doesn't apply to me."  Or perhaps wonder what is so wrong with you that God doesn't want you to raise children.  You maybe start comparing yourself to other moms in your study group, and before long, little seeds of resentment start to germinate as you think, "Why does she get to use this parenting knowledge and I don't? I mean, I'm better than her at ...

Why do we get so excited to hear a new baby is going to be born?  We don't know this person.  Not even the mother carrying the child knows the person.  Yet, the universal reaction to the news of an impending birth is one of joy. How weird is that?  In no other situation do people, as a collective whole, get so excited to meet someone new. I mean, what if I were to walk up to you and say, "Guess what? In about nine months or so, I'm going to introduce a completely new person to you.  In fact, this person will be moving into my home.  No, no, I don't know who it is yet, and I have no idea what kind of personality she will have.  All I know is that I will be serving at her every beck and call, she won't speak our language, and I expect you to love this person and assist me in waiting on her and completely re-centering the focus of the social group onto this unknown individual."  You'd think I was crazy!  And yet, that's exactly what we do w...