The Story

"The Story" is a story within our story that I wanted to share. Every time I think about this "story" I shake my head and smile because it's just another example of how God's ways are not our ways and He is always in the details....

The day I had my dye test, I had finally gotten online to check out what Women's Bible Study options I had coming up at my church. This is something that I have wanted to do for so long but just "never got around to it". AKA, I didn't want to commit. I really felt a tug at my heart that this was something I needed to do so when I got online I found that the only one available was a study on "The Story" (a book we have been going through at church all year) and it started the very next morning. Taking that as a nudge, I went ahead and registered and showed up the next day.

All along I had really wanted to get into a group of women my own age. Since I had registered so late, they didn't even have me on the roster and asked if I knew anyone here. I looked around the room of over a hundred women and said "Nope". They directed me to a table with a girl that I had walked in with from the parking lot. At my table was a mixture of different ages of women, most of whom were much older than me. The next day, I had called someone on staff at the Women's Ministry and asked if they had groups for "30 somethings" and she said that they don't do that at our church because if  you are all the same age then you can't help each other through the struggles you're having. I didn't disagree but I felt they were missing the boat on fellowship with people your own age that you can relate to.  Cue God laughing at me right here.....:)

As the weeks went on, the attendance at my table dwindled down and I got to know the ladies better. Eventually it would just be 4 of us for the duration of the Bible study. Come to find out one of the ladies had dealt with some of my same fertility issues and she said, no matter where she goes, she always runs into someone like me who struggled as she did.

I had told them that God had really been laying on my heart to "Be Still". I had been meeting with this new doctor and I was really unsure about doing another procedure and when I prayed I just felt like God was telling me to "Be Still". As many of you who know me, the control freak nature in me does not permit me to do this so this was really a challenge for me.

Over the next several weeks, these girls fervently prayed for Steve and I and our family and for me to be obedient to what God was asking of me. You can imagine the joy I felt when I was able to finally tell the girls that our prayers were answered and we were going to have a baby! If you would had told me that just 4 weeks earlier that I would be sitting at a table with a group of "strangers" telling them  I was pregnant, I would have laughed in your face. We have been trying for 9 years to have a baby and all of a sudden there I was with 3 new friends, sharing my hearts desire.

this is a silly pic of me in a dressing room trying to buy new clothes

I remember after my first day at Bible Study calling my mom and telling her my frustration about not being able to have a 30's group. I told her what the lady said about "God bringing us together" and I said Yes I believe that but I don't always think that applies to every circumstance and I didn't necessarily believe He had anything to do with me being at that table. Ha! I even think she agreed with me at the time:)

I am so glad that I can look back now and see God's hand in this and with bringing me together with these wonderful ladies. I hope I haven't offended them with this post. Mainly I wanted to show how naive we can be sometimes to think that God isn't working behind the scenes, especially when we think He isn't fast enough for us. 

Rebecca, Mary Lou and Kate: I just want to thank you all so much for your friendship and your prayers. I've told you this before but, you will forever be a part of our family's story and I'm so grateful to have been directed to your "table".