(Trigger warning: infertility and loss)
The church strives to walk with people through the ups and downs of life. The Bible reminds us that we are called to cradle the emotionally and physically vulnerable members of our community. Blessed are those who care for those in need (Psalm 41:1). When someone is going through the grief of the death of a close friend or family member, caring people are often quick to call and check-in or send a card. Rarely does someone bring a casserole to the house to support a couple coping with their inability to get or stay pregnant.
If my partner and I happen to share about our struggles to get pregnant, folks often steamroll through the anxiousness to hope: “You’ll get pregnant! In God’s time. God has a plan.”
In my particular case, those words can be more hurtful than helpful. There are moments when I long for Job’s friends who will simply sit next to me in silence in the ash heap for seven days and seven nights without much more than their presence that says, “I’m sorry you’re going through this.” The journey of heartache is easier to navigate surrounded by the love of God incarnate in a caring community.
This message is excerpted from “Struggling to cope: where is the church in times of infertility?” by Lindsay Mack from the May 4, 2015, Cafe online magazine. Today we commemorate Hans Nielsen Hague, renewer of the church, 1824.
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