Be blessed as you read this powerful testimony:
My husband and I had been married six years and I had convinced him we didn’t need to have children. “There are enough children in the world,” I would tell him. “Plus, I am too busy pursuing my interior design career,” making myself and temporary possessions a priority. My heart and mind were turning toward a lifestyle of materialism and feminism and further away from God’s truth!
Not to mention I had suffered chronic migraines since I was five years old and sometimes getting them as often as twice a week. My doctor told me that if I ever “considered” having children, I would need to go off my migraine medicine for at least two months before trying to conceive. The potency of the migraine medicine could kill my unborn child if taken while pregnant. Clearly, I told myself, I would never have children!
At the time, I did not realize how deceived and blinded I was. Whenever someone asked or hinted about “when” my husband and I would have children, I hardened my heart more and more.
In October of 2014, while on a family trip, I read a copy of “The Family Meal Table and Hospitality” by Nancy Campbell that my mother-in-law gave to me. I absorbed the Scriptures and Spirit-inspired wisdom by Nancy. Having been consumed with work and preparation for our trip, I suddenly realized I had gone nearly a month without a migraine! What? Wow! I immediately realized God was at work and doing something big in my life!
Maybe, I thought, I could have children? My mother in law recommended I read “The Power of Motherhood” and “Be Fruitful and Multiply,” also by Nancy Campbell, without my ever mentioning to her the stirring I felt in my heart.
I dove into the books, soaking up all the Scriptures, and for the first time seeing what God had to say about motherhood and children. The more I read, the more I realized that having children was part of God’s plan and His calling as a believer. As Christians, we were called to further His kingdom! Something that really stuck out to me was how our careers are only temporary, but our children are eternal!
Immediately doubt began to creep in. We couldn’t afford children! The enemy began planting lies of fear and doubt and I let them grow.
“Maybe children aren’t for us,” I thought. I decided to pray. “God,” I asked, “if we are meant to have children, let my employer give me a raise without me asking him.” Now, here’s the thing, my boss never gave raises. Never. He only gave them (sometimes) after someone asked, and he didn’t like being asked either.
So, I thought I asked God for the impossible. I thought my prayer would clearly go unheard and would confirm having children was not an option for us. Two days later at work, my employer walked up to me and said, “Oh, by the way, I’m giving you a 25% raise and it will be reflected in this coming pay check.”
WHAT?! Not only had God answered and provided, but the Lord prompted my employer to give me a raise even before I had prayed for it! God was showing me that He was a step ahead of me already! I knew this was no coincidence and told my husband later that day all God had been doing in my life. I told him how God had answered my prayer about getting a raise as confirmation we were to have children.
I expected my husband to be thrilled, but to my surprise, he seemed fearful and uncertain. By now I had brainwashed him into thinking children were too expensive and we were not going to have them. I told him I would look into our insurance and find out what it would cost to have a child and how much we would pay out of pocket, so we could start saving and planning. This put his mind at ease for the most part.
I began researching our insurance benefits and finding out how much it could cost. Worst case scenario, we would spend $5,000 out of pocket. We were not trusting God, but instead trying to provide and take control of the situation ourselves.
The next day I walked out to our mailbox and found a letter from my grandmother. As I opened it, a check fell out. The amount was for $5,000. There are no words to express my shock. Once again, God had gone before us and provided for us. God was working mightily.
My grandmother had sold her house and decided to split the money between all her grandchildren without us knowing. Coincidence? I think not. I told my husband and we knew without a doubt we were meant to have children. Well, I wish I could say we got pregnant immediately. I thought this would be the case, but God had another plan. Over the next five months God took me on a journey as He led me through a season of learning to wait and abide in Him. I had gone from one extreme to the next.
I went from not wanting a child to wanting a child more than anything!
The Lord provided before and I had to learn to completely trust Him in a totally new way as I waited for Him to now provide us with a child. I had to learn my timing was not His timing and He would provide at His perfect time. I had to learn to surrender my agenda and plan and humbly receive His will and plan for our lives.
He taught me, as I grieved for the child I could not have, that it was His child, and I had to learn, even before becoming pregnant, that I had to surrender my child to Him. I had to learn He was enough. I searched the Scriptures and prayed for God to open my womb as He did for so many women in the Bible. I pleaded and poured my heart out to him as did Hannah in 1 Samuel.
I meditated on Psalms 113:9: “He settles the barren women in her home as a happy mother of children.” It was when I fully understood and wholeheartedly received what the Lord needed to teach me during this season of waiting that I discovered I was pregnant with a son! The Lord has since provided us with a daughter as well!
The Lord has shown us countless more ways of how He provides financially as I have put my high paying career on hold and have fully devoted myself to the ministry of motherhood! Our God is gracious! He hears our prayers! He provides!
CHRISTINA STAREY
Austin, Texas, USA
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Picture: Christian and Earl with their sweet children: Stephen (2 ½) and Avery Grace (6 months).
P.S. THE FAMILY MEAL TABLE AND HOSPITALITY is no longer in print.
You can order THE POWER OF MOTHERHOOD by going to this link: http://bit.ly/PowerOfMotherhoodUS
You can order BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY by going to this link: http://bit.ly/BeFruitfulAndMultiply
BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY is also available as an audio book, especially great for husbands who mostly would rather listen than read.
https://tinyurl.com/BFAMAudioBook