When "Mommy Magic" Isn't Enough

My mom (Christine) and I when I was a year old.

Special Guest Blogger: Christine Koval

Have you ever tuned in to your favorite TV show only to find it has been preempted by some goofy awards program or delayed by a sporting event that went in to overtime? How annoying! Well, faithful readers, you have been victimized by a similar switcheroo. In my defense, I did not barge in unasked. I was invited to be a "guest blogger." Just to warn you, I have never blogged a day in my life. I further admit that I felt extremely intimidated by the proposal. And yet, here I am. What parents won't do for their children...

Any parent reading this knows very well that whatever your child is going through, you are going through it as well. You take pride in their achievements, share the joy in times of happiness, and feel the pain when they are hurting. While you gladly remain on the sidelines cheering for them when things are going well, you would give anything to be able to spare them from any suffering, wishing you could take it upon yourself.

But I have been down a really rough road before with Karolyn and I've learned that a mother's power to heal her child with a hug and a kiss just doesn't extend to every circumstance. While "mommy magic" has its limits, God's power knows no boundaries. As much as I wanted to lift the grief from her shoulders and do the grieving for her, Karolyn succeeded in working her way through it. She emerged on the other side not merely having survived. She became a stronger person for it. It's part of who she is today and that is, among many other wonderful things, a woman of great spiritual maturity possessing remarkable faith.

But even strong people can falter and stumble under the weight of accumulating disappointments. Even people of remarkable faith can waver and have doubts as their sincere and heartfelt prayers seem to go unheard. And so, even as I have prayerfully supported Karolyn's and Dan's quest for parenthood, I have felt a rather intense conviction to add a slight twist in focus to my prayers that goes beyond "give them a baby...give them a baby...give them a baby...".

I pray that Karolyn and Dan will remain strong in their faith and relentless in their encouragement of one another. It's hard when you feel like you keep getting knocked down to persist in getting back up. But I ask God to help them feel they are not really getting knocked down. They are really taking another step forward toward a clearer understanding of God's will and his plan for them. Karolyn and Dan are both familiar with Jeremiah 29:11. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I don't want this verse to be some tired cliche to them. I want this verse to be something that makes them feel excited about what God has in store for them regardless of what the present looks like.

While I am on the subject of God's plan for Karolyn and Dan, I would like to reference another verse that has long been a favorite of mine. Ephesians 3:20 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." "...immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..."!! Our vision is so limited. We think so small. God thinks so big! "...immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine...". I pray that Karolyn and Dan experience confident excitement in the knowledge of God's power to do more than they can even think to dream of or hope for.

I pray that Karolyn and Dan will hold tightly to their trust in God. The Bible certainly has an abundance of inspiring verses regarding trusting in God. It might sometimes seem like you can hardly read a page in the Bible without coming across the word "trust." It is important to God that we trust in him. Clearly! Not long ago, I happened to read Psalm 62:8. "Trust in him at all times, O people, pour out your hearts to him for God is our refuge." It was the "...at all times..." that particularly caught my attention. What I want for Karolyn and Dan is for their trust in God to be so strong and certain that they never have to search for it; that it is just a part of who they are.

They have very openly poured out their hearts. Now they wait and trust. I pray that as they wait and trust they grow stronger.

All too often we forget that Satan is real and that he hates us and wants nothing good for us. He is so sly and so ingenious in his lying. He can make his whispers sound as if he is on our side. Nothing could be more untrue.

I pray that Satan's lies do not rob Karolyn and Dan of life's everyday joys. I pray that his lies fail to stir up anger or resentment that could ruin what should be moments of happiness. I pray that Satan's lies do not steal beautiful memories from Karolyn and Dan with his twisted distortions of things that have already come to pass. Satan can be so relentless in his attacks and so must I be relentless in my prayers.

These are some of the things I pray for Karolyn and Dan. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive compilation of all that I pray for them as they travel this sometimes bumpy baby quest path. I didn't want to get too wordy and wear out my welcome!

I truly do hope that one day I will be thanking God for the beautiful baby that Karolyn and Dan brought into the world. For now, like Karolyn, Dan, and so many others, I pray and I wait and I trust. Every day I try to remember that God is good --- all the time. I know that Karolyn and Dan know this truth.

And every day I want my heart and theirs to sing, "Blessed by the name of the Lord."