Growing up, my family went to church, and I was involved in my best friends’ youth group off and on. But I never knew what it was like to have a relationship with Jesus. 

Sports took the forefront when I got older so Sundays were for the ballfields before anything else. Going into college, I had the same mindset. While I was involved in a Christian service sorority and attended Tuesday night and Sunday services, looking back it felt like going through the motions and not truly trusting or even relying on Jesus for accountability or guidance in even the smallest decisions. 

After college, I moved home and then moved in with my best friends. We started attending The Porch at Watermark. I think that was the first time I started learning and truly putting into practice what it meant to have a relationship with Jesus Christ and to truly trust and know Him as my Savior. I am forever thankful for that time and the impact it had on my life. 

It was in that time that I met my now husband, Travis. I think my relationship and reliance on God was tested most in our walk with infertility just a couple of years into our marriage. We tried for a year based on my doctor’s guidance and then began testing. Fairly early into that process, we learned that IVF was our only option to conceive. Even though we were prepared for the possibility, it still hit hard and was tough to process. 

But God had a plan, and we had people around us in that season to point us to Jesus and to help us walk through the process. We began IVF in January of 2021. Our first transfer was unsuccessful. With our second transfer, we received positive news that within three days turned the opposite way and was heartbreaking. 

By October of that year, we were ready to try one more time with the approval of going for two. Little did we know we would be welcoming our twin boys just a few months later and not only that but welcoming them on the anniversary of our first date and also the same date we had confirmed the loss of our second embryo transfer.

The two most impactful verses for me and for us in this season were Psalm 27:14 - “Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord” and Romans 8:28 - “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” There were days where all we could do in the waiting was cling to these verses and know that our story would be used for good and for His glory regardless of the outcome. 

We are so thankful for friends who rallied around us and continued to be a light in the temporary dark times. For friends who in our pain ensured we had dinner, were prayed for, and weren’t left alone in the hard moments and in the celebration of the best news. Thank You, Jesus.❤️

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. “ ’Tis the Season” could be a season of waiting for so many. How are you waiting and relying on Jesus to guide you?

2. How have you seen Romans 8:28 brought to light in your life?

3. How can you ensure you’re not just going through the motions of being a Christian and are truly being the hands and feet of Jesus? Who in your life is holding you accountable to this?