Black Friday Deals Inside!🎄

Do you ever wonder why God doesn’t answer your prayers?

You know the ones I’m talking aboutthe ones where you find yourself face-down on the floor, tears falling onto the rug, with sobs and pleas for deliverance?

The ones you want answered so badly your life is consumed with the wanting of it?

Perhaps you want a baby.

Maybe it’s the healing of a family member.

Those are worthy of an answer, right God?

Here is what I have learnedGod is answering our prayers.

RELATED: God Actually Does Give Us More Than We Can Handle

Sometimes his answer is, “Not yet.”

Sometimes his answer is, “No, not that way.”

I’ve been the recipient of those “not yet” and “No, not that way” answers, and it hurts.  We think we know what is best for our lives.  We know what we want, and we want it our way.

But GodHe sees the ultimate picture we cannot yet fathom while in the midst of our trials.

He sees the spouse in your future, the one who will mend your broken heart.

He sees the baby in your future, the one who is worth all the waiting. 

He sees the unexpected autism diagnosis and the child whose light cannot be hidden by a label.

While we often see the mess, and the hurt, and the pain, and the fear of the unknowns, He sees the beauty of our stories as they are woven together.

We only see the mess of our work in progress, but he sees the beauty of His handiwork as our stories are being written. 

RELATED: God is For Me

He sees the relationships He will provide to get you through those battles.

He sees the growth of your faith and your reliance on Him.

He sees the person you’ll become because of your trials.

He also knows that in answering all of our prayers with a yes, we would miss out on some of our greatest lessons and blessings.

Those years of infertility? They will teach you that in this life, you cannot control everything, and you have to give those things to God. That autism diagnosis you so feared? It will come with a child who brings life and love to you every day.  

RELATED: The Answer to Prayer isn’t Always What You Expect

You see, this lifeyour lifeit isn’t just about you. God knows that. He is using you to accomplish His purposes. When we learn that our pain has a purpose, that is when our most difficult trials truly become our greatest testimonies.  

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our new book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Deidra Darst

Deidra Darst, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist and autism mom. She is an advocate, author, and shares her family's journey at www.theslpmom.com.\She can be found on Facebook and Instagram @theSLPmom

When You Just Don’t Feel Like Christmas

In: Faith, Living
Woman sad looking out a winter window

It’s hard to admit, but some years I have to force myself to decorate for Christmas. Some years the lights look a little dimmer. The garlands feel a bit heavier. And the circumstances of life just aren’t wrapped in a big red bow like I so wish they were. Then comparison creeps in like a fake Facebook friend and I just feel like hiding under the covers and skipping it all. Because I know there’s no way to measure up to the perfect life “out there.” And it all just feels heavier than it used to. Though I feel alone,...

Keep Reading

When Your Kids Ask, “Where Is God?”

In: Faith, Kids
Child looking at sunset

How do I know if the voice I’m hearing is God’s voice? When I was in high school, I found myself asking this question. My dad was a pastor, and I was feeling called to ministry. I didn’t know if I was just hearing my dad’s wish or the call of God. I was worried I was confusing the two. It turns out, I did know. I knew because I was raised to recognize the presence of God all around me. Once I knew what God’s presence felt like, I also knew what God’s voice sounded like. There is a...

Keep Reading

To the Woman Longing to Become a Mother

In: Faith, Grief, Motherhood
Woman looking at pregnancy test with hand on her head and sad expression

To the woman who is struggling with infertility. To the woman who is staring at another pregnancy test with your flashlight or holding it up in the light, praying so hard that there will be even the faintest line. To the woman whose period showed up right on time. To the woman who is just ready to quit. I don’t know the details of your story. I don’t know what doctors have told you. I don’t know how long you have been trying. I don’t know how many tears you have shed. I don’t know if you have lost a...

Keep Reading

I Was There to Walk My Mother to Heaven

In: Faith, Grief, Loss
Hand holding older woman's hand

I prayed to see my momma die. Please don’t click away yet or judge me harshly after five seconds. I prayed to see, to experience, to be in the room, to be a part of every last millisecond of my momma’s final days, final hours, and final moments here on Earth. You see, as a wife of a military man, I have always lived away from my family. I have missed many birthdays, celebrations, dinners, and important things. But my heart couldn’t miss this important moment. I live 12 hours away from the room in the house where my momma...

Keep Reading

God Sent Me to You

In: Faith, Motherhood
Newborn gazing at mother with father smiling down

I was a little unsure As I left God’s warm embrace: What will it be like? What challenges will I face? There were so many questions Running through my mind. I asked around for the answers I was hoping to find. Who will hold me And cuddle me tight? Who will rock me To sleep at night? RELATED: The Newborn Nights Feel As Endless As My Love For You Who will comfort me When I’ve had a rough day? Who will be there To take my worries away? Who will nourish me And make sure I grow? Who will read...

Keep Reading

Addiction Doesn’t Get the Final Say Over My Son

In: Faith, Motherhood
Woman praying with head bowed

She is so tired. It is a kind of tired that no amount of sleep or rest can alleviate. It is a kind of tired that surpasses physical and even mental fatigue. It is a tiredness of soul—a tiredness that comes from wondering, and grieving, and not knowing how to save her son from the drugs the enemy has bound him up in. She kneels alone on the floor in her bedroom closet. This is where she came when the fear and the uncertainty and the panic started to creep into her heart again. She came here to pray, though...

Keep Reading

I Want to Be a Praying Mama

In: Faith, Motherhood
Dirt road at dusk

I want to be that praying mama. The one who stops on the side of the road when the time seems fit, just to take those few short, undistracted moments to lift my kids up to God. I want to be that praying mama. The one who prays while she drives down the road to schools and lifts each one up as they exit the car for the start of their day. RELATED: Praying For Your Kids is Holy Work of Motherhood I want to be that praying mama. The one who does it so much that the youngest doesn’t...

Keep Reading

Blessed Are Those Who Can’t Even

In: Faith, Living
Woman rubbing temples with hands, color photo

We argued about an orange last night after dinner. Not even a large orange. A tiny mandarin. As emotions escalated between my beloved husband and me, the eldest child graciously removed herself from the table and donned noise-canceling headphones while the smallest child openly snickered and was dispatched to her room to play while we hashed things out in “peace.” I’d love to say that was the most insane thing we’ve ever argued about, but that would be a lie. My kids love to remind us about the breadstick incident a few years back. Life has been a bit overwhelming...

Keep Reading

I Don’t Want My Sons Growing Up Thinking I Wanted a Daughter

In: Faith, Motherhood
Two boys smiling

“Are you trying for a girl?” They ask this question under the assumption we will try for a third child and will be disappointed if we don’t finally get our girl. And by “they,” I mean almost everyone we encounter these days. What if, medically, we can’t have another? And what if we are content with the two boys we’ve been blessed with? In a world where having one of each means your family is complete, it’s easy to feel like a failure if you’ve only been given one child or children of one gender. Or no children at all....

Keep Reading

I Want to Be a Mother with that Kind of Faith

In: Faith, Motherhood
Mother and children walking on beach

I am beginning to think God gives us children specifically for the purpose of growing our faith. What greater faith can a person have than to completely hand over their child into His hands? I want to be a mama with that kind of faith. I have been inspired by the incredible faith of several moms around me. Moms who have lost their children. Moms who have almost lost their children. Moms who almost lose their children over and over due to ongoing health conditions. I have not made it there myself yet—to that place where I put my child’s life...

Keep Reading