Because of the Gospel...

Last weekend, Aaron & I started reading this book, Love That Lasts by Gary & Betsy Ricucci. We are really looking forward to going through it together on our weekly dates. Chapter 1 included a list of some of the "marvelous truths" of the gospel and applied those truths specifically to marriage. I would like to borrow that list from the Ricuccis and attempt to apply it to infertility:

• Because of the gospel, Christians have become new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). My God is the Creator of all life, physical and spiritual, and He is holding all things together in Christ. The power that changed me from a slave to sin and breathed new life into my heart is the same power that can form a new life in my womb.
• Because of the gospel, we are forgiven (Ephesians 1:7). Though infertility is a result of the fall, my infertility is not a punishment for my sins. Christ bore the full punishment for my sins on the cross, and now God extends all mercy and grace to me.
• Because of the gospel we can forgive, just as Christ forgave us (Ephesians 4:32). "Nothing done against us compares to our sin against God. Therefore all offenses, hostility, and bitterness between Christians can be completely forgiven and removed." In Christ, I can overlook any insensitive or thoughtless comments made about infertility. I can share in the fellowship of the gospel even with those who have never experienced infertility or who are being blessed with children even as I am still waiting.
• Because of the gospel, we are accepted by God (Romans 15:7). I do not need to add "motherhood" to my personal status in order to be approved by God or by others. Infertility cannot put me to shame. I can run to God with my pains and sorrows and sins, and He will meet me.
• Because of the gospel, sin's ruling power over us is broken (Romans 6:6, 14). I can obey God, regardless of the circumstances of infertility. I am not bound to sink into jealousy and self-pity and despair. God is not giving me more temptation than I can bear, because Christ has conquered sin on my behalf.
• Because of the gospel, we have access to God through Christ (Hebrews 4:14-16). Because Christ was forsaken by His Father, I will never be forsaken. Instead, I have a great high Priest who sympathizes with my weaknesses, is familiar with my sorrows, and who is always eager to hear my cries. My requests for grace in the midst of infertility and for the gift of children do not go unheard.
• Because of the gospel, we have hope (Romans 5:1-4). Because Christ endured the cross for the hope set before Him, I can endure the suffering of infertility for the hope He secured. Monthly hopes for pregnancy disappoint, but the hope of God does not disappoint and gives me patience to wait for what is unseen.
• Because of the gospel, Christ dwells in us by His Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:13-14). Jesus is with me everywhere. He is with me at doctor appointments. He is with me at baby showers. He is with me at the start of every new cycle. He is with me when I cry alone, when I feel isolated and fearful of the future.
• Because of the gospel, we have power to fight and overcome remaining sin, which continues to dwell and war within us (Romans 7:19-21, 24-25; Galatians 5:16-17). I will not walk through the trial of infertility perfectly. I sin repeatedly. I often feel stuck, and it seems like I am making no progress in the battle against impatience, jealousy, self-pity, and despair. I get overwhelmed in the fight for faith. But the cross promises that God will sanctify me, that Christ will give me the ability to keep on fighting, and that the Holy Spirit is at work in my life, even when I cannot see it.