Four years ago, my husband and I started trying to have a baby. He has three children from a previous marriage that I love like my very own, but I wanted a child. I wanted to create a little life and be a part of every aspect of raising him or her. After the first year of trying, we sought medical advice. In 2013, we received the opinion of several doctors that all told me the same thing, my endometriosis prevented me from getting pregnant, and adoption was my only option. I was crushed. Several years of severe pain and unhelpful treatment and medication were keeping me from the baby I longed for. My emotions having the best of me, I turned away from my faith, continually questioning why this was happening to me.
In November of 2015, my Dad invited me back to church. I was hesitant to go; it had been so long since I was in church and my relationship with Jesus was not where it needed to be. Taking a step of faith, I decided to go back to church. About two weeks later, I came to a Sunday evening service and rededicated my life to Jesus. I knew it was the best decision and that if anyone could take away my pain, Jesus could! After that, I started to pray for my husband’s salvation every single day. In the spring of 2016, my husband started attending church with me and gave his life to Jesus. Prayer does amazing things! During this time, I was beginning to heal emotionally from being told I’d never have children of my own, but still struggled. One day, I decided that I was going to leave it to God. If it was His will that I get pregnant then I would and if not, then He had greater plans for me. My Pastor’s wife shared a scripture with me: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart” Psalm 37:4. That scripture stayed with me, and I decided from that moment on that I would delight in Him.
In June of 2016, my cousin in Baltimore, who happens to be a youth minister, sent me a book called Supernatural Childbirth. The title sounded a little crazy at first. I waited about a week and then picked it up one evening and started reading. The book was a woman’s testimony on how she started speaking the word of God into her life and became pregnant after years of infertility. I had already tried the treatments and medications and they failed. Why not give the Word of God a chance? It was either going to help me or I’d still be infertile.
Every evening for about two weeks I studied my Bible. I picked out every scripture related to children, fertility, and God’s promises and wrote them down in my notebook. I spoke those scriptures over my life. I’d wake up and say to myself, “I am a child of God, His promises belong to me! My body will come into subjection with the Word of God and I will be healed in Jesus’ name!” In the evenings, my husband would speak a blessing over me and claim the promises in our lives.
When I went back to see my Endocrinologist, he did an ultrasound to check the progression of my endometriosis. He looked at me very confused and said, “It’s gone. I can’t explain it, but all your scar tissue is just not there anymore. I need to consult with a few colleagues of mine and I’ll get back to you on how to handle this.” I knew. I knew that I had been made whole. I knew right then that Jesus answered my prayers and healed me from the disease that I had suffered with for so long! I told the doctor it was because I was healed through prayer and claimed my healing through Jesus and he looked at me as if I were crazy, but I didn’t care, because nothing or no one could take away my joy.
I shared my healing with my church family the next Sunday. I couldn’t wait to tell them since they had prayed for me and agreed that I would be completely healed. The pain was gone, the symptoms were gone, and my faith and relationship with Jesus grew so much stronger than it had ever been.
A week after being told my endometriosis was gone, I decided to take a pregnancy test. I despised taking these tests. It was always the same negative result and I got so tired of being disappointed. This time felt different, and I prayed before taking the test. Finishing, I put the test on my bathroom sink and walked away to prepare for the day. Almost forgetting about the test, I went back to the sink. I picked up the pregnancy test saw two dark lines, and I immediately began crying. I kneeled, thanking Jesus for giving me the desire of my heart. I finally got my blessing and I knew I never could have gotten where I was without Jesus. Treatment couldn’t heal me. Medication couldn’t heal me. Only the blood of Jesus Christ could heal me and set me free from my inability to bear a child. I was in shock for several days, but when I went to my first doctor’s appointment and saw my tiny baby on an ultrasound for the first time, it became so real.
Children truly are a gift from above. I am forever thanking God for my miracle baby.
Whitney Stroop
A stay at home wife and mom, Whitney is expecting a baby boy in a few months. Reading and bible journaling are a few of her favorite pastimes. Her favorite verse is the same scripture that her pastor's wife shared with her: "Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart" Psalm 37:4. Delight she has, placing her relationship with Jesus first and foremost followed by family and church family. Whitney felt led to share her testimony in hopes to reach other women who may be struggling with infertility.