When we stood at the altar, the priest looked us in the eyes and asked: “Will you accept children lovingly from God?” Our response was an exuberant: “We will.” And we meant it. We were assured: be open to life, and life will come. Be faithful. Be patient. Be generous. Be hopeful. So we waited. And waited. And waited. We didn't know it would hurt this much, but we said yes to life. And we’d say yes again.

One particularly painful manifestation of toxic positivity and prosperity Gospel in Christian infertility circles is the emphasis that every couple in scripture who experienced infertility eventually had a child. We should remember that for every barren woman turned mother in scripture, many others were never blessed with children. When we present only the “success stories,” we inadvertently suggest that those still waiting simply haven’t waited long enough or prayed hard eno

I am never content with the blessings that I have, but I see the next step, the next milestone, the next blessing I want. I'm single minded in my prayer, only talking to God about what I think I need. I fail to take into account all the blessings I do have, ignoring the fact that I used to pray for all the things I have now. I feel as if God is holding back from me the very thing that will make me happy, holy, the best version of myself.

Infertility is deeply personal. Some people might choose to “suffer in silence” because for personal reasons they don't want to talk about infertility with many others. Some people feel they can't because it's taboo in their culture or family. Some may have tried to talk about it and didn't receive a supportive response. There are many reasons you might remain private about your infertility so we opened up the discussion to some of our writers to share their experiences. 

I have learned from Joachim and Anne that persistent prayer changes us more than it changes our circumstances. After seven years of praying for a child, I’ve discovered that some of my most profound moments with God have come when I’ve run out of words. Like old friends who can sit together without speaking, I’m learning to simply be in God’s presence with my longing. Joachim and Anne must have experienced this too.

This year at The Fruitful Hollow, our theme is "fruitfulness in your home and marriage". We are exploring ways we can exercise fruitfulness in our domestic church, physical home, hobbies, relationships and wider family, even in times of darkness. This week we're extending that to our places of work, wherever those may be. 

Several years ago, my husband and I made a pilgrimage to St. Augustine, Florida to visit the shrine of Our Lady of La Leche . I had first heard about this Marian shrine from a friend, who described it as a peaceful place where she and countless others had visited to pray for a child . I arrived at the shrine not fully sure what to expect. Just a few hours later, I left in awe – transformed by an unexpected encounter with Christ. My encounter with Jesus took place in the sacra

In my journey through the Christian life, certain spiritual mentors have guided and shaped me in profound ways. In college, it was St....

choosing to stay faithful to Church teaching, faithful to your husband and faithful to your body is pro-life, even if it means not having children at all. By choosing not to pursue anti-life options, you're standing up for life. By not commodifying children, you're protecting a culture of life and your options of showing it are limitless. 

This is part 3 in our “Infertility on screen” series. You can read part 1 here, where Brandy discussed Up, Beetlejuice, and Julie & Julia, and read part 2 here, where C. J. explored The Help, Trying and Black Widow.