So I quit the pill and fully expected to be holding a positive pregnancy test in my hands in just a few short weeks. The first month passed and then another and another and another. I wasn't getting pregnant.
Once again, I began to feel a stirring in my heart. God was speaking. This time, though, I was listening.
I began to fully realize and admit just how badly I had messed up by disobeying God. Through the Word and the Spirit, I saw how God views the gift of children. I quickly repented and vowed to never use birth control again.
One of the passages that really convicted me was Psalm 128:1-6 (NIV):
Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in obedience to him.
You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
Yes, this will be the blessing
for the man who fears the Lord.
After reading that for the first time, I had a sudden mental image of my own kitchen table surrounded by little olive trees (all of whom were clamoring to eat, by the way!). I knew then that this was what I needed to pray for.
So now, each day, I ask the Lord for olives. While I know my forgiveness is assured, there is no guarantee that He will give me more children. But I know that He can and I believe that He will.
Now that you know the story of the olives, I hope you will come along with me on this journey to a house full of kids.