Encouragement from God!

These days my Bible reading has consistently focused on the goodness of God and comfort in His will for my life. I am constantly reminding myself, that even though I don't have a child of my own, God is still good! I have spent numerous days studying the familiar stories of Rachel, Hannah and Elizabeth, looking for encouragement. I have also spent a good many days telling myself that my struggle with infertility is God's will for me and that I need to stop crying over it and rejoice about all the things I do have. While this is true, the God has blessed me greatly and He deserves my praise for it, I was excited to find a verse that reminds me that it is okay to grieve for my empty womb. In fact, according to this verse, He seems to validate it.

"There are three things that will not be satisfied, four that will not say, Enough. Sheol [Death] and the barren womb, Earth that is never satisfied with water, and fire that never says, Enough" (Proverbs 30:15b-16)

A book I am reading about infertility explained this verse this way. The barren womb is considered to have a force parallel to these natural forces. This verse personifies these natural entities, if they could speak they would NOT say "I am satisfied, I need more." Just as death will never say "no one else can die, because the I am satisfied that the underworld is full enough", and the Earth continues to absorb water left on its surface after a rain storm, and a fire unless it has run out of fuel, will not stop because it thinks it has burned enough, the barren womb doesn't stop desiring a child just because it hasn't happened yet. "It is natural for a childless couple to desire children and feel unsatisfied when the desire goes unmet. Such lack of being content or satisfied is the natural order of things" (The Infertility Companion, Sandra L. Glahn and William H. Cutter)

This verse reminds that God understands what I am going through. He created these laws of nature, He has given my husband and me the desire for children. It is a good and natural desire and when it doesn't happen it is devastating. And while other people may try to minimize our pain of infertility by considering our grief and discontent ungodly or faithless, My God doesn't minimize our pain. While I know this doesn't give me an excuse to sin, it does comfort me to know that I can cry over the pain of a non existent child, and God understands.