Five Minute Friday — The Brokenness in Infertility

Every Friday I join a community of bloggers for Five Minute Friday. One word prompt, five minutes. And I literally write it in 5 minutes. The prompt this week is … broken.

Our journey of fertility is a journey of faith. I can say that while you are walking through infertility, you do feel broken. Broken meaning damaged and fractured. But as I walked through this, I think of the story of Hannah.

The story of Hannah is a story that is referenced to families, especially mothers, who are struggling with infertility. It is found in the book of 1 Samuel. It is here that we meet Elkanah and his two wives, Penninah and Hannah. Elkanah, who was Samuel’s father, was a descendant of the priestly tribe of Levi (1 Chronicles 6:33–34). Just like the story of Rachel and Leah, in the book of Genesis, there was an issue of infertility between two wives. In fact Hannah was the sixth woman to suffer with infertility throughout biblical history. In the case of Hannah she was infertile and Penninah was very fertile. Hannah’s heart ached at her inability to conceive, and Penninah taunted her about having no children (1 Samuel 1:6). Hannah’s steadfast faith was able to sustain her through her infertility.

Hannah is an inspiration of mine because it was through her brokenness that she found her strength in God. Her husband offered her a double portion and that gesture was not enough. She wanted healing from God. She wanted her blessing from God. And it was through this brokenness and pain, she found faith in her God.

Such a story for us all. Even through our brokenness we can find our strength and our purpose in the Lord. Through our constantly communication with him and honoring his word, we will find him and his heart.