The holidays often emphasize the longing to add a child to a family. You may even hold back every time someone close to you asks, “what do you want for Christmas this year?” Everything in you may be screaming, “All I want for Christmas is a baby!” yet you compose yourself and rattle off a few things they might actually be able to wrap under the tree.
Christmas time can be full of hope, joy, and comfort, while also mixed with disappointment, question, and even grief, especially if you’re praying for a baby. Many people hoping to adopt identify throughout their waiting with the same feelings they may have experienced when trying to conceive, or when going through infertility.
It’s our prayer that you find ways to let your heart be light and open to the love and delight of the season, even as you wait for and anticipate what’s ahead for your own family’s story. Waiting for a child can feel heavy, discouraging, and sometimes lonely, but Christmas gives us the opportunity to connect, see the good, and look for the gifts of the season we’re in.
As the author of When God Says Wait and the newly released book, All the Feels, Elizabeth Laing Thompson, says: “As a survivor of several Baby-less Christmases, I want to encourage you that with God’s help, you can have a joyful holiday season… You can have fun. You can stay sane. You can enjoy the life you have even while you pray for the life you want.”
We love this timeless post from lizzylife.com, entitled “When All You Want for Christmas is a Baby,” where Thompson offers 4 strategies for moving through Christmas while waiting for a baby. Whether you’re hoping to grow your family through adoption or through your own pregnancy, we think you’ll find encouragement, reassurance, and a healthy action plan with these tips Elizabeth offers those trying to conceive or facing infertility:
1. Battle envy with love and self-pity with gratitude.
2. Think ahead, and be gentle with yourself.
3. Be intentional in your thinking.
4. Be proactive in planning your holiday season. Focus on fun!
Thompson concludes: “…with focus and prayer, you can still claim joy. You can make memories and have fun. You can remain grateful and spiritual. You can stay close to your husband. You can sidestep the Enemy’s traps of envy, self-pity, and sadness.” (Read the full article from Elizabeth Laing Thompson here.)
So if your prayers (or letters to Santa—worth a try, right?) often start with “Dear God, please add a baby to our family…” we want you to know that you are seen, understood, and there is hope. Every month we see God work miracles for families here at Lifetime. We are blessed to see His faithfulness in each adoption story, again and again.
If you could use a reminder that He is working in your own waiting-for-baby season this Christmas, visit AdoptionWebinar.com to hear testimonies from others who endured the waiting and are happily living life after their prayers for a child were finally answered. From there, you can also listen to our friend and author, Elizabeth Laing Thompson, on a special webinar we hosted with her, Trusting God with Your Story.
*Special thanks to Elizabeth Laing Thompson for allowing us to feature her blog post, “When All You Want for Christmas is a Baby,” to encourage our readers this holiday season! Follow Elizabeth on Facebook and Instagram, and find her books on Amazon or other book retailers.
Founder of Lifetime Adoption, adoptive mom, adoption expert, and Certified Open Adoption Practitioner (C.O.A.P).
Since 1986, adoption expert Mardie Caldwell has been dedicated to bringing couples and birth parents together in order to fulfill their dreams.
“Many years ago, I was also searching for a child to adopt. We didn’t know where or how to get started. Through research, determination, and a prayer, our dream of a family became reality. I started with a plan, a notebook, assistance from a caring adoption consultant and a lot of hard work; this was my family I was building. We had a few heartaches along the way, but the pain of not having children was worse!
Within weeks we had three different birth mothers choose us. We were overwhelmed and delighted. Many unsettling events would take place before our adoption would be finalized, many months later. Little did I know that God was training and aligning me for the adoption work I now do today. It is my goal to share with our families the methods and plans which succeed and do not succeed. I believe adoption should be affordable and can be a wonderful “pregnancy” for the adoptive couple.
I have also been on both sides of infertility with the loss of seven pregnancies and then conceiving by new technology, giving birth to a healthy daughter. I have experienced first-hand the emotional pain of infertility and believe my experience allows me to serve your needs better.
It is my hope that for you, the prospective parents, your desire for a child will be fulfilled soon.”
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