Hi Friends, I’m Lauren! A little over a year ago, I had the wonderful privilege of being saved by Jesus Christ. For someone who had absolutely 0 background in faith or religion, being called by name to follow our Lord was shocking.
A bit about my background prior to my faith…
I was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) in June 2024. My husband, Bryce, and I got married in September of 2023. From the time I was a little girl, becoming a mom was the most important goal I had. When Bryce and I began trying to expand our family in December 2023, we realized a few short months later that creating the family we desired so much wasn’t going to be as easy as we thought. I began struggling with many of the symptoms that come along with PCOS, such as excess hair growth, irregular periods, weight gain & acne. I was devastated. After a myriad of tests, I was formally diagnosed. Bryce and I were referred to a reproductive endocrinologist in August 2024 after my doctor informed us that there was no way that we would have our own children naturally. As someone who desired to be a mother as much as I did, this news was beyond soul-crushing. Bryce & I took some time to digest what we had learned and decided to put our heads together and start researching. We joke today that we both had 2 full-time jobs. The first being our regular day jobs and the other being researching PCOS and fertility. We learned a TON during that time! Despite having this newfound information, my situation remained the same – no positive pregnancy test and no baby. I felt so defeated, alone, and defective.
The day that my life changed forever, I was driving home from my job and was talking to my mom on the phone. I asked her “why is everything in my life always so difficult? Why can’t one thing be easy for me?”
A little side story: a few months prior to this, I had taken and passed the Ohio bar exam and had started my career as an attorney. That process was beyond challenging!
Anyways, my mom responded that life is difficult and all of us are provided different cards in life that we have to play – some of them simply can’t be changed and we just have to learn to play them right. I listened to what she had to say and our conversation ended shortly after. It was at that moment that I felt this strong desire to talk to God. I had never done it before and it honestly felt a bit silly to do. I wasn’t even sure I believed that there was a God. How could there be a God when the one thing I wanted, and that appeared to line up with what God wanted from us wasn’t happening for me. Despite these feelings, I said to God, “can you help me out here, please? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do for us?” After I rendered those words, I exited the highway and stopped at a red light. As I was sitting there, the Bible verse 2 Corinthians 4:17 popped into my head. I sat there and chuckled at myself. Now I was inventing Bible verses in my head to make myself feel better. Is there even a 2nd Corinthians? As I said above, I had 0 background in faith. This included the Bible. I couldn’t name one book of the Bible except for maybe Proverbs and Psalms, since that’s what everyone seems to quote in their Instagram bios. I became curious as I continued to drive about whether there really was a 2 Corinthians or a 4:17 in the Bible. I told myself I would check once I got home. I grew increasingly impatient and decided to pull into the Giant Eagle parking lot about 5 minutes from my house. I pulled out my phone and searched “2 Corinthians 4:17” on Google. When the search results popped up, I nearly passed out.
2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV – “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
This seemed impossible. How did God know that I had all these troubles? How did He know that I was having a major breakdown about them to my mom minutes before I prayed to Him for help? Why did I feel so much peace after talking to God and reading this? My head was spinning with questions. I called Bryce immediately and told him what happened. As soon as I walked through the door, I went on Amazon and bought a Bible. I have never looked backwards on my faith journey since that day. While I stumble and struggle with sin, just like every other Christian, I always seem to return to my Father and Friend, Jesus.
If it’s any reassurance, friends, God never stopped listening to me. Bryce and I were blessed with the news that we were expecting a baby girl in March 2025. She is due in November and I am fully confident that my struggles and how my story has unfolded thus far are all a part of God’s perfect plan.
Being a Christian is not easy. Especially in a world that seems so overtaken by evil. It’s easy to give into temptation and think we know better than God does. After all, who doesn’t love instant gratification? One thing I am absolutely confident about, though, is that my life with God in it is WAY better than without God. I invite you to follow me as I continue to navigate what it means to truly know God and to navigate following what He gives to us in a world that doesn’t make that easy. I still have so much to learn and invite you to join me on this journey to be Faithfully her.
Love & Blessings,
Lauren