For many women who enter marriage, the hope of having children is one of the dreams that quietly comes with saying “I do.” But when the first year passes, then the second, and there is still no child, the excitement of marriage can slowly give way to questions, pressure and frustration.
This is exactly the story of wife of legendary gospel musician Joe Beecham whose wait stretched far beyond what she had imagined.
She had to wait for as many as 10 years before welcoming a child, a period she says tested her faith and emotional strength in many ways.
During those years, the pressure did not come only from the passage of time.
As the wife of a gospel musician and minister who regularly prayed for women seeking the fruit of the womb and celebrated their testimonies, some of those joyful moments became particularly difficult for her.
While she was genuinely happy to see other women receive answers to their prayers, their testimonies sometimes left her with painful questions of her own.
“I remember one time my husband prayed for a woman without fallopian tube. He came home one evening and informed me she had given birth. All I could say was ‘ok’, not because I was not happy for her, but that was the human in me. I had functioning fallopian tubes and yet no child. Why was my own prayer taking so long,” she recounted.
However, Mrs Joe-Beecham said the support she received from her husband and in-laws helped her cope with the pressure that often accompanies a prolonged wait for children.
Not once, she recalled, did her mother-in-law ever bring up the conversation or suggested same, rather she related with her like a biological mother would.
Faith also became an important part of her story.
“All I had to do what pray about it and trust everything into the hands of God. I cried for only one year and surrendered to God. Because why should I beat myself about something that is not in my control. If doctors say there is nothing wrong with you, you know at the point, the only person to take it up with is God, the giver of children, and that’s what I did”.
Mrs Joe-Beecham recounted how her husband also prayed and made a personal vow concerning their desire to have a child, specifically hoping that the blessing would come on his birthday.
In that waiting period, she ventured into entrepreneurism as distraction, eventually setting up a school and event business.
Her story eventually took a joyful turn when got the positive test result exactly on her husband’s birthday, right around their 10th wedding anniversary. The joy the couple felt is worth every year they waited.
She shared her story to motivate women who may be going through similar seasons of uncertainty.
Mrs Joe-Bechem’s message is that the pressure may be real, the wait may be long, but it is important not to put life on hold while waiting for one particular blessing.
With the right people by your side, a focused and busy mind can carry a person through even the most difficult seasons.
