The Long Road to Parenthood
In Galatians 5:22-24, the Bible talks about the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. For many couples, longsuffering—the ability to endure and wait patiently—becomes a key part of their journey to becoming parents. This is especially true for my wife and me as we struggled to conceive.
Our journey wasn’t easy. After consulting with two urologists at different points in my life, I learned that I could not naturally conceive a child. My wife, thankfully, had no issues, but the problem was with me. Years of cycling and rugby injuries to my groin had caused lasting damage. I was diagnosed with a very low sperm count—less than 0.01% of my sperm was viable. To make things worse, the morphology (shape) of my sperm was so poor they couldn’t swim properly. The root cause? Three varicose veins in my groin area, which were 10mm in diameter instead of the normal 2-3mm, caused excess blood flow and heat to my testicles. The doctors explained that without surgery, there was little hope of us starting a family.
Despite the bleak prognosis, we didn't lose hope. We set a surgery date for the end of May 2013, where two procedures would be done at the same time. Leading up to the surgery, my wife and I prayed together often, and received many prayers, but there’s one prayer I’ll always remember. It came from a teenage girl in our church during a youth service. She simply prayed, “Dear Jesus, please give Aunty… and Uncle Peter a baby. Amen.” It was so simple, yet so powerful.
Then, something incredible happened: just six days before my surgery, we found out that we were pregnant! After four years of trying, it was in God’s perfect timing—the fourth watch. We were overjoyed and filled with gratitude. Thank you, Jesus!
Blessing and Encouraging Others
I was standing in line at a church after a Mother’s Day service two years ago when I met a new guy in the congregation. He had recently come to faith in Christ, and as we were chatting, I shared my story. I told him how we’d struggled for so long and how God had answered our prayers. His wife had been trying to conceive as well, and they were facing their own struggles.
Later that year, I noticed his wife sitting quietly after a church service. The Holy Spirit prompted me to speak life into her situation. I grabbed a friend to pray with me, and we shared my story with her, believing she was completely healed! I reminded her of Hannah from the Bible, who prayed earnestly for a child, and, in time, God answered her prayers. “So it came to pass, in the process of time, that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, ‘Because I have asked for him from the LORD’” (1 Samuel 1:20). We prayed over her, believing that God would answer her prayers too.
Months later, she and her husband walked into church with their beautiful, healthy baby boy. There had been complications during the birth, but both mother and baby were doing well. The dad – now a friend – came over to thank me, and together we gave thanks to God. He said, “It takes courage to speak out in these situations, and I’m so grateful you followed the Holy Spirit’s prompting.” He told me that they didn’t know where they would be if I hadn’t spoken up.
During our own “longsuffering,” I had learnt to trust God, and He had used my struggle to help someone else in their time of need. Sometimes, our pain and patience are not just for our own growth but for the blessing and encouragement of others.
Blessings
Pete Meyer
Peter Meyer serves on the Promise Keepers Board, is involved in men’s ministry in his Whangarei church and studied for a diploma of Christian Theology.