Angela Mackey: Genuine Joy in the midst of Grief

Hard times can blind us to anything but the pain. We can get stuck wrestling with God and allowing anger and bitterness to steal our joy. Angela Mackey found that asking the hard questions of God can bring us closer to a more intimate relationship with Him. We can still have joy, while we grieve and we can find things to be grateful for when we open our eyes to what is going on around us. We talk about some of the lessons Angela learned in her journey of infertility, and writing the book, Difficult to Conceive.

Angela Mackey has a master’s in biblical and theological studies and is a Maxwell certified speaker and trainer, registered nurse, and longtime Sunday school teacher. She has written for Encouragement Café and the MOM Initiative, she contributed to Overwhelmed: 31 Devotions for Moms and blogs at www.rethinkingmythinking.com. She lives in the Arkansas River Valley with her husband, three kids (two born through IVF treatments), and three dogs. She loves University of Kansas basketball, crafting, reading, and encouraging others to rethink their thinking in light of God’s Word so they can live transformed lives.

For more on gratitude, listen to this conversation with Amber Cullum.

Quotes:

“You really see where the Lord was close to you in that darkness in a special, special way.”

“Don’t lose sight of the present, right now, just because things are hard, there’s still goodness.”

“The way we need to go to Him is just take our questions. He’s big enough to handle that.”

“Sometimes we just need eyes to find the beautiful things that God is putting in our lives right now.”

“The darkness isn’t just these for darkness, right? He’s growing something new. He’s creating something good in our lives.”

“God’s timing and God’s purposes are so opposite of our own, and so trust Him with that timeline.”