“The greatest tragedy in life are the prayers that go unanswered, simply because they go unasked. ”
Well, our secret is out: Ryan and I are pregnant with triplets! My mom always cringes when we say, “We’re pregnant!” because of the obvious anatomical error in this statement. However, after about a thousand of Ryan’s late night runs to the grocery store on behalf of the four individuals I now represent; multiple weekly doctors’ visits; and the emotional toll of coming up with three names, while trying to predict which triplet could react to what in regard to name fairness… I’d say that Ryan is about as pregnant as I am pregnant!
However, the positive pregnancy test is far from where our journey began. Our triplet story started about a year and a half ago when Ryan and I sat down together as a couple and listed 20 things we were going to pray for multiple times a day until God answered. The final prayers on our list were for God to bless us with multiples, for God to bless our family with three biological children, and for God “to do more than anything we could imagine” (Eph. 3:20). Ironically, we never imagined God’s answering all three of those prayers in one miracle!
Mark Batterson states in his book Draw The Circle, “The greatest tragedy in life are the prayers that go unanswered simply because they go unasked.” We were tired of tragedy. We were tired of not getting results. We started asking, and God started answering.
How did we end up with triplets?
I remember the moment we found out we were having triplets. We were going in for my first sonogram after getting a positive pregnancy test. Our doctor performed the test in about two seconds before starting her sentence with the following, “I don’t want to scare you, but… there are three gestational sacs.” I started celebrating as if I had won an Olympic gold meal, pumping my arms and cheering, thanking God, and giving Ryan a majorly corny high-five, though it took Ryan a second to switch mindsets after the “I don’t want to scare you…” opening to comprehending the best news of our lives. We were thrilled! To answer the major question, no, the triplets were not IVF. But even if they had been, does that make three lives any less a miracle? God either opens the womb or He doesn’t, and there is nothing less miraculous about God working through science, medicine, or a memory lapse in taking birth control than carefully timed family planning. After three miscarriages, it became necessary to see specific doctors, and we would recommend anyone going through that heartache to do so, as well. We ended up with triplets because God ordained their lives and answered our specific prayers.
Were we surprised when we found out?
People have countered when we say, “We wanted multiples.” with “Be careful what you wish for…” but the truth is we didn’t wish for anything. We asked, pleaded, and begged God for this very specific prayer, and He answered as only the God of the universe can answer: timely, specifically, and powerfully. Our doctors and countless people since then have asked, “Were you surprised?!” We always respond, “No, we weren’t surprised because we asked God and truly believed He would answer, “Yes.” We have already heard incredible stories of people being able to use the triplet’s lives to tell others about the goodness of God, and we pray this continues to be the theme of their lives-- pointing others to our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Are we scared?
While announcing the triplets to our student ministry, church family, and social media world was a blast, after three miscarriages in a year it is hard to ignore the deep-seated fear of “What if?” What if God doesn’t let these babies live? What if we announce the triplets as this incredible miracle and then lose them like we lost the others? What if we announce the triplets to our student ministry but then have to provide grief counseling for 300+ students? If something happens, does that mean God isn’t good? If something happens, does that mean the triplets weren’t miracles? If something happens, will we stop following God? No, it doesn’t mean any of this because God is good, even if any of these things happens. As my father, pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress, says, “Faith is not believing God will do what we want Him to do. Faith is believing God is who He says He is and acting accordingly.” God’s goodness is not dependent upon our getting what we want; God’s goodness is the very nature of who God is and encompasses all He does-- regardless if we understand or agree.
We truly believe the triplets are a miraculous answer to our specific and persistent prayers. The triplets are not our story. The triplets belong to a God who is able and who did more than we could imagine!
While triplets are rare, the true rarity is not in God’s answering big prayers but in our asking big prayers! What big prayer do you want to start asking God today?
We so appreciate continual prayers for The Sadler Triplets to make it to 34 weeks without health or medical issues for babies or mama! Thank you for sharing in our journey! To God be the glory, great things He has done!