Do you remember watching Michael Bates marry Brandon Keilen on a past episode of Bringing Up Bates? It may feel like their wedding was yesterday, but they have been husband and wife for three years now. Happy anniversary to the Keilens! To see their wedding photo shoot, watch the video below.
Photo/video courtesy of UP
I remember this like it was yesterday. Poor Michael, I ache for her and Brandon's longing to become parents. They were and are the sweetest couple. I hope God blesses them with the gift of parenthood really soon and takes away their desperation.
ReplyDeleteSo, do you also think God has been withholding from them the blessing of children? I hope they do find their heart's desire of having children, whether it be biologically, by fostering or through adoption. It's up to them to explore the options and decide what's right for them. I understand their heartache, I've been through it. But I never once considered that God was purposefully withholding something from my husband and I. In my view, it was just pure dumb luck that my body would not cooperate. I learned that life is what happens while you're busy planning on something else. I'm the proud mother of two grown adopted children who couldn't have brought us more joy. We simply had to decide what was more important- having biological children or being parents. If God had something to do with bringing us together with our kids, great. However, I don't think for a mintue a loving creator is sytematically handing out heartbreak to people. I wish the best for the Keilens. They seem like truly good people, as deserving as anyone.
DeleteExcellent comment!
DeleteAll these couples say they leave the size of their family up to God? Why is not having children up to Him to then? Honestly asking. It seems they really only want one answer.
Delete4:30 - I think that's eat we ad humans like to believe, that God wouldn't allow us to hurt. But he does, not out of cruelty but to build our faith because He sees the big picture and He knows what's best. And it's tempting to say it's fluke or bad luck, it protects us from believing God is the reason it's like the way it is. But that's stripping God of his sovereignty, one of His key characteristics, that He is in control over everything, the big and the small. And that takes faith, trusting His plan and what He's doing in our lives.
DeleteMarietta- I don’t agree at all and your explanation defies logic. How are children, who suffer and die at the hands of abusers, building any kind of faith? If God is in control of everything, he’s doing a miserable job of it and has some explaining to do.
DeleteGod definitely "opens and closes" wombs. I know that is what happened for my husband and me. We were not committed Christians and suffered through unexplained infertility for 9 years. We had tried infertility treatment multiple times and had gotten so close to adoption that we had paid the fee to start the process. Then my husband got laid off and the agency wouldn't allow us to continue until he got another job (which was a fairly long process). One night a totally foreign thought came into my mind: we actually had no control over whether we would ever become parents. God was in complete control of that and really every other aspect of our lives by allowing or causing things to happen or to not happen in our lives. I made a commitment that night that we would find a church and start going every week. We wanted to raise our children (if we ever had any) in church anyway. God knew that my commitment that night was genuine and within weeks I had a positive pregnancy test! We still had ups and downs. Nothing went perfectly, but we found a good, solid Bible based church, had our daughter, joined the church after being baptized by immersion and shortly after that I was pregnant with our son. This may not be true for anyone else, but it is our testimony. God can and will use whatever means He wants to get our attention. If He hadn't used infertility in my life, we more than likely wouldn't have surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ. Our daughter is 26 and we are busy planning her wedding. Our son is 24 and has challenged us to our limits and caused us to spend a lot of time in prayer.
DeleteGod can and will use whatever He wants to get our attention. We probably won't know until we get to Heaven what circumstances He chose to bring into our lives to cause us to ask Him for His forgiveness and allow Him to control our lives. It's entirely possible that He is using Michaela and Brandon's infertility to bring people they have never met to Him. He may be using it to get my testimony out to people I will never meet. I pray that He will use both so that I will meet people in Heaven who will be there who wouldn't otherwise. I pray that He will bless Michaela and Brandon with children someday, but I also hope that they would rather see people surrender their lives to Jesus Christ through their story than that their own path to parenthood would be quick and easy.
11:12- Yours is a lovely story, however it does not stand to logic when applied to other situations. Countless unfit people become parents ever day. What kind of plan is it that would allow innocent children to suffer at the hands of those who have no business having them in the first place? Makes zero sense and I don’t believe for a minute that God is controlling anything in our lives.
DeleteI didn't realize Chad was the photographer. He did an amazing job. It looked like Erin was his assistant. She did a great job getting the couple into different positions. Talented!
ReplyDeletei was actually thinking the same thing! they are such a talented couple and they work so well together!
DeleteHAPPY ANNIVERSARY MICHAELLA and Brandon . Wishing you many,many more.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn,Joan and Marion
Happy Anniversary
ReplyDeleteBrandon & Michealla Keilen
Happy Anniversary guys! I feel for Michael, last week show as she came for the birth of Erin baby, knowing how much she wants to be a momma. Just keep doing whatever the doctors say, remember its in Gods timing.
ReplyDeleteI disagree about God's timing... I just don't think He has a clipboard and stopwatch on people. Stuff just happens- the good, the bad, and the ugly- to everyone. MIx it all together and you have what we call "life". How we deal with what life throws at us is the linchpin. The Keilens appear to be good people with common sense. If they want to be parents, they have options and will find a way- if not biologically, they can consider foster care or adoption. It won't be a cakewalk, but as an excellent read says, "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden."
DeleteSo true, OP. There have been many times that I wanted things to happen in my time frame, but God had other ideas. When I look back at those times, I see how much wiser God's timing was than mine was.
DeleteGod does allow bad things to happen to His people because we live in a fallen world. However those 'bad' things are never really 'bad' because they work together for our good. If we gain contentment, closer communion with God and greater love for our fellow mind and see the spiritual as dearer than the earthly we are truly blessed. This is something only the eyes of faith can truly understand and know. He is in the thunderstorm and in the sunshine. He is in barrenness and fruitfulness. He is in loneliness and he is in friendships. He is in ups and downs, highs and lows. He is greater than all things and yet in them all. While the world around is so sinful and broken he is there to heal and bless. The true blessing is not in a happy clappy life but in knowing that whatever befalls He doeth all things well. Whether His plan is that this couple will be open to adopting and this plan is greater than their hopes time will tell God knows and does all things, well!
DeleteBeautiful! Is There anything Chad can’t do?
ReplyDeleteI don't get to see the show in canada. What's the update on their fertility struggles? My heart breaks for them.
ReplyDeleteHappt third Anniversary - wishing you a year of happiness.
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary Michael and Brandon. Keeping you in prayer!
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary Michaella & Brandon!
ReplyDeletethe bates women make such beautiful brides! and of course i'm including whitney as a bates women!
ReplyDeleteLovely... Happy Anniversary to them!
ReplyDeleteThese two are so wonderfully blessed in so many ways. I’m sure they realize this. It does make the difficult moments in life so much more bearable. They will get through life just fine, either way.
ReplyDeleteLove how this family always supports each other. Michaella - much more beautiful than a Barbie! The outside beauty is made so much more - because of the love she has for Jesus! May God bless them.
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoy their family!
I in no way, meant anything negative about Erin's comments- love the relationships they share.
Happy anniversary Brandon and Michael. Loads of love all the way from New Zealand Xx
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary guys may GOD'S blessings fall on you always
ReplyDeleteOh it feels like they just got married yesterday.. :) such a beautiful, sweet couple. I wish you many many more years of happiness together. God Bless!
ReplyDelete