While reading through Genesis this year, wondering if I will ever be able to have another baby, I take note of how often infertility is mentioned in the Bible. And I’m amused at the crazy things people say in their distress, because after nearly 12 years of trying to have babies (with only one living child here in my arms), I find these comments SO RELATABLE. Those of us struggling to grow our families have had some pretty bizarre thoughts at one point or another.

GIVE ME CHILDREN OR I’LL DIE! – Rachel to Jacob (Genesis 30:1) Well, that’s awfully demanding! But many of us feel desperate to have children when it seems to be impossible.

GET MY MAID PREGNANT – More than one woman in the Bible told her husband to sleep with her maidservant in order to have offspring. (Sarah, Rachel, and Leah, for example.) I suppose this was a method of surrogacy, but can you imagine? It doesn’t seem like a good idea. (And it wasn’t – it led to a lot of chaos and conflict within these families – for many generations to come.)

DON’T YOU THINK I’M BETTER THAN HAVING CHILDREN? – Her husband would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?” 1 Samuel 1:8 – I can assure you, these words from a husband to his wife who aches for a child would NOT BE HELPFUL.

WHY ARE YOU CRYING? – See paragraph above for the context. That question sure would frustrate a hormonal wife to hear from her husband.

Have you discovered any good lines by people experiencing infertility in the Bible? What have I missed? Leave a comment to let me know. (And if you’ve said some really crazy things yourself, feel free to share!)