‘Not having children makes me a misfit at church’

As part of world childless week, Catherine Disher reflects on her own journey, and what she wishes other Christians knew about not having children

Recently, I stood beneath a tree after giving someone a word. I had no idea what the scripture related to; nor did I need to. The person broke down in tears. “We’ve been trying for a baby…” I won’t repeat the rest here, but I’ve heard this story repeated many times over the past decade. With miscarriage and infertility rates where they are, and global birth rates declining, this is not a foreign theme; the pain expressed by human beings experiencing the effects of childlessness can be heartbreaking.