S5 Episode #9- Jayma Anne Montgomery
THE ONE WITH JAYMA ANNE MONTGOMERY
This week, I am honored to bring you my conversation with Jayma Anne Montgomery. Jayma is a Jamaican immigrant and an Army trained Internal Medicine Physician turned blogger and author. She began This Woman’s Thought Life in March of 2022 as a way to collect and process her thoughts regarding her life experiences and reframe them through the perspective of her faith. Her first book, AlieNation: The Imitated Life, is set to release in April 2023. In this episode, Jayma shares encouragement for anyone facing continual closed doors, or walking through an extended seasoning of unfulfilled longing.
More About JAYMA
Her first book, AlieNation: The Imitated Life, is set to release in April 2023. It is the first of a two book memoir series divided into six volumes of short stories. In the first book, she explores themes such as womanhood, race, ethnicity, assimilation, socioeconomics, and the dynamics of growing up in a blended family. In the second book, she will delve into her Evangelical upbringing, her medical and Army careers, and the perils of identifying her political identity. At the heart of both books is a lifelong quest to belong, ultimately finding acceptance and true identity in the family of God.
She is pursuing a Master's degree in Creative Writing with the goal of remaining bi-vocational. She has a heart for local and overseas medical missions, particularly to serve those institutionalized in long-term care settings. She continues to work as a physician at local hospitals in her community. She lives with her husband and two children in the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina.
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Jayma grew up in the church, but she did not have true fellowship with the Lord until after college. When she was in her early 20’s, Jayma was driving home and saw smoke in her rearview mirror. She continued to drive, until a man in the other lane waved her over. She pulled over, got out of the car, and within seconds the whole car went up in flames!
This dramatic moment changed everything for her and she decided to fully commit to God for a year and see what would happen. God showed up for Jayma in big ways and when the year was up, she realized she could never walk away. She has been walking with God ever since!
Closed Doors
God knows us so much better than we know ourselves. He is so good and gracious to grant us the true desires of our hearts– even when it’s different from what we thought we wanted.
As Jayma was moving forward in medical school, the door closed 3 times for her to pursue her lifelong dream of practicing physical medicine. She ended up going into internal medicine, and it has been the biggest blessing. It is a perfect fit for her– even though it wasn’t what she originally thought she wanted.
When there is a closed door, or a “no” from God, He is not holding back on you. He might be guiding you down a different path. Often, when we get a “no”, we stop listening. Instead of tuning out, we need to lean into the “no” and listen for what God is going to say next. He is going to carry you to the next right thing.
The “no” is never the end of the story!
Infertility & Miscarriage
Jayma has suffered the loss of 8 babies to miscarriage. She shares that it is a very lonely space. The enemy wins when he convinces women that they are alone, but this is a deception. The more that Jamya tried to retreat, the more power it held on her life and the more it distanced her from the people that she needed most.
It can feel never-ending. It feels like a child is the only thing that will make your life worthwhile. Sometimes God will say “yes, but wait”, and sometimes He will say “no, but…” Sometimes God is dealing with you and making you ready for a new season.
Jayma finds hope in the knowledge that the children she has lost are with Jesus. They are well. They are rejoicing. She will see them again one day.
The children that Jayma does have were not something that God owed to her. They are a gift and a blessing. She is so thankful for them, but parenting is hard!
Don’t harbor your pain and try to keep it to yourself. God wants to heal you, but you must release the pain to Him. Trust that He not only can heal you, BUT He is also willing to heal you.
When you are low, remember you will not be there forever.
You are not alone.
God wants to heal your heart and provide for you in ways that will blow your mind!
Character of God
Jamya spent many years in a surface relationship with God. She believed that since she was a Christian, she wasn’t supposed to experience loss or suffering. She has learned that this is not Biblical.
God is not the author of suffering. Suffering is because of us and because of the Evil One. Recognizing that God does understand what you are going there.
There is a reason that Jesus took on flesh – He did not have to suffer and die. As the Sovereign Creator, He chose to experience humanity so that He could understand suffering. The tremendous trust and intimacy with God that suffering brings is unmatched. Leaning on The Lord and seeing Him walk with her through suffering radically changed Jayma’s life.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious. He is long-suffering. He doesn’t let evil go unpunished. He will avenge all of the awful things that we go through. There is hope in Him, and it’s not just after we die. There is hope for a life of peace and contentment now because we are His and NOTHING can separate us from His love.
Final Thoughts
God is good. He loves you. He cares about your specific struggles. Be open and honest with Him about everything you feel– anger, frustration, sadness… Wait on Him. There is always more that God is saying, we just tend to get impatient and walk away. God is always speaking and working through our lives and our situations. We must be still enough and open enough to perceive it. Learn how to slow down and look for how God is working in the world and in your life.
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