These Stones Episode 3 “Hope Deferred” Study Guide

This week’s episode explores themes of empathy, jealousy, and infertility.

Episode Summary

In this week’s episode of These Stones, Sarah, the wife of Abraham, finds herself tasked with helping an infertile couple, Drea & Brock. As Sarah and McKenna navigate the challenges of offering support, they receive unexpected guidance from Miriam.

“This week’s episode is about the struggles my husband and I endured, trying to have a baby. I was able to take that raw hurt and emotion and write it into Drea and Brock’s story. It was healing for me, redeemed a lot of what we went through by sharing about it honestly. In a way that hopefully relates to others when life doesn’t work out the way we hope—or the way we pray for.”– Cheryl McKay (Writer/Producer of These Stones)

Drea (played by Erin Bethea from Adeline & The Redemption of Henry Myers) and her husband Brock have been struggling with infertility for six years. Sarah, undercover as a travel agent, is tasked with filling in for a coworker on maternity leave. When Sarah and McKenna find themselves at a loss for how to help Drea, they turn to Miriam for clarity.

Sarah admits her uncertainty about offering hope to Drea, questioning if her role is to simply reassure her that God will provide a happy ending. McKenna, also struggling, suggests discussing adoption or foster care. Miriam emphasizes that the focus isn’t on pitching alternative solutions but on allowing Drea to mourn her losses and heal.

This episode underscores a powerful message: Even when our faith is strong, life doesn’t always follow a neat narrative. Sometimes, we must simply accept the “messy middle” of our experiences. Sarah’s journey wasn’t defined solely by her eventual conception but by the trials she endured along the way.

Miriam’s guidance to Sarah & McKenna is a reminder that true empathy lies in being present with others in their pain, rather than offering quick fixes. As James 1:19 says, we should be “quick to hear, slow to speak.” By simply being there for Drea, Sarah and McKenna can offer the most meaningful support.

Humble Pie à la These Stones

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. – Romans 8:28

When Drea first meets Sarah, she is a little hostile towards her. When asked about this, she shares that in the past, when she felt helpless, others would constantly preach to her that if she just had Sarah’s faith, she would get her miracle baby. The sight of pregnant mothers at the doctor’s office in the beginning of the episode triggers a painful reminder of her own struggles. Sarah also struggled with jealousy when she saw Hagar, her servant, fall pregnant. Witnessing God’s blessings for others is hard to weather at times, especially when they are receiving exactly what we’ve prayed for ourselves.

Share some humble pie with Sarah. Sarah admits to Drea she treated Hagar horribly in the past. Have you ever treated someone badly because they got a blessing that you wanted? Do you fight jealousy when other people get blessed?

“The scene in the waiting room came directly from my life. I sat in that medical office, holding an ultrasound of a growing tumor while the other ladies around me beamed, holding ultrasounds of babies. To be happy for other’s blessings when you know what you are dealing with is exactly the opposite was difficult. Especially since by that point, we knew our hopes of conceiving a child were coming to an end.”  — Cheryl McKay

 

If you’re curious to discover even more insights and discussion prompts related to These Stones, check out the show’s official devotional book available to purchase on Amazon. Written by the show’s creators, Susan Rohrer & Cheryl McKay, this handbook will provide real-life applications and deeper explore themes presented in the series.