Why?

The final stages of nesting and pregnancy have arrived. I forgot to eat lunch during my lunch break today because I was too busy using our waterpik to powerwash the gunk out of our kitchen sink faucet handles. Fortunately, my missed lunch was no problem. I was still stuffed from the two bowls of cold chili I called breakfast.

But as I nest and eat my Tabasco-ridden food, I’ve also been wrestling with a few questions.

“Why me?” Why did God choose to entrust Nate and I with this little girl? There are so many barren couples who long for children. Why are we so fortunate?

And most of all “Why her?” God’s made it clear from the start that he has a plan for this little girl. First of all, HE gave her a name before we even knew we were pregnant. As I was reading one day, he pointed out a word and asked me to name our first daughter that. Surprised, I told him I would...you know...one day. Two weeks later, we learned we were pregnant. “Oh, did you mean now?”

Next, as we prepared for our first ultrasound, I asked God to give us a boy’s name so we could be prepared for either a girl OR a boy. After all, I had always been convinced that my first born would be a son. God’s only response was “You have what you need.” Sure enough, the ultrasound technician told us it was a girl.

God didn’t just speak to me about this child. He also spoke to my dear friend and mentor Elise. Elise had been praying for us regularly concerning our plans to move to Thailand. But around the same time that God gave me a name for our child, God began planting an image of a baby in Elise’s mind each time she prayed for us. Elise argued with God, explaining that we were preparing to go to Thailand, NOT preparing for a child. But God refused to remove the image from her mind. After this happened a few times, Elise was silently convinced we would soon be pregnant. Meanwhile, I was still clueless.

These experiences make it clear that He has a plan for this little girl. He’s also revealed His sovereignty to us through His Word. HE knit her together in my womb (Psalm 139:13) and HE will be there at her birth carrying her in His hand (Isaiah 46:3).

I wonder what God’s plans are for this little girl. My hope and prayer is that she’ll have terrific health and will grow to love the ways of the Lord. Nate and I will certainly do everything we can to lead her in that direction. But the truth is, we don’t know what God has planned. Despite what we don’t know, the one promise we CAN hang on to, is that God has a plan for this little girl. She is no mistake.

I don’t know why we have been blessed to be parents or why God has matched us with this particular little girl, but I AM confident that His grace and glory will be displayed through her birth and life.