Today I'm linking up again with Lisa Jo for Five Minute Friday. The idea is to write, write, write for five minutes, without editing, backtracking, or overthinking.
--------------
Unexpected is a word I should not use if I claim to believe God is who He says he is and will answer prayer. No, I should not be surprised or shocked when He does what He promises. But yet, I can remember umpteen times was taken aback by the answers to prayers.
The most unexpected answer came in the summer of 2001. For ten years I had prayed for a baby, a fourth child to complete our family. In 1996 I had a miscarriage and turned angry-bitter against God for taking what was rightfully His to take. In 1999 I lost again, but this time I had accepted His will for my best good. Then I prayed that God would still fulfill my hopes however He wanted, whether the baby come through my womb or not. He gave me a vision to adopt. That was unexpected. Why? Why did I find it hard to believe that He would give me a love for a child I'd never seen, whether it be from China or my body? In 2001, the very day we were going to send in our adoption application, I got nauseated while trying to figure out what to have for breakfast. That has only ever happened when I've had the flu or been pregnant.
I was pregnant. That was unexpected. Desired beyond almost everything, but unexpected. I called my husband and he said, "Call the agency and find out if we can
adopt a baby if we also have a biological newborn." That was unexpected. He had, at one time, been reluctant to "mess up our retirement plans" with a child 10 years younger than our third one, and now he wanted to know if we could have two babies in the same spring, about two months apart? That was unexpected.
They said no. We did not earn enough for the number of people in our home plus an adopted one. I was relieved for the first time in my life that we didn't qualify financially. That relief was unexpected.
But this little wise-cracking retirement-buster-upper pictured at the bottom of my sidebar was born on Valentine's Day 2002. And I am slowly learning to expect from God to deliver, each and every time, in ways previously unexpected.
5 comments:
But I LOVE the way He surprises us. Even though we should always be waiting in expectation for what He's going to do, I think maybe He kind of delights in our surprise at His goodness. What a wonderful story for how your youngest got here.
Oh the JOY of unexpected blessings! Visiting from the 5 Minute Friday today.mi
It's fascinating the way God surprises! How we live in the tension and glory of expectation and surprise! Grace upon grace!
That is a great story. So glad you shared it. I think I would have been relieved also. My sister has twins and its not an easy walk in the park. So glad for your 4th blessing.
Sometimes I scold myself for being surprised by answered prayer. I love that old song that says, "I believe, help thou my unbelief...' Great thoughts today and I'm glad your family is complete in just the way He intended.
Post a Comment