Surprise!

My friend Jodi just gave birth to her firstborn son--exactly a month before her due date! Thank God, Baby Jack is healthy and strong, and Jodi's doing fine, too. God's timing is always perfect, after all, and I'm thankful that a month early to us is still right on time to Him.

Like Jodi, most new moms learn quickly that flexibility is foundational to parenting! Whether things don't go the way you'd like them to (or the way you expected them to) in the delivery room, during your hospital stay, or after you get home, you must learn to roll with the punches. Easy? No. Crucial? Yes.

When my friend Tammie had her baby, she confided to me that there were times she wished he was still in her womb. Despite many months of longing to hold him in her arms, Tammie had discovered that inside her womb was really the safest place for him to be! Once in the world, things quickly spiraled out of her perceived range of control. She had to leave him with a caregiver while she went to work, rather than his being with her, in her womb, all day. She had to feed him and let his own digestive system handle the processing needs, rather than those needs being taken care of in her womb. She had to listen to his cries and figure out what he needed.

Isn't it great to know that as moms we can rely on the Lord for our parenting needs? Just as surely as He saw into the depths of a dark womb and supervised the making of a human being, He will continue to be by your side, seeing into the depths of your need and giving you the strength and flexibility required for parenting! Nothing is a surprise to Him.

"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

~Rebecca