All Is As It Should Be

About a year ago, I had some very personal and special experiences about bringing more children to our home. At that time, I felt very close in spirit to our Heavenly Father, which led to some important discussions and decisions in our marriage.

Months later, we were happily expecting a baby. Because of the previously mentioned experiences, I was absolutely confident that this was the son to top off our family.

Now, let me introduce you to our sweet little GIRL.

While we were expecting, my husband didn't want to know the baby's gender. Going into a routine anatomical ultrasound, I respected that, but quipped to the technician, "I don't want to know the gender, but if this is a girl, God and I are going to need to do some talking."

She laughed.

When a second ultrasound was ordered, I chose to find out the gender and just not tell anyone. "Congratulations! This is very obviously a girl."

Feeling like I had been slapped, all I could stutter was, "Oh, really? Interesting."

After that ultrasound, the radiologist pronounced everything to be looking good. I climbed into my car and just sat there.

A girl. A girl?

"But, I thought I knew, Heavenly Father. I thought I understood the plan."

At that point, and ever since then, I felt tremendous peace. It was almost like a pat on the shoulder with a smiling sentence, "It's so cute that you think you KNOW something, sweet Daughter."

Sitting in that silent car, the phrase, "All is as it should be," came to my mind. In fact, for the next six months as people continued to pump me for hints as to the gender of our child, that phrase---with my own smile--- became my go-to response.

All is as it should be.

Now, other rather big, potentially life-changing events and decisions have been popping up in the last 12 months. When it rains, it pours, you know.

Much time has been spent on my knees praying for people, praying for direction, praying to change my attitude, praying to understand---oh, that I could understand even just a little bit of "the why's" behind life events and the timing thereof!

But most often I don't.

And I am learning that's okay.

Our Heavenly Father sees the end from the beginning. 1 My thoughts are not His thoughts. My ways are not His ways YET, but I would like them to be.

In the mean time, it looks like another dimension of faith is trust. Trust that God loves us and wants what's best for us. Trust that I don't need to see the whole picture because He does. Trust that the necessary strength and understanding to handle all of life's twists and turns will be given a piece at a time as needed.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5–6)

So with that, I am hereby taking a couple months off to enjoy this unexpected and wonderfully welcomed Daughter of God who taught her mother mountains of things before she even took her first breath.