All of my life I’ve looked forward to having a family of my own. My paternal instinct was strong and unwavering. I grew up with great dreams and desires for how my family would look in years to come. I must admit, things didn’t quite turn out like I expected –and I couldn’t be more thankful. It all started with an unplanned pregnancy. For some it may seem like a curse. For my wife and I it became the greatest blessing we’ve ever experienced. No, I’m not referring to my wife and myself. I’m referring to my daughter’s biological mother. Our story may be little different than others. Jennifer and I found out in 2005 we would be unable to have children naturally. As we received the news from our fertility doctor our hearts felt a loss we never knew existed. Those first few days were like a dark abyss with no sign of relief or the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ so many refer to. Many months later hope and great joy came in the form of an 8.4 pound, brown eyed, and bald headed baby girl whose smile still takes our breath away. The pregnancy that resulted in my daughter’s birth may have seemed like a mistake to many, possibly even her biological mother. But to us, it wasn’t. Something that seemed like a mistake actually became one of the greatest gifts either of us ever received. Funny thing is, it’s not the first time it has happened. Coincidentally, it has happened to you too!
Over two thousand years ago the world received a gift through an unplanned pregnancy. My human brain has trouble comprehending how God can take terrible situations and bring such beauty. But, thankfully, He does. God’s ‘heavenly bank’ does better business than anything you’ll find on this earth. And his exchange rates are out-of-this-world good (literally and figuratively). He takes our screw-ups, our ashes-if you will, and gives great beauty. Does this mean I condone sin or encourage anyone to make wrong decisions? Nope! But I can say when we do make a bad mistake or sin—IT ISN’T THE END OF THE WORLD!! We can choose to wallow in our own self-pity or we can get up and make things right. Once a mistake has been made it then becomes our job to work even harder making sure it never happens again. We are His children and He has great plans for us all. He has a road we should travel that serves as His perfect will for our lives. Sometimes we ignorantly decide to take side streets. Those side trips always lead to a dead ends. He says today, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” [Jer 29:11] He has a perfect plan! Now it becomes OUR job to search out His plan and will for our lives. And just think-it all started with an unplanned pregnancy.
Final thoughts and encouragement: Continue pressing ‘toward the mark.’ As the song says, “It’s not over….it’s not finished….it’s not ending…..it’s only the beginning. When God is in it, all things are new.” He can turn your/our mistakes into something that will bring glory to His name—if you let him. KEEP PRESSING FORWARD!!!!