Happy Birthday Daughter # 3

Happy Birthday Daughter #3

“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.”-Jeremiah 29:11

Thirty two years ago today my baby girl was born. Thinking about that moment always makes me smile.

She was one of those "unplanned" babies…but definitely not unwanted. (I wanted seven kids but the guy paying the bills had already said three was plenty!). We had two daughters and a son and were making plans to have no more, when oops.........I was pregnant with her.

I’m so glad God knew how much our family needed her. There have been so many times since her birth when she’s made our lives better...and many more times when I have been assured that she came into our lives because God had a plan for her life even when I didn’t. Let me tell you just one.

When she was about three years old her big brother who was five went to live with Jesus. In the year after that, I would put her two big sisters on the school bus then sit down in my rocking chair and cry. She would climb up on my lap and wipe my tears away with her chubby little hands. I can still hear her little girl voice saying “Don’t cry Mommy.” Later I wondered if those days would leave her scarred emotionally but she has turned out to be one of the most compassionate people I know.

             God knew years before when she was conceived that I would need her desperately when she was three but His plan for her didn't stop there. He is still using her to build His kingdom through her goodness, her generosity and her faith.

She’s married now and has a son and a daughter of her own but has recently felt “the call” to add to our family by becoming a foster parent. I know God will continue to bless her and use her to build His kingdom with children who will feel and see the love of God through her.

 I’m grateful for God’s plan for my family and for my baby girl. Even though she was unplanned by me, God had a plan for her life.