We had three beautiful girls. I wasn’t “trying for a boy”.

I was experienced with girls. I had plenty of hand me downs. I loved being a mom to girls. 

And I really thought after our third daughter that we were finished. We knew that raising three girls wouldn’t be easy, but we were happy. They were all healthy. 

Three seemed great. Three was perfect. 

Until it wasn’t. 

Years went by, and despite my head, my heart wanted to have another baby.

My head said, “You can’t afford it.” My head said, “You don’t have enough time.” My head said, “You don’t have enough space.” My head said, “You are too stinkin’ old.”

But my heart said, “This child will be loved.” 

My heart said, “It’s not about the money.”

My heart said, “You won’t regret it.”

My heart said, “This child was destined to be a part of our family.”

But was this just something I wanted despite what was best for my family? Was it selfish? Or was it from God?

So I prayed for God’s will in my life. I prayed for God to answer prayers the way they needed to be answered. I prayed for guidance and direction, and peace that passes understanding. 

We had sold all of the baby gear. We had sold all of the baby clothes. Everyone was out of diapers. No bottles needed to be washed. Everyone slept through the night.

But God said, “I have another gift for you.”

This baby boy came into our lives in 2015, and life has never been the same. 

It has never been more perfect either. 

Trains took the place of princesses. 

Cars race on the floor. 

Superheroes and wrestlers battle. 

I say, “Be careful!” one thousand times per day. 

I hold my breath when he falls for the tenth time today.

I tell him to “quit climbing” yet again. 

He is the best snuggler and nap buddy. 

He loves his mommy. 

He is a perfect blessing from God. 

I can’t help but wonder how many blessings we miss out on because we make up excuses for not doing something God is leading us to do. 

God’s plan is always perfect. 

If you hear faint whispers of directions for your life, don’t ignore them. If they seem unrealistic, don’t count them out. Don’t worry what others will think. 

Pray and ask God to guide your steps.

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9

This post originally appeared on the author’s blog

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