Monday, May 25, 2009

Expecting the Unexpected

It's a funny thing when life throws a curve ball at you. How will you respond? How will it affect your plans? What the heck are you going to do now?

One of my clients I am doing some graphic design for just got diagnosed with cancer. He is a chiropractor who started his own business, but doesn't have health insurance. What the heck is he going to do?! The treatment alone will send him into debt beyond his years. He's been super positive, he's a pretty healthy guy overall, and is going to take it head on.

My husband and I got surprised with a pregnancy earlier this year and have been successful so far keeping it off facebook (so if you're reading this, please don't post on our walls anything about being pregnant, becoming parents, having a kid, etc.). For about a month, we were freaking out because we didn't think we were ready to be parents - or rather, we weren't ready to give up our lives and freedom. We are in the process of building a home and now have the unexpected expense of having a child, plus we had to figure in an extra room to our home plan :) We've since realized that our lives were never ours to begin with and that God is in control. He has blessed us with an amazing gift (especially after learning that so many people we know have struggled with miscarriages) and we will gladly take on the challenge together. We have so much to be thankful for!

It's funny how sometimes surprises wake you up to realize that you can't control your life and no matter what you plan for, you need to plan for the unexpected. What I mean by that is not to get so caught up in your own life that you believe you're in control and things are going to go according to your plans. Something will always happen that you didn't plan for, whether on a small scale or large scale. No matter what the surprise is, good or bad, God has a purpose for your life. My husband and I are meant to be young parents to the little one we will get to know in November. It's all very exciting, but in the same way that we had to realize that our lives were not ours to live and control, we will be challenged to remember that our child is God's child and we are not in control of that life either, although we will strive to be the best parents we can be.