Count on God to Bring Wise Counsel

Oct. 8, 1999

"Quick funny story: We went to McDonald's for lunch today. As we were leaving this dear old lady with the biggest hat on  spoke to the kids. She looked at Claire and said, "My aren't you beautiful!" Claire looked up at her and said, "And you are just precious!"

Y'all baby girl was not quite 2 and a half years old when she said that! Oh my heart.

Summer 1999

See my days were filled with therapies, and doctor's appointments, orthotics and developmental exercises for my boys. But I was also Mama to this precious precious little girl -- the triplet sister, the sister also born too early but with no residual issues as a result. My Claire.

Young Mama sending those emails was so worried about this little angel child. If my hours a day had been a graphic, everyone would have seen immediately that this baby girl got a much smaller portion of my hours than her brothers.  I counted. I knew. I worried that she would resent me, them and all the time that was required for their care.

God gave me a gift about this time. He sent a woman -- a mom who had children further down the path of life than mine -- into my world. Wise Erika looked at me and said, "Carol, just as it did not surprise God that your boys have Cerebral Palsy. It doesn't surprise Him that Claire is the triplet sister of two boys with CP."

Can you embrace with me the truth of that sentence for a moment? God's plan for Claire was not ruined because she was the triplet sister of two brothers with special needs. No, quite the opposite: the plan written about this beautiful, sweet girl before she was even formed in my womb included her brothers having Cerebral Palsy! The scripture that had been a comfort to my heart already at that time was the very scripture I claimed for this girl. God knew His plan for her.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well....Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13, 14, 16

And so I let it go. I trusted my creator. I trusted Claire's creator. And while I loved the stew out of that child, I did not fret that she dressed herself, while I dressed her brothers. I did not fret that she knew all the therapists by name even though she was playing quietly in the corner while her brothers did their exercises. I did not fret that she had to walk beside me as I pushed the boys in the twin stroller. I didn't fret. (OK...I might have fretted a bit. I am not perfect. But always, always always, my heart came back to Psalm 139:16.)

Sweet girl still compliments random strangers when she thinks they are precious. I don't know where she gets that. But can I tell you the coolest thing?

This beautiful young lady is finishing up high school this year. She plans to be an Occupational Therapist because she wants to serve the special needs world -- and I mean world. She is passionate about orphan care and already blogs to help bring awareness to special needs orphans desperately seeking forever families. And she is passionate about taking the ministries offered in first world countries to those areas without those benefits.

See what God did there? He grew her heart in magnificent ways that I could have never foreseen. He grew her into this young woman who wants to further His kingdom by loving, caring and providing for the marginalized in our world that don't have care. She wants to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

She is exactly the young woman God intended her to be when he plucked her up and put her smack dab in the middle of a family with two triplet brothers -- and eventually a baby sister -- who all count on her in many ways!

Young Mama sent an email that sang the praises of a little girl. But if I'm honest, I will tell you that I was fretting that I couldn't nurture her enough, couldn't provide enough attention for her, couldn't help her grow. I was counting all the ways I was inadequate. I was counting all the ways life was going to be hard for that girl. I was NOT counting all the plans of her Creator and all the grace and mercy He would provide.

Oh, I'm so glad to be able to count on that now.