God's Perfect Plan

Life has been anything but according to plan lately. At least, my plan, or how I thought things were planned. But I've seen time and again God's perfect timing and watched him prepare for things that we never anticipated.

First, He moved two of my brothers and their families to the mountain right by where we live. Well, actually, my older brother and his family moved into where we used to live. (And I still sleep. That is a fact that has little to do with rats. Which are supposed to be gone For Good.)

Then He moved my younger brother and his wife. When nothing opened up in town for them, they moved into the small cabin on the property. Frankly, after that, I was expecting something to happen, it was just too obvious that it was for a reason. But I didn't even come close to guessing why. Is the town going to wash away?

We are in the middle of a huge re-purposing project, we were trying to meet a deadline and get our occupancy permit before the end of June - and things are moving slower than molasses in January. I'm just being honest here.

There was a tense pressure as we approached the last days in June madly trying to get our the permit. And you know those awful inspectors? Well, we don't have one. Everyone has been gracious, kind and easy going. I know they aren't all like that, but God has blessed us. The one in charge of issuing the occupancy permit, knowing we had a deadline approaching told us he would issue us one whenever we wanted it. Just like that. But my father is very good about doing what is right and he delayed until we were further along and until my mother asked him, "will you please hurry and get it?" And he did.

Mum and I went into town to pick it up and then we stopped at an antique store to see if there was by any chance a child's Victorian bathtub, which there wasn't, stopped at the home improvement store to do some pricing and then tootled home with the "very important piece of paper". A huge weight off every ones shoulders, that bridge was crossed.

Come four o'clock the next morning, unbeknownst to me, my brother, B.T., came down to the house to get mother. Their baby wasn't due for about another month, but things weren't' quite right.

They also called the midwife and she drove all the way out to their cabin to check on them after they declined to meet her at the hospital in town. She told God she wasn't going to come out here, but He decided otherwise. Apparently it is her Jonah story.

It was rather tense that day and I breathed many a thanks that God had worked to remove the pressure of the permit. Page one in seeing his perfect timing in this situation. Both my parents were otherwise occupied and the house just wasn't going to get worked on much that day.

The midwife still was encouraging them to go to the hospital. My brother acknowledged that if he were her, he would be saying the exact same thing, but they had an amazing calm peace to wait, that God was in control and that wasn't the direction they were to take.

If Mrs. B.T. was able to have complete bed rest and delay the birth for two weeks, the midwife could still attend, otherwise, legally she couldn't help them. They still felt in faith that going to the hospital wasn't the answer.

And there was the possibility that the baby wasn't premature, that in fact, she had been expecting longer than she thought. When they first announced they had a little one coming, everyone thought she was about a month further along and were surprised to hear when the due date was. Even after reviewing it, they weren't sure, there was still the possibility of a preemie.

The next evening, my brother and his wife had a Bible study with Father and Mum and felt God was confirming to go ahead and have the baby. At home, in the cabin, without the midwife. Let me pause and say that this wouldn't necessarily be the right decision for everyone, but it was for them. I have to say, though I didn't see too much of my brother during this time, the few moments I did, I was very impressed with the calm peace he had, there was a firmness and resolve that was obviously from God.

In the wee hours of July, their firstborn joined the world. Healthy and strong, early, but not preemie in the sense of needing special medical attention. Assisting at the birth in place of the midwife was my mother and sister-in-law.

And then they remained on call twenty-four hours a day for anything the new parents might need. He was a little slow eating in the beginning, but he is settling in now and gaining weight. It really is fun seeing such a tiny little baby. He is so precious. Especially when he comes to visit wearing soft baby shoes that look like work boots.

The assistance we've been able to give them would have been incredibly difficult, if not impossible, if God hadn't moved them right next door.

What a wonderful reminder of God's perfect timing!
(And I would post pictures of the little darling, but they aren't uploading)