Sometimes blessings are unexpected.

I was shaking as first one line appeared and then another fainter line. Positive. The test was positive. I blinked hard and looked again. Perhaps there was some mistake?

“Dave, can you take a look at this?” I was crying at this point. “Are there two lines?”

My husband came and looked over my shoulder. “That looks positive to me!” he said.

I was sobbing in earnest now. “What are we going to do?” I could barely choke the words out.

I was completely unprepared for this. I had just started a new job. I was on treatment for kidney disease. My husband has over two years of school left. I’m ashamed to say, my initial reaction was one of fear.

“What are we going to do?” I asked again.

“We’re going to have a baby!” My husband said with a smile.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. But already, there have been miracles. Signs that God is in control.

I was referred to a kidney specialist who deals with high risk pregnancies.

“The treatment doesn’t have very many risks to the baby,” she said. “The kidney disease itself, however, is extremely risky. My priority is getting you into remission as soon as possible. That may mean doubling your current treatment.”

I’m the breadwinner right now. How would I work if the treatment was doubled? I react poorly to the side effects. How would I cope at my new job? But what about the baby? Again, I responded in fear.

“Listen,” the specialist continued. “I’m going to send you for some tests. If you’re not showing signs of improvement, I have no choice. We have to do what’s best for the baby.”

In early September, my church had a prayer service. I went up to the front, my family by my side, and prayed for healing.

On September 30^th, I had my first ultrasound. I spent the morning drinking copious amounts of liquid and then had to sneak to the hospital on my lunch break. There had been a lot of bleeding during the previous weeks and I wasn’t sure what to expect.

“Can you see a heartbeat?” I nervously asked the ultrasound technician.

She turned the screen towards me. On the monitor was a beautiful little baby, the fluttering heart clearly visible. Once again, tears filled my eyes. There, in my womb, the miracle of life was growing.

The next day, my kidney specialist called. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t the words that came out of her mouth.

“Your tests came back. You are completely in remission!” she said. “I’m going to keep you on treatment as a precaution, but just at your current level. Your kidneys are functioning 100%!”

Another miracle.

Earlier this year, God gave me a scripture for 2013. Psalm 65:11 says, “You crown the year with a plentiful harvest. Even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.”

Circumstances are still a bit complicated. But I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is in control. Although this little one wasn’t part of my plan for my life, he or she certainly is part of God’s special plan!

So guess what?

Come May, I’m having a baby!