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I’ve always been fascinated by life in the womb. I distinctly remember my 6th grade science textbook and the pictures of babies as they developed throughout pregnancy. Even at a young age I was drawn in and wanted to know more about this miraculous time. As a 6th grader, I would spend hours studying the pictures in my book. These were the only glimpses of preborn life I had access to at that time. It’s been almost 28 years since I was that age, and those images are fresh in my mind. That science textbook had a lasting effect on me.
As a young adult I had my whole life planned out and I had already determined the order of events. I knew having my own children and experiencing life growing in my womb would be part of that plan, but I had determined it would happen after I had finished school and pursued a career for a while first. What happened instead is that I had my first child when I was 21. 11 months after I married my high school sweetheart, and about 2 years before I finished school or had any sort of career.
I know what it’s like to look my plans in the face and see them shift and change. I know the unexpected questions about how the basic needs of a small person will be met. I’ve walked the road of having to be on WIC, and state health insurance because our private health insurance wouldn’t cover pregnancy. I have experienced the unknowns of telling people about this little change in our expected plans. I have also experienced the miraculous provision of God, and the blessing that comes in following His leading. My first born daughter is one of the biggest blessings in my life! This baby that made us question everything and make numerous sacrifices just to put food on the table has grown into an incredible young lady. She has become a friend to her younger siblings, a helper with chores and household duties, and my favorite stylist! Recently I had to get ready for an event and she was out of town. I found myself going through my entire closet unsure of what to wear and wishing she was home to help me decide.
She may not have entered our lives exactly when I had planned, but she came exactly when we needed her to. This is why I love and support The Sparrow’s Nest. As a young married women I was lucky to have some support from family and a hard working husband. Even with those things having a baby and finishing school was hard. It takes a family to raise a child and I love that the mission of The Nest is to create that environment for the moms who come to find refuge there. Everyone deserves to be supported and loved as they walk through life and even more so when they are walking in difficult seasons. We are unbelievably blessed to have a ministry like this in our community!