There is a third precious stone in our midst. A pebble, really. For it is still so small, barely perceptible. But life is surely there.

Already the River is weaving and spinning, etching a unique design into this tiny being. As the midwife announces that everything seems normal so far, I think no baby is normal. No baby is the same as the generations that have come before it. Healthy–yes. But normal? No. This child is unlike any other. This one is precious indeed, surprising us with its life when we least expected it.

Already this little pebble turns and twists in its furious growth, churning my own insides with it. The undulating waves of nausea landing me on the sofa for weeks, left only to rest while my body prepares itself to undertake a sacred task of cradling this growing life for the next six months.

Each day I carry this baby is a reminder of the Hebrew understanding that God gives and God takes away. And for whatever reason unknown to me, He saw fit to expand our family right now. In this lean season of life. In the middle of uncertainties and unknowns. He has given a life, while stripping away all my expectations of what life was suppose to be. Because I think deep down we all wish for security, stablity, a sure thing.

But the thing is, for those of faith, we do not live on the sandy shore. We dwell in the River. Sometimes calm and quiet, sometimes raging high, forever changing course according to His unchanging design. Life in the River promises to be wild. We are warned of its unpredictable and often trying nature. But when the tumbling stops and we reach the end, we wash up smooth, brilliant. Eden in His hands. The precious stones He has made us to be.

While my soul may not understand why my husband and I have been given this child in this seemingly challenging time of life, I am reminded: I am not the River, nor do I know where it is leading. It is not my job to chart the course or calm the rapids. I am merely the Stone-Keeper: the one who holds these little lives until they are ready for a life of their own. A life He has breathed; a course He has planned to build the family He has chosen from the beginning.

Your journey is long, little pebble. But the path is glorious. Joyfully we await your arrival, eager and ready to shower you with all the love He has lavished on us. Ready to wade with you into the River and let the Life-Giver do His marvelous work.