Romans 8:28 – And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (ESV)

Trying to capture and keep all the memories that are actively being made on Christmas Eve is challenging. The flurry of activity goes by so quickly that it is hard to take it all in and lock it away in our hearts and minds. However, one Christmas Eve is thickly written on my heart when we recognized God's plan for our lives, and God's divine wisdom and perfect timing became evident.

After waiting seventeen years to have kids, my husband and I were finally blessed with two wonderful foster children, and it was going to be our first Christmas as a family of four. Our daughter was a cheerful two-year-old who loved decorating the tree, singing "Tingle Bells" and playing with the "graham crackers" (nutcrackers). Our son was a precious two-month-old newborn, and they were (and are) our dream come true.

That year, my friend gave us a copy of Max Lucado's children's book, The Crippled Lamb. I had never heard the fictional story before, and as I read it aloud and the meaning of the tale unfolded, I wept in gratefulness to God.

Spoiler alert: The story stars a little lamb who could not walk well enough to join the flock in the neighbouring fields. He was left behind, feeling abandoned by his shepherd and feeling that he was too broken to be of use to anyone. However, the story reveals that the little crippled lamb had a divine purpose — one that couldn't have been fulfilled without his physical limitations. Because he had been left behind, he was present in the stable when Mary and Joseph arrived. When Jesus was born, the lamb was there to witness the birth of Christ and to give the warmth of his body to the holy Infant.

Trying to keep from shoulder-sobbing as this revelation of God's perfect plan washed over me, I finished the book and looked gratefully at my God-given, beautiful, little family.

What I had recognized in those moments was that there was a reason for our decades of waiting, a purpose in the pain of infertility. Had we not had our physical limitations, we would not have been present for these two children right now. We would have missed the greatest blessing of our lives. The very thing that had caused us to feel left behind had been turned into a divine purpose. God took our pain and our brokenness and used it for His glory and for our good.

The Shepherd has a plan for us all, and just like the crippled lamb, we need to be grateful for our purpose.

Prayer: Dear God, may we trust You to work on the plans for our lives. Help us to see beyond our pain to the greater purpose that You have intended for us. May that revelation wash over us and fill us with gratitude. Amen.

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About the author:

Kerri Cramer-Creel <edistotribe@yahoo.com>
Louisa, Virginia, USA
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