Might want to sit down for this one....

Earlier in the year I blogged about "What to do when you don't know what to do" and having a year of Less.  I sensed at the time that God had something big coming up for us but was at a loss at to what that was.  We had just moved so I was pretty sure it wasn't that.  Was I going back to school?  Getting a job?  Starting some new and major project?

Well, in true "I-have-a-greater-plan-than-you" form, God did have something for us but I could never have guessed what it was.  This year has indeed been a lesson in less but in a way I didn't even consider.  Yes, we got rid of some stuff.  We have been very intentional about what we committed to and have kept our lives away from manic.  But what this year turned out to be was actually the most un-'me' thing I could have thought of and I have had a very good lesson in less of self this year.

You see, I am almost 13 weeks pregnant and, for the first time in my life, I had to work very hard to get that way.  No, we are not adding a Dash-5.  Rather, we are a small part of a very big miracle that God is doing; hopefully in the first week of June next year, we will be able to place a healthy and happy baby into the arms of friends who have had a long, heartbreaking struggle with infertility.
Didn't see that one coming?  Yeah, neither did I.

But, sometimes in life God asks us to do things that are not about us at all and totally about Him.  This is definitely one of those times.  God made it very clear that He was working a miracle in our friend's lives and we could either be a part of it and be blessed or we could miss out and He would use another way.  For me especially, Galatians 6:10 stuck out: 

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."  

A few things to know:

• This is a decision that we made as a family and are fulfilling as a family.  It has been an "all hands on deck" event and everyone is pitching in.  
• We sought wise counsel before we started, have spent hours praying about it and have followed all the legal and medical statutes.  Though the parents are good friends of ours, we do have a contract to protect both parties and the baby.  This is not something that any of us did lightly or without guidance.
• I am a gestational surrogate, or the "Baby Baker" as the baby's parents have said.  :)  We are not in any way genetically related to the baby and will joyfully give him or her to the parents to love and raise.  

I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Gee, lady...that seems kind of extreme, having a baby for someone else."  Yes, it is.  Being pregnant is not my favorite thing and this has been a long road.  But, as I'll talk about in future posts, it is exactly perfect for us at this time and place and we can clearly see how God has been leading us to this point.  Does He ask everyone to do this?  Of course not, but He did of us and perfectly prepared the way.