As many of you might already be aware of by now, God blessed us with a baby girl, Zahal Varghese on December 25th, 2013 at 11:35am IST. It was one of the greatest moments of joy in my life. Though there are many other times in my life, that are more valuable like the day I got saved, the moment I got filled with the Holy Spirit, the evening I got married, etc, the rush of emotions I experienced when I was in the labour room last Christmas morning, is just unexplainable.

When we got married, we did have a lot of plans charted out regarding our future and family. An addition to the family, in the form of a newborn baby was not at all on the charts. But am I not glad, that God’s plans always victor over ours! “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps” (Proverbs 16:9) If it hadn’t been for God’s hand in our lives, this would have been completely directionless and void of any meaning.

God made sure to keep us encouraged and inspired from time to time, through His servants, our parents and close friends. We were least prepared physically, mentally, emotionally, financially to be parents, but then we realize it now that it is not our preparations that matter. only His divine grace and strength that we experience when we continually lean on Him, instead of past experiences or preparations.

The name Zahal is derivative from the hebrew word Tzahal, which means Joy. We began prophesying the same over our baby from the beginning of the pregnancy and we continue to declare the same over the baby, every time we call her by name now. That is also one of the reasons we decided to not opt for a pet name, so that we could continue to call her by her real name.

I am writing this post after having been smiled at by Zahal a few times. That’s something that I was eagerly looking forward to experience right from the start of her birthday. And I know that is just the beginning for her in her life’s journey in bringing joy to the heart of God and His people.

How often do we confuse our present occupations as the purpose of our lives? There is a name by which God calls us all. There is a reason for which God custom designed each of us. Our life’s greatest goal should be to know God’s heart for our lives and live in accordance and obedience to the same.

As for Zahal, Rashmi and I have resolved in our minds to enjoy and celebrate every aspect of her life. Be it good or bad, there will never be a day of our lives when we will lack the grace of God to love her unconditionally or to stand by her in good and the bad days of her life. We’re very much excited for our days ahead.

As I write this post, my heart goes out to all my dear friends who have been praying for a child. Refuse to believe the doctor’s and/or the family’s report that you are barren. I encourage you to keep on hoping against hope, like Sarah, Rachel,  Hannah, Elizabeth did in the Bible. There is a day when God will turn it around for you. Till then continue to remain faithful and thankful to God in all things.

Do you have a word of encouragement for Rashmi and Me? Do you have a word for our Baby Zahal to know, when she grows up? Are you struggling with questions and thoughts regarding parenthood? Please feel free to leave them in the comments below, we look forward to hearing from you!