“I’m too old to have another baby,” Terry cried over the phone to her friend Leslie.

Leslie said, “Not according to that pregnancy test.”

“But I’m at high risk for Down Syndrome at my age. And we don’t have room for one more body in this house. Leslie, I can’t have this baby. John won’t even have to know.”

Leslie cut Terry off. “Do you hear yourself? God obviously wants this child in your family. My sister had a perfectly healthy baby at forty-six. My college roommate had a child with Down Syndrome at thirty-two. But they both consider their boys to be the best surprise blessings of their lives.”

Terry reached for a tissue, too embarrassed to speak. She had just considered an act that she’d claimed she could never commit, all because a baby would mess up her plans. Could this shock really be a surprise blessing?

While some pregnancies are carefully planned, others arrive when a couple least expects it. The joy of a precious life is overshadowed by fear, disappointment, and frustration. Suddenly the unthinkable choice becomes, even if for a moment, thinkable. But as many mothers of unplanned pregnancies will confirm, surprise babies bless our lives in unimaginable ways once we choose to embrace the life God created. Prayers of “Why now, Lord?” turn to praises for how beautifully He upsets our plans.