God Makes Children Special, Not the Waiting, Every Child Carries Purpose from the Start

I was recently invited to speak at a PTA meeting in a local school. During my session, I shared a deeply personal story, how my wife and I prepared for 15 years before having our first child. I use the word preparing very deliberately, not merely to describe the passage of time, but because it reflects both the personal nature of our journey and the divine revelation through which we have come to understand and interpret that season.

I believe that every life experience is both personal and revelational. The uniqueness of our journeys, especially as people of faith, must be viewed not only through the lens of circumstance but also through divine perspective.

One of the parents at the meeting asked me a poignant question: Is it true that children born after a long wait are somehow more special than others? It’s a question I’ve heard before, but this time, it stirred something deeper in me.

Here’s the truth: every child is a gift from God, not because of when they are born, but because of who sent them.

Scripture declares, “Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward” (Psalm 127:3). And again, “Every good and perfect gift is from above…” (James 1:17). If children are a heritage and a reward, then each child, without exception, is a good and perfect gift.

Further still, the timing of a child’s arrival does not determine the weight of their purpose. “From one man he made all the nations… and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands” (Acts 17:26). God not only determines if a child will come, but when and where. Birth, therefore, is not a random occurrence, it is a divine appointment.

Each child’s identity is etched into eternity. “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:5). And even before time itself, God had us in mind: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4), and “His purpose and grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2 Timothy 1:9).

So, if every child is foreknown, foreseen, and foreordained by God, then we must conclude that every child is unique, not because of the wait, but because of the will that sent them.

Some point to biblical figures like Isaac or Samuel, children born after seasons of waiting as evidence that such children are inherently more special. But this conclusion confuses prominence with purpose. Isaac had a purpose. So did Samuel. But so did countless other children in the Bible whose names were never spotlighted. Their absence from the spotlight does not diminish the significance of their assignment.

When we wait long for a child, we may be tempted to idolize the gift, subconsciously worshipping the arrival rather than revering the Giver. This can lead to overindulgence or the imposition of unrealistic expectations. But such an approach is neither scriptural nor sustainable. Every child is sacred, not because of timing, but because of truth; not because of ‘delay,’ but because of design. Yes, waiting may cause us to treasure the child more deeply and pay closer attention, but that response reflects our humanity, not God’s hierarchy. And if it leads us anywhere, it should lead us into deeper cooperation with God to nurture the child’s uniqueness and reveal the difference they were sent to make.

I remember when I was in law school, students were frequently referred to as a “special breed.” That idea stuck with many of us. But life taught us otherwise, it is not the profession that makes us special; it is the purpose we bring to it.

Whether we are a biological parent, foster parent, teacher, caregiver, or community leader, we are a custodian of purpose. The child before us is not a blank slate to mold at will, but a seed with divine DNA, waiting to be nurtured into full bloom.

There are over 8 billion people on earth, and not a single repeated fingerprint. That’s not coincidence. That’s divine confirmation. Eight billion lives. Eight billion purposes. Each one designed, not duplicated.

Books like Showing Up for Life by William Gates Sr. (father of Bill Gates) remind us that great parenting is about recognizing the inherent greatness in every child, not projecting our expectations onto them. It is about stewarding what is already there.

Let us remember: the most important thing about a child is not how long we waited, but how well we raise them. Let us raise them in light of their purpose, not our pride.

The call to lead begins at home. Will we answer it with clarity, humility, and unwavering conviction?

Do have an INSPIRED week ahead with the family.