The blessing of children

While chatting with an old friend tonight I was reminded that I have not yet blogged about children…to my knowledge. Which is funny because children are so very important to me. I am so blessed that my parents and some of my friends share on the views that I have on this subject. I guess the passage above really explains how I view them.

As a blessing.

Whatever the number.

I know that a lot of people disagree that it is okay to have more than two or three kidos. It would be unwise to keep having children if you don’t have the money or time to spend with each and everyone of them alone everyday, right? Well, I disagree. That’s not what I’ve read in the Bible. It’s the Lord who opens and closes the womb. If the Lord has opened your womb, and if you are seeking to please Him and obey Him, he will provide. He will bless you. And because He refers to children as blessings, He may very well send another your way.

Psalm 37:1-9

¹ Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
² for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

³ Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴ Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
⁹ For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

Deuteronomy 7:13

He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb,….

As far as time alone with your children goes, I do see this as important. Although, if you raise up your children teaching them that children are a blessing and that each one of them, even if the 13th or 14th comes along, is still as much as a gift from God as the others and that time together is important as well, I don’t believe that there will be a huge demand for a lot of alone time. If you raise your children up to love one another as themselves, to put others  above and before themselves, and to treat others more important than themselves, I think you will see joy in your children when they are together. They will enjoy the time they have alone with you…and they will enjoy the time they have with the whole gang.
I’m no mother, though, I have seen this in other families who share the same convictions. The way their children treat one another definitely reflects the way they have been brought up in the home.
As you have probably already guessed, one of my greatest desire is to have children. I want several, but realize what the Lord gives us is what He gives us. Whether it be 14 or 2, Lord, help me to trust you.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.