Never Too Many Flowers

In light of New York's disappointing decision to legalize abortion up to birth, I want to remind us of what Mother Teresa said once:

A Prayer for My Children

Whenever I come to the book of Philippians in my bible, I am reminded of praying Philippians 1:9-11 for my children (I have marked in my bible that it is a prayer for my children).

It has been a while since I have been in Philippians, but I don't want to wait so long in between praying this prayer for them, so I created a printable that I am going to hang on my "War" wall (I don't have space for war room so I have a wall in my bedroom).

I am sharing it with you in case you would like to do the same.

You can save this image and then print or save the pdf file found here.

Redeeming Childbirth

Redeeming Childbirth by Angie Tolpin

I recently read, Redeeming Childbirth by Angie Tolpin. Although I am currently experiencing my 12th pregnancy, I still was quite intrigued by this book. Also, even though this book is meant to be about childbirth, there were things mentioned that can pertain to all aspects of life.

"We are a blessed nation and people, but we need perspective. The prosperity we enjoy has led to an entitlement mentality that has crept into our Christian homes and churches. This attitude of selfish indulgence breeds ideas in us that we shouldn't have to experience hardships or trials in life. We'll go to great lengths to avoid the consequences of our choices and unwittingly only delay God's law of sowing and reaping. Sadly, by dodging rather than engaging in these challenges, we cripple ourselves because we fail to learn this life lesson of cause and effect. This failure to grow and learn makes us less prepared to tackle the bigger trials in life that will undoubtedly come." (11)

While this isn't any new information, it just struck me when I read this. I think because I read this book during this election season, it was more "in my face" than if I would have read it at any other time.

Anyone who knows me knows that I truly believe children are a gift from God. While I hear many Christians say they believe the same thing, their actions don't always support that saying.

"If we don't view life as a sacred gift, then we won't want children simply because we'll focus on the sacrifices (our bodies, sleep, and money) we would have to make based on selfish and worldly perspectives. When birth is under attack, life is under attack. It is like any slippery slope, and we the church need to keep our armor heavily outfitted in this battle so we can "extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one," (Eph. 6:16, NIV)" (39) 

Another aspect that Mrs. Tolpin writes about is something that my husband and I have been saying for years.

"Satan does not want strong Christian couples having babies and raising them for the glory of God. The reality is that he will try his best to discourage you and make your experience one that you are not willing to experience again in order to bring forth life.

If we acknowledge this challenge and we proclaim the Holy Scriptures as we fight the good fight to live in faith and not fear we can overcome his attacks on the family and on marriage today. We can choose to allow God to redeem our hard situations for His good." (118)

She also addresses how we are told we should expect hardships. If we should expect them, why would we try to avoid them?

"As Christians, we are warned and encouraged to be prepared mentally for trials, to expect persecution for our faith. "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed," (1 Peter 4:12, 13, NIV, emphasis mine). We should not expect life to be easy or try to avoid it when it is hard, but instead look at the opportunity to learn more bout God, more about what Jesus endured for us. When we experience trials and pain, it will create in us a yearning for our heavenly home." (163)

There is a lot more in this book then just these topics that I addressed here, which is why I highly suggest women read this book whether they are currently pregnant or not. I truly believe that any woman will find encouragement and wisdom from Angie Tolpin's book.

Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month

My thoughts and prayers are with anyone who has endured a pregnancy loss or the loss of a baby. Unfortunately, I know the deep sense of loss and the emotional pain involved myself.

Be Not Like Children

Ephesians 4:14 KJV 

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

When we come to Christ, we are considered babes. We know little of what true discipleship is. As believers, we are called to grow in Christ. We can not stay as babes only trying to survive on milk. We must desire to dig deeper and feast on the meat of scripture.

Let's look at another aspect of children. Children are easily persuaded. They are very trusting and think that those in authority know all things. They are easily swayed by what they are told and usually lack the intelligence to perceive deception. In fact, many adults are often deceived so how can we expect more from our children?

It is in light of this scripture that my mind turned to education. Most Christians who send their children to public schools say that their children are lights to others and that their children will not be swayed by the humanistic thinking and teaching.Their children will be different. Unfortunately, I just don't see that happening (except in a very few cases.)

If we, as adults, are not successful in being lights to those we work with or with our neighbors, how can we expect our children to be different?

Yes, our child may come home and say that their friend prayed the prayer with them, but how do we know the sincerity of that prayer? Was that child just being swayed by another doctrine? I can't even count the number of people I know personally who as children said the prayer but then turned and never returned to the right path.

We need to realize that those who are against Christ are cunning and crafty and lying in wait to deceive. In fact, as the days go by, there is less cunningness and more and more blatant opposition to Christ.

We are called to not be like a child. We need to open our eyes to the deceptions of the evil one and protect our own children until they are no longer children.

In Thine Heart

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 KJV 

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

At the core of life is the knowledge of who God is and how to relate to Him. These two essentials form us and how we live.

The knowledge of who God is-We must study His Word and get to know God. We must form a personal relationship with Him. This leads to how we relate to Him. We must know His commands. We must make them a part of our lives.

Not only must we know His commands, we must share our knowledge with others, especially our children. We should talk about God no matter what we are doing. Our homes should be filled with His Word--not only read and spoken, but on the walls and doorposts. God, and His Word, must be the center of our lives.

As parents, we must be intentional about sharing God with our children. He must be a part of every aspect of our lives.

So many parents see these verses as directives to home school children. We are to "teach them diligently" (emphasis mine) at all times. How can we do that if our children spend a third of their day under the tutelage of humanistic thinking?

A Sleep Trick for Baby

I think I stumbled upon a little sleep trick.

My youngest is 5 months old and went through 2 weeks of waking every 1 1/2 to 2 hours at night and would only go back to sleep after eating. At first I thought that maybe this was a growth spurt, but then I realized that during the day she would go 4 to 4 1/2 hours so it must not have been a growth spurt.

Then it happened.

I remembered (after being back from vacation for 2 weeks) to turn down the thermostat before going to bed. You see, we used to always turn down the thermostat before going to bed but had gotten out of the habit while on vacation and had forgotten since returning home. Well, that first night of me turning down the thermostat, she only woke once. Then, the next night I remembered again, and again, she only woke once.

My guess is that just like me, she was getting too hot during the night and it woke her up (just like it did me). Getting up to eat cooled her down since she was out from the blanket for 10-15 minutes.

This isn't something that I would have even thought would affect a baby and it certainly wasn't a suggestion when I was asking around for advice on what to do for my baby that wouldn't sleep anymore. I figure that maybe it might help someone else who is as perplexed as I was.

Encouraging Creativity

Our family is sometimes criticized because of how we live. We do not have a television that is hooked up (we have one that we only use to watch DVD's), we do not have lots of electronic games (and those we do have are used sparingly), we do not have lots of toys/games, etc. We have chosen this lifestyle for a few reasons. 1. We do not like the influence that some of those things have on our children. 2. We live a modest lifestyle and honestly can not afford many of those things. 3. We encourage our children to be creative.

 Encouraging our children to be creative is what I want to discuss today. We believe it is important to allow children to have the time to pursue what interests them. We also believe in allowing them opportunities to be problem solvers. It is amazing what they come up with when given the chance!

Many of my girls like to sew. We currently have four sewing machines in the house so there is usually a machine available to them at all times. They have free range of anything in the scrap bins and many times I will allow them to use other material as well, but they do have to ask first to make sure I don't have plans for it already. One of my girls was digging through the scrap bin one day and found a part of a women's skirt that we had cut up to use for something else because of a tear it had that wasn't fixable. She took it and made it into skirt for her youngest sister (who loves it by the way!).

A few weeks ago, my husband was busy building me a summer kitchen and there were lots of wood scraps laying around. My girls had so much fun making things with those! Give them a few nails and a hammer and they got creative!

They made a table and benches for their dolls.

They each have forts in the woods on our property and this was a shelf
they made to hold their "kitchen supplies".

Here was a bench for one of their forts.

They made lots of crosses! One will be hanging in (or on) the summer
kitchen at some point, they have some for their forts, and of course they
have some they can give away (or try to sell).

One of my girls had seen a star made out of twigs at a friend's house so she made her own.

All of these creations were accomplished with very little help from me and some were done without my knowledge (until they were completed and they showed them off!).  My children have used problem solving skills to make sure they had the right height for their benches and the right angles to put things together. They were creative in deciding what to make and how to go about getting it done.

By "playing" they are learning skills that will benefit them greatly in years to come. I love when they would rather be creating instead of plugged into some electronic device.

I would love to hear about what your children have created!

Heart Change

I recently discovered a blog that I enjoy reading. I was originally drawn to it because the blogger's last name is Smith which was my last name before I married, but I have continued to read because I agree with everything I have read so far and often find encouragement.

She recently wrote about how her (and her husband's) hearts changed on the issue of birth control, babies and family size. I have to say that our story is similar to hers, but not exactly. I encourage you to read her story at the link below.

How My Heart Changed Towards Birth Control, Babies, and Family Size

Delight

The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. ~ Zephaniah 3:17

When you are struggling in life, remember that "The Lord thy God . . . is might to save"! He will give you joy. He will give you rest. He will take great delight in you.

As a mother, I often would sing to my babies when they were troubled. I took joy in the ability to calm them with songs of praise. They knew that I loved them and would relax and calm. What a beautiful picture! Christ singing over me as I would sing over my children. He delights in me just as I delight in my children.

Receive Children

Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. ~ Mark 9:37 

And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. ~ Mark 9:42

Tonight I will be attending my first Right to Life dinners. I have wanted to attend for the past few years, but something has been either already scheduled for the same day or something comes up that prevents me from attending. I am excited to attend as I truly believe in the cause.

The issue of children is near and dear to my heart and I have long supported and worked for the local pregnancy resource center (Life Resources of Cadillac) for 10 years. I have also given whatever support I can give to those who adopt, are foster parents, or even expecting/new mothers.

For the most part, society views children as a nusiance and often times a problem to be avoided. Even among Christians, they may say children are a blessing, but don't want more (or any) and think others shouldn't have them either.

God's Word says differently. When we receive a child, we receive God. Whether through birth or adoption, accepting a child is accepting God and His blessings.

If we fail to accept, take care of, and protect children, Christ says it is better for us to die.

Abortion is an extreme way of not accepting a child. By supporting abortion (in any way), a person is not protecting children. As Christians, we should do all we can to not only protect the life of a child from conception on through life, but care for it after birth if needed as well. We need to stand together and love what God loves and His Word clearly states that He loves children.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made!

Is the Church Ready?

Currently, the number of Christian church congregations in America outnumbers children who are waiting to be adopted from U.S. foster care by about a 3 to 1 ratio. This means that if each congregation adopted even one child, there would be no orphans in America. God has given His church the charge to care for the oppressed, the poor, and the orphan. These statistics yield disturbing evidence that the church, as a whole, has not heeded His Word on this issue. Currently, the government is raising the fatherless, though the church was given the mandate. ~Sharon Karns

 Read the entire article at Is the Church Ready for the Abortion Law to Change?

Blessings for the New Year!

I would like to wish all my readers blessings for 2013! I know I haven't been around much, but things have been busier than I would like lately and I haven't had time to sit and write much. I didn't even have time to do Christmas cards this year and just recently found enough time to do a New Year card only to discover we don't have the funds to mail them out. I can at least share with all my friends and family who I connect with via Internet!

2012 was an eventful year with Tissa turning 1, Hava-3, Jaina & Martha-4, Cora-6, Sabra-7, Allyn-8, Eva-10 & Dara-12. We also had the opportunity to take a family trip to TX to visit friends. We were blessed to not only have places to stay, but also spend time with friends who opened their homes to us. It was a trip none of us will ever forget! We are excited for all the changes the new year will bring. Not only will we have a teenager in the house (Dara will turn 13!), but we will also, Lord willing, welcome a new little one into our home in July. May God bless you in 2013!

10 Responses Against "Concern"

My initial response to those with inappropriate "concern" after a miscarriage.

Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We know that care and concern were your reasons for writing; however, we were hurt by what was written. It may not have been your intention, but it made one of us feel as if you thought of us as ignorant and naive and belittled our faith. If there was any time we needed encouragement, it would be now. Instead we felt attacked and bullied by the "scare" tactics used. The only way scare tactics are going to work is on uneducated, ignorant, naive people.

Some of the following we have said before, but obviously they need to be reiterated. Some of the statements are information meant to educate. The rest of the statements are truly only our business, but since you are showing concern, we will share them with you.

1. We view children--ALL children--as blessings from the Lord. Whether we have children on this earth with us or in heaven waiting for us, they are all blessings. We are happy with how the Lord has blessed us to this point. If our nine girls is all He has for us, we are content. If He has more planned for us, then we will be content with that as well. We are not out to try to have as many children as possible. We are open to all blessings the Lord has for us. "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate." Psalm 127:3-5

2. We have complete and utter faith that God will provide for us. If He brings us to it, He will bring us through it. He will never give us more than we can handle. "'Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things."' Matthew 6:31-34

3. We believe in allowing our bodies to work as God created them to work. He created a woman's body to "be fruitful and multiply". It is never dangerous to do something within God's will. We do not feel as if Darcy is in any danger and we have peace with what God is doing in our lives. "All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

4. Our sex life is just that--ours. It shouldn't be up for debate with anyone besides Chad, Darcy and God. When comments are made about when we have sex, how often we have sex, or how we should have sex, it is interfering with something that is to remain within the marriage. We don't go around offering "advice" to others on when they should have sex and we expect the same respect for our marriage.

5. Darcy has seen our Naturopathic doctor since discovering she was pregnant to ensure she was taking the supplements she needed. She saw her the day she started spotting and every few days thereafter. Her iron levels were being monitored and taken care of as needed.

6. Darcy did contact a medical professional to see if anything should be done after the miscarriage. She was told that unless she felt ill, the only thing that would be done is to check her iron levels and offer emotional support. Since her iron levels were already being monitored, we declined paying to have the same thing done (we were being wise stewards of our finances). Since your "concern", Darcy spoke with another medical professional who said that a doctor won't do a D&C on a woman who has had a complete miscarriage as she has.

7. Just because a woman has a miscarriage, it does not mean that her body is not capable of carrying a life or that it is a "sign" that she is to stop bearing children. Think of all the families that experienced a miscarriage on their very first pregnancy! What about Michelle Duggar who had a miscarriage after her first child and then went on to bear 18 more children without any problems. Here are some statistics about miscarriage.

• About 15 to 20 percent of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. Most of them occur in the first 13 weeks, or first trimester.
• For women in their 20s and early 30s, the chance of miscarriage is about 15 percent. At 35 the chance of miscarrying rises to one in four, and at 40 the miscarriage rate is close to one in three.
• Most early pregnancy losses are due to genetics and cannot be prevented. But losing a pregnancy doesn't mean that anything is wrong with a woman's health or that she can't have more children.

8. Just because a woman has a miscarriage, does not mean that "it is absolutely necessary to have a D&C" or she risks infection, get sick or even die.

• [D]octors sometimes offer women a choice of miscarriage treatment. The options are usually to wait for a natural miscarriage, have a D&C, or use medication to bring on the miscarriage bleeding.(emphasis mine)
• 80% to 90% of women with diagnosed miscarriage will miscarry within two to six weeks without complications.
• After a miscarriage, any remaining tissue may be removed by dilation and curettage (D&C). This procedure involves dilating the cervix and gently scraping the tissue from the lining of the uterus. (emphasis mine)

9. Our older girls are NOT raising our younger girls no matter what you may think. Chad and Darcy are the parents and we do not put our children in an authority role (except for Dara who is beginning to learn how to babysit just as I did when I was actually younger than her). Do they help around the house? Sure. It is called training. It is what God has called us as parents to do. We are a family and we act as a family. Christ came to serve, not be served. We are teaching our children the joy of serving others. We don't see how teaching them to be like Christ is a bad thing. "through love serve one another" Galatians 5:13 and "you shall love your neighbor as yourself" Leviticus 19:18.

10. People say, "God gave you common sense." We believe scripture when it says,

• "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, "says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts."' Isaiah 55:8-9
• "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death." Proverbs 14:12
• "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6
• "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?. . . Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. . .But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty . . . that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 1: 20, 25, 27, 31

“Many Are the Afflictions of the Righteous

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.” ~ Psalm 34:19

We are not told that we will have a carefree life when we live for Christ. In fact we are told, “many are the afflictions”. It seems like I’ve experienced more than my share of afflictions lately.

We have endured a very rough couple of months. Now I know there are people who are enduring much more than we have even in these difficult times for us, but it has still been very hard for us. I admire those who are suffering more than us as they continue to not only survive, but flourish amidst their circumstances.

I wrote last month about going through a difficult time with some things. We are still dealing with those issues as well as another blow. While I thought about not saying anything at all or even mentioning it, but not going into details (as I have in the past), God laid it on my heart to be open and honest. It is by not only being open and honest that I might bring healing to my heart, but it may also be an encouragement to others and let other women know they are not alone.

Late last week I suffered my first miscarriage.

Only a handful of people even knew I was pregnant as we hadn’t even told our girls yet. I was two months along. We had only told the few people whom we knew would be happy for us and not offer us rude comments, silence, or fake congratulations. We hadn’t told the girls yet because we know they are not as discreet when it comes to sharing information.

Suffering the miscarriage was hard enough, but it seems as if I miscarried twins. Since this was my first experience with miscarriage, I was unsure of what to expect or what to expect my body to be able to handle. I threw myself into work after I initially miscarried because I was trying to avoid thinking about it. This was not helpful as it stressed my body more than it should have been stressed.

Even after I realized that I was going to need to rest to recover, I kept my mind busy by watching Road to Avonlea episodes. I lost myself in the lives of the characters instead of dealing with my own pain. It was only after I had finished the final season that I allowed myself to think about what happened for more than a few minutes. I spent time in my Bible and found comfort in God’s Word.

While I have been telling myself from the beginning that it was God’s will and that He knows better than I, I was having a hard time truly believing that in my heart. I kept wondering what I had done wrong to cause the miscarriage. I wondered if it was because I have been praying for a boy so much and the babies I miscarried were girls. I wondered if I have been a bad mother to the children I have and that is why God took these new lives. I wondered if it was because I hadn’t taken good care of my body and it wasn’t fit to carry life. I wondered if it was because I have often thought that I couldn’t care for a special needs child and maybe one or both of the babies would have had special needs.

I wondered a great number of things, but the TRUTH is that God has a plan for my life. His ways are different than my ways (Isaiah 55:8). I have already seen him use my sufferings to help others and I know He will use this for His glory as well. It might be by my being able to comfort someone else enduring a miscarriage or it might just be by expressing my love of life—any life.

I am sure I will still have moments where I question God’s decision. I am sure I will still have moments where I just break down in tears. I know I will think more about the consequences of my decisions even if it is as simple as eating something that I know I really shouldn’t. I know I will spend more time in His Word instead of escaping into fictitious world. I know I will continue with my “Blessings Book” (which I started after reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Read about my thoughts on the book here.).

I pray and hope that anyone who has experienced a miscarriage would comment here and share your thoughts, experience, encouragement, etc. with others. I pray that those who have never experienced a miscarriage but would like to express their words of comfort and encouragement would leave a comment. I pray that those who feel the need to leave a rude or hurtful comment would chose to keep their fingers silent and not comment.

I leave you with the following scripture as encouragement.

I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;

The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.

I sought the Lord, and He heard me,

And delivered me from all my fears.

They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces were not ashamed.

This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,

And saved him out of all his troubles.

The angle of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him ,

And delivers them.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!

There is not want to those who fear Him.

The young lions lack and suffer hunger,

But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. . . .

. . . . The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,

And delivers them out of all their troubles.

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,

And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

~Psalm 34: 1-10; 17-18

Why Have Babies

Why Have Babies-- A Look at Chapters 17 & 18 of Be Fruitful & Multiply: Why Parents in the Twenty-First Century Love Having Children & What Do Children Say?

                                                         

Both of these chapters give exact quotations from real people as to why having more children is a blessing. While there are 101 reasons from parents, here are just some of them that I can definitely say I agree with!

“We love receiving gifts and blessings from God.”

“I’d love another baby because to choose not to is like saying “no” to God. I want to say “yes” to God and His will for my life.”

“I love to see the faces of my children as they see a new brother or sister for the first time.”

“Children brighten up the home. They make life interesting.”

“More children give us the opportunity to have our faith increased as we see God meet our daily needs.”

“Having children helps to develop in us the godly character of servanthood.”

“My children help me surrender the selfish desires of my flesh.”

“Parenthood allows us to experience the kind of love our Heavenly Father has for us.”

“Babies remind us of how wonderful and how creative our God is.”

“Babies are a lot more entertaining than television.”

“We’re helping to build the kingdom of God.”

“Children teach me to become a servant, and that’s what Jesus wants us to be. Jesus Himself said He came to serve rather than be served.”

“The more children we have, the more we will be blessed when we are older. Instead of being lonely, we will have many children and grandchildren around to entertain us, to bless us, and to care for us.”

“Raising up a godly seed is laying up treasure in heaven.”

“Having children causes us to depend on God moment by moment!”

Some six year olds said:

“Because I love babies.”

“Because I want to hug another one. And I could babysit at home.”

“I could make him laugh and teach him how to do tricks and how to play games.”

When I asked my own girls why they wanted me to have another, I got the following responses:

“I just love babies.”

“Because they always grow up and I like having a baby around.”

“I want a brother so I can play tricks on him.”

Children are truly a blessing and reading and studying this book and the scriptures it brought to light have only made that more evident for me. I pray this series of posts has been a blessing to at least one other person.

If you have been encouraged to read this book on your own, reconsider more children, study the scriptures more yourself, or something else because of this series, please leave a comment below!

Do Not Deprive—A Look at Chapter 16 of Be Fruitful & Multiply

“When we refuse to have more children, we deprive many people.”

Have you ever thought about it that way or not? Many people will tell you that not having children or more children is their choice and it doesn’t matter to anyone else what their decision is. In actuality, it does affect others.

You deprive God of someone He had a plan for.

You deprive yourself of a blessing (or blessings) that God had in store for you.

You deprive your parents (that child’s grandparents) of “glory and honor” (Proverbs 17:6.

If you already have children and choose to not have more, then you are depriving your children of the blessing of a sister or brother.

You deprive the church of not only someone to minister to, but of someone that can help further the gospel message.

You deprive the world. That child you chose not to have could have been who the world needed to turn people back to Christ. You never know the power of raising godly seed.

Your decision to not have children (or more children) definitely has an effect on more than just you and your spouse. So many people will miss out on blessings because you choose to deny a blessing that God has planned for you.

The Vision—A Look at Chapter 15 of Be Fruitful & Multiply

Can you remember back to what you were told before you were married about marriage? If you aren’t married yet, just think to what people tell you about marriage.

Get to know each other before you have children.

Take time to travel and experience “life” before you have children.

Establish a large bank account, large home, new vehicles, etc. before you have children.

Do any of these sound familiar to you? Unfortunately, they do to me. I heard all of those and more after Chad and I were engaged. In fact, I told myself I wasn’t going to have children until after I was tenured and “secure” in my teaching. Good thing God changed my mind about that! If I would have listened to myself, I would have missed out on my first three children!

Nancy Campbell discusses the types of blessings that were said over a newly married couple in the Bible. They are in stark contrast to what blessings are said today. While she quotes and discusses many of those passages, I’m just going to mention one—Rebekah (because it is the freshest in my mind considering my husband mentioned her in his sermon last week).

Let’s recap the story briefly. Abraham sent a servant back to his homeland to find a wife for Rebekah. He said that whoever offers his servant water and water for his camel would be the woman. Rebekah was that woman. The servant went to her home and told her father what had happened and said that Rebekah must go back with him right away to become Isaac’s wife (remember, Rebekah had never even seen Isaac!). Rebekah and her father both consented and before she left, her family spoke a blessing over her.

“And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be though the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.” ~ Genesis 24:60

In most people’s eyes, they had every reason to say, “Wait until you get to know each other first!”, but they didn’t. They chose to speak a great vision for her. What greater vision can we have than to live a life for God and do His will?

Beauty in the Every Day

God definitely knew what He was doing when He blessed me with daughters (like anyone really questioned that!). I am definitely not a "girly-girl" and often lean toward practical instead of pretty. My daughters, on the other hand, are definitely all about the pretty!

Ever since the wild flowers started blooming, I have had at least one container full of flowers on my table. When a new flower appeared in the field across the street, Sabra asked about what kind it was. I informed her it was a daisy and one of my favorite flowers. Since then, I have been blessed with some on my table. Just today she brought me a big bouquet. Every time I walk into the kitchen (which is often when I have to feed a family of 11!) a smile appears on my face.

My girls have helped me see the beauty in creation. God created it for us and we need to take the time to embrace it and enjoy it. I often miss it in my quest for practicality and accomplishing tasks. God knew I would need help embracing the beauty and my feminine side. I guess I need more help than others which is why I have 9 girls!