Real Blessings

Have you ever noticed how Satan seems to distort and twist every beautiful thing God created?

 At the mention of practically anything God intended for His glory, the opposing view point of our culture  quickly comes to mind. That's obviously satan's goal in discouraging the church, and distorting God's picture of what is truth. One particular way this is very apparent is in regard to children.

The Bible is clear: children are a blessing. In our society, it's no surprise that they are often treated as a hindrance, annoyance, or obstacle; a  road block on some supposed path to success.
Psalm 127:3-5 says:
Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

These scriptures hold a special place in my heart for numerous reasons. One of those many reasons- is simply the fact that God calls children a blessing. God calls many different things a blessing in His word- but children are one of them. Some translations say: "Happy is the man whose quiver is full of them."
Children were meant by God to be a gift and blessing, not only to individuals, but to entire extended families and communities.

A few weeks back, I was approached by a lady who I had not seen in some time. The woman has always been nice and said hello. As I walked up to ask how she was doing, she said, "Hi Calley! You look great! And not even pregnant!!"
I almost laughed out loud. She had made a very obvious cut at the fact that Danny and I have had three children in around seven years. Her comment might have offended someone else- or someone else who shared her view point might have found it funny. I simply found it humerous (and have had many good laughs since) because she finds our number of children to be over-the-top.
I simply responded with a, "No. Not yet. But hopefully in the future!"
She then went on, "Ohhhh! You've got your hands full!"
The best I could figure out how to respond was, "We're doing great! "

The coversation went on a bit more, but not much. I guess I have thought outside of the box for so long regarding kids, that the thought of shutting down shop ;) after 3 children would seriously make me sad. God's ways are higher than ours, no doubt. But I cannot see us calling it quits on what He calls a blessing, whether that means more biological, or adopted children.

As I was leaving a store recently, I had all three boys in a large buggy. They were tired from a day of shopping, and Danny pushed another large buggy of groceries behind me. As I passed an older man, who was walking with what appeared to be his middle-aged son, he gave me and my buggy of boys a quick look over. He then proceeded to give a short rant to his son about bringing so many @*** kids to the store/ buggy...etc, etc. Believe it or not- my kids were being extrememly well behaved at the moment. That's not the norm in a store, by any means. In fact, on my way into the store there was a good bit of tired screaming going on. Nonetheless, I was baffled by that. What's up with the hate for kids? Every human was a kid, for crying out loud! Kids are seemingly accepted in our society when they are seen and not heard. As long as the kids are not causing any distraction in the public, and there aren't too many of them for goodness sakes, they're tolerated. I often think about what it must have been like when Jesus was teaching the multitudes. God alone knows, but there must've been hundreds of snotty nosed, screaming little blessings, and just as many cooing, little nursing infants and toddlers all over the place.  Jesus' words still penetrated. He still healed. His purpose was still fulfilled.

It seems in our call to be in the world, but not of it, we are constantly beckoned to draw lines based on our  convictions that seperate us from the mass populous. We are led to decide on what side of righteousness we will fall. Whether that be by refraining from certain things, or simply showing the world what it means to have a godly family. The wonderful job of reflecting what God says is good to the world will look different for every believer. Hands down though, it will be opposite of what the rest of the world calls good, what makes the world happy, and what is, in fact, considered a blessing by the majority of society. The incredible part though, is that's when our light as a follower of Christ shines the brightest. When we are able to respond in a unique way to a world mad at anything God calls good- things begin to change for the better. When sincere love and passion are the driving force behind conviction, it stands out as such a distinctive beam, even an unbeliever is left in awe. Only Christ can do that.
There are hard days in parenting; Very hard days, and I consider myself a beginner. There are days when I'm tempted to hold a list and an agenda higher than the true calling God has given me- to mother, to nurture, to love... to raise up my children as soldiers for Jesus Christ. It's especially on those days, that I hear the Holy Spirit reminding me so gently...

The children I've given you are a blessing. Talk to, focus on, and LEAD them, treasuring them as blessings. They are a gift and THEY are your agenda. Don't respond in the way the world responds. Respond with my love.

The lost world cannot understand children as a gift- because it doesn't understand God's Word. As a follower of Christ, I'm called to look beyond my own thoughts, and into what God has to say about things. When I find my feelings and thoughts in agreement with the world's view, and in disagreement with the Word of God, God gently reminds me to go back to His Word. I'm then called to line myself up accordingly- and walk it out, in love, bodly proclaiming what real truth and real blessings are.