Character Over Academics

"Good moral character is the first essential in a man." ~General George Washington

Our Catherine is working through "The Life of Fred" math book during the summer. The book is perfect except that each lesson lists all of the solutions and answers on the page after the problems, not in a separate teacher's book like what is usual for us. I had reminded her when she began this book that she would have to take responsibility for her own education by not cheating herself by peaking at the answers.

Today, she got 2 out of the 10 of the answers wrong which is not a good percentage around here, but the good news is she obviously didn't look at the answers. I praised her for her honesty, integrity and self-control by not peeking at the answers which in our home is more commendable than being a math genius.

To be the smartest, the most talented, the most popular... these are worldly pursuits and it is easy, even as a Christian, to be enticed and motivated by worldly dreams. However, upright character laid out clearly in God's Word should be the focus of our goals.

After all, Ted Kaczynski was considered a highly intelligent man. Godly virtue he had not.

Of course, we highly prize academic success around here too, but think it a natural fruit of building strong character which is where we hope to focus our training. And, it doesn't happen by osmosis, folks. Here is our family's game plan:

Daily family worship led by their dad,
Christ-centered curriculum derived directly from God's Word,
Reading books about people who exemplify strong character,
Spending time with friends who challenge and inspire us toward godliness,
Providing opportunities to serve others,
Giving lots of jobs that benefit the family

and here is the hard one...

Keeping our children with us (we consider this a full time job) so they might hopefully observe in real time their very own parents exemplifying moral character in our daily walk. I mean what I say that this one is the hardest!

YOU don't think I don't ever want to look ahead at the answers or that I don't ever want to eat my dessert first or that I don't ever feel like giving up on a hard task?!?!?! Believe me... I know its hard. This is why we are on our faces in prayer every day, and... it is why we provide lots of Bible education and books about people who exemplify strong character. ;)

The truth is they see us fail often. We are incapable of raising perfect children because we are far from perfect ourselves. What makes all the difference is that they see a mom and dad who in their hearts desperately desire to love and glorify God in all that we do. Just a mom and dad who desire to embrace God's plan for our family, submit ourselves unto Him and trust that He will raise His children for His Glory.

Okay... Back on face in prayer!!!

Can't or Unwilling

The average Joe says, "I wouldn't want so many children because of the financial burden. I simply can't afford it."

In the words of Martin Luther:

"Although it is very easy to marry a wife, it is very difficult to support her along with the children and the household. Accordingly, no one notices this faith of Jacob. Indeed, many hate fertility in a wife for the sole reason that the offspring must be supported and brought up. For this is what they commonly say: ‘Why should I marry a wife when I am a pauper and a beggar? I would rather bear the burden of poverty alone and not load myself with misery and want.’ But this blame is unjustly fastened on marriage and fruitfulness. Indeed, you are indicting your unbelief by distrusting God’s goodness, and you are bringing greater misery upon yourself by disparaging God’s blessing. For if you had trust in God’s grace and promises, you would undoubtedly be supported. But because you do not hope in the Lord, you will never prosper."

— Martin Luther (Sermons of Martin Luther, The)

With a fresh-off-the-lot, over-sized, gas guzzling SUV/truck parked in the garage, most people who think they can't afford more children are not "paupers" and "beggars". They are simply unwilling.

How Many Arrows?

"As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, So are the children of youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: They shall not be put to shame, When they speak with their enemies in the gate." ~Psalms 127:4-5 ASV

Today I asked my children this question and here are their answers:

"If you were going into battle, how many arrows would you want in your quiver?"
Aaron (3) - "At least 7."
Catherine (11) - "20??"
Alexey (14) - "As many as I could get."

Out of the mouths of babes!!

Only God should decide the amount of "arrows" we should have in our quivers, but it is clearly Biblical to desire many of them.

The Family Catechism

Okay, bear with me and all of this catechism talk. This is good stuff.

Today's society seems to be bent on separating the family unit. Children are away at school, fathers AND MOTHERS who work too much, hobbies and endless extra curricular activity like sports teams and music, technology like cell phones and video gaming, Facebook, I could go on and on and I am sure you could add more to the list.

Dare I say, even many churches hardly recognize the importance of nourishing the functioning, Biblical family. I am talking about the one found in Deuteronomy 6. Yes, local churches swallow the time of mother's, father's and youth in a manner that keeps them separated from worshiping, praying, meditating, witnessing with one another destroying Duet 6.

Busy-bodiness, lack of motivation or vision and a whole host of problems are tearing the Biblical family unit apart.

Doug Phillips of Vision Forum ministries has shared a great idea that he practices with his family to foster their unit and togetherness. He has developed a family catechism. Now, keep in mind that his family catechism can be changed and updated as the Lord shapes and hones them in their faith and vision. Most importantly, it will not replace their theological Catechism which is designed to help them know and love Christ more which is their first priority.

Their family catechism merely highlights what he calls their "family idiosyncrasies". Their unique calling and specific mission as a family and how it fits into God's master plan.

In his words: "I do believe that family catechisms are timely, beneficial, and wise. They represent a legitimate attempt to further implement the discipleship commands of Deuteronomy 6, Proverbs and elsewhere, by formalizing the godly instruction priorities of fathers for their children into pithy, terse maxims that will be remembered by the children and can be passed on for generations."

Find his tutorial here:
The Family Catechism

Here are a few examples:
Question #2:
What is the strategic mission
of the Phillips family?

To defend the crown
rights of Christ in our
wicked generation by
advancing the Kingdom of
God in every area of life,
and by fighting for the
Christian family.

Question# 4:
Who do the Phillip's fear?

Phillipses fear God, but
Phillipses fear no man. For
the wicked flee when no
man pursueth, but the
righteous are bold as a
lion.

Question # 13:
What lifetime Scripture goal
has your father set before you?

To read God's Word everyday.

The Joy of The Boy

I want to share a testimony of how God has used our little boy to do great things in our family. As always, I cast no judgment on the practices of others, but I do not wish to be silent about how God is working in our lives.

Today is our little boy's 3rd birthday. Aaron is our 3rd of 4 children and he is the only boy.

He is such a joy to have in our home. His energy, activity, humor, emotions, silly antics and manly nature keep the ladies in our family entertained. How we love our little boy, yet...

his Dad and I cannot celebrate his life without an underlying feeling of remorse and sorrow.

This boy is a mercy child. He is our first child born after a vasectomy reversal. We almost rejected him as we had for many years been rejecting the potential for other children in our family. When we gaze upon this boyish blessing we come face to face with the fact that we almost prevented his life and we even had to be convinced by the Holy Spirit through His Word to accept him. If left to our own plans to do what merely seemed right in our own eyes, we would have closed the door on him not accepting him into our family. This is a humbling reality.

This is the reality that leaves a bittersweet mixture of joy and regret in our hearts.

How merciful God has been to us to open our blind eyes to His Truth, His Design, His Will, His Enlightenment, His Provision?!?!



Not only do we celebrate Aaron's life today, but also, how God has used him to lift us out of the worldly rut of rejecting life and into a challenging, yet deeply rewarding place where all of His blessings will be received into our home from now on despite the cost. We will continue to give God ALL the credit for every child He delivers to us because He alone is the giver of life, not us. We destroy, prevent and waist life, but God is so merciful to send His Son to give us a new heart and to show us His Ways that lift us out of our evil destruction.



Aaron is more than just a birthday boy. He is a testament to how God is working in our household!!

Dominion Over Fear of Pain during Childbirth

The Final Push

Before I had my first child, I had an intuition that God uses the process of childbirth to teach and mold us as women, if we make ourselves teachable and we approach it naturally, according to His design. I have proven myself to be a very slow learner as it has taken FOUR children to fully submit myself to God's will. I have, however, learned a few things about His plan for childbirth and hope to share them in this blog.

A brief history:

Baby 1 was what I call The Works. Like if you go to a car wash a get the Super Max wash. I just laid there while technology ran the show. I was induced 3 weeks early for convenience. I never felt a painful contraction because the epidural was administered and the whole birth was managed. I dilated 1 centimeter per hour on the dot. She was healthy, but small. And my need for a God's provision was completely numbed.

Sensing that something was not right, I wised up with baby 2. I educated myself about the risks of inducing childbirth. I read Dr. Sear's The Birthing Book and Natural Birth The Bradley Way. I was amazed by the complications caused by opting for the easy route. But, with Baby 2, God broke me by teaching me that intentions to go natural alone do not make for a safe birth. Either way, natural or The Works, He would be in control of my labor. Her birth was complicated by an abrupted placenta at 32 weeks. Several ambulance rides to the hospital, strict bed rest and finally an emergency c-section would be the method of her delivery. She was four weeks early, but very healthy. Praise God for the technology WHEN it is needed!!

With baby 3, I worked hard for nine months trying to deal with tensions and fears. During this pregnancy, I read some great books about natural childbirth. One was Ina Mays Guide to Childbirth. In that book, Ina May gave me a vision for the possibilities of a tear-free, complication-free birth. Also, Spiritual Childbirth, which laid out the possibility for a natural pain-free birth by trusting in Christ who has liberated us from the curse. I knew that to have a natural birth with minimal pain I would have to deal with some minor conflicts in my marriage partnership. Dealing with these conflicts would allow hubby and I to be a stronger team as we brought this baby into the world and this would effect my ability to cope with this birth. Unfortunately, I spent the entire pregnancy avoiding these issues hoping that they would miraculously vanish. As expected, my tension, though minor, did affect my ability to cope. I opted for pain relief just as I was entering transition, the hardest but shortest part of labor.
If I would have persevered just a little longer... I was quite disappoint. God was still teaching through it all, revealing and purging disconnections between my relationship with Him, as well as, with my husband.

I was given another chance with baby number 4. Hubby and I worked to make our little birthing team stronger and I spent 9 months (a blessing to have so much time) practicing putting my faith in God. During my toddler's naps I would lay down and practice tensing then relaxing each part of my body. I would pray for God's strength and protection admitting to Him that I could not do this on my own apart from His Grace. I also, peered through pages of the Bible searching for verses to memorize and recite throughout the expectancy and labor. Among them:

¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. ~Romans 12:1,2

Each pregnancy has brought me closer to Him is some way, but I feel I am finally getting off of the milk and learning to walk on water with Him on a more regular basis. If I had taken all of the c-section and induction opportunities presented to me along the way, I would have avoided important exercises for spiritual growth. Trust me, it wasn't always easy. I was tempted on many occasions to go for the epidural. As my due date approached, I would plead with God like a baby, asking Him to procrastinate this birth. "Please, Lord, not tonight. I am too tired. I have a sinus cold. I just want to sleep well tonight." I am sure you can get the picture that I am not a perfectly obedient person, but maybe that will improve by facing trials and life's situations head on... I hope????

3 days after my due date I was awakened by gentle but very real and regular contractions. They were 6 minutes apart, but I knew from the sign posts that birth was not close. It was 2 am in the morning when they started, so I tried to settle back to sleep even though I was a little excited. I knew this was it. At 4ish, with a whisper I shared with Vince that it was time. I snuggled with him and for a cycle of every 5 or 6 minutes of rest between contractions I would go into a deep sleep. I felt like I had been asleep for hours, but the clock told me different. This went on all night. As I was aroused by each contraction, I would praise God that He was showing me how only He can give me true rest. He would never give me more that I can handle. He is so good!!

Around 7 am we got up. We shared the news with our children. I ate a nourishing breakfast and drank alot of my special tea brew. I relaxed on the couch, still having contractions and stopping to focus on each one, asking each member of by body to relax and submit itself to my Creator. Our house was marked by peace and joy on the morning of Nov. 20th. Conversation was mostly about what we would name her. We really had no ideas.

Around 11:00 I started moving around more and the labor got moving a little faster. I got back to the couch so I could stay focused and regain dominion over any tension that might try to sneak into my muscles. Contractions were suddenly very close together and strong. I told Hubs I thought it was time to get going to the hospital. The ride was the hardest. It is never easy to relax in a car on the interstate especially when you are in transition, the hardest part of labor. The trip in the car was the only time I experienced real out-of-control pain radiating in my back. I thrashed about in the back seats of our minivan trying to get comfortable. During contractions, I hung like a monkey on the handle that is on the ceiling of our van being quite thankful for our heavily tented windows. Between contractions, I sat on my knees backwards in the back bucket seat hugging the head rest. I was behaving in a very undignified manner- I was loosing it and prayed that we would get there soon so I could relax again.

A Little Rest

Upon arriving, the first person we saw was my doula. Her godly presence immediately strengthened and subdued me. During these moments it is so important to limit ungodly and unlikeminded people who cause stress and frustration. You need to surround yourself with people like Christy. Her life beams of focused fortitude and valor in a feminine sort of way. She and Vince helped me out of the back of the van where I realized that I couldn't walk. The contractions were back to back. As I was being wheeled into the hospital I kept my head down and my eyes closed and thought of nothing but the task at hand, and the importance of guarding against stress and tension. I must depend on God especially in the hard times as He alone has the power to sooth and calm me, and He did.

Sensitive content follows:

A funny- I had an extraordinarily strong desire to lean against the nurses' station and push out the baby, but I didn't. Some how I suppressed that urge as....

I entered my room and darted toward the bathroom. I wasn't in pain, but I felt an intense urge to use the bathroom. I kept telling Christy and Vince that if I could go to the bathroom I would feel better. Well, after being in there for quite a while having what I was thinking must be THE BOWEL MOVEMENT of the century. As it turned out, I was a little confused by my body's signals and finally realized that I was actually pushing the baby down. Oops!! I can see why babies are frequently born in the toilet. I finally came out of the bathroom. It was uncomfortable to lay on my back in the bed. It felt like I was laying on a baby. St. Vincent's beds are equipped to accept a bar, and the nurse suggested she put the bar on my bed. I liked the idea, so basically, I hung from a bar like a monkey for the next 30 minutes or so while I pushed my baby out. I only pushed when I felt the urge, no nurses shouting at me to push. The original plan was for Christy to coach my pushing stage. I would have complied, but I couldn't hear anything over my body urges speaking very loudly demanding my allegiance. I wanted to say, "Speak up, Christy. I can't hear you over my uterus". :)


One time, I got a significantly longer break before the next pushing contraction. Time seemed to pause and everyone seemed to disappear. It was just me and God and He was again showing me that He knows my needs and gives me breaks when I need them most. At this point the head was crowning. I did feel some burning, but it didn't hurt- it was just a feeling. I can see how many would react to the burning as if it were pain. After all, for years we have referred to it as the ring of fire. Sounds dramatic and painful. If you stop, relax and put it in perspective you might decide it is only a feeling. As the next pushing urge came, it was powerful, again NOT PAINFUL, just powerful. I released the bar and grabbed onto Vince's neck. He held me strong as I pushed maybe two more times to deliver our baby. The sun was shining brightly in my room and our baby was delivered into an atmosphere of peace and joy rather than pain and distress. She looked big and healthy to me and I put her skin to skin and nursed her immediately to regulate her temperature.Gazing upon our New Creature

Christy Jenkins, A Wise and Intuitive Doula

Vince said that we would name her Victoria Grace because God had given me grace through this victorious delivery. Jesus was victorious over fear and pain in my life and drew us both into a closer relationship with God throughout the experience.

Victoria Grace Smith
11/20/2009
7 pounds 12 ounces
20 inches long

Sister Love

They who love us till we die,
Who in sorrow have been tried,
Who will watch our closing eye,
When all grows cold beside:
Where shall friends like these be found,
Search the earth and ocean wide;
On what hallowed spot of ground,
Save our own fireside?

~Anne Pratt

One of the benefits that sprang from our isolation on the mission field many years ago was the intense bonding our immediate family enjoyed. On mission, we had no like-minded friends outside of our family. For the first few months, I pitied myself about this. I whined that the girls had no friends, and they were lonely. Well, that was not the truth as the Lord eventually revealed to me.



In a very short time, I began to notice our daughters were NEVER bickering with one another, and it seemed that any unpleasant form of sibling rivalry had dissipated entirely. In fact, the days in our home in the woods, far from society were the setting in which our girls had delightful fun together as sisters. As the Lord would have it, He used this isolation to wean us from unhealthy peer-dependent relationships while growing our relationships with one another on a deeper plane. Even my hubby and I began to depend on and support one another in ways that we had never done before. What a blessing this isolation was for our family. Oh, we spent alot of time with other people on the mission field, but they were the sorts of people, though very sweet, with which we could not share Christian fellowship because of unequal yokement.




Now that we are back there are many friends that come knocking wanting to play. I can tell when there has been too much "socialization" when my children begin to sneer at one another. That is when we scale our social lives back again.

I am certainly not saying that I think it unhealthy to have friends. Friends are a good thing. Rather, I am saying that a ration should be applied here. In our society, we tend to tip the balance too far in one direction. In reaction to some strange fear that we will not be "socialized" enough, we find ourselves saturated with peer-dependent symptoms that reveal themselves heavily in our marriages and sibling relationships. And, on top of it all, we have decided that these unresolved problems or the norm, a standard environment for human development.

Let me just say, Christian, that unresolved problems within your family should NOT be your norm.




If you are having issues in your marriages and with your children, I want to encourage you to take time to isolate and simplify your contacts outside of your immediate families while you make attempts to find resolutions to your conflicts. Get control over your social life, and keep it at moderation levels. We find that we have good control over peer-dependency by homeschooling.

If you are suffering from bitter relationships in your family, than you have no business enjoying great fun with people outside of your family while within, there are sisters and brothers, husbands or wives suffering for love and support. That is cheating anyway. Your outside friends don't see you often enough-- when you are tired or sick or relaxed in your sin nature. It is too easy to be loving and loved during our best moments which we reserve for public display, but God has called us to a deeper love and compassion for one another and we should not avoid these training grounds designed for practicing deeper compassion within our own homes.

Chore Badge

Catherine is practicing her violin,
which she does for 30 minutes each day.
You can see her chore badge dangling from her shirt.

A chore badge is a great idea for helping children stay on track when they are going through a list of chores or even a to do list for school assignments. It is an alternative to a written list that is especially better for younger children.

What is it? It is simply one of those clear plastic clip-on name badges I found at Walmart for a little more than a dollar. I cut note cards to fit inside the badges and wrote each item that would be on her to do list on its own card. When she finishes one task, she puts its card to the back of the rest of the cards and begins on the the next task. When she has finished the tasks in the stack of cards, she brings them to me and I can check her work, prompting me to correct and train where needed. This system keep Mommy on track too.

This has been especially good for my child who really wants to please her parents, but gets lured into la la land very easily. The badge that swings about on her clothes is a constant reminder to stay focused on her list.

Since we started this system she has been able to accomplish more in a shorter time period. Now she has more time to go to imagination land, and she has pleased her parents very well!!

I plan to use this system when our little man is older. It can be incorporated when he is very young by using pictures on the cards. I could have one card that has a picture of clothes and another with a tooth brush. You get the picture? :)

Another idea... I plan to have the girls write Scriptures for meditation and memorization on cards that can be inserted into the badges. They will be prompted to review the verse each time they sift through the cards. You could also include other information for memorization like phonics and grammar rules, vocabulary, Greek and Latin roots... whatever!

You can buy an entire system that incorporates this, they call them chore packs. I hope to invest in this system someday. Here is the link: http://www.titus2.com/ecommerce/products/prod_listing.php/1150?review=1

Blanket Training Baby

In the Duggar's new book, Twenty and Counting, Michelle Duggar has shared several good ideas for child training. A few of them I am putting into practice in my house. (I am thinking that if they help her raise up 18 well-behaved little ones, surely they will be beneficial for my 3 soon to be 4.)

I have started blanket training our 16 month old. This is a method of helping him learn self-control, and it forces him into needed down time through quiet play. I have simply picked one of his favorite blankets, one that is not too bulky so it will travel in my purse. During spontaneous moments throughout the day, I pull out the blanket and make a big deal about how it is time for Blanket Time. I tell Aaron that he is a big boy and can sit on his blanket and play quietly. Then I give him one toy that I know should hold is attention for a little while and I sit them both on the blanket. I use a timer that I set for 5 minutes. I will gradually increase the time as he become more comfortable with blanket time. Michelle Duggars children can sit on the blanket for 30 minutes at a time.

Here he is nosing around in the bathroom,
dangerously close to the potty.
HE NEEDS THIS!!

When he is finished, I give him lots of praise for his accomplishment. His sisters are quick to offer plenty of praise too. He like to help me fold the blanket and put it away, and we put away his toy. Maybe this is also giving me an opportunity to focus on helping him learn to clean up after himself, which is an added benefit.

By the way, Michelle's rule is that if they throw the toy off the blanket they cannot get it back nor can they have a replacement. I think this is a good rule.

Aaron seems excited when I get the blanket out, and he welcomes the experience again and again seeming comforted by its familiarity, but after he has been on the blanket for a minute or two he wants to get off. It seems that Aaron likes to play blanket time on his terms, but this is when we help him understand what mommy expects, and how he can develop self-control to follow through. I can see that this will be very good for him. ;)

It will be a benefit for me because I can pull the blanket out during times when I need to focus my attention on something like a project with the older children or food preparation. Pre-Blanket Time days, during those moments that I need to direct attention elsewhere, he would begin pillaging throughout the house pulling books off shelves and bowls out of cabinets making a mess of everything. Yes, this will be good for Mommy as well. :)

A Clean Crib or the Strength of Oxen

I have to admit that I was approaching my quiet time with haste this morning. I thought to myself that I would search Proverbs for a quick verse to meditate on throughout the day. Well, God is merciful. Despite my hastiness, He blessed tremendously.

This is the verse I landed on:
Proverb 14:4 Where no oxen [are], the crib [is] clean: but much increase [is] by the strength of the ox.

This verse contains valuable advice to those in business and agriculture. It basically means that the cost of your tools is worth the production gained.

But how about listening to God speak through this verse to moms who are full-time, those who homeschool, even to the who have allowed the Lord to bless them with more children.

Can I tell you that right as I type these words I am surrounded with clutter. There are two hampers with clothes in them, toys scattered about and randomly situated on my coffee table is a handful of cheerios, a rock and stick, and a camouflage hat. Dare I say my crib is not clean?!?



I can sit here and reminisce on the days before we decided to have our vesectomy reversal when I had just the two daughters who are clean and organized and were old enough to take care of themselves. Yes, before our newest little blessing was born our house was usually spic and span. Those days are over, especially as I now have fourth one on the way.

But could the benefits out way the the costs or in this case mess?

The toys in the floor are a sign of new life, a curious and energetic little guy who has much more energy then I. Could God use his new young energy to help a lost one find The Way or to simply glorify and bring joy to our Maker? Maybe he will be a blessing to a young lady as he seeks to lead her spiritually and provide for her. If so, what do a few toys in the floor mean to me?!? The clutter is a clear sign that production is underway, and this is my way that I can serve the Lord by doing my part. Cheerios on the coffee table mean that life is thriving in my home.

This was his project while I was typing this post.
Ripping a paper napkin and putting it in a bowl he got
out of our pantry.

Yes, I am raising up a new generation to worship and praise the Lord for his Goodness and to share this joy with others! (I am getting the vision more clearly now.) When I think on these things the mess... well, it just seems minor.

I have been encouraged by this and I do pray that you will be too. Now, I think I will clean this place up. We will see how long it stays clean. ;)

Is there Life in Your Womb?

I was recently reading an article posted on AboveRubies.org about a teacher asking her class of about sixty child-bearing ladies if any of them had life in their womb. NO ONE raised their hand!

Why are we not disturbed by this?

As a whole married couples have bought into the lie that blessings are found in the latest automobiles, bigger houses, stuff, stuff, stuff when in reality, what are we left with is emptiness, emptiness, emptiness.



I know an elderly Christian lady who was married, but chose not to have any children. She is now dying and my heart aches for her loneliness. She is being taken care of by home-health care-- these are strangers who do not know anything about her. She has no one who rises to call her blessed like the mother of Proverbs 31. She has told me that, as far as she knew, she could have children, but she chose a career as she is very intelligent. (I am not speaking of ladies who cannot have children here.) Yet, now she does not seem to be as smart as she was once given credit as she is dying alone at the mercy of strangers with no one to love her.

Churches today rarely mention Scriptures that exhort us to view our children are blessings, and that we should receive them as such. As a matter of fact, in the house of God a women, who has let God be sovereign over her womb, is not immune to the jeers of jokers and scoffers, who pity her for her "burdens":

Don't you know what causes that?
Do you live in a shoe?
Are they ALL yours?

Unfortunately, those who criticize are unaware that it is the women who is actively receiving the blessings of the Lord under His sovereign control while their wombs are dry and bare which the Bible considers a curse.

I know this post may be hard to swallow, and if it is may I suggest that it is because we are only able to see children for the responsibility and burdens that they bring, but are blind to the immense blessings that they are and will be to the Kingdom if we raise them up to serve the Lord and share Christ.

Let us meditate on these Scriptures and receive what God is trying to share with us that we reject.

Gen 49:25 [Even] by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

Psa 127:3 Lo, children [are] an heritage of the LORD: [and] the fruit of the womb [is his] reward.