Home motherhood/family/parentingpregnancy/birth control We Need More Arrows: Christians & The Kingdom

We Need More Arrows: Christians & The Kingdom

by Kelly Crawford

The question of having children, fertility, birth control, which I fear, too few Christians have really wrestled over, is not about combing through Scripture to find all the evidence for or against allowing God to be sovereign over the womb. It’s not about concluding that “God gives us the wisdom to decide” and then breathing a sigh of relief. It’s not even about splitting hairs over choosing if and when to prevent children (sometimes that’s necessary and right).

Children–which are really just people, are so much bigger than that.

“And why did He make them one? Because He desires godly offspring.” (Malachi)

WHY? Because “like arrows in the hand of a mighty warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.”

WHY? Because “they shall contend (speak) with the enemies in the gates.” (Which doesn’t denote hand-to-hand combat in a war-like setting, but a contending on an intellectual level and in a living life way, so there’s no need for feeling creepy about the use of the word.)

WHY? Because “thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

And that commandment was not a personal one. It was spoken to a nation, and still is. God’s reign over all creation is preeminent and He uses His people to make known His glory among all nations.

Our problem? We make everything too personal. We don’t understand God’s sovereign purposes as it relates to the BIG picture. We need more big-picture living.

And as it relates specifically to having children, we assess our personal situation, and decide that God couldn’t possibly mean us with all that talk of desiring godly offspring. But it’s so not about whether I can afford to send them to college, or buy them a car, or let them all play sports. We are blinded by temporal, passing circumstances.

And while God is immensely concerned with our personal lives, He is even MORE concerned with fulfilling His Kingdom purposes. And how does He do that?

One way is THROUGH HIS PEOPLE! And practically speaking, through numbers.

We no longer live in the Christian nation that was born here. Why are the enemies of God prevailing? Because the people of God are not raising up warriors to “contend with them at the gates.” God will prevail, despite our obedience to Him. It just may delay the victory and cause unnecessary hardship on His people in the mean time.

Our methodologies are not working. We have more programs, more money, more evangelical tools now than ever before in history. Yet the spiritual temperature of this country continues to decline. Christians decrease (in number and in moxie), and the religions that oppose God increase. We fret and worry, but we don’t trust God at His Word.

It’s about vision. If you have chosen to stop having children, you should be the biggest cheerleader for those who haven’t–believers should be ecstatic to see a mother and father raising up more godly men and women to further the mission of the Gospel. We are one Body, longing for His Kingdom to come, and we have the opportunity to be a joyful part of it. And when we see children as an important part of His purpose in the big picture, we might not be so short-sighted or flippant about our decisions. We might get excited at the prospect of a life fully entrusted to an all-powerful God where we can’t wait to wake up each day and see what He’s going to do.

(And for those who are receiving all their children, it’s not so we can dress them in matching clothes and fit in to our local homeschool group…it’s not about us at all! His glory…His purposes.)

The war is certain; you have no choice about being in it. We need more arrows.

(A post buried in the archives I’ve resurrected and reposted.)

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38 comments

Brenda June 16, 2008 - 7:56 am

Right on. I’ve been thinking the same thing for a while.

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Ashley June 16, 2008 - 10:11 am

You said something along the lines of…people needing to stop limiting their children because of things like not being able to pay for sports or college. I agree with this, but I think there is a line to be drawn. I was homeschooled growing up (and am now homeschooling my daughters) and knew of at least two families who kept having children even though they couldn’t afford to FEED and CLOTHE them. To me this is irresponsible. God wants us to use our heads and have wisdom based on our circumstances.
I do agree with you that the negative attidtude so many people have towards large families is sad. I think if you can afford to physically take care of your children, you should feel free to have as many as God blesses you with. I also feel there should be less judgement passed on those of us who are seeking God’s will just as earnestly, yet come to the place where more children would not be reasonable. We need more love and grace and less judgement among Christians. God has a different purpose for each of our lives.

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Word Warrior June 16, 2008 - 10:17 am

Ashley,

Yes, this post was meant more to say “it’s not about the splitting hairs” of the issue, but more about a general attitude (which I’ve tried to imply a lot here on the blog).

Nutshell: God’s people need to focus on the big picture, and understand that it’s generally a good thing to multiply the kingdom through child bearing…whether you personally do it or not.

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Jennifer June 16, 2008 - 12:01 pm

Amen,amen, AMEN! 🙂

Jennifer

old-paths.com
noblwomanhood.com

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Sheila June 16, 2008 - 12:07 pm

I do have an honest question, maybe more for Ashley. It’s terrible, yes, when a family cannot feed and clothe their members. But, does God have a direct hand in conception, or not? Why did those people keep having children? God sent them. Perhaps the stewardship issues weren’t in the having of the babies, but the afterward stuff. Just thinking and wondering…

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Mrs. Taft June 16, 2008 - 12:24 pm

“you better stop, your car is almost full”? yikes! what a rude thing to say! I’d have cheerfully retorted “I’m sure once it’s full, we’ll upgrade!” 😛

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Kim M. June 16, 2008 - 2:13 pm

I wonder if children whose parents supposedly can’t feed and clothe them are really and truly STARVING and NAKED? Or is it just our boxed in American thinking that makes us think that they do not have enough.

Beans and rice are actually more nutritional than the average typical American fare…

Consignment shop & yard sale clothes -even with patched knees- are just as warm and modest as your most expensive outfits…

I bet children in larger families have learned to be more happy and content than your average wealthy 2 kid home with all the toys and gadgets…

I bet children in larger families learn faster to think of others before they do themselves…

I bet children in larger families learn to be more creative….

I bet children in larger families learn to rely more on God…

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Carrie H January 29, 2018 - 3:26 pm

Ladies,

Have you seriously read this thread of responses? It’s like a bunch of hens squawking over a kernel of corn! Please put the cat claws up! This whole “I’m right and you’re wrong” mentality is what’s killing the church…

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Amy June 16, 2008 - 2:31 pm

So sad when I get comments about having my hands full with two. Better full than empty! I wish I hadn’t waited so long to have them.

There’s a section in the book, Crunchy Cons by Ron Drehler, that talks about having children and a liberal states that if they don’t watch it, liberals will die out or be outnumbered by conservatives, just due to the fact that we welcome our babies and large families.

I like that you are giving leeway to those who may not have large families for whatever reason, but that they should be supportive of those who do have larger families.

I do however get aggravated when some larger families are full of chaos, whether due to disorganization, mom in too many activities or ministries, or plain disobedience. Families that assume the older kids are watching the younger, when they’re all running wild. Not that smaller families are immune, of course. We must do the best parenting job we can if others are to see our kids as a blessing too.

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Randi August 3, 2010 - 7:23 pm

Amy,
“Better full than empty!”

I love that response! How perfect! I will remember that one because, as a Catholic (for whom birth control is prohibited) I am sure to continue getting more of those snide comments about having babies. I am currently pregnant with baby #3, and I am so incredibly thankful for how God is blessing and transforming our family with the addition of each child.

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Kristi June 16, 2008 - 3:21 pm

Amen sister!! I am always thrilled to hear about mothers having lots of children and raising them to be GODLY. My concern is that we as parents are the “new generation” right after the hippie/liberal/grace based crowd, and we have no clue anymore how to raise our children to be Godly. It’s all about their emotions and raising them to have good “self esteem” and not being too hard on them. So many parents I know IRL are totally clueless (myself included most days!) and it’s always very inspiring to read online about mothers doing it, even if I can’t see anyone practicing raising Godly children IRL.

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Kristi June 16, 2008 - 3:26 pm

About “using our heads” and families who have dedicated their children to God and cannot clothe and feed them, it’s really about trusting whether or not God has a hand in conception, when you give it to him. I believe He does, HE’S the author of life!! I do believe people who have NOT entrusted their fertility to God will have babies in bad circumstances, although the babies themselves are blessings. God wants our full trust and surrender, no matter what our outside circumstances may look like at the time. I believe THAT is when He truly blesses our finances, and our resources, when we are trusting Him completely.

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Sheila June 16, 2008 - 4:32 pm

Great thoughts, Kristi!

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Jen in Al June 16, 2008 - 5:25 pm

Amen! Thank you for the encouragement! People, strangers, always ask if we are “done” and they always seem so surprised when i earnestly and happily reply that i hope not. Definitely need more arrows! 🙂 jen in al

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Anonymous June 16, 2008 - 7:26 pm

This is so true . . . we are so excited to be expecting our 3rd! For a few months next year we will have 3 under the age of three!!

I just take it a day at a time. 🙂 I didn’t know what to do with a 2yo (1yr & 11mo ago I was actually in a panic about it!) but I love it now! He’s learning so much and is a super help. So I start to panic when I think about a 3yo and then I laugh and wonder if I’m going to panic about each “age” my oldest hits each year! 😛

I believe in God’s provision for His children – but I also wonder when I hear about someone who didn’t have enough food or clothing and I wonder A) was God trying to show them that they needed Him? or B) if God was providing for them, what were they doing with the money?

It’s like the man who is waiting for “God” to rescue him from flood waters and ignores the boats that come by and drowns. I know families that refuse to by 2nd hand! Or would never dream of eating beans and rice two or three times a week.

I know a family that were money is pretty tight – and the husband refuses to eat beans, rice, pasta, any kind of cassarole, squash and usually eats out for breakfast and lunch! Yet they really need to be saving for an addition to their cabin – it’s just 340 square feet and their young family is growing steadily – they are quiverful with two arrows already. Now that’s a space problem, unlike my sister-in-law with a 5bd, 3bth that needs more space now that she has her third and final!

I know there are people in dire straits. But so many people are just wasteful with what they have, too…..

Ashley
http://www.homesteadblogger.com/Jonash2004

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Ashley June 16, 2008 - 9:15 pm

Just to clarify, the family that I knew more closely did not have children that were naked and starving, thanks to government assistance. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that when it is needed, but I think to keep having children when you are in that position is irresponsible. God gave us brains for a reason, and I think He expects us to use them to make wise, responsible decisions based on our cirumstances.
In addition, the oldest daughter from this family has married and is very hesitant to have children because she’s already spent her entire life caring for them. I think this is an example that having a large family is not always a positive experience.
My point is NOT that having a large family is a bad thing. I just wanted to show that it’s not ALWAYS the best thing for EVERY family.
Aside from that, I totally see the point of looking at the bigger picture, and that all of our existence is about God recieving glory, so I’m not in disagreement there. Just a thought I had though, not intended to be argumentative, but just kind of crossed my mind and would like to know your thoughts.
Is it possibly presumptuous or maybe a little naive to assume that by having more children you are absolutely populating God’s kingdom. Of course as a believer our biggest hope is always for our children’s salvation, but I’m sure we all know that being born into a Christian home does not ensure this. Again, I have NO intent of being argumentative here, it’s just a thought I had and would be interested in your response.

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Holden June 16, 2008 - 9:19 pm

I realize it’s a metaphor, but I’ve never been comfortable thinking of children as “arrows”. Children are people, not ammunition. It makes me think of another question, which I’d like to get Word Warrior’s opinion on: Do you think Christian people should be pro-war in general? I just have trouble imagining a God that would want children to be sent to die. Thoughts?

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Kim M. June 16, 2008 - 10:07 pm

King James Version

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD:
and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man;
so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them:
they shall not be ashamed,
but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
Psalm 127:3-5 (KJV)

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Anonymous June 16, 2008 - 10:10 pm

Hmmm . . . it all comes down to if you trust human logic or not. I don’t. I think Eve made a very logical, good choice from her perspective, and often God asks us to go against what we can see or envision. Many people in the Bible have went against their common sense in following God.

I’ve actually been reading much of Sanger’s work recently. ‘Family Limitations’ and ‘What Every Girl Should Know’. These books make *perfect sense* to someone who is dealing with the physical and does not believe in God.

I have thought much about faith and how it relates to having children. Some Christians just don’t have the faith to do it, I think. That doesn’t mean I’m going to look down on them! It means that it is a challenging thing and many different obsticals are going to get in the way, such as pressure from family and friends. We have lots of pressure to stop having children and be a nice, wealthy sucess. It could be a very real possibility for us, but probably not with me at home and many children.

I also feared to have children as I spent much of my teen years carring for THREE younger brothers. I hated how frusterated they made me, and I knew I’d be a terrible mom. Finally it was a huge leap of faith to pry my fingers off my packet of pills and stop preventing the blessings God wanted to give me. My original plan was to wait four years to have children and we just celebrated our 4yr with 2 wonderful boys and one on the way turning me green around the gills. And I wouldn’t have it any other way, I’m happier than I ever dreamed!

ashley, you said this: “I just wanted to show that it’s not ALWAYS the best thing for EVERY family.”

Some families also have plenty of money, or go overseas, or travel or have other ‘blessings’ that they can abuse and scare the rest of us into never, ever wanting to have those things. That doesn’t make them bad or negative for some people. It’s how you use them. Personally, I know people that make me never want to be rich, and missionary families that have fallen apart, and preacher’s sons that are dreadful. BUT none of this is wrong! And almost every single large family I know in real life (2 out of 3)… let’s just say it’s not encouraging AT ALL. It scares me so bad sometimes!

the girl: I know you want WW opion but I’m in the mood to share mine. 🙂 Hope you don’t mind! I’m not sure children should be “sent to die” anywhere except for Christ’s sake. We should always be willing to die for Him. There are so many children dying for Him in other countries because they will not deny His name. I will be so honored if my children live for Him and die for Him at whatever age as I am trying to do . . . I hope they see that I am His in the joyful sacrifice of the life I am living for Him. It’s not easy and it’s not painless… but there is so much joy in it!

Thanks for letting me share my 2 cents. 🙂

Ashley
http://www.homesteadblogger.com/Jonash2004

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Kristi June 17, 2008 - 12:02 am

Ashley said: **God gave us brains for a reason, and I think He expects us to use them to make wise, responsible decisions based on our cirumstances.**

The reason why God gave us brains is so we have the free will to decide to surrender everything to Him. 🙂 He tells us to shoulder our cross daily, die to self, worry over nothing, give our bodies as a living sacrifice. Our brains are not to be used for human reasoning or humanistic thinking. They are to be “sacrificed” to Him. God says the wisdom of this world is foolishness to Him, and He raises up what is considered foolish to shame the wisdom of this world. He does not think as we think.

It doesn’t sound like the family you mentioned was truly living to glorify God. He will let us fall flat on our faces if we refuse to follow Him.

I do agree with you though that having a big family does not guarantee Christian children. Being a mother to many is often a thankless, heavy, terrifying job that requires tons of responsibility and dedication if you expect to do it right. It’s not for the faint of heart!! There’s not many people who can pull it off. I pray I am one of them, but for the grace of God, there go I…..I can’t do it on my own strength, if God chooses to bless us with more children. Only by His grace.

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The Inept Aspirant June 17, 2008 - 7:32 am

I would like to respond to “thegirl”. Every one of us was born into an invisible battle between good and evil whether we can relate to war or like to fight or not. I believe the proverb that calls children “arrows” confirms that it is God’s opinion that the more godly children we have, the greater our chances of winning the battle against evil (false religions, humanism) in our nation and the world.
Muslims take having many children seriously and are multiplying at an incredible pace. That fact alone makes them a force to be reckoned with. I read a quote by one Muslim that when asked why they have so many children he replied, “Because we believe in God”.
I believe our children are born to die. They are born to die to self for the glory of the Lord whether that means they have to go to war physically or spiritually. We know that being comfortable in this life is not the goal. The greatest honor I could desire for my children is for them to be martyred for the Lord. I know that sounds strange but when you look through the lens of eternity at their lives it changes you. Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13. I want to love Him that much and I want my children to love Him that much.

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Word Warrior June 17, 2008 - 8:23 am

Ashley and Michelle had some great thoughts…basically the same ones I had thought of sharing.

The spiritual battle, like Michelle said, is a reality. We ARE in war…which is why I love to refer to my children as arrows the way Scripture does. Without weapons, the people of God will suffer loss in the battle.

I don’t know many people at all who are “pro-war”; most Christians see war as a necessary evil sometimes, and God allowed and commanded gruesome wars in Bible times, to bring judgement on sinful nations.

I’m not pro-war; but I think we are to be ready for anything the sovereignty of God brings to pass.

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Anonymous June 17, 2008 - 9:38 am

Kelly– I’ve been enjoying your blog for several months now, and all this talk about “arrows” compels me to leave this comment. Some time ago, our pastor preached a sermon on Psalm 127, and he had some interesting insights into the arrow analogy. In biblical times, common elements of war were swords, spears, daggers, and arrows. The arrow differs in one key way from the others. The others were used primarily for hand to hand or close contact battle. The arrow, on the other hand, allowed the warrior to fight far beyond his physical reach. If we think in terms of time rather than space, this becomes a beautiful picture of what we’re striving for with our children. We’re not just shooting “at” the enemy, we’re shooting into the future: raising up Godly people who (by God’s grace) will be an influence for Christ far beyond our own “reach”–our own lifetimes. ~Lori

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Word Warrior June 17, 2008 - 9:43 am

LOVE that…so true, so true. As I’ve said before, we, in general, are only concerned with the here and now, because we’re human, and we forget to submit to the purposes of God, which do go far beyond this time and this space.

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Julie June 18, 2008 - 9:29 am

YES! I actually posted a blog post awhile back. I am so frustrated with Christians bragging that they have been “fixed”. Were they broken?
I pray everyday for more blessings. We adopted our five and I just know that God has at least one planned for us.

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Audrey June 18, 2008 - 11:13 am

We are such here and now people, how does this affect me? Where is our eteranl perspective?

My GG Grandma had 22 children. She loved the Lord very much so I’m told. Her life was, as many called it, VERY humble. She pressed on though, trusting that her children would be clothed and fed. You know what, they were, all 22 of them!

Our God is no small God He is the creator of the world and everything in it, do we not think He will provide for His children? It may not be the best of the best or even lovely but it will be sufficient.

Eternally speaking she, as you can imagine, has 100s of decendants, do they all serve the Lord, no. Do many, absolutely!

I owe her great gratitude for her choice and her sacrifices. My Great grandmother was number 7 in her line of children, had she stopped at 2,3,4,5 or even 6 I would not be typing this to you. Had she stopped at 15, 16, 18, 20….many of my realatives would not be here today to do the work of the Lord. She knew that God was bigger than her and that His ways were best.

Lets take our eyes off of today and think far beyond, when we wont even be here any more, what a glorious heritage!!

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Anonymous June 18, 2008 - 12:19 pm

Audrey, your GG Grandma was no doubt a wonderful woman, but there is no way a working class family can raise 22 children on one income nowadays. It’s fine when your husband earns a fat paycheck, but not everybody is so lucky. While children are a blessing, I don’t feel it’s my place to tell others how many they should have. I know someone who had health complications during every pregnancy and nearly died while having her 3d. I don’t feel like I have the right to condemn her decision not to have any more children.

S.

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Audrey June 18, 2008 - 4:53 pm

S. you wrote…

“but there is no way a working class family can raise 22 children on one income nowadays. It’s fine when your husband earns a fat paycheck, but not everybody is so lucky”

Again the focus on money, things and fat paychecks. I hope to prove you wrong one day in the distant future, perhaps I wont be blessed with 22, but I hope to have as many as He gives me.

I’ll just throw it out there and say I absolutely think its possible to raise 22 children “nowadays” on one middle class income. You just have to get creative. Remember also that not all 22 of those children lived in her house at one time.

Health is always thrown out there as a reason not to carry on having children. Each individual person is responsible for their own decision in this area (to continue or stop) all I can say is I have seen miracles abound all around me as mothers struggle with this ailment or that challenge, but they pull threw and carry on. I know mothers who hemmorage every time they deliver a baby, but they carry on. Its just not a good enough blanket statement to throw health out there.

Yes, if the couple chooses to call it quits then that is up to them, who are we to throw that in their faces, but I think alot of times health , money etc, is simply used as an excuse to do it your way and not His way.

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Word Warrior June 18, 2008 - 7:55 pm

Anon,

Speaking of having 22 children, I wish you could see my neighbor with 13…I could write a whole book on this family! They not only “make it”, they are living debt free, give an abundance of their own resources to friends and family, and the guys are preparing to be able to have houses built and paid for before marriage. And that’s only what I KNOW about their economy.

That’s about the max number a family would ever have in one household (13), regardless of the total number.

One major factor people fail to see is that a large family should ADD to the family economy, not deplete it. We just live such consuming lifestyles, this concept isn’t even on radar.

They have had ample opportunity to excercise faith akin to George Mueller’s, and they are different people because of it.

I don’t think anyone in this thread has insinuated “condemnation” for those who have stopped having children; this is where the misconceptions begin.

In this post in particular, I emphasize the need for ALL Christians, whether lots of children, one child or no children, to be supportive of the Kingdom of Heaven growing in number. That’s not the only way it grows, mind you, but a really great way which should make us all in agreement that it’s a good thing.

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Lisa June 18, 2008 - 11:09 pm

I just read through this and agree with Audrey that sometimes health is used as an excuse to stop having children. Not always the health of mothers but of the children. Here is my testimony.

Our third child was born with a rare congenital disorder called Zellweger syndrome. He died 3 months after he was born. The genetist told us that my husband and I are both carriers for the disorder and that our “chances” of having more children like him are one in four. Some friends and relatives commented that surely it wasn’t worth the risk to try again.
I was devestated at the thought of only raising two boys. I wanted a large family and felt God knew best. My husband and I decided that we would let God decide. We were suprised when I found out I was pregnant when our baby Ethan was only 2 1/2 months old. He died two weeks later. It wasn’t an easy road but God did know best. My healthy son, Seth is now 8 he was part of the healing for my broken heart and is a joy and delight. God opened our hearts and we also adopted a baby boy, Nathan 3 weeks after I gave birth to Seth. We have since adopted from birth two of Nathan’s siblings. I gave birth to another healthy baby boy 18 months ago and am currently pregnant due in December. I don’t know if the baby I am carrying is healthy or not but the story is much more exciting if we allow God to write it. Just today as I have been getting discouraged with feeling crummy from morning sickness, I thought what if I had chosen to stop after Ethan. I would only have my 15yo and 12yo. How sad to limit what God can do. I am glad he has given me the courage to follow him!
Lisa
ronaldhooker@msn.com

Ps. I love this blog. I have never commented but I read it everyday. Thank you for your encouragement!

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Word Warrior June 19, 2008 - 7:15 am

Lisa,

I really appreciate your sharing that…it is good, for us all to hear stories of God’s mercy.

Yesterday I showed the clip to my children again called “Life without Limbs” (if you haven’t seen it, you can find it on youtube.)

And I thought how quickly most women today would abort a child they knew had that kind of deformity.

And yet God has used this man in ways so far beyond what we “healthy” people usually allow Him to do with us.

God’s ways are NOT our ways!!!

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Anonymous June 19, 2008 - 12:38 pm

Audrey, you wrote:”I absolutely think its possible to raise 22 children “nowadays” on one middle class income.”

So you were speaking about one middle class income, which is probably possible. And I was speaking about one working class income, you see the difference?

As for health problems, I have not been in the shoes of other women so I would never judge their decisions. I don’t think I have the right to do it, until I have been confronted with the similar situation myself.

I think we often idealize the past. Yes, some people used to have a lot of children. Some people had only 1 or 2. There was also no mandatory school attendance and no laws against child labour. Lots of children from poor families started working at the age of 12 and even earlier, that’s how they managed. Now the law requires parents to provide for their children financially until they are 18, and they can’t work full time until that age, either. Which makes a lot of difference.

S.

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Anonymous June 19, 2008 - 12:49 pm

Word Warrior,

I know families with many children, too. There is one couple in our church who have 9. In such situations it’s usually either a husband earns quite well or they live from various forms of government assistance.

As I have said, not everybody woman is blessed to be married to a lawyer, or a doctor or a businessman.

By the way, it would be nice if you shared more about the family of your neighbour and how they manage on one income with so many children. It’s always informative and may encourage those who struggle financially.

S.

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Anonymous June 19, 2008 - 12:50 pm

“not everybody woman” must be not every woman, of course.

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Audrey June 20, 2008 - 9:31 pm

OK S. I think middle class and working class are not all that different. Believe me my husband is no Dr. We raise our family of almost 10 on around 30,000 a year.

We work our hineys off. We live with no central AC and we live in TX. We grow alot of our food, we hang out our clothes and we eat alot of simple foods. We have older paid for cars and a nice big house with a little bitty mortgage. We struggle alot, though we are not on any assistance.

I never said it was all gumdrops and lollipops. Even if my husband worked at a fast food restaurant we wouldnt change our belief to allow God to grow our family.

You see our trust is in Him, not in our wordly circumstances.

As far as children working before they are 18…absolutely they should! Our oldest two boys go to work with their father and earn their meals. They love it, it makes their day. They work hard in the garden, with the chickens. We are going to start an organic produce stand next summer. We, children included all work together to contribute to our family. There is no free loading here. LOL

We have chosen less stuff and more children, and it works.

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Anonymous June 21, 2008 - 5:35 pm

Audrey, it’s nice when you are able to grow your own food. That helps a lot. Unfortunately, if you live in the city, it’s hardly possible. We don’t have even a garden, for instance. Most people I know simply don’t have room in their houses for more than 3-4, maximum 5 kids. And if they want to have a bigger house, than they need to take a bigger mortgage, which is impossible if the wife doesn’t work, at least for working class families.

Of course, chidren can start working earlier than 18, but they are only allowed to work part-time, which means they don’t earn that much.

I am not a fan of artificial birth control, but I don’t see any problem with natural family planning.

I think it’s great when people want to have a lot of children. However, ín my point of view, that’s a desicion that the couple must take themselves. It’s not my job to lecture others on the number of the children they must get.

S.

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Audrey June 22, 2008 - 1:01 pm

S wrote

“Audrey, it’s nice when you are able to grow your own food. That helps a lot. Unfortunately, if you live in the city, it’s hardly possible.”

I do live in the city…so whats not possible?

S wrote

“Most people I know simply don’t have room in their houses for more than 3-4, maximum 5 kids.”

I know families with 8 children who lived in an RV for a year while there house was built (with cash, no debt) I know many right now who have 8 plus kids some with 11 to 13 children who live in smallish 2 or 3 bedroom homes. So whats not possible?

S wrote

“Of course, chidren can start working earlier than 18, but they are only allowed to work part-time, which means they don’t earn that much.”

I know a family who run a large cattle farm, they have only 4 children, those kids get up with dad at 5am and work until dad is done. Others have family businesses like ourselves, and the children wprk as much as they are able. There is no such thing as a 20 hour work week. They love being a member of the team…it gives their life purpose and meaning.
So whats not possible?

S wrote
“I am not a fan of artificial birth control, but I don’t see any problem with natural family planning.”

Me neither, fo for it!

S wrote

“I think it’s great when people want to have a lot of children. However, ín my point of view, that’s a desicion that the couple must take themselves. It’s not my job to lecture others on the number of the children they must get.”

I’m not sure any one said anything about lecturing anybody, that is the point I think Kelly was trying to make. Just because we are passionate about it doesnt mean you have to be, but it would be fabulous if other christians even if they take a different road, where supportive.

My point is dont put God in a box, He can do anything. He can heal the sick, He can raise the dead and He can surly provide for as many children as one might have.
So what isnt possible?

Reply
Anonymous June 30, 2008 - 11:02 am

Doesn’t this seem selfish, to have this many children? To not be able to dedicate as much attention to each as is needed? To not be able to dedicate time to yourself? To not have time to nurture their interests?

Reply

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