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| (Photo by vancity197) |
In September, I shall be bearing our fourth baby. One thing I have noticed is that, as the number of your children grows, the reactions of the people who receive the news become less and less enthusiastic.
And it bothers me.
It's not that I am searching for approval. With three children in the house, I have all the approval I need, thank you.
It bothers me because, in people's reactions, I come face-to-face with the truth that our society is becoming anti-life. It bothers me that when people hear about a forthcoming fourth baby, the first thing that they ask is, "How will you raise all of them?" It bothers me to realize that these days, children are no longer considered blessings but burdens.
Burdens to whom?
And now I raise an accusatory note: who, really, are these children burdens to?
One thing I noticed is that, whenever we talk of children being born, it almost inevitably follows that we talk of overpopulation and the Earth's resources running out. This leads me to an ugly conclusion: We consider these children a burden to us, their fellow residents on Earth. We consider children to be an impingement on our resources. "Oh boy, there's one more child born. That's one more child on whom the government will spend the money they should be spending on me. That's one more child who will be competing for jobs my own child will want to apply to. That's one more child sharing my Earth's wealth."
Whose Earth?
Well, here's an idea: Perhaps it is not our Earth. Perhaps it is God's Earth. After all, He made it. And perhaps, He knows better than any of us just how many of us can really share it. A good parent, after all, will not provide only one-half roll of cake if He knows he has twenty kids to share it. Do we not believe that God is a good, wise, generous, and loving parent?
Perhaps, the reason why God allows children to continue being born is because He knows that the Earth He made is good enough to support more than seven billion people.
And by the way, yes, I am putting the responsibility on God for all these children continuing to be born, because I did not make these children; He did. I do not have the power to make children. If I did, I would not have waited two years before my eldest child was born. I would have made him much sooner.
I am sure many women and their husbands would agree with me on this. Think about it: How many of us have tried and tried to make children but have been unable to? How many of us have borne a child once, and then tried to "make" some more, but failed?
If "only God can make a tree," could it be that a mere human being could make something far more complex – a human child? How highly we think of ourselves!
God likes children
No, I don't make children; I only bear them. And I believe that if I say to God, "No, I refuse to bear any more of your children," I am sure He will simply have somebody else bear them.
And you know what? I'm not surprised that God wants so many of us here on Earth, because kids are really very nice to have – even when they are disobedient, even when they are selfish, even when they are greedy.
I should know. I have three so far, and even though there are still times when they are difficult, I couldn't imagine how life could possibly be richer or more joyful if we had fewer of these little people under our roof.
