20. Counter global depopulation.
19. Never worry about who will take care of you when you get old.
18. More hands to help.
17. Never a dull moment.
16. Built in baby sitters.
15. No leftovers.
14. You can use all your favorite baby names.
13. Always somebody there to blame it on.
12. Wholesale shopping.
11. You always have someone to talk to.
10. No matter the size, it'll fit somebody.
9. Never fear insanity from too much quiet.
8. Lots of tax deductions.
7. Birthday parties all year long.
6. Have your own sports team.
5. Have your own cheering squad.
4. Group rates.
3. You can always find your car in a parking lot.
2. Get your own row at church.
The # 1 reason to have a big family....
"CHILDREN ARE A BLESSING FROM THE LORD ...BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE QUIVER IS FULL..."
Between many our are sorrows divided and our joys multiplied.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Precious Gift
Yesterday I had the privilege of going to the hospital to meet the first born son of some friends. What a joy it was to see the love so evident in these parents' eyes as they gazed down at their precious little one!
As I talked to the mom about the whole labor experience, I was amazed anew at what a wonderful gift we mothers have. God has blessed us as women with the gift of bringing life into this world. I know that ultimately God is the giver of life, but He has chosen our mortal bodies to be a sanctuary for these new little lives that He is growing.
True, it does not come without sacrifice. We must endure the months of morning sickness (some worse than others), the agonizing pain of stepping on the scale each month, the swelling of not only our tummies, but often other body parts as well, hot flashes, struggling to find a comfy position to sleep in the last few weeks, and of course all the pains that come along with labor and delivery!
But ~ what about the many joys that we experience while carrying our children? Remember when you realized for the first time that you were pregnant? What about telling your husband that he was going to be a father or your parents that they were going to be grandparents? How about the first time that you heard your babies heart beating or the first time that you felt them move? The bond that grows between a mother and a baby for those 9 months are so strong, that we are willing to go through the pains of delivering our baby just so that we can see them face to face, hold them close and to tell them how much we love them!
We face many trials along the long road of motherhood. Pretty soon our little "angels" begin to grow and on some days they seem a little bit more like demons and we realize that being a mom means facing sanctification everyday! We have to endure potty training, terrible twos, embarrassing moments in public before your kids learn what tact is, sibling rivalry, and let's not even get into the whole adolescent/puberty thing!
Oh Lord, let us not grow weary in the work that God has called us to! The daily process of sanctification is yet another way that God blesses us as mothers. We must go through the Refiner's fire in order to come forth as pure gold! What better way to become a refined piece of pure gold than by being a mother! Not only do we get to enjoy bringing a new life in to this world, we get to watch this little life flourish and grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus!
As I talked to the mom about the whole labor experience, I was amazed anew at what a wonderful gift we mothers have. God has blessed us as women with the gift of bringing life into this world. I know that ultimately God is the giver of life, but He has chosen our mortal bodies to be a sanctuary for these new little lives that He is growing.
True, it does not come without sacrifice. We must endure the months of morning sickness (some worse than others), the agonizing pain of stepping on the scale each month, the swelling of not only our tummies, but often other body parts as well, hot flashes, struggling to find a comfy position to sleep in the last few weeks, and of course all the pains that come along with labor and delivery!
But ~ what about the many joys that we experience while carrying our children? Remember when you realized for the first time that you were pregnant? What about telling your husband that he was going to be a father or your parents that they were going to be grandparents? How about the first time that you heard your babies heart beating or the first time that you felt them move? The bond that grows between a mother and a baby for those 9 months are so strong, that we are willing to go through the pains of delivering our baby just so that we can see them face to face, hold them close and to tell them how much we love them!
We face many trials along the long road of motherhood. Pretty soon our little "angels" begin to grow and on some days they seem a little bit more like demons and we realize that being a mom means facing sanctification everyday! We have to endure potty training, terrible twos, embarrassing moments in public before your kids learn what tact is, sibling rivalry, and let's not even get into the whole adolescent/puberty thing!
Oh Lord, let us not grow weary in the work that God has called us to! The daily process of sanctification is yet another way that God blesses us as mothers. We must go through the Refiner's fire in order to come forth as pure gold! What better way to become a refined piece of pure gold than by being a mother! Not only do we get to enjoy bringing a new life in to this world, we get to watch this little life flourish and grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Stronger Unity
In this day and age, it is easy to lose sight of those things which are so important to living a Godly life. When Dave and I got married, I would always get up with him and we would pray together before he left for work. He was in the USAF at the time, so his hours were pretty random. Sometimes he would have to leave the house as early as 4 am, and other times he would be at home until noon! Either way, I was faithful in getting up and spending time with him before he left. (This was really not that hard to do. I usually went back to bed after he was gone! Ahhh, the easy life before kids!)
After a while, those times started getting fewer and fewer. I think it had something to do with having more and more kids. Whatever the reason, we got out of the habit of our mornings spent together before God.
We still had our own personal quiet times, we began having family worship and Bible times, and have always been faithful to pray with the kids before bed, but times spent with God as a couple were not as frequent as they should have been.
A few weeks ago, I was talking to a very Godly woman, and she told me about something that she and her husband have been doing for years. Each night before bed, they spend time praying together. Not necessarily a long time every night, but they are faithful to end their day together in communion with their Heavenly Father. Even if her husband is out of town or knows that he will be home late, he calls her and they pray over the phone before she goes to bed. She said that this has had a wonderful impact on their marriage.
At our last care group ladies meeting, I felt that God would have me challenge the ladies of our group to begin to pray each night with their husbands, ending their day together before God. Up until then, I had not been practicing this myself, and I knew that in order to not become a hypocrite, I would also need to take up the challenge!
So far, we have not missed a night praying together. I will confess that I am not always 100% alert for these times, but Dave has been faithful in leading us, and I feel like we are on our way to making the unity of our marriage even stronger!
The Bible says that we are not to let the sun go down on our anger. I think that it is so easy to fail here particularly within a marriage. I know that Dave and I don't like to have disagreements in front of the kids, so we usually save our complaints until after they are asleep. This puts us at a risk of being upset at each other just as we are getting ready to go to bed. You know, it's almost impossible to go to sleep angry with the person that you are praying with just before you go to sleep!
So...I want to issue a challenge to all the wives reading this. Begin to pray each night with your husbands before you go to bed. This is a wonderful way to build up the unity between you and your husband. I would love to hear from those who are willing to take me up on this challenge!
"A threefold cord is not quickly broken".
After a while, those times started getting fewer and fewer. I think it had something to do with having more and more kids. Whatever the reason, we got out of the habit of our mornings spent together before God.
We still had our own personal quiet times, we began having family worship and Bible times, and have always been faithful to pray with the kids before bed, but times spent with God as a couple were not as frequent as they should have been.
A few weeks ago, I was talking to a very Godly woman, and she told me about something that she and her husband have been doing for years. Each night before bed, they spend time praying together. Not necessarily a long time every night, but they are faithful to end their day together in communion with their Heavenly Father. Even if her husband is out of town or knows that he will be home late, he calls her and they pray over the phone before she goes to bed. She said that this has had a wonderful impact on their marriage.
At our last care group ladies meeting, I felt that God would have me challenge the ladies of our group to begin to pray each night with their husbands, ending their day together before God. Up until then, I had not been practicing this myself, and I knew that in order to not become a hypocrite, I would also need to take up the challenge!
So far, we have not missed a night praying together. I will confess that I am not always 100% alert for these times, but Dave has been faithful in leading us, and I feel like we are on our way to making the unity of our marriage even stronger!
The Bible says that we are not to let the sun go down on our anger. I think that it is so easy to fail here particularly within a marriage. I know that Dave and I don't like to have disagreements in front of the kids, so we usually save our complaints until after they are asleep. This puts us at a risk of being upset at each other just as we are getting ready to go to bed. You know, it's almost impossible to go to sleep angry with the person that you are praying with just before you go to sleep!
So...I want to issue a challenge to all the wives reading this. Begin to pray each night with your husbands before you go to bed. This is a wonderful way to build up the unity between you and your husband. I would love to hear from those who are willing to take me up on this challenge!
"A threefold cord is not quickly broken".
Thursday, March 02, 2006
New Mercies Everyday
I have discovered this week that I most definitely was not called to be a nurse! Every member of my family (excepting myself) has been struck down with the flu this week. I feel like Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy from Uncle Wiggly! I've been running back and forth between the bedrooms and the couches taking temperatures, giving out medicine, covering cold bodies up and giving out endless cups of juice!
Our house has turned into a regular infirmary! I have all my medicine charts laid out along with all the labeled medicine cups and drinks. I move from person to person checking their condition and asking them if they need anything.
Each morning I wake up expecting to feel rotten. I tell myself, "I just know I'm next on the list!" Not so! God has been faithful in showing me that His mercies are truly new every morning. So far, I have woken up fairly refreshed and ready for another day of nursing my family back to health. My energy level is nothing short of a miracle! After several nights of getting up to tend the "sickies" at all hours, what else could explain this but an extraordinary God working an "ordinary" miracle?
I believe that God has given something special to those He has called to motherhood. Call it what you will, but it's made up of patience, endurance, an extra reserve of energy, discernment, and a huge dose of grace! If you think back to when Jesus was dying on the cross, even in one of His weakest moments He was looking out for His own mother. He saw her distress and even before she asked for His help, He told John to take care of her. (John 19:26-27)
We mothers can take this picture from long ago and apply it to our own lives. We can be confident that even before we ask for His help, Jesus will be looking out for our well being and give us what ever it is that we need to make it through every single day, whether it be strength, patience, energy, grace or His mercies which are new every single day!
Our house has turned into a regular infirmary! I have all my medicine charts laid out along with all the labeled medicine cups and drinks. I move from person to person checking their condition and asking them if they need anything.
Each morning I wake up expecting to feel rotten. I tell myself, "I just know I'm next on the list!" Not so! God has been faithful in showing me that His mercies are truly new every morning. So far, I have woken up fairly refreshed and ready for another day of nursing my family back to health. My energy level is nothing short of a miracle! After several nights of getting up to tend the "sickies" at all hours, what else could explain this but an extraordinary God working an "ordinary" miracle?
I believe that God has given something special to those He has called to motherhood. Call it what you will, but it's made up of patience, endurance, an extra reserve of energy, discernment, and a huge dose of grace! If you think back to when Jesus was dying on the cross, even in one of His weakest moments He was looking out for His own mother. He saw her distress and even before she asked for His help, He told John to take care of her. (John 19:26-27)
We mothers can take this picture from long ago and apply it to our own lives. We can be confident that even before we ask for His help, Jesus will be looking out for our well being and give us what ever it is that we need to make it through every single day, whether it be strength, patience, energy, grace or His mercies which are new every single day!
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