Children’s Value
Children are one of many gifts God may give us (Ps 127:3). We are to highly esteem them because they are precious (Prov 17:6; Mk 10:14). We are to be concerned for them (Est 2:11) and be joyful in having them (Lk 15:23-24). Parents are responsible to provide for their children (2 Cor 12:14), train them in God’s ways (Mal 2:15), be compassionate toward them (Mal 4:6), and discipline them (Prov 19:18) as tenderly as is workable (Eph 6:4, AB). To some, the Lord gives many children. For example, Susanna Wesley was the 25th child born to her parents. She herself had 19 children of whom were John Wesley and Charles Wesley, her 18th, who wrote so many Christian hymns.
We would do well to ask the Lord how many children He wants us to have. Why be ‘politically correct’ but perhaps deprive the world of a John or Charles? And if, like George Washington or the apostle Paul, God has us be physically childless, we should consider that he wants to use us to birth something noble, to be a spiritual parent (Gal 4:19). Indeed, this is far better than having many children but being so busy we don’t provide adequate training and input into their lives (as was true of Genghis Khan).
Let us rejoice in our children and do our reasonable best with them (1 Thess 5:15, NJB). Let us remember that they are (or at least should be!) far less mature than us. Hence, we should treat them with compassion and patience rather than exasperation that they aren’t measuring up to our adult standards. After all, youth is about immaturity: “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years” (Mark Twain).
When God wants a couple or family to alter course, the revelation is normally clear.