The Great Commission


Blog Archives

Blog Topics

Posts Tagged ‘Children’

Child Math

Written by Ben
Tuesday, 31 August 2010 16:13
2 Comments

I don’t know if I’ve confessed this before, but I’m no lover of math.  In fact, I successfully got around my required Calculus credit for my bachelor’s degree by taking Applied Statistics for Social Sciences.  That was surely an answer to prayer!  Now, my friend and church brother Guy Buckner is all about math.  I think he even sees the world in binary code, much like Neo did in the Matrix.  But my mind just doesn’t work that way.

However, there have been two math inequalities that have gripped my attention for some time now.  Do you remember inequalities from math class?  Here’s an example:  5 > 3.  It says that 5 is greater than 3.  Here’s another example: 10 < 15.  It says that 10 is less than 15.  Picture the greater than/less than symbol as the open mouth of an alligator.  The alligator always eats the bigger number.  Pretty simple, right?

Here’s one inequality that has gripped me lately:

Babies are greater than dollars.  It’s absolutely true!  Have you ever thought about it in that way?  Oh sure, you wouldn’t trade the children that you already have for all the money in the world, but have you decided to not have any more children based upon your desire to live in more financial comfort?  Maybe you don’t have children yet, but as you and your spouse talk, is the conversation laced with finances?

I’ll never forget the conversation that my wife and I had with our anesthesiologist right before the birth of our second child.  As she was prepping my wife, she began to ask questions.

“Is this your first child?” she asked.

“No, this is our second child.  We have a two-year-old son as well,” my wife responded.

“Oh, well, I guess this will be it for you two then, huh?”

My wife said with a smile, “No, we’d like to have a few more.  We’ve talked about maybe having four or six kids.”

The anesthesiologist’s eyes got really big with surprise, and she sharply interrogated us, “Do you know how expensive it is to raise a child?”

She went on discussing how she, even on her anesthesiologist’s income, could only afford one child.  “I want her to have every opportunity,” she declared smuggly. 

Needless to say, the lady rubbed me the wrong way.  I’m not sure if she was a Christian or not, but that’s certainly not biblical thinking.  I used to think the very same way.   I used to be more of a student of Americanism than Scripture, but when I began to study the Bible, a different worldview suddenly began to emerge as I let my mind be shaped by passages like Psalm 127:3-5, Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth.  How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate.  It’s clear to me now:  babies are greater than dollars.

Here’s the other inequality that I’ve been meditating on:

Without a doubt, children are often inconvenient.  There’s no more jumping in the car for a road trip on a whim with your spouse because you have to pack half your house to take with you or find a babysitter.  There are plenty of sleep-deprived nights.  There are snotty noses, poopy diapers, vomit, and “Hey, Dad…Hey, Dad…Hey, Dad…Hey, Dad!” a million times.  You are often pushed to your emotional limits. 

Sure, children are inconvenient, but were we put on this earth to fulfill our convenience?  The Bible says not.  You have been created with a mission in mind, which is to glorify God throughout the earth.  That’s why God told Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it.  Bearing and raising children bring God glory.  Babies are greater than convenience.

Friend, I have to testify that God has really changed my mind and heart over the years concerning children.  Convenience and dollars are lower in value to me now than they used to be.

Please do not hear me say that every couple should be trying to maximize the number of children they can bear.  Neither am I saying that you are more holy if you have more children.  I’m just saying, have the attitude toward children that God has.  Whether by birth or by adoption, they are a great blessing and great reward.  Far greater than dollars or convience!

Thank you, Father, for the gift of my children! Check out an older blog post of mine which points out 25 ways children are gift from God.

 

A God We Can See

Written by Ben
Wednesday, 18 November 2009 00:02
No Comments

Cowboy ZachDon’t your children just amaze you sometimes?!

Not too long ago, I was having a discussion with my older son Zachariah.  He just turned 4-years-old in October.  I was up against a deadline and had to get some work done immediately, but he really wanted me to play.  I don’t know if any of your children are or were like Zach, but he’s very social and doesn’t like playing alone.  He thinks a friend has to be there too, and since none of his buddies were around, and his little brother was napping, good ol’ dad was his anticipated playmate.  Our exchange went something like this:

“Dad, I want you to play with me.”

“Son, I’d love to, but I’ve really got to get this work done.  It has to be done today.  Why don’t you go upstairs and play.  Build a big house with Lincoln Logs!”

“Dad, I don’t want to go upstairs by myself,” he answered back, beginning that whiny voice that kids employ so well.  “It’s kinda dark up there and sometimes I get scared up there by myself.”

Looking for one of those teachable moments, I asked him, “Zachariah, why should you not be scared to go up stairs and play?”

He answered correctly, “Because God is always with me.”

“That’s right,” I said.  “You don’t have any reason to be scared.”

And then it happened, as matter-of-factly as possible.  “But, daddy, sometimes I wish I had a god I could see.”

Holy cow!  (Yeah, the pun was intended.)  Right there in the heart of my 4-year-old was the beginnings of something major.  To be honest, it takes a 4-year-old to say something like that because we adults wouldn’t have been so concise, profound, and blunt.  What was bubbling up in my son’s heart is what mankind has battled with since the fall, and it could lead to one of two things:  either idolatry or a hunger for the age to come.

Put your finger on almost any Old Testament page, or ancient history book for that matter, and you’ll see a multiplicity of this ancient sin of idolatry being lived out.  From the Garden of Eden to Egypt to Canaan, it’s on full display.

You probably see it most vividly in the scene in Exodus 32 when Moses had left the people of Israel for a while to go up and meet with God on Mt. Sinai:

1Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 5Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.” 6So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

What a low moment for the people of Israel, but people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.  How many times have you said silently or even aloud in your fallenness, “I wish I had a god I could see”?  Honestly, what struck me so much when my son said what he said was that he just put to words what I’ve felt many times.  In my ye-of-little-faith moments, I’ve said in groans and sighs what he said in words.  We all groan at times inside wishing we had a god we could see right now.

Why is that?  The answer is that a god we can see requires no faith.  In that moment when you’ve just lost your job, and you cry out, “God, are you really there?” it would certainly be easier if we could just look up in the sky or over in the corner and see God sitting there.  Then we’d be quickly reassured that He is there.  But that’s not faith.  Remember how Hebrews 11:1 defines faith, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  Again, a god I can see requires no faith, and in this age, faith is the order of the day.  As the Apostle Paul said, “for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

So, fellow journeyman, as we walk, let us walk by faith.  Of course, this faith is not a blind one.  It’s an informed faith based upon objective truth revealed in Jesus Christ and the Scripture, but it’s nevertheless faith.  May we ever be on our faces before the throne of God begging Him for more faith so that we will endure, and dear one, He will supply.

But know this one truth:  the God that is invisible to us in this age will one day in the age to come be fully revealed to our very eyes, as Revelation 22:3-4 promises, “There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.”  What a glorious day that will be when our groans and sighs will be answered!  Therefore, don’t let your wishing for a god you can see lead you to idolatry.  Let it lead to you to hunger for the age to come when we will behold our heavenly Father face to face.

Zachariah, thank you for being so honest and helping daddy long for the day when my faith will be replaced with sight.  I pray that you will come to faith and keep the faith so that the desires of your precious heart will come to pass as well.  Come, Lord Jesus!

 

25 Reasons Children Are a Gift from God

Written by Ben
Monday, 18 May 2009 11:30
No Comments

God is certainly a good God who has given us so many gifts. One of the greatest gifts that God has given us is children. They are for His glory and for our godliness. I’ve got to confess that God has done a major work in my heart concerning children. It’s not that I used to think ill of them. It’s just that my mind had not been shaped by God’s Word concerning children. Read Psalm 127:3-5:

“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.”

God says that children are gifts from Him and that a man whose quiver is full is blessed. I certainly desire to be blessed. May we all seek the blessing of God through children.

So, jumping off of v3, I began to brainstorm ways that children are a gift from the Lord. Here’s my list. It’s not an exhaustive list. It’s not even a top 25. It’s just 25 of many, many others. I pray that you would praise the Lord for children.

Children are a gift of the Lord because:

  1. God’s Word says they are.
  2. They provide a front row seat to view the miracle of procreation.
  3. They are one of God’s instruments working humility in us.
  4. They are an opportunity to impact the world long after we die.
  5. They are one of God’s instruments working patience in us.
  6. They are one of God’s instruments working selflessness in us.
  7. They are our God-designed social security.
  8. They are another person made in the image of God.
  9. They demonstrate the type of dependence on us that we should have upon God.
  10. Their amazement with creation is contagious.
  11. They illustrate that we are all works in progress.
  12. They provide joy even on the dark days.
  13. They are a wonderful opportunity for making marriages stronger.
  14. They are a great reason to get married.
  15. They are a catalyst for our prayer life.
  16. They push us to trust in the sovereignty of God.
  17. They are one of God’s instruments working maturity in us.
  18. They exemplify our fallen nature and our great need for a Savior.
  19. Their sweet smiles melt cold hearts.
  20. They are God’s promise that life will go on.
  21. They show us we really don’t need as much sleep as we thought we did.
  22. They display unconditional acceptance no matter skin color.
  23. They push us toward a good work ethic.
  24. They make marvelous mud pies.
  25. They are Jesus’ example for how we are to approach God.

I have thoughts on each of these and would love to talk more about them with you. May we praise the Lord for the blessing of children!