“Children are a gift from God, offspring a reward from Him." ~ Psalm 127:3
Katelyn found out she was pregnant
after taking a home pregnancy test in her office bathroom. It came as a lovely surprise (emphasis on
surprise). While she and Erik wanted to
have children eventually, they agreed to wait until they were in their 30s.
When she started telling friends, they responded by asking
one of 2 questions: “Was it planned?” (No), or “Are you going to get an
abortion?” (Hell, no!). Then she giggled
almost apologetically as if she’d just told a bad joke.
“Don’t you think you’re too
young to have a kid?” her friends would ask. “Don’t you want to enjoy your 20s?” “Aren’t you worried about your career?” Yet the message was consistent: At her age,
having a baby would be, at the very least, harmful to her career, and at worst,
a regression on behalf of her entire gender.
Katelyn found the responses shocking. She wasn’t a teenager or a heroin addict; she wasn’t
unemployed or homeless. She was a 25-year-old,
happily married wife, with a decent job and a steady source of income. There was no reason for anyone to think she was
an unsuitable candidate for motherhood. The idea that she couldn’t be a mother without
sacrificing ambition was obsolete.
Katelyn’s life would soon be defined by both womanhood and by motherhood. Feeling a little person grow within her and raising them to become independent – became the utmost privilege and the greatest challenge.
As first-time parents, they wondered if they were ready. They were nervous that they wouldn’t know what
to do when something happened. They
worried that they’d make so many mistakes that their kids would be messed-up
beyond repair.
And by God’s grace, they made it work. His goodness brought them to their knees. But nobody, including all the naysayers,
anticipated that at age 35, Katelyn would be diagnosed with a rare fallopian
tube infection, requiring a full hysterectomy.
Now when people say she looks too young to have four kids,
Katelyn feels incredibly blessed.
While the Bible wasn't primarily written as a how-to guide
for raising children, it has plenty to say on the subject. Time and again, the Bible urges parents to do 3 things: treasure their children, (Colossians 3:21); teach and correct
them (Deuteronomy 6:7); and model for them how to live righteously (Titus
2:7-8).
Even though God gave us wisdom about parenting, we all
sometimes fail. Thankfully we have the
most powerful tool in our back pockets: God’s grace. And because we know God’s grace so
personally, we seek to extend that same grace to our children when they fail.
Father God, You have blessed us with the joy
and care of children. Let our parenting
be filled with God’s grace, love, and forgiveness as we treasure, teach, and
model righteous living for Your children. Amen
