One of our readers posted a reply to the post below: WHAT I WOULD HAVE MISSED. I would like to make some comments.
"God does give us the wonderful blessing of children. But he also gave us the wonderful blessing of free will. And I think this includes being able to make a decision that you have had enough children . . . When you as a family decide that you want to focus on the children you have, on raising them up right, on listening to your body when it says 'enough,' on listening to your husband when he says 'enough,' I truly believe this is ok."
I will admit that these words sound logical and wise. But dear ladies, this is how the enemy tempts us. He does not tempt you with that which is blatantly evil for he knows you would take no notice. Instead, he tempts us with that which sounds wise and good. This was his first temptation to Eve in the Garden of Eden? How could the enemy tempt someone who personally walked and talked with God each day? He did it by sounding "good," "wise," and "pleasant" (Genesis 3:6). The above words sound so good and pleasant to our ears because they cater to how we feel. What we think is best. What fits in with our lifestyle. What fits our plans. This is humanism.
We don't know what is best for us. Only God who created us knows what is best. It is only right that we listen to Him. Job said, "For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment" (Job 9:32). Who are we to argue with God? He is the Creator, we are the created. He is the Planner; we are the planned. He is the Savior and Deliverer; we are the saved. He is Infinite; we are infinite. Isaiah 29:16 says: "Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed It He had no understanding?"
And where in Scripture do we read that we are to listen to the dictates of the body? God does not speak to us through the dictates of our body, but through His eternal word. There are those who listen to their bodies and commit fornication! Of course I know that our bodies get tired. Motherhood is a powerful and all-engaging career. But anyone who is doing a great job gets tired. That's why God gives us the night to sleep and refresh our bodies (Psalm 127:2).
And dear ladies, God created our bodies for the purpose of childbearing. Childbearing does not wear out your body, it preserves your body. 1 Timothy 2:15 (NASB) says: "Women will be PRESERVED through the bearing of children." For scientific proof, go to: http://tinyurl.com/PreservedThroughMotherhood
This lady also commented: "I think He is far more interested in the quality of your children as opposed to the quantity." I think you could only make this statement if you haven't experienced the joys, plusses, interaction, input, and loaded blessings of a larger family.
Jesus Himself was part of a family of at least seven or maybe ten or more. In Matthew 13:55, 56 it tells about Jesus' five brothers "and his sisters." That means there had to be at least two sisters, but the inference is that there were more. What if there were five? That would have been ten in the family. Do you think that God, the Potentate of the universe, the Creator of all, and the Father of His Beloved Son would allow him to live in a large family if it was not going to allow quality? Of course not. This was normal family size in God's eyes.
We must all ask this question. When does quality stop? Is it after two children? Or perhaps after three? If you were to ask parents of six or more children if their youngest child receives less quality because they are part of a larger family, they would laugh out loud!
Children of smaller families have far less attention than those in larger families. A baby coming into a large family is overloaded with love, cuddles, and constant attention--more than parents could ever give. They receive unbounded love, teaching, and interaction from all different ages, often from eight, nine, or ten people each day. They receive far more stimulation than a first or second child could ever receive.
And this is how God plans family to work. Children learn and receive so much from one another. They also learn that they are not the only one in the family to expect attention, for all are receiving love and attention. They grow up secure, and yet without selfishness and the entitlement mentality of so many today.
Plus, if we should only have so-called "quality" rather than "quantity," does that mean that younger children born into a family are not fit to be born? Well, what about a few examples of hundreds that we could write about?
President George Washington was the 5th of ten children.
President William Harrison was the youngest of seven children.
President Benjamin Harrison was the 5th child of thirteen children.
President Benjamin Franklin was the youngest son of a youngest son for five generations, although he also had two younger sisters, and was actually the 15th of seventeen children.
By the way, seven of our presidents came from families of ten or more children. Did they not have quality in their family life?
Jonathan Edwards was the 11th child of eleven children (he had 10 older sisters doting on him).
Dwight L. Moody was the 6th child of eight children.
Nate Saint, one of the missionaries who was martyred as they sought to bring the Gospel to the Auca Indians was the 7th of eight children.
Composer Johann Sebastian Bach was the youngest child of eight children.
Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (by the way, his full name is Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart!) was the youngest child of seven children.
King David, the great king of Israel, was the youngest of eight children.
King Solomon, David's son grow up with at least twenty brothers and one sister is mentioned, but there were most probably so many more.
And so we could go on.
Another mother commented: "I thank God for every one of our nine children, 42 grandchildren, and 17 great-grands--many serving GOD FULLTIME ALREADY!" Did we read, "Many of them serving God FULL TIME? But they come from a large family where there is no "quality"! Don't you think we better re-evaluate?
God bless you today, Nancy Campbell