1 Kings 5-6 / Acts 7:1-29 / Psalm 127 / Proverbs 16:28-30
What is the best gift you’ve ever received? Feel free to answer in the comments. You know, that one gift that you had hoped for all year, or for many years. You dreamed of it, maybe you even saved up your money to buy it yourself. Maybe it’s hard to narrow it down to just one gift, especially if you’ve been on earth awhile LOL
But there is one gift that outweighs many, and that is the gift of children. Whether you have children personally, or you delight in the children of others, Psalm 127:3 says, “Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from Him.”
I want to focus on the “gift” part of this verse. Over the years, being one who was raised in the church, it was with hushed shameful tones that a child out of wedlock was announced. This post is not to minimize the sin of sex outside of marriage. Rather I want to talk about the child.
Children are a gift no matter how they come about. Outside marriage, outside ideal circumstances, or even through means not wished for. Not everyone wants children, so it has been surprising to some to have to catch up to the fact of being pregnant. Some have even sought to abort the life, or to give the baby away to adoptive parents. Neither am I hear to debate the morality of these choices, though I am solidly pro-life.
Again, may I say, no matter how a child is conceived, that child is a gift. And that child is innocent in his or her conception. That child is to be protected, provided for, loved, nurtured, and taught. That would be the ideal blessing of a life hoped for. I’m thankful my parents wanted me and raised me in love.
Children are a gift from the LORD. The KJV says children are a heritage… and heritage is nahala (nakh-al-aw) – property, inheritance, something inherited.
I’ve often said that my life’s greatest work was in producing, loving, teaching and training our three children. And I still believe that. I have done and will do some beautiful things in my life, but to have a large part in mentoring three humans to be good people who love God and others is an accomplishment of a lifetime. And I believe they have each turned out to be amazing people!
If I inherited nothing else from God, I would be blessed with my family. I’m a firm believer that people are the only rewards and inheritance that are eternal. We can’t take our homes or possessions with us when we leave earth; only the people whose lives we’ve impacted will matter when we’re gone. That means I have at least 4 people who I’ve had a direct hand in loving and hopefully changing for the better (including Jeff)!
The next time you see a momma who’s pregnant or has littles, please say a prayer of blessing for her. She’s working so hard and even though she may be stressed at times, she is probably aware of the beauty of her life because of who God has given her. And if you have an opportunity to impact a momma who is struggling with what to do about being pregnant, support and encourage her, and see what you can do to be part of the solution to her situation.
We are blessed so we can be a blessing. Seek to be a blessing to a child in your life this week!
