Quiverfull

 I love these verses so much. They used to call my dad, "two quiver Kellish", because Mom and Dad had 9 children in all, counting one that mom lost before he or she was born. Having children of my own, I know what an absolute blessing I have been given. I have heard people say such negative things about children, especially when a family has a large number of children like mine. Believe it or not, I have even heard Christians say things like "haven't you ever heard of birth control?" or "why did you have so many children?". Ignorance? Selfishness? Insensitivity? Maybe all three. Some people feel it is their job to tell everyone else what to do. When your advice contradicts the Word, guess which side I want to be on? Even with all of the hustle and bustle (and often drama!) that comes with a large family, not once have I ever spoken or even thought that I wished my family was smaller. How immensely sad that some have thought or spoken those words! How utterly presumptuous to believe we know better than the One who created us. 

Sometimes I ponder the "what ifs" of life. What if I, the 7th living child of my mother, was never born? If I was never born, my mother may not have had that initial experience with the Lord that she had, listening to a Christian radio station one night while she was in bed when she was pregnant with me. She may never had heard the Gospel that night that brought her to make the eternal decision to accept Jesus as her Savior. As a result, my Aunt and Grandmother, older siblings, and eventually my Dad and other extended family may have never had the opportunity to witness God work through my mother and cause them all to seek the Savior for themselves. Those family touched others and the Good News spread on and on.

One of my most favorite verses in the Bible is Jeremiah 29:11.

It says, "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Each child's future and every child's hope is all wrapped up in God's plan. Who am I (who is anyone?) to argue with that? 

Sweet Lord Jesus, keep my heart close to you, my ear attentive to your voice and my feet in step with your Word.