Four Children: A Blessing

Since Abrielle has joined our family, I have been asked several times, "How is it having four kids?" Just recently I was asked by someone to write some "words of wisdom" about having four. I don't feel like I'm very wise in this area, but I can share some of my thoughts/experiences/convictions about having kids in general. For anyone keeping track this will be the first installment.

Today I want to focus on the complete blessing it is to have four children. I am not saying it is always easy or that I never get frustrated, but it is turning out to be a wonderful experience and I am enjoying each child immensely. So at this point I am going to do something dreadfully embarrassing and that is to point out that I was the one confidently telling everybody a few years ago that we were done with two! And of course I ate my words and now I have four. And the best explanation I can give about this is that I really started believing that Psalm 127 is true. Children (and more specifically godly children) are truly a blessing from the Lord. I am NOT saying that if others have only two (or less), then they are in the wrong. But as I prayed for and about my family, God showed me that my reasons for only wanting two children were plain old selfish and didn't quite match up to His reasoning.

How are these little ones a blessing? It is a blessing to watch each child as they go through each stage of life. It is a blessing to hear them tell me that I am a wonderful mother (oh, if they only knew!). It is a blessing to see how very different four little personalities can be. It is a blessing to watch them grow in the grace and knowledge of God. It is a blessing to be puzzled at how to raise these immortal souls and to throw myself in humble reliance on God for the grace to do it. It is a blessing to laugh with them. I cannot adequately explain it and I can't seem to convince enough people, but having a houseful is definitely a blessing from the Lord.