I don't know whether its true what I've read, about quiverful believers judging and forcing and believing that all should follow their ideals and reproduce quickly.. But I'm not one of them.
I recall years ago, a ladies story, who was blessed beyond measure the day her baby girl was born. We think congratulations.. But what we don't know is the story behind that.. 15years it took for the conception (with help), terrible life-threatening pregnancy and difficult birth that took place to have that single child. And it only happened once. A single child in a family with an ever-blessed mother & father.
Or the story it took 8 years to conceive, 5 years of trying, 3 years of trying..
Then you get people like me. Who conceive 5 times in 5 years or 6 times in 6 years. (We miscarried 1)
When we decided to 'try' it took one month for our fourth child.
It took more for our fifth. But that changed when husband came off medication. What a process and one I am blessed to have been a part of.
I consider myself blessed beyond measure. A life fruitful. A busy life. A life that whilst HAS been difficult to most in their early stages of marriage and life with kids, but with many things to be thankful and grateful for along the way.
Seemingly moment before taking our oaths before God, family and friends I said to my husband, lets pray about our children, that we will TRUST Him for when they come and how many.
We declared in secret, out loud, to God Himself that we would trust Him for the children He chose to give to us and when.
I consider this oath as important as our marriage oath. But I know that if I think that's enough that God has the Grace to cover me. We are prepared (in our minds) the possibility of birthing 10 children and it doesn't really phase Us. The thought of 15? Well that's a different story ;)
I read stories in the Word of God that tells me of a mother who had 'only 2' and labels them as being blessed. I love that. I love that you don't need to have more children then me to be labelled blessed.
And I love how Job had 10 children (7 sons & 3 daughters - who all died) and then went on to have ANOTHER 10 children (again 7 sons & 3 daughters) and was labelled blessed.
We read of woman not having a child and begging God for one (Hannah in 1 Samuel 2 & Elizabeth in Luke 1) conceiving and going on to have more.. And we read of Tamar with dead husbands and no offspring, posing as a prostitute, seducing her father-in-law and conceiving twins. Genesis 38:27
We read of Jacobs wife Leah having 6 sons & his loved bride Rachel having 2. (Only mentions sons, no daughters?!)
So we can see, that its not the SIZE of a family that make us right, righteous, holy, in Gods will, saved, listening to His Spirit or following the Word of God.
My husband and I are yet to have a child we didn't want ;) and we've had shock surprises & hopeful surprises.
So where does that leave my opinion of you? What you do is YOUR business!! Not mine!! Unless your my sis-in-law and I get to play with my nephews & neices I won't have to take care of them, look after them, watch out for them, raise them.. YOU will! That's YOUR choice! YOUR decision! And you prob have a partner in there someplace to consider also ;)
And after writing all this, I wonder too, if you will respect me and my family enough to allow us to have as many children as He sees fit to give us without preconceived ideas, notions and judgements.
5 Things I am Thankful for:
1. Grace
2. The life He has given us
3. Each. Individual. Child
4. Hubby who supports these decisions, who has the same conviction
5. That He has already given us, Everything, we Need! to live holy and fruitful lives (2 Peter)
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