How Many Kids Should I Have?

You know, I've been thinking a lot about how much things have changed in people's mindset about families. Who sets the rules for how many kids each family should have? Who says how much you should make for a living? How old you should be before you start a family? For quite sometime I've put a lot of study into this and I have been trying to find scripture in the bible to tell me more. The only thing that I've been able to come up with is that when God joined Adam and Eve, He said "be fruitful and multiply". He didn't say, "be fruitful, wait till you're 35, see how you do with one kid, play it slow, seek Me, space them exactly 3 years apart, plant some more trees in the garden, then maybe multiply." Nope. It was plain and simple. Be fruitful and multiply. Yes I believe that if you feel as if you could kill the kids, then stop. Or you can't feed them and you're living in a cardboard box.

If you really look deep down, what is the real reason for not having kids?  Money?  Vacations?  Luxuries?  Age?  Big enough house?  Car? When I looked down into the root of it, in myself, I saw something that scared me. I Jenny, am a very selfish person. I want to have coffee at a certain time every morning, I want to eat out at will, I want to be able to sit on the toilet for more than 10 seconds without a kid knocking on the door, I want to have that red convertible I've always dreamed of, I want to be able to stay out late drinking Lattes with my friends, I want to buy clothes all for me, Shoes bigger than size 2 in the toddlers, I want to have my career and get my own paycheck.... This list goes on and on. In the end, if I had that, what do I get?

So, I can have coffee at 8am on the dot, I get a full stomach for the hundredth time at a restaurant I've eaten at 20 times, I get my butt stuck on the toilet because I read a magazine in the bathroom, I can get that expensive red convertible that was probably bought by credit anyway, I can fill my stomach up with Lattes that cost 4 bucks a piece, buy more clothes that soon go out of style and I'll soon want more, shoes and more shoes, a job that I have to drag myself to everyday and not get home till almost sunset in the traffic. What do I get after all that, after 20 years? Just stuff. And a empty dinner table. Now I know what God was talking about when the bible said;


"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's YOUTH. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall NOT be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate."
Psalm 127:3-5

"your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table."
Psalm 128:3

Children truly are a gift from the Lord. They truly are a joy! I love how they make me laugh, make me see the flowers in a new way, help me to understand how much God really does love and forgive because we are His sons and daughters. I love to see my kids excitement on Christmas morning, the fun at finding eggs on Easter, hearing them ask me to be their Valentine on February 14th, seeing how special they feel on their birthday, and all the playtime in days in between. Each little experience in their life is a lesson waiting to be taught. I truly feel that by giving my life to God, living by His Word, I truly am experiencing His blessings.