Family Size

     The topic of family size and child spacing has been on my mind lately. A human life is so precious and significant it's hard for me to grasp that I can choose if I want to have just 2 children or 10 children! Do I wait for divine direction? Is that too faithy? Can we be too humanistic when it comes to family size? God has a plan for each life, what if I don't have the child that he had a divine plan for and I messed it up? What does the bible say?

     I've always thought we should have as many children as we think we can handle and then a couple more. Some phrases I've heard my mom say, "A loaf of bread comes with every child," "children are a blessing." So in my mind to have a blessed life, have children. As many as I think I can handle and a few more. My husband doesn't share my view. If we make x amount a year, it's obvious we won't be able to afford 10 children. I'm not saying that's what I had in mind at all. I was trying to find my own direction in this, not my mom's, not my friend's, mine. My husband says God gives us the choice to have children, when and how many. I believe that now. I believe God will bless the decision to have each child, but I also believe if we just have children to have them and not necessarily desire and want everyone we have, that could be wrong too.

     One of my friends said she had baby fever and had a strong desire to have their second child, they prayed about it and decided to have another one. I wondered then if that is God's direction, a simple desire. And if it's not there yet, it's ok to wait. I want to want each child, not just have children to have them.

     I do want God's direction in spacing my children and family size. On the other hand, we are made in God's image and are the crown of His creation. God did give us the power of choice. But It almost seems too humanistic to me for it to be MY choice. Maybe I am too faithy but a human life is so precious how can God not be involved? 

     I have to admit, the thought of it as my choice has been freeing to me. I must have been believing in something that wasn't true for me. Last night, a simple conclusion just appeared in my mind. "There is no right or wrong." I was completely at rest and comforted in that thought. That was my answer!

     I found this article by Tim Challies and thought it was very good! How Many Children Should We Have He has some bible verses and wrote out some of my same thoughts. He also shared my same revelation of no right or wrong! "Is there a clear command in the Bible that tells me that I must limit the size of my family? To my knowledge and understanding there is no clear command in either case. In the absence of clear and specific commands from God, I am now out of the realm of absolute right and wrong; I am now free from being blatantly disobedient if I choose to have two children or if I choose to have twenty children."