Children

Children are on my mind today.  I'm thinking about how society's views of children have changed over the years.  In today's society children are treated as burdens or inconveniences.  Children have been considered additional expenses in the pool of bills swimming around our homes.  There are parents that take every and any opportunity to drop their kid off somewhere for somebody else to take care of them.  I know that's not everybody and maybe not even most, but their are enough people that think this way to have a small influence over the rest of us that may not really feel this way.  I'm even taking a long look at myself and my own mindset towards our children.  I love our children, and they are a blessing in my eyes.  Having them around me and watching them grow; keeping them safe.......well it brings tremendous comfort to me.  But I believe there is a small part of me that is influenced by the part of society that says "children are a burden".  Things can sneak into your mindset without you even knowing it. Look at psalm 127:

127
Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
² It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.

³ Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
⁴ Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
⁵ 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.

     

 

 

These particular scriptures are not bundled together on accident.  Here God is talking about "building a house".  He is talking about "guarding a city".  He is talking about "rising up early" and "staying up late".  He is talking about "eating the bread of sorrows".  Right after He says that He gives His beloved sleep, he goes into talking about children.  Why? How are these scriptures connected.  There are some obvious things here.  But I think there are answers right here as to why children might become burdensome in our minds.  I think one of the reason is that we have become to "child centered" as parents.  Instead of focusing on how God says children are suppose to enrich our lives, we are constantly focused on trying to make them happy.   But back to the scriptures.  Look at the 1st verse.  Are we trying to build a home instead of allowing God to build our home?  Are we trying to build a home without God?  If this is true in your home then kids will become burdensome to you.  To many people trying to build their home without God.

 

I know I might seem a little scattered brained in this post, but hopefully it's still a blessing.  I want to skip down to verse 2. The translation above is the New King James Version.  But in the New American Standard Version the last sentence in verse 2 says "For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep".  The whole verse reads:
It is vain for you to rise up early,
To ^[a]retire late,
To eat the bread of ^[b]painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep

The amplified version is below:
² It is vain for you to rise up early, to take rest late, to eat the bread of [anxious] toil—for He gives [blessings] to His beloved in sleep.




The New King James says "For so He gives His beloved sleep".  But I believe the translations above are a little more specific, in letting us know God blesses us even in our sleep.  What is God trying to say to us here?  What is He saying to us as a society and why does this verse come right before the verse where He talking about children? I have always wanted God to speak to me about this chapter in Psalms because I see how all these things are linked together.  Studies show that as a society people with children experience less happiness now than they did many years ago.  I believe the answer lies in these versus of scripture.  I think for those of us who allow God's word to wash over us, we can be changed as parents if we just let Him give us revelation through these particular scripture versus.  Why do you think people shy away from having more than a certain amount of children?  But if you look at the top of this post, God says "Happy is the man who has a quiver full of them".  Most of us would not agree with that.  Most of us are saying "Not me".  In disagreeing with this point, we disagree with God.  There is so much that can be said on this topic, from people who have abortions to people who try In-vitro fertilization.  But I want to focus on why we are not the "Happy parents we should be".  I can honestly say I love my children.  I love being with them.  But I'm very tired and exhausted most of the time.  Which can rob me of the blessing that my children really are.  I think this could be alot of us.  We are just tired.  But, I am confessing this over my life from this day forth: "God does not want me to rise up early, to take rest late, to eat the bread of anxious toil.  He gives me blessing in my sleep".  In other words, God does not want me to lack sleep because it makes my work painful, toilsome.  He wants me to sleep, because blessings will come to me in my sleep.  Do you want your work at home to be joyful, blessed.  Then get some sleep.  Do you want your time with  your kids to be joyful and blessed, instead of toilsome and painful?  Get some sleep.  Stop worrying about your kids, about your home.  Give it over to God in the new year and be blessed.  Start sleeping, stop worrying and watch God bless you. Watch those blessings spill over from your unconscious sleep, to your conscious wake.  I'm telling you, try God in this and I bet you will see your homelife, your marriage, and your relationship with your kids transformed.  Believe God for blessings in your sleep that will spill over into your wakefulness, in the name of Jesus.  Confess it:  I will have blessings in my sleep that will spill over into my wakefulness.  Let this be your New Year's affirmation.