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Children Are A Blessing

by Bryan Gibson

July 17, 2009

Seems obvious, right? Well, children may be regarded as a blessing to some, but there are plenty of parents who don’t see it that way. They neglect their children while they are under their care, and then they can’t wait to get them out of the house. Let’s look at a few passages of Scripture to remind ourselves that children are indeed a blessing.

“Behold, children are a heritage (gift—NASV) 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” (Psalms 127:3-5). Children are not a burden; they are a gift from the Lord, a reward.

“Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord” (Psalms 128:1-4). Parents, if you don’t fear the Lord and walk in His ways, don’t blame your children when they give you trouble. You can help them flourish—“like olive plants all around your table”—and enjoy them much more, if you model godliness before them.

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me’” (Matthew 18:1-5). Sure, children can be exasperating; they don’t always behave the way they should. But they also have some qualities we would do well to imitate, and humility is one of them, as the above passage indicates. Sometimes, we may see more of a likeness to God in our children than we do in ourselves.

“A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world” (John 16:21). If you’ve been blessed with the birth of children, you know exactly what Jesus is talking about in this passage. It’s hard to imagine any greater joy than what we feel at that time, but there are at least three occasions when our joy for them will be even greater—when they are born again (John 3:3-5); when they marry someone who will help them get to heaven; and when we see them “in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ at His coming” (1 Thessalonians 2:19).

Thank you, God, for the gift of children. Please help us to train them in Your ways. Help us to train them in OUR home, so they can one day live in YOUR home.