We Appreciate Your Interest

As we ponder this list, it is apparent that we could fill the pages of a book and not just a small pamphlet such as this. It would not address our needs nor those of you our friends to make this treatise too lengthy, so here we go. . .

The Questions Answered

"How many more children do you think you will have?"
"Do you plan on having more?"
"Is this the last one?"
"Isn't it about time to stop?"

This type of question can come from anyone. From the inquisitive mind of a four year old to the grandmother who entreats you as she passes by in a grocery store. Our answer is this: We do not know how many more children we will have, or if we will even have any more children. We do not believe that God would have us do anything that would be an attempt to prevent having children, but we also believe that:

Ruth 4:13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.

Ps. 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

The Lord gives conception, as Jacob said to Esau, These are the children that (Gen. 33:5) "God has graciously given. . ." In our opinion, if Jesus is to be Lord of our lives he needs to be Lord of every area of our life including our family size. It is not a scientific fact that every couple who enjoy the intimacies of married life will have children. This fact is obvious from the millions of couples who desire earnestly to have children but remain barren. I know of several families who (even though they believe the way we do about having children) have not been able to bear more children. To us it is certainly the Lord who gives life, it is the Lord who gives conception and it is the Lord who brings children safely to their parents homes. To us children are as God says, "His reward." If you met a man who said he had rewards to give you, and he began handing you 1 oz. pieces of gold, smiling each time you took one; when, may I ask, would you tell the man to stop and close his purse? And when we hear, "Is this the last one?" We can only think of that scripture wherein James defines what a submitted attitude ought to be like.

James 4:15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

"Don't you think your quiver is full yet?"

This question we most often hear from those who consider themselves believers or followers of Christ. It comes from the following scriptures:

Ps. 127:4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of thy youth.

Ps. 127:5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

The assumption made mistakenly about this verse is that the purpose of arrows is to take up space in the quiver. In actuality, children are likened to "arrows in the hand of a mighty man." This denotes a warrior, one who conquers and protects. An arrow only temporarily stays in the hand of a mighty man. He pulls it out of his quiver and he places it upon the string and sends it forth to accomplish it's intended purpose. So are children. Beautiful creatures which we nourish for such a short time before we send them off. The scripture says, "Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them." In a warfare situation the worst thing that could happen to a mighty archer is to run out of arrows. During heavy battles there would be those who assisted the ones engaged in battle. They would scurry about bringing up supplies and see that the archers' quivers were always full. We have heard it repeated often that "a quiver full is five arrows." I would ask you what king would ever send out mighty men into battle as archers whom he would only give five arrows? What soldier would agree to go into battle with one quiver of five arrows. Can you imagine marching in the scorching heat for weeks and even months to arrive on the battle front only to fire 5 arrows at the enemies of your kingdom? No! Common sense would say that when the mighty man is in battle and he is sending off his arrows as accurately and lethally and as quickly as he can, he is happy whenever he looks and finds "his quiver full of arrows."

"I don't know how you can do it?"
"You must have a lot of patience?"
"The mother must be very tired all the time."

These are interesting questions. "I don't know how you can do it?" We don't know how we can do anything, but God has promised in His word, Phil. 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." We are no different than most people. In fact, most people we know are currently doing what it is that they really want to do. Most people make the sacrifices necessary to reach their goals. Our goal is simply to say, "If the Lord is willing, we shall be a family, a family of His design. Many people are able to achieve incredible results in many different life ventures mostly due to being willing to try, and being willing to perform the work it takes.

"How can you afford it; we can't afford the one (or two) we have?"

This is probably the most difficult for us to deal with. Again most of us afford the things that are important to us: cars, furniture, vacations, collectibles, savings accounts, homes and similar items for the children we do have. I know many people who have much more expensive cars than they need, who travel extensively and yet deceive themselves into thinking that they cannot afford to have children. There is no scriptural mandate for providing a "college education" for your children, or making sure that they dress in only "the best name brands." We do not always have it easy financially. There are times when we are worried about "going broke." These situations are not from having a large family: they are from our own poor judgment and planning. God has assured me that there is less shame in financial failure when we have chosen not to fail at the expense of others, than the shame of succeeding dishonestly at the expense of others. We believe that we cannot afford the pleasure of rejecting the "fruit of the womb..His reward." In fact, it is often the smiles and faces of our children which God uses to take us through those trying times and to make us feel "rich" in experiencing these children He has given us. The proverb says "Better is a bowl of soup where love is than a stalled ox where there is strife." Poverty and riches can be very different things to different people.

Ps. 107:41 Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.

"He's a beautiful baby, but I'm glad he is yours and not mine!"

You know, every time I hear this statement my heart aches for those whose eyes have been blinded to the joy and fulfillment of "fruitfulness." I too am glad that "he is ours." Jesus said, "If you seek to save your life, you will lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake you will find it." So often we hear the words of those who are seeking to save their life, seeking to keep it as uncluttered and easy as possible, our hearts ache when we realize that they are being robbed, and often the culprit is their own selfishness. When I have asked others why they do not allow God to give them more children I have often heard the answer "I can't think of any unselfish reasons." How sad. There is a proverb which says, "Where no oxen are the stall is clean, but, there is much profit in the labor of the ox!"

"I think times are too hard for me to want to bring a child into the world."

If this statement made sense none of us would be here. When Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden they were told that "cursed be the ground because of you, ..it shall now bring forth weeds for you..." Obviously the world that Adam and Eve were accustomed to had changed from a paradise to a near disaster. If they had used their own intellect and human logic, they may very well have concluded that "times were too hard to bring a child into the world." I believe the same could be said of Moses' parents and even Mary who lived under the cruelties of the Roman empire. Surely hard times will come and go, but as Moses and Jesus proved the very children of hard times may hold the keys to deliverance.

"Don't you think this is bad for your body?"

Childbirth may very well involve risks to the mother's body and in some circumstances her life itself. We know from scriptures that Rachel gave her life during the birth of her son Benjamin. We also know from the loins of Benjamin there were many heirs to Rachel who benefited from her sacrifice. Num. 1:37 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred (35,400). These were those who were numbered at this specific time. How many millions had the gift of life because of Rachel we do not know. In this scripture we see another of Rachel's desendants: Phil. 3:5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Paul the Apostle, the man who above all others took the gospel to the known world and recorded nearly half of the New Testament was a descendant of Benjamin. We believe that Rachel rejoices in heaven each time a new soul joins the family of faith and never considers her death as a meaningless sacrifice.

Yes, childbirth may be hard on a body, but not everything hard or damaging is void of lasting value. Quite the opposite, sacrifice was considered a virtue unquestionably until about the 1960's in American society. We have seen the values of a free people turn dramatically from Altruistic (others first) to purely Narcissist (me first). When Jesus died for the sins of the world he epitomized what it means to be a servant and as we may recall he encouraged us to become servants, he said "the greatest among you shall be the servant of you all." Obviously he meant "the greatest" among you will be the most self-sacrificing.

In the following scriptures we see that God at the time of blessing Noah instructed him to be fruitful and multiply and replenish (fill to overflowing) the earth. We are aware of no instance where God has ever withdrawn this command. And we are confident that God is a great and mighty God and that "by Him all things consist."

Gen. 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

It is not our hope to convince you to see life from our perspective but to let you know that we are not just ignorant hillbillies. We are real people with real feelings and with genuine convictions. Before you criticize or insult us we just ask you to understand that we are far from perfect and that we are only trying to be obedient to that which God has asked of us.

Not everyone who reads this has made rude and insensitive jokes or comments to us and we don't mean to imply that you have. We just ask you to consider that what we are doing is a result of prayer, study, and desire to obey our God.

Darrell, Connie, Jennifer, Philip, Nathan, Rachel, Caleb, Elizabeth, Laura, Abigail, Oliver & Lincoln

Special Thanks to:

Robert and Nellie Neet, Bill and Emma Shuck
Eldred and Norma Neet,
Joseph and Hazel Gorseth, Walter and Vera Hough
Cliff and Lucile Gorseth, and Marla Gorseth
Willis and May Tingle, Thomas and Blanche Mayes
Raymond and Helen Tingle

And especially to "Our Father in Heaven"

Used by permission of author, Darrell D. Neet
oughtobe@coinet.com

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