“Why so many kids?” We get this question, or some variant of it all the time – in the mall, at restaurants, from complete strangers as well as our friends and family.  It’s a reasonable question.  Not many people are doing what we’re doing and we recognize that.  For whatever reason, it’s become more the norm for a couple to have two or maybe three kids, and space them apart over several years.  Because of that, a lot of people are surprised when they see us rolling into a restaurant with four kids under four.  Most people smile or laugh, but some give nasty looks.  Not often, but that does happen.

And the question remains.  ”Why so many kids?”

Well, the answer is pretty simple.  We think God wants us to do this.  Not only that but we believe that these kids aren’t just a responsibility but that they are a huge blessing.  Take a look at Psalm 127:

1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.

2 It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

3 Behold, children are a gift of 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 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

To me this says that real worth isn’t measured by the size of your nest egg, but by the size of your nest.  Or something like that.  Your bank account isn’t going to give you a full life, but rich relationships with a family that adores you can.  Not only that, but having a “quiver” full of “arrows” is a sign of power.  Your kids are arrows you launch into the world to defeat the works of the enemy – and the more arrows the better. If you love them well, raise them up in the admonition of the Lord, and prepare them as best you can for what awaits them in this world, then when it’s time for them to launch out on their own, they’re going to be strong and have an impact.

For me, I never care to have my name on a building or a fat bank account.  I want my name on a bunch of kids who are living for and loving Jesus wherever they are. That’s why we’re having so many kids.

‘Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. ‘Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.’ (John 17:24-26 NIV)

this is a continuation of the prayer that Jesus prayed just before going to the garden and being captured. he’s praying specifically for all the believers that would follow the disciples, right up to the present time. i think the coolest part of this passage is in the last verse: I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.’

Jesus knows what he’s about to do. he’s about to go to an agonizing death on the cross. why? so that you and i can know the love of God. more than that, so that we can have the same love that God had for Jesus within us. and more than that, so that Jesus himself might be in us. honestly, i really don’t know how that last part works. i believe that it does, but i really don’t know how. the love of God thing, though, that i can understand somewhat. i think that’s what we’re all really searching for anyway. we try to fill that void a million different ways, but the thing we really want is to have the love of God in us. for believers, we should be experiencing that, right? but sometimes it seems that we either don’t feel it or don’t trust it for some reason. i don’t know why that is. i guess it’s the old sin nature just not wanting to die, or it’s the enemy trying to rob us of the full life that God intends. regardless, we should be on the lookout for anything that blocks us from experiencing the love God wants to implant in our souls. it’s the one thing that will truly satisfy the longings of our souls.

‘My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23 NIV)

Wow…this is really powerful. It’s the continuation of Jesus’ prayer from yesterday and now in addition to his disciples, he adds all the believers since and those in the future into the mix. my first impressions: what an honor to know that Jesus really was thinking of me as he was about to go to the cross. in addition, how great is it that his life and his words weren’t just for those back in 30ad, but for all of us up to now and into the future? this really speaks to the timelessness of the gospel.

and then there’s the detail of what he was praying for – in short – unity. in his final hours before unjustly enduring the most tragic torturous form of execution ever devised by man, jesus found it important to pray that the believers of the future would be made perfectly or completely one. does that mean there should be no denominations or differences of opinion? i don’t think so. i think it’s about being unified about the core issues of the faith: the trinity, the Godship of Christ, his sacrificial death, our being saved by faith, etc. and not letting petty issues divide us. why? so that the people of the world can see that God sent Jesus to do what he did and that God loves them. when the church argues and fights over petty issues and dogmas, the people of the world disregard the church as irrelevant and pointless, and they’re right to do so. the church has to find a way to celebrate our common ground and respect our different worship styles, our different teaching styles, and our different doctrines. I realize that there are some completely false teachings out there that go against the core of the faith and we should stand against those teachings, but for everyone else we have to learn to get along. why? so that the people of the world will see the church for what it should be, a group of people who love God, each other, and the people of the world. that’s part of our mission.

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:14-17 NIV)

in this passage, Jesus is praying specifically for his disciples just before going to be captured. note that he specifically asks God not to take them out of the world, but rather to protect them from the evil one. he makes it clear that the disciples really aren’t of the world, and that in fact the world has hated them, yet he doesn’t want to pull them out of the world.

for Christ-followers, it seems that much of the time we expect God to pull us out of difficult situations or remove us from the world somehow. we hole up in our churches, Christian bookstores, and even Christian themeparks. we boycott anything that goes against our moral code and yet we’re supposed to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. how are we supposed to enlighten the masses if we don’t ever see them and they don’t see us? i understand that we need to avoid things that will pull us down or tempt us beyond our ability to withstand. however, we can’t remove ourselves from the world. it’s just not God’s plan. his plan was for us to stay in the world to spread the good news. so that’s what we must do. don’t pray that God will remove you from the part of the world where he’s placed you, pray that God will sanctify you by the truth of his word and protect you from the evil one.