I am pregnant with baby number 7. Most people think that’s weird. In fact, someone asked my brother the other day: “Why would she do that?!” As if I had committed some terrible crime or something…Others have commented about how I “did this to myself” as if being pregnant with my precious child was the worst choice I could make. It’s one thing when the world has this attitude but it’s a whole other thing when believers have this sort of attitude. I always want to respond with: “Wait? Don’t you believe God is the Author of life? Don’t you believe He is the one knitting together this little baby in my womb?” Sometimes I think of saying: “Ok, let’s line my kiddos up and you tell me which ones we should get rid of.”
In our culture it is weird to have what God designed as normal.
Normal Katie?! Yes. Normal. Most women were designed to carry a number of children during their childbearing years. This isn’t always 15 kids either. I have a couple friends that surrendered their wombs to the Lord and only had 2. It’s not about the number. It’s about seeing fertility as a normal part of life. I understand that some women are not fertile and would do anything to even have one child. I also understand that there are life-threatening circumstances for very few women that inhibit them from being pregnant.
Why isn’t it weird that people go to the doctor and tell him to cut or tie a part of their bodies that is functioning exactly the way it was designed to function? Can you imagine going to the Dr. and saying: “Hey Doc, could you cut my kidney out?” Doc: “What’s wrong with it?” You: “Nothing, I just don’t want to use that one anymore.” Not going to happen because your kidney is doing what it’s supposed to do, just as our parts that make us fertile are doing what they are supposed to do.
I do not judge those who choose to cut and tie. As you know, we did that at one point but reversed our decision . My point is not to judge but maybe get people to think: “hmmmm, she’s not weird. She’s normal. Having babies is normal.” And then maybe people can be happy for me and our family that God is choosing to grow another little one in my womb rather than treating me like I am so strange.
It’s not strange that a woman has babies into her early forties. It’s not weird that a woman carries 10-12 or more or less children in her womb over a lifetime. It’s not weird for a woman to have a little one while also getting to have her first grandchild. That’s normal. Don’t let the culture dictate what’s normal or good or better or best. Let God’s Word determine that.
It’s hard to have big families. It’s sacrificial. But it’s not weird. No where in the bible will you find that hard and sacrificial are bad. In fact, hard and sacrificial are recommended in the bible.
No matter our family size, may we encourage one another rather than making the other feel less than or inferior or stupid and may we look at large families as normal.
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!”
Psalm 127:3-5
