Confronted with a lack of faith

<----When we had 5
We received the news last week that we are expecting again. This will be our 7th child. We have 2 boys and 4 girls. We are thoroughly blessed and sometimes it seems that the walls will fall in for all of the business of the house, yet God holds it together. We are often asked, as many of our large family friends and homeschool families (wait, they are one in the same aren't they?) know by those who see us together: Are you guys Catholic? Mormon? I do have to chuckle a bit. Instead of waiting for someone to ask us, "Don't you know how that happens?", we have often laughed about how we should approach people who look at us funny and only have one child with them and ask them the same thing: "Aw, you only have one.......don't you know how this works?" But I confess that without knowing someone's particular situation I might offend someone who would like to have more children but just have not. Once upon a time we would have been given no more than a passing notice. To have a large family would have been no big deal. However, what strikes me is even among the "people of God" we are often mocked and made fun of and looked at like we have 3 heads or something. My simple question always comes down to, "Do you believe what the Bible says about children and do you believe that God is truly the giver of life?" If you believe those things, then why do we fall into the trap that the world lives in? Why do we want to restrict the blessings of God in favor of the curses? Is it because in many cases people don't believe the Word of God? Maybe, or maybe its because they've never been challenged to think about what the Word says and then contemplate the implications of it.

Let me illustrate: I know many people in the pro-life movement who do all kinds of political activism and work with numerous organizations in aiding young women who are pregnant. I applaud their efforts. However, many of these same people do not have any problem using birth control pills which do have abortion potential. They do not have any problem in using condoms (talk about unnatural) in order that they may experience the pleasure of a sexual relationship without the intended consequence that God designed in the sexual relationship: children. Now it is true that not every married couple will produce children, even apart from birth control, but the Scriptures ask the question, " Why did God make the two, one flesh?" Answer: "He wanted a godly seed." We will recall the command to Adam and then again commanded to Noah that they should be fruitful and multiply. Ultimately does this not go to the issue of the gospel? That command ultimately led to the birth of Christ. We are to fill the earth with the knowledge of God as proclaimed in His gospel. I certainly can't do it alone. God grants us the wonderful means of children that we have the incredible privilege of evangelizing in order that just maybe God may see fit to take them to the utter most parts of the globe and declare His glory to the people of the world.

While I personally have a bigger vision that lasts far longer than my brief vapor of time here on earth I am also confronted with the fact that we are running out of space in our Chevy Venture. Our van seats 8. However with number 9 coming sometime around April, Lord willing, we will need a bigger van. Unfortunately, we really don't have the money. We were planning on paying the Venture off in 2006. My wife looked at me today, as I had been looking at vans, of which there are not many to be found, and said, "The Lord will take care of it, ye of little faith." Now my wife did not say it in a mean tone. She is the sweetest woman on the planet. She simply said it in an encouraging manner. However, it stopped me. I had for a moment taken my eyes off of the fact that my Father can provide a vehicle for us as easily as He provides our finances, our breath, our home, or anything else He has provided. So there I was in need of serious repentence, because though I could trust Him with all these kids we have, my trust failed to be upon him for such a thing as a piece of metal and 4 wheels. Oh that God would keep me ever so humble that I might always be dependent upon Him for ALL things.