Jeff here;
So we are done birthing kids. Yup, we may adopt in the future, but for now we are through.
Basically adoption for us rides on McCain winning president and doing something about the red tape and cost of adoptions.
You may be asking why an dhow we decided that we were done. Well, I was meditating one night and an angel came to me and said ....we'll save that for a different post
Really we have been thinking about it and praying about it for around a year and a half now. It comes down to this (in no particular order):
1. there is thought that Crohn's is hereditary. When I was diagnosed they thought it was maybe 10% chance of having genetic origins, now it is around 40%. I do not want my kids to get this.
2. Ministery. We have watched a family of 8 try to missionary activities in other countries, it doesn't look good. Either they send the kids to boarding school, or they are not focused on ministry. Both 'Dess and I believe that going overseas is in our future. Plus right now we have several things at the church (all our college kids) which we love and want to be more involved with.
3. Love; we love our kids to no end. Some kids do not get that. I believe it is a selfish American culture to think that my genes are so great I need to continue to pop out kids even though there are hundreds of thousands of kids sitting in orphanages around the world just waiting for love.
That about sums it up. So what do you all think, how many kids are enough?
(btw, don't anybody use the "quiverfull" theology on me. It is full of holes and is very legalistic)
Thanks
Jeff
8 comments:
Not sure about the title of your blog here.... cut tie and fry.... Truly it's all up to the Lord... but sounds like a good decision.
It's a tough and prayerful decision, one that is thankfully different for every family! (not to sound post-modern :) Travis and I have thought and prayed and think we've come to the right conclusion--our 'quiverfull.' However, adoption is never out, and if the 'cost' goes down, it becomes more plausible.
that is so great that your family is open to adoption! I can't help but feel the same way with your point about people having many biological kids, when there are so many who need a home--both locally and internationally.
hannah
would love to be on your "friend's list." You guys have been on ours for awhile now, hope that's ok!!
hannah
Just to let you know, that while internation adoption is quite expensive, adopting from the state of Oregon (and there are many, many waiting children) is free, and most kids also come with a monthly stipend to off-set their cost of living, and they have free health care (mental and physical) until they are 18. We didn't know this until after we headed down the adoption road, but it takes it from "How on earth are we going to do this?" to, "Hey, we can totally do this!" Just a thought. www.nwae.org...
Robyn
I'm goin to have to agreee to disagree with you, but I'm so glad that is was a prayerful desision! Too many people say family size should be decided only between doctor, husband and wife... without seeking HIS will.
You ask how many children is enough? I say that only God can decide that. For us we cannot say, "Lord, do what you want with our lives, let your will be done, you are in conrol... except for my womb, I want to be incharge of that."
The very first recoreded words that man ever heard from the mouth of God were these: "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominin over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth onpn the earth" (Gen.1:27-28) This was teh first commandment that God gave to mankind, so it must be important. Isn't strange that we seek to obey God's other commandments, but many of us refuse to obey the very first commandment?
You say that people who take the bible literally when it comes to child bearing are leagalistic... how so? The definition of legalsim: strict or excessive adherence to law or religious or moral code. For us the Word of God is the law, so it's bad for us to strictly obey it?
Trust and obey, there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.
Hi all Jeff here,
just wanting to clarify something My reference to the "quiverful." There is a movement out there saying that if you do not have a 'quiverful' of children which to a 'quiverful' leader I heard on the radio means seven.
I know several Godly families who cannot have children, in his mind anything less than seven is a sin and God will provide children if you are godly enough...that is legalism.
As far as "fill the earth" goes...isn't six billion enough for you...how many more do we need? Some economist have guessed that there have been 110 billion people born since creation. Is that filled enough?
Early church growth was fuled by 'adoption' not birth. "If a [pagan] mother did not want a child, abandoning the baby in the outdoors was a sensible option. Christians invariably would rescue any child found abandoned, and raise that child." http://www.earlychurch.net/Ethics.htm
It would be arrogance to think that God values my sperm so much more than some of the existing children that I am compelled by a fulfilled old testament command to continue to obey it.
I may be comming across much stronger than I mean to (I am on codene right now) but I have seen the videos of Romanian orphanages. I have lived with the kids in a run down, foodless Mexican orphanage. According to the UN 12 million african kids are AIDS orphans. Doe the quiverfull thinking allow for adoption? The dude on the radio said that Abraham shows adoption is not the best route.
If y'all are called to many kids awesome, just teach each of them to adopt a child when they can
I wrote more about my "family UNplanning" belifs on my blog:
http://petersprovidence.blogspot.com.
I am part of 2 QF groups and I've never heard anyone say you have to have 7 children or you are sinning! That is VERY leaglistic! I would have been mislead too if I had heard only that guy on the radio! QF simply means letting God be in control over all things including family size.
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