The
Gift
"Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work."
C.S. Lewis
Today,
my older son is thirty-eight. He was born in New York City, on April
21st, 1977, weighed 7 lbs, and arrived into this world at
7 a.m. That single event changed the trajectory of my life forever.
Having children, and parenting well is the hardest job on planet
Earth. Suddenly and irrevocably, you step out of center stage, and
they step in. Everything else that once seemed essential to you, becomes secondary to the health and happiness of that small
life-form. And every second of it is both a blessing and a curse.
Most
people adore their children and always have, but since the advent of
reliable birth control and assured fertility regimens, we can choose
to have or not have them (most of the time). For prior generations
babies came when they came, and they kept on coming until menopause.
Three of my grandparents were born into huge farm families. It was
not uncommon then to be one of seven or more children. Babies are
kind of like jewels. One big diamond is valued more highly than a
dozen tiny ones. Now, we can choose to have one or two children, and
concentrate our affection on them. Not everything about this is good
for either child or parent, but that's another conversation.
Spiritually, the
best thing about having children is that it stretches
you every single day. You have an opportunity to learn the meaning of
sacrifice, of selflessness, of devotion to a cause. You have an
invitation to “grow up” in the truest sense of the word, and to
experience boundless love. I know folks who do not have children, but
have this relationship with their pets, or with work that engages their
hearts. I applaud them, because these are critical lessons for spiritual and emotional development.
Children
are a gift. They crack our hearts wide open so God's light can shine
in. Let us give thanks for them today.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment