Against All Logic
by Shelley
Regular Contributor to Purple WomenTM
It is completely illogical for my husband and I not to have children. When people point this out to me I always agree, which tends to throw them for a loop. But I know they’re right.
My husband and I have a very strong Christ-centered marriage. We both have good jobs and have the financial resources to raise a child. My husband even has the option of taking a few years off to be a full-time dad. We don’t have any physical, mental, or emotional barriers that would affect our ability to parent. And we have an excellent network of family and friends who would provide a great source of support and strength. We’ve got the whole happy-family package, yet we will not have a child. Makes no sense.
And simply because it makes no sense, others in the Christian community are prone to assume that I am not following God’s will. I beg to differ.
Jeremiah 29:11 says: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
It doesn’t say anything about those plans being logical to the population at large.
I mean think about it – this is the God who told Noah to build an ark to prepare for a flood, at a time when the world had never even seen rain. The same God who enabled Joshua to defeat the walls of Jericho by having him march around the city a few times and yell really loud. If God did everything in a way that makes sense to us, we wouldn’t really need to trust Him. And if the world could be run on common sense alone, why would we really need God at all?
In a strange sort of way, when I don’t understand what God is doing with my life, I gain confidence that I am in His will. He’s never led me astray, and I have no reason to doubt Him now. After all, He’s simply asking me not to procreate – if plans for an ark mysteriously show up in my mailbox, then I’ll start panicking.
4 comments:
Excellent post. I was really blessed by what you said.
Yeah, Thanks Shelley and welcome.
Think of it this way, if you're called upon to build an ark, you'll be too busy to have kids of your own!
Thank you so much for your post. I recently had a co-worker (fellow college professor) tell me that I "really would know my priorities if [I] had children." This comment was made after I expressed a slight bit of frustration with a student group I was facilitating.
Your post help me put that comment in perspective.
...a brilliant piece.
Eventually, i think we need not defend what we choose to do, 'cos, there'll always be people who to view it from the other side.
Only, whatever we choose should be to enhance our vision (goals).
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