Raising Godly Arrows...Only Slightly Bent(s): May 2010

Have you ever read Psalm 127, specifically verses 3-5? Many people use them as their family's verses & I was given these verses to read some years ago in an email from my pastor. He thought they fit & so do I. Here they are:

"3. Behold, children are a gift of the LORD; The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4. Like arrows in the hand of the warrior, So are the children of one's youth.
5. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They shall not be ashamed, When they speak with their enemies at the gate."

We hope to fill our quiver full of arrows & aim them as straight as we can down the road leading to Life with our Heavenly Father.

These verses made me think back then & they still cause me to pause now. I wonder what the purpose of the last phrase is (about not being ashamed when they speak with their enemies at the gate). I think in the last couple of years it's changed definitions for me. It started when we were pregnant with Corbin & people believed it was their business to try to talk us out of having "so many kids" or just reply in a derogatory manner-things like "I can barely stay sane with 2, you must be crazy". I started to have hurt feelings & feel as if people believed I was irresponsible or stupid. The comments only got worse when we got pregnant with Celeste. People seemed to think it was their duty to extol upon me the many virtues of small families & the many horrible things involved with large families. To add to it, it seemed that any reply I gave them, no matter how positive, seemed to be irrelevent in their eyes & only make them more vehement. I began to just ignore people without trying to set them straight when they'd see me out with just 3 kids & they'd say something like "You've got your hands full" when they don't even know the half of it. (My kids now reply for me, "we've got a lot more at home & we're gonna have 20 more!" or something to that effect) So...I think that last verse for me now means that when I go out & I meet up with people I truly believe Satan has sent to discourage me in my daily life, I will not be ashamed to speak up. I've never been ashamed of any of my kids but just felt maybe I should be ashamed of the quantity. I can reply to them with a smile & continue on with my day knowing that God gave me each of my children for a reason & I am so glad He did. I have great joy in writing every individual name down on guest books, cards, & other forms you might fill out. I love walking around stores & seeing the many varied reactions on people's faces when they see my kids "helping" me shop. I know there are days when I would love a break & then my wonderful husband will send me out by myself or my thoughtful in-laws will give me yet another opportunity to get away but for the most part, even amidst the many challenges I love to be with my kids all the time. I feel disjointed or disoriented without them & the funny thing is is that even when I do get out it's hard to know what to do without them.

Wow, I really got off track. All this to say that I chose this title as a kind of the purpose statement of my life right now. Raising Godly Arrows...only slightly Bent(s) because they won't be perfect because Jeremy & I aren't even close to perfect. Someday I'll have to pick a new one but I hope to be here for awhile.