Behold, children are a gift from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies at the gate.
(Verses 3-5)
It's hard to think back about who I was before I knew my children. I remember when Bill and I were first married wondering about who they would be, what they would look like--knowing they'd all need braces on their teeth (they did). But unaware how sharply they would define us. How our kids would stretch us and make us better, more interesting, more patient, more loving and kinder. Oh, how I love the quiver full God gave us.
Heather. From the beginning loving Jesus. She stopped me in the kitchen one day when she was three-and-a-half years old to say, "I really miss Jesus. It's been about four years since I've seen Him." Conscious even today of His continued presence in her life, teaching her own sons how to trust in the God they now belong to through Christ. She's level-headed, not prone to immediate reaction. More like her Dad that way. Heather was the first to teach me that I could love someone so deeply I'd die for her. I'd say persistence and loyalty are her strengths. She can argue without raising her voice. That's why she was good on television debating conservative Christian views against the likes of Patricia Ireland. I was, on the other hand, screaming at the TV set in her stead. I don't know of a better mother than Heather is to her boys. Known by our God from before the world came into existence, I watch in amazement as Heather walks daily into her calling.
Vanessa. Iron sharpens iron. This little arrow has challenged me from the beginning. Where would I be without her wisdom and prescience in my life? Opinionated and often headstrong, she's still the little girl who didn't want to move to Dallas because there was only one two-story house there...and it was pink. Don Jose's Mexican restaurant was off limits to her because she was sure there were naked dancers there. Yep. Music seeps out of her. Always has. From the first hairbrush she used for a microphone while she sang passionately into it as she stood in the middle of the living room to yesterday when she led our church into the presence of God, she has been God's songbird. She is my intrepid defender, filled with mercy for her very flawed mother. We argue more than I do with my other kids. We also pray together more. Passion touching passion. I need her point of view--to know what she thinks.
Will. The 5th William in the family. Tenderhearted. He captivated me from the start with his heart...and his big blue eyes. He used to stroke my face when I put him to bed as a young boy, telling me he wanted to look just like me someday. Never mind that he'd have whiskers, tattoos and hairy legs. Because he was so much younger than the girls, we had lots of time together, just he and I. I remember bicycle rides with him on the back, blond hair blowing in the breeze while he snoozed in his little seat. Thunder Cat three-wheelers and leaving him at preschool that first day when he clung to the fence begging me not to go. Then high school when he chose to eat his lunch with a physically challenged young man because if he didn't, the boy would be alone. All Will's friends joined him there. On the beach, with his little neighbor friend, when they both ran over to show us what they'd written in the sand. Will. Both of them wrote Will. He's a cop now. William means protector. It's what he is. Responsible, argumentative and a little bit shy. I can't imagine life without knowing my son.
In an age where we conveniently do away with the fruit of our wombs because the fetus is an imposition, I'm humbled by these verses. My children were uniquely and wonderfully made from the moment of conception, designed before the foundations of the world to be a skein in the embroidery that our God is creating. Necessary. Purposeful. Powerful. Fruit to be enjoyed, savored. A blessing from God impossibly beautiful. And like the arrows in the hands of a warrior, they are our biggest defenders, our greatest fans, our heritage and our joy. Like the father at the gate of the city talking with the elders, I'm proud of the fruit of my womb. I'd not be who I am today without them. Behold! Look at them! They are indeed a gift from the Lord!
(Verses 3-5)
It's hard to think back about who I was before I knew my children. I remember when Bill and I were first married wondering about who they would be, what they would look like--knowing they'd all need braces on their teeth (they did). But unaware how sharply they would define us. How our kids would stretch us and make us better, more interesting, more patient, more loving and kinder. Oh, how I love the quiver full God gave us.
Heather. From the beginning loving Jesus. She stopped me in the kitchen one day when she was three-and-a-half years old to say, "I really miss Jesus. It's been about four years since I've seen Him." Conscious even today of His continued presence in her life, teaching her own sons how to trust in the God they now belong to through Christ. She's level-headed, not prone to immediate reaction. More like her Dad that way. Heather was the first to teach me that I could love someone so deeply I'd die for her. I'd say persistence and loyalty are her strengths. She can argue without raising her voice. That's why she was good on television debating conservative Christian views against the likes of Patricia Ireland. I was, on the other hand, screaming at the TV set in her stead. I don't know of a better mother than Heather is to her boys. Known by our God from before the world came into existence, I watch in amazement as Heather walks daily into her calling.
Vanessa. Iron sharpens iron. This little arrow has challenged me from the beginning. Where would I be without her wisdom and prescience in my life? Opinionated and often headstrong, she's still the little girl who didn't want to move to Dallas because there was only one two-story house there...and it was pink. Don Jose's Mexican restaurant was off limits to her because she was sure there were naked dancers there. Yep. Music seeps out of her. Always has. From the first hairbrush she used for a microphone while she sang passionately into it as she stood in the middle of the living room to yesterday when she led our church into the presence of God, she has been God's songbird. She is my intrepid defender, filled with mercy for her very flawed mother. We argue more than I do with my other kids. We also pray together more. Passion touching passion. I need her point of view--to know what she thinks.
Will. The 5th William in the family. Tenderhearted. He captivated me from the start with his heart...and his big blue eyes. He used to stroke my face when I put him to bed as a young boy, telling me he wanted to look just like me someday. Never mind that he'd have whiskers, tattoos and hairy legs. Because he was so much younger than the girls, we had lots of time together, just he and I. I remember bicycle rides with him on the back, blond hair blowing in the breeze while he snoozed in his little seat. Thunder Cat three-wheelers and leaving him at preschool that first day when he clung to the fence begging me not to go. Then high school when he chose to eat his lunch with a physically challenged young man because if he didn't, the boy would be alone. All Will's friends joined him there. On the beach, with his little neighbor friend, when they both ran over to show us what they'd written in the sand. Will. Both of them wrote Will. He's a cop now. William means protector. It's what he is. Responsible, argumentative and a little bit shy. I can't imagine life without knowing my son.
In an age where we conveniently do away with the fruit of our wombs because the fetus is an imposition, I'm humbled by these verses. My children were uniquely and wonderfully made from the moment of conception, designed before the foundations of the world to be a skein in the embroidery that our God is creating. Necessary. Purposeful. Powerful. Fruit to be enjoyed, savored. A blessing from God impossibly beautiful. And like the arrows in the hands of a warrior, they are our biggest defenders, our greatest fans, our heritage and our joy. Like the father at the gate of the city talking with the elders, I'm proud of the fruit of my womb. I'd not be who I am today without them. Behold! Look at them! They are indeed a gift from the Lord!
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