From childless by choice, to father of eight

Adoption, Faith, Inspiring Stories, Parenting, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Stunning truth is, my husband didn’t want kids when we first met. I was a single mother when we started dating, and when the subject would come up about wanting children, he always said he didn’t have a huge urge to have children.  He enjoyed spending time with my daughter and as our relationship grew, so did his relationship with her, but he remained convinced that having solely my daughter as our only child would be perfectly fine with him.

I kept trying to explain to him the wonders of being a parent. The wonders of watching a child grow from a tiny newborn into a toddler, into a child, and so on. He was not convinced. He was fine with the status quo.

He had no desire for children.

Yet, I did. After marrying my husband, I desired to fill our home with as many children as the good Lord would bless us with. Thankfully, my husband decided to venture out with me and considered the possibility of one more child. I was ecstatic to learn that I was pregnant with a baby boy.

Once pregnant, I told my oldest daughter that we were thinking about having a baby. To my surprise, she was less than thrilled. She was 11 at the time and perfectly happy being the only child. I tried to convince her with questions such as, “wouldn’t it be exciting to have a sibling around to hang out with?” – NO. “Your mom and stepdad won’t be young forever, don’t you want a sibling closer to your age to visit when you are older?” –NO. I finally had to tell her that it wasn’t her choice and we were just preparing her for the fact that a baby was indeed coming, whether she liked it or not. But I was worried.

Will the baby be accepted?

Will the baby be loved?

Isn’t it amazing how God seems to use the most unlikely people to get the job done? There’s countless examples of this in the Bible. There are lots of lists like the one below floating around the internet:

christian-posters-youth-seriously-think-god

These are powerful reminders of the truth.  That God loves EACH of us. He has a plan for each one of us. No matter who you are, you have a part to play in this world. Which is why we should never look down on anyone. This is why God tells us to love our enemies. Because you know who else loves our enemies?  God.

So as I ponder the meaning of Christmas, it makes perfect sense to me that God would send His son wrapped as a vulnerable baby in the lowliest place imaginable to be born. Because even those looked down on in the world as the lowest, are still valuable in His eyes.

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crazy2016fam

Our God sent His son to save everyone. He loves each of us. He heals the sick and wounded. He resurrects the dead and breathes life into them. He is the God of impossible. He is the God of restoration. He is the God of redemption.

He turns men who desire no children, and little girls who desire no siblings, into the father of eight and the sister to seven.

Merry Christmas

from my family to yours!

34 thoughts on “From childless by choice, to father of eight”

  1. Such a beautiful family and powerful testimony! So many children are in foster homes praying for a family to love them. May God bless your family and loving hearts! Awesome affirmation! Thank you for this writing and pics! Have you thought about getting your family story published in some magazines? I appreciate you and your family do much!

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  6. An amazing story, to be sure! Yes, God has a plan and a place for all people who follow Him. Sometimes our will fits in with His will for us. Sometimes it doesn’t. You were fortunate to have things work out in the way you wanted it because God allowed you to have the wonderful family you wanted. Good reminders and a very nice message…

    Steve

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  7. What an amazing story. I didn’t not want kids, but I didn’t mind an existence care free, considering I was forced to raise my brothers through my entire youth I just wanted my me time. Ofcourse anyone who has read my personal blog knows I was the furthest from happy when I found out I was pregnant with my oldest. Now of course as all parenting stories go, i can’t imagine a life that existed without them. 🙂

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  11. That was a really good article!
    The love of God is very evident in you.

    P.S. I also enjoyed reading that picture about God using imperfect people, you know…Moses, David, Timothy, etc.

    Will you allow me to save and use that picture of God’s imperfect ambassadors please? That was really encouraging to read.

    And thank you for sharing God’s love to people.

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    1. I’m glad you enjoyed it, Lee! And I agree, it’s absolutely a great picture of how God uses imperfect people. I found it all over on Pinterest and I couldn’t find the rightful owner…. Thanks for stopping by and reading! 🙂

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