A New Baby and a New Conversation

The Blessing of Children and the Reforming of Christendom

Children are a heritage, not a hindrance. If we’re faithful with them, we will change the world, one square inch at a time.

We received a new son into our household last week.

The little man’s name is David Benaiah Edwards. Here is one of his many heroic inspirations:

"And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two heroes of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen." (1Chron. 11:22).

May he grow well to be a doer of great deeds, a fruitful blessing to many, and a serious threat to all enemy lions—as all good Christian boys ought to be!

I never cease to be amazed at how incredible my wife is in childbearing. At this point, she really is something of “a pro”—which she essentially is! One of the midwives offered to take some photos at a time when you don’t really think about taking photos, so—probably for the first time—there is a capturing of the unique joy (and relief!) that gets at something core to the essence of motherhood.

In fact, she has recently been thinking about writing a book about the connection between childbearing and motherhood, which I’ll hopefully talk about a bit more in future months if the thinking translates to writing (which it usually does, when time allows!).

The Unadulterated Blessing of Children

Even though this is now our sixth child—which is probably triple the “socially acceptable” volume of children in a British society nowadays—new life never ceases to amaze us as we count the added blessings to our family.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one's youth.
Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

- Psalm 127:3-5

Some couples are reticent about having more children today because they can’t imagine being able to cope with the change of dynamic in their family, in their lifestyle, in their finances. They have been taught by our anti-natal society to see children as a burden, not as a blessing.

However much we’ve ever loved and appreciated “the current dynamic” of our family at any given point, we’ve never found any new child not to be a blessing. Indeed, there has never been a point at which one of my children has not said of one of their younger siblings: “Dadda, what would we do without them? I can’t imagine our family without them!”

They’re entirely right, of course. You never regret having another child. However challenging or inconvenient they may be to your life, you will never end up saying: “I wish I hadn’t had that one!” or “If only that one didn’t exist!”

Children become a part of your life in ways that are difficult to express. They appear to quite literally take up residence in your heart in ways that seem utterly unique to those created in God’s image. If you see fatherhood and motherhood as God sees it, even when your children cause you immense strife, that very strife caused to you is a by-product of the love you cannot help but have for them.

Though sadly not all parents see it this way, even the most heartless of parents cannot help feel something of this, however much they fail or run from it. This is the way God has designed you to care for them, the way God Himself cares for his own children, even when we err.

Another Exciting Thing…

Whilst I’m “here” I ought to mention that the first episode of the new That Good Fight podcast, which I mentioned recently, was released a couple of days ago. It’s not yet on all the podcatchers (we’re working on it...) but for now, you can catch it on Youtube…

This first episode is more of a “teaser” for the several other episodes I’ve been recording over the last few months, with my good old-time friend, Nathan Paylor. It covers the themes around which we’ll be circling in the initial “proper” episodes: being evangelical, reformational, Christendomian, patriotic, and gentlemanly.

At a time in which the evangelical establishment is compromised, Christendom’s legacy is reviled, patriotism is despised, and Biblical masculinity is mocked and undermined, we seek to encourage a more hopeful, evangelical vision for Christendom which galvanises the right kind of gentlemen for the right kind of fight.

And in a roundabout way, any vision for Christendom has more than a little to do with the faithful fathering, mothering, blessing, and sending of faithful Christian children into this world, even to pits on snowy days.

Soli deo gloria!