Through Births and Marriages
People often ask me how many children we have. Sometimes I say two and other times four. It’s not that I can’t count or don’t know. It’s that two is the correct answer, but four is the answer I want to give.
We had two children the normal way. We conceived them and brought them into the world. We raised them the best we could. They didn’t come with a manual, so we trusted God to make everything work out.
After they completed high school, we sent them off to college. They graduated and got married. That’s how we got our third and fourth children, through the marriages of our first two. We didn’t need to raise child number three or four.
We just needed to accept them and love them after their parents had done all the hard work. I love them all the same. They are my kids, even though I’ve known the first two twice the time as the other two.
We are family, and we’re so blessed.
After our daughter became engaged, friends of mine who didn’t know her husband-to-be often asked some curious questions.
Many probed with careful caution. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s great!” I always replied.
They’d dig deeper. “But . . . do you like him?”
“Most definitely,” I declared.
Still, they’d seek confirmation. “So then, you’re okay with this?”
“They’re a great match, and I couldn’t be happier.”
The same thing reoccurred when our son popped the question. This time the queries weren’t as pointed, yet they came, nonetheless.
I suspect some fathers struggle more with getting a son-in-law than they do a daughter-in-law, but I don’t know. I’m just guessing. As I said before, I love all four children dearly.
This makes me wonder if some parents, I suspect too many, approach their children’s nuptials with apprehension or even disapproval.
Yet any opposition will only serve to make their children more intent on getting married. Why not offer support instead, and give their kids every chance for success?
In a culture where many marriages don’t last, we must give our children every opportunity possible to beat the odds. This starts by embracing their marriages and their spouses.
It continues by praying for them every day—all four of them.
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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