The Devaluation of children In Our Culture

REFERENCE: Psalms 127:3 Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

Observation: This is just the opposite of what our world seems to believe about children. There are more than one million babies destroyed by abortions in the US every single year. More and more people are deciding that having children is just not worth the trouble. Women are putting off childbearing until later and later in life, placing the value of a career over having a child. Some discovering that they have waited too long and are now no longer fertile.

All of this stems from a devaluing of children; a class of people that God tells us is a gift from Him. They are not an inconvenience. They are not a Hollywood fashion accessory. They are not simply an expensive, and sometimes too expensive, indulgence. They are eternal souls that God entrusts us with that we get to enjoy for a few short years.

We need to be careful, while encouraging people to be thoughtful about bringing a child into their family (and they certainly do need to be ready) that in our caution we are not communicating that kids are a hassle to be avoided, a problem at best. We need to value them as God does.

Application/Confession: I have five kids. I certainly feel like they are a gift from God--most of the time. Sometimes, in my frustration, I can begin to be resentful. I can feel like crying out, "God why did you bless me so thoroughly." I need to remember, even in the hard times, my kids are a gift from Him and a sign of His love.

PRAYER: Dear God, as a country we have sinned. We have devalued Your gift of life as represented in a precious child. We have aborted them, abused them and decided that Your gift was not worth the trouble. Forgive us and change our hearts to see these incredibly valuable souls as you do.