Barrel Of Monkeys
Life doesn't come to us as a neat package. When my husband and I were dating and planning our future here's what I had planned: marriage, two years later first child (boy), then two years later a second child (girl), then happily ever after. I would continue my job until we began our family then I'd stay home with the children until they were grown. Beyond that I didn't see what happened next, but the first part would take long enough I'd have time to figure it out.
Most of us older folks should be laughing by now. Six weeks after we were married I found out I was six weeks into pregnancy number one. Okay, so we go to plan B. According to the original plan, our first child was a sweet little boy. So we decided to have our two children and get that show started and over with. If we had both children at that time by the time we were forty they would be grown and...second child was a sweet little—boy. Now we're on plan C. Instead of a boy and a girl, we'll just have two boys. Okay, fast forward two and a half years. We think we're going to have another baby, and that's fine, except after we become used to the idea, we aren't. Then we decide those little folks are so cute in their jamies and whatnot, well, we'll just go for one more.
Now we're on plan D and in uncharted waters. At least we were ready for that girl. Child number three is a sweet little—boy. He's a sweet little thing and sure cute in those jammies, but three children is all we are going for, and is this plan D or E?
Somewhere in the program God decided we needed four little people, and I suppose this would be plan F, because we were due for another addition. Child number four was a sweet little—girl. Fireworks and rockets sure enough. At last a little girl to make our family complete. She was such a joy in our life, precious beyond belief. It was so wonderful to have our family complete at last. Except twenty-five months later we were blessed with another sweet little—boy. My little princess was so mad to be usurped by this new interloper...at least for a few days. But babies tend to win out in the end, and he became a partner in crime with the rest of his siblings. Seventeen months later we had another sweet little boy, and ten years after that we had our final addition.
This is said only to point out that God is still in control. Sometimes it goes with what we've planned, but He will decide, not us.
What does this have to do with a barrel of monkeys? We could liken seven children to a barrel of monkeys, at least there wasn't a lot of ho hum life. Everyone somehow grew up and moved on. We have had a number of nasty remarks through the years, and I pondered on why, and what the best answer is. Of course we know that children are a blessing from God. We didn't have children 'for' any reason. We didn't start out with the idea of having a large family—remember one boy, and one girl? We had three planned pregnancies. Our second, third, and seventh children were planned. The others were just serendipity children, planned by God. I would say if I had any topic of passion it would be number one, choose God. I would plead with everyone to choose God to be head, captain, savior of your life. The number two point would be, families. Husbands and wives love and respect each other, and care for your children. Those areas would be my main focus.
"Nevertheless do ye also severally love each one his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she fear her husband." (Ephesians 5:33 ASV)
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise), that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but nurture them in the chastening and admonition of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:1-4 ASV)
