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Children are God’s great gift! Check out this passage from the Psalms.

Psalm 127:3
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

“Today’s the day!” Lori had been up all night with back pain and knew the time had come for our baby to be born. Thankfully I had gotten a good night’s rest. I was going to need it for the exhausting work ahead. Putting fresh wet towels on Lori’s forehead, feeding her spoonfuls of crushed ice, and leading her in the Lamaze chant of “hee, hee, hee” and “haa, haa, haa” was no easy job. Eventually, a no-nonsense nurse in the birthing room fired me from leading the Lamaze chant, pushed me aside, and took over my assignment. The nerve!

Finally, the indescribable moment came. At Baylor Hospital in Dallas, Texas, on a hot August afternoon, Brittany Christina entered the world. The emotion that washed over Lori and me was like nothing we had experienced before. God had given us a great gift! A true miracle! A beautiful little reward! Everyone in the room was happy…even Nurse Cranky.

On August 11, 1986, our lives changed. Lori was a mother! I was a…father! We were parents! And we learned early on that parenting is not for sissies. As God blessed us with three more children (Garrison, Lara, and Mackenzie), we learned that along with these beautiful gifts comes great responsibility. Parents are given a short window of time to instill biblical values, character traits, and a love for Jesus Christ. From the moment the doctor says, “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!” there is not a moment to waste.

Father, thank you for the gift of children. We acknowledge you as the great Giver. Give us all we need to be parents that please you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.