What is Your View of Children?

This post is not necessarily for mothers alone, but also to single girls who are not yet mothers.

There is a video online of some kids meeting a woman who had an abortion and discussing it with them. The nonchalant attitude she had toward her abortion and her baby was indescribably appalling. When asked how she, and her partner, felt when she found out she was pregnant, she replied, “I think we were both bummed out.”

Jeff Durbin from Apologia Studios did a commentary on the video and I’ll quote his response to her answer below.

“Can I ask a question? What woman in her right mind, as an image-bearer of God, experiences the grace and the glory and the gift and the blessing and the majesty of her own child, her baby, and says, we were both disappointed?
You’re a woman, an image-bearer of God…shame on you. Shame on you for denigrating the image of God and the whole glory of the creation experience.
Shame on you for being a woman that says I actually created my baby.
It’s my baby. It’s apart of me. It’s my little girl or little boy.
And then you say, “bummer.”

And he is so right.
I’ve been taking notice for a while, almost subconsciously at times, of people’s reaction to pregnancy announcements. I’ve taken notice to my own feelings that spring up as well. I’m ashamed to say that many times I’ve felt negative feelings and had to rebuke them as wrong.
This is what I’ve observed.

First child: everyone is super ecstatic with joy and full of celebration.

Second child: everyone is glad, “nice for you” comments are made.

Third child: nervous fake smiles are forced.

Fourth child: raised eyebrows glance accompanied with “oh…are you glad?”

Fifth child: worried frown and asks unkind questions of obviously known facts.

Sixth and on: “seriously again?” “I don’t pity you.”

Does this not seem to be some of the reactions of hearing the news of a new life being formed in someone’s womb?
There is a strange pressure that comes to feel the ways I’ve described.
Where does this negativity come from over a human life that is already existing?
A human being is alive and growing and you are afraid to be excited about his/her life?
Why?

Maybe we see children very wrongly. Maybe our God-hating and life-hating culture has influenced our minds more than we realize.
Maybe we really do wrestle against principalities and powers, wickedness in high places. Against a Spirit of death. Because what is opposite of life? Death.
And oh, how we are surrounded by death. 62 million children have been murdered in our country, under our watch.

This type of negativity towards life in the womb is the root of abortion, which is death. Because Jesus came and made known to us that murder begins in the heart long before the actual act.
So when pregnancy is known and disappointment, annoyance, fear and regret and even anger is expressed, you are in a sense wishing death on an already alive human being that God Himself created in your womb. That scares me. Who are we to allow such feelings and thoughts to dwell in our minds and come out in words? We must fight against them. As Christians, we are called to wage good warfare against the darkness.

I understand children are a lot of work. It will take you giving up your whole life for their sake. Sleepless nights and utter weariness are a real thing. This I see and understand. Not from experience yet, but from observation, being raised in a large family and with many nieces and nephews.
But, that being said, God still calls children blessings. Jesus picked them up, held them in His arms and blessed them. (Mark 10:13-16)
Jesus loves children. He Himself created them.
I want to view children as Jesus did. I want to love life and rejoice with every new pregnancy announcement I hear with absolute joy and gladness. Regardless if it’s a 1st child or a 12th.
Really, there is no difference.
As I said before, I’ve felt hit with negative feelings at times and I don’t even have any children yet. So really your view of children begins to form even before you ever have your own.
So fellow single girls, how do you feel about children? Don’t you think it would be wise to examine your attitude towards them now and ask Jesus to transform your mind to see life in the womb, and out of the womb, as He does?
It’s becoming my prayer more and more, and I hope it will become yours as well.

Women that go into the abortion clinic are just putting into action their negative thoughts and feelings about their child. How are we going to show them a more excellent way when we’re over here with the same negative feelings and thoughts?
We are saying, “don’t murder your baby.”
“Your baby is precious.”
“We’ll take your baby.”
“We love children.”
“Children are a blessing.’
“Life is a wonderful gift.”

But when we come back home, do our attitudes reflect differently?
I want the murder of the innocent babies to stop and the whole underlying hatred of life is at the core of what keeps abortion going on in our world today.

Oh God help us to change!