God's Gift of Family

“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them…” (Psalm 127:3-5).

For many, the last few weeks of “sheltering in place” has created ample time for families to be together in ways that they have not been together for quite some time. And though most are ready for things to return to some form of normalcy, the testimonies are many as to how healthy this time has been for families. Families are eating together and playing together and worshiping together. I pray that these new routines will not be lost when things do to return to normal.

The Psalms truly celebrate the gift of family. From Psalm 128:3-4 we read, “Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.”

My wife Sandy, and I raised four children, and we had many blessed times around the kitchen table. It was there that we heard the news of everyone’s day. It was there that we laughed together and sometimes wept together. Following one particularly rewarding evening, my devotional reading took me to the words of Psalm 128, “…your children will be like olive shoots around your table.” With those words ringing in my mind, I wrote the following poem.

Family

Men around me talk of wealth

Of houses, cars and lands

401k’s, IRA’s

And stock portfolios so grand

I’ve not much money in the bank

The possessions I own are few

But I feel as rich as any man

With many things all new

I look around my table

And my heart does swell with pride

As I gaze on four dear children

And the woman at my side

Though individuals, they’re part of us

Through our love they came to be

And nothing more could we two own

That would make us as rich as these

Living in a world that does not celebrate children and family as the Psalmists did, may we ever cling to the true wealth that is ours within the homes that God has gifted to us.