Burdens or Blessing? [Devotional]

Devotions Chopchop ^ | February 23, 2009 | Dave Miller (tenger)

[tenger]

Wealth and riches are in his house; and his righteousness endures forever. Psalm 112:3

This is a verse that refers back to the previous two verses. Because a man fears the Lord, he has great wealth and riches, and it may very well be that his children are the source of those "riches." Let me put it another way. Have you ever known a person with many children to be unhappy about it? I've personally known two families with 10 and 12 children each, and the parents couldn't be more pleased with their decision to have that many children. Sure, the kids run them ragged but they are having the time of their lives raising them. They truly are wealthy families, though, as I recall, they didn't have a lot materially.

So legacies are lived out through the children, and through their children’s children, and so on. The children may not turn out exactly like the parent had wanted, and may very often disappoint, but the legacy will still live on.

On the other hand, many parents consider their kids to be a burden, sadly. They don't view them as the “riches” that they are, only that they are a drain on time and finances. I don't claim to be an expert on the matter, but it's not hard to spot someone who is not enjoying life with his children. I'm afraid that twenty years from now those same people will regret that they didn’t appreciate their kids more.

So, are children burdensome or a blessing? It's probably an important question to ask fairly regularly as the kids grow up.