Grace

Bill and I started praying many years ago about the number of children we would have..... We chose three because we thought that would be manageable for us. Well, when we reached our magic number we started questioning if this would be what God wanted for us..... we started praying about it and asking for council from friends, our Pastor and wife, and some Elders from church. Everyone told us STOP! We didn't have peace though, so we decided to pray and fast for a month so we would have unity.
At the end of this time, I looked at Bill and said "Did you get an answer"??? He said "yes" but wanted to know my answer first. Neither Bill or I had peace to stop and as we studied and prayed the more convinced we both were that God had more for us! We knew that the safest and best place to be is in the center of God's will..... even if it didn't make sense.
We didn't have a lot of income, but we did have unity! It's a good thing, too, because I found out I was pregnant shortly after ....and then I found out I was pregnant with twins! Isn't it just like God to make it clearer than clear???!!!!
We went on to have fourteen children... nine sons and five daughters. They are all wonderful children (actually young adults now), they all have great character and are gorgeous!!!!
I do have bragging rights as their Mama!!!
It has not all been easy, but we had an "organized chaos" with schedules and life in general. At one time there were four children two and under, a four year old and me pregnant..... yet the house was clean, the laundry was almost done....well never, really...... but  the children were fed, clothed, and happy. They learned to work hard and play hard!!!!!
Just last week, I got to babysit my two grandchildren a couple times during the week, while Christa was at work. When she got home I was tired!!!
I absolutely enjoy and love my grandbabies to pieces, yet I had no clue that I could be that tired and sore. I know I'm older but I still thought I shouldn't feel that tired!!!
After I thought about it for awhile I came to the realization that for all the children we had.....we KNEW that that was God's will for us! I don't believe it is for everyone, but it was for us! Anyway, because we had prayed about each child, and had unity in having and parenting them it wasn't that difficult.... I will preface that with "all the time"....there were and still are challenges, but we had and have grace for being the parents of fourteen. In the middle of the night recently the Lord spoke a promise in my spirit and I woke up to the words "For I know whom I have believed, and HE IS ABLE to keep that which I've entrusted unto Him until that day! I had never memorized that scripture before and I was amazed because God ingrained it in my heart while I was sleeping!!! And,  it was word for word perfect!!! 2 Tim. 1:12
So, as I was pondering why I could still carry the laundry baskets and clean ...why was I so tired snuggling with two precious babies???? As I thought about this the word GRACE came to me!!!! Bill and I had/have the grace to be the parents to the children He blessed us with.....but I don't have that same grace with my grandchildren! Isn't it wonderful that we can slow down and listen more and be a little less busy with the grandchildren?? That's a whole different kind of grace and I am determined to enjoy every second of it!!!!
Psalm 127:3
"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward"