The Blessing of Children

Anyone who's ever brought children into this world and raised them to become good people knows what a tough gig that is. Rewarding, yes, but one of the toughest marathons anyone can ever run. Sadly though, children often get a bad deal. Over a quarter of a billion – that's one sixth of school aged kids globally – are out of education. Around 168 million are involved in child labour, with over half engaged in hazardous work like mining. At least 15 million girls are married each year before turning 18, with 4 million wed before turning 15. Need I go on? Hopefully the children in your life are safe and sound, well provided for, educated, loved. But let's be clear, even in affluent societies, many kids are getting a bad deal with mum and dad working long hours to pay the mortgage, the breakdown of extended family support and let's not forget how many of us have our faces buried in our smartphones. So, whether you're a parent, a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, let's all take a collective deep breath together to make sure we have our priorities right when it comes to the kids in our lives. Psalm 127:3-5 Children are a gift from the LORD, a reward from a mother's womb. A young man's sons are like the arrows in a soldier's hand. The man who fills his quiver with sons will be very blessed. He will never be defeated when he opposes his enemy at the city gates. Children are an enormous blessing from God. Please, don't you ever forget that! Because that's His Word. Fresh … for you … today.