What a Blessing

"Children are a blessing

    and a gift from the Lord."

~Psalm 127:3

Would you be willing to live your life in front of thousands of people while rearing nineteen children, and setting a godly example?  This is exactly what the Duggar family does everyday!  Living your life as a television show is hard.  I've seen examples of how it breaks families apart.  But the Duggars have something most people do not, other than their nineteen kids; they have a strong Christian faith. 

Many people disagree with having so many children, but the Duggars believe it is part of God’s plan.  Jim Bob and Michelle are both open about the mistakes they have made, and how they have learned from each and every one of them.  One such example is how they learned that children are a blessing from God.  Michelle spent the first three years of their marriage on birth control pills.  She went off of the pills and had their first son Josh.  They loved being his parents and spending time with him. She then went back on the pills.  Shortly afterward Michelle became pregnant while on the medication.  What they thought was impossible had become reality.  Between her second and third month something horrible happened, Michelle had a miscarriage.  The doctor told them that this miscarriage was probably due to the fact that she had conceived while still on the pill.  They were devastated.  To them it meant that something they had chosen caused the death of this precious unborn child.  Jim Bob and Michelle chose to learn from this mistake, and spent many hours praying and studying they Bible.  While doing so they learned that the Bible told us God considered children a blessing.  They were gifts that are meant to be treasured.  They made a vow then to follow God’s plan for their lives.  Michelle stopped using any form of birth control, leaving it up to God how many children He would give them.  A few months later they were blessed with the double blessing of twins!  They chose to accept God’s will for their lives.

   

Raising children is not easy, especially when you are being watched by the world all the time!  The Duggars have their own television show called, “19 Kids and Counting.”  They also have published two books called, “The Duggars: 20 and Counting!” and “A Love that Multiplies.”  In both their show and their books I can see clearly the way they live their lives. Nobody is perfect, and there are times when children disagree.  The Duggars constantly demonstrate how they deal with this.  They are not afraid to show the world their lifestyle and how it is centered on God.  No matter how public their lives are they continue to live by their Christian principals. 

I often wondered how they have time to give each child the attention they need.  The Duggars are very careful about how they spend their time.  They do not watch television, instead they use this time to bond as a family.  It is not easy to keep up with their children’s hearts, it is a constant, full time job!  They try to have individual talks often with their children.  Over time they have learned how to ask the right question without having a critical spirit.  A common saying I found that Jim Bob and Michelle use is to, "praise children ten times more then you correct them."

Though it is a tough job, Jim Bob and Michelle continue to raise their large family in a God honoring way in front of the world.  Their whole marriage has been based on God and His standards.  They have filled their children with God’s Word and His morals.  The Duggars are a great illustration of what a God loving family is.  They learned from their mistake and God has immensely blessed them with nineteen children, and three grandchildren.  They truly believe God’s word that “children are blessing...”  (Psalms 127:3)