24 August 2009

God’s First Revelation to me on the Blessing of Many Children.

A couple of years ago after my two children were born; we decided that we would not have any more children, although I dreamt of four children when I got married. After all, babies are hard work and a lot of stress. Heidi-Mari was a colic baby, who cried for six months before we learnt that she was diary-, wheat- and MSG intolerant. She was now two and a half years old and I was looking forward to have a live again. Heidi-Mari and CJ (then 5years old) were in playgroups and they were happy to be between their peers and getting the right stimulation from woman who had the talent and passion to work with little children (or that’s how I justified it to myself) I would then be able to start working in my husband’s business again and bring in some extra money to lift the financial burden. I would also be able to start hobbies again and go to woman bible studies without a toddler around my feet.

Then two friends of mine got pregnant with their third babies! Oh my! I was hooked! All of a sudden I wanted another baby! I tried to reason with myself. If I got pregnant again, I would be stuck at home again for another three years! And who in her right mind would want to do that to herself. I already had a boy and a girl, our parents only had two children, and everybody else I knew, except these two friends. Then the financial side. How does one provide in todays live for three children? Not even the church promotes more than two children. I must be crazy, I thought!

Everybody I talked to (even our pastor who had three children) advised me against having more children. Especially having three children! The middle child syndrome… was one of the main reasons! You either have two or four children. But I wanted another baby so badly! After two months of roller coaster emotions, I decided to ask God for help. I decided to pray and fast for 40 days and ask God to either take the yearning for another baby away, or to give me peace that it is OK to have another baby.

I must add that my husband didn’t mind having another baby at all, although his business was taking a lot of strain from the declining economy at that time. I wasn’t on any contraception, since I just couldn’t cope on any of the available contraceptive pills. For all the years of my married live, I had a very regular cycle and we used the rhythm method as contraception, with great success.

In the spring of 1999, I started my forty days fast of certain foods in my daily diet. Every morning and any other available time, I would read my bible, pleading with God for guidance and promises from His Word. It was an amazing few weeks in my life. God visited me every time I opened my Bible, revealing Himself to me and giving me the most amazing promises… and before the forty days was over, I was pregnant! I was overjoyed! With all the promises God gave me, I could just look forward to this new life and rely on Him to sustain us.

Since Heidi-Mari was a very traumatic hospital birth, miraculously NOT ending in a caesarian, we decided to have a home, water birth with a midwife. It was the most enriching time to go into labour on that evening of the 23rd of August and giving birth to a little boy in the early morning hours of the 24th of August 2000! Everything was so peaceful and calm. No rushing to a noisy hospital, nor leaving my small children at a family member, no bright, white lights in a hospital room, no strange nurses storming into the labour room every hour for observations, no interference with my bodies natural instinct to giving birth. Two hours after my baby boy was born, I was lying in my own bed, in my own room; my children had met their new baby brother and were back in a restful sleep in their own beds. The midwife left for her own hour or two of rest before dawn and Christo and I had time to adore our newborn baby over marmite toast and sandwiches!


The whole family 90min. after Josua was born.


Josua and Ingred Essl, and our very competent midwife. I’ve learned almost everything I knew about having babies the natural way and breastfeeding my babies, from this special woman.


CJ and Heidi-Mari proudly next to their new baby brother.












This was only the start of God’s blessing on our life through this baby boy. A few weeks after our baby’s birth, Christo’s business went down and we lost everything. We had to move to a small two bedroom granny flat, we had to borrow a family member’s car and Christo started a new business from scratch. But my baby boy gave me hope and a reason to live! Every time when I thought I could not do it, that the pressure and stress was too much, I would take my tiny baby into my arms and just love him. God renewed my tired, discouraged spirit by this baby’s dependency on me every time.












Today this tiny baby turned 9years old – my Josua! God truly used him to lead us into the Promised Land and taught us some basic truths about the blessing of children.


Do I still think babies are hard work? For sure! Do I still think they keep me from having a live? Never! They are the key to the life God intended for me from the start! Today my seven children are playing around their brothers and sisters, in the safety of their own home, having their mother, using her talents and passion to stimulate them and allow each one to grow into the unique person God intend them to be! And what about providing for all God’s blessings? God provides and He sustains us.
I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
He is ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.
Ps 37:25-26

Thank you Lord for answering my prayers and hunger for your truths about children, over the past ten years, and giving me this rich and blessed live as a mother!


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6 comments:

Lisa said...

Thank you so much for sharing your story. I am in tears right now from reading this. I also have heard God telling me to prepare for many little pitter patters of feet in my house (we have three at this time). I really enjoy your insights on large families, please keep them coming!

Linnie said...

Dear Lisa, thank you so much for taking the time to comment on my posting. May God teach you and prepare you more and more for the great calling of motherhood on your life! Motherhood is the greatest career in the world, we are changing the nation. Lots of love

Sonja said...

Hi Linnie, ek het nou so gesit en grens toe ek jou storie lees! Dit is n wonderlike getuienis!
En net wat ek nodig gehad het vandag. Op die oomblik bid ek en my man dat die Here ons sal skuif na n plek baie ver van hier af,ons is al 14jaar in Egipte en die Here het my n woord gegee dat Hy my en my gesin magtig gaan uitred en nou vir die eerste keer stem my man saam dat dit tyd geword het. Ek hou vas aan die vers wat se:Die geloog is n vaste vertroue in die dinge wat ons hoop,n bewys van die dinge wat ons nie sien nie(ek dink dis Heb.11:1).Ek kon ook nooit enige voorbehoedpille gebruik nie,hulle het my baie siek gemaak,na Ewan het my man maar vir die operasietjie gegaan,en ek wonder baie deesdae daaroor waneer ek na jou luister.Ek sal aan die Here gehoorsaam wees in wat Hy ookal mag vra.Ek kry hoendervleis as ek hoor hoe die Here julle ook gelei en gedra het deur moeilike tye,Hy is wonderbaar!

Linnie said...

Wow Sonja,nou laat jy my weer hoendervleis! Ons God is wonderbaar en Hy sal jou/jul nie teleurstel nie, wag op Hom en hê 'n verwagting vir wat Hy gaan doen. En wanneer Hy jul stuur, wees net gehoorsaam. Die seën op gehoorsaamheid is ver bo wat ons, ons ooit kan voorstel. Liefdegroete

Petra said...

Linnie, Thank you for sharing. I have also experienced with our overseas move how God gave me a little baby to care for. Everyone thought our timing of a baby and a big move was outrageous, but in His wisdom it saved my sanity! His timing is never off. I can understand how it helped you when everything else in peoples perspectives said that it was the "wrong time" to have a baby, but God only sees the bigger picture and He NEVER makes a mistake.

Linnie said...

Dear Petra, thank you for taking the time to comment! Yes, God's timing is always perfect, for His Glory and our benefit - to make us more holy!
Lots of love.

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