The article talks about the idea of having it all is not having children. That there are couples out there who find their life much more fulfilling without having children. I have lived the single life and also the married with children life and I can say hands down, 100 percent that I have never been more fulfilled in life than when I am with my wife and son. In no way am I saying that women who cannot conceive, who do not get married, or choose another vocation( ie religious life..etc) are any less of a woman than ones who can bear a child. But it is how a woman's body is made- to carry another person, to give life, to have children.
We live in a culture which is focused on "I" so much. "I want...""I need..." "I deserve..." Not a culture of "I'll give..." "Do I really need that?" "I'll sacrifice..." The reality for me is that if I gave into every want in my life I would be leading a pretty boring life. I think sometimes we (myself included) get overwhelmed by the idea of children because of the enormous responsibility that comes with them. We can be overcome with the responsibilities and fears that come with children or we can live in the truth that this other human being is helping me be holy! I get to look into the eyes of my son and see my Maker and that is a truly humbling gift I do not deserve.
To close I share with you the words of comedian Jim Gaffigan who says it better than any of us.
"I watch the faces of single people in their twenties after I bring up that I ‘have children.’ I imagine them taking a small step backward as if to avoid contagion, with a look of ‘Sorry to hear that’ on their face. Like I naively volunteered to contract leprosy, forever quarantining myself from the world of having fun by having children. Well, why not? I guess the reasons against having more children always seem uninspiring and superficial. What exactly am I missing out on? Money? A few more hours of sleep? A more peaceful meal? More hair? These are nothing compared to what I get from these five monsters who rule my life. I believe each of my five children has made me a better man. So I figure I only need another thirty-four kids to be a pretty decent guy. Each one of them has been a pump of light into my shriveled black heart. I would trade money, sleep, or hair for a smile from one of my children in a heartbeat. Well, it depends on how much hair."
No comments:
Post a Comment