Take God At His Word

by Crystal Paine

I think very few Christians today are willing to take God at His Word and they miss out on a lot of blessings because of this.

Many are unwilling to accept something if they cannot understand it, nor explain how it will work. This is something God has taught us much about in the last few years.

For instance, my husband and I believe, as Scripture says, that children are a blessing from the Lord. We do not believe that birth control in any form is right. We believe that Christians are called to “be fruitful and multiply” for the glory of God. Before we were married, we committed to love and care for as many children as the Lord would give us. We didn’t know how it was all going to work out if God gave us three children in the first three years of marriage while Jesse was in law school, but we knew that if God called us to something, He would also equip us for the task. And God has been so faithful. He knows best. If we had tried to “plan out our family” we would have messed things up pretty badly because we can’t see into the future and we don’t know everything.

Looking back on the past 2½ years, I see how God’s timing has been so perfect. If we had relied upon our own finite strength, knowledge, and wisdom as to when we were “ready” to have children, we would still be waiting because, by most people’s standards, we aren’t in a “good position” to start a family yet (because we are living off a part-time income and Jesse is in school).

I’m always amazed at the couples who say they are waiting to have children until they are “ready.” Obviously, from Scripture, one of the main purposes for marriage is procreation (after all, that was the first command God gave to Adam and Eve and it was repeated over and over again through Scripture). Our personal belief is that you shouldn’t get married if you aren’t ready to have children.

Kathrynne has been the greatest blessing to our marriage. Contrary to popular opinion, she has only served to strengthen our bonds of love for one another. Almost everyday, I look at her and wonder how on earth anyone would refuse such a precious gift.

We would be missing out on so much if we hadn’t been willing to step out in faith and trust God to give us children when it was His perfect timing.

But, lest you think I am just one of these courageous people who never worries, I will tell you that there have been many times I have feared, fretted, and doubted. When we found out we were expecting, I was working part-time as a mother’s helper to three Christian, homeschooling families. These were very good paying jobs and it was supplementing my husband’s part-time income in a big way so that we could survive through his law school experience without going into debt. When I got pregnant, I was so sick for about 3 months, there was no way I could continue on with these jobs and so Jesse and I felt it was time that I quit. We didn’t know how we would make ends meet because it definitely did not work out on paper.

Guess what? We have found that God delights to show Himself strong when it seems impossible to us!

Since I began staying home full-time, God has blessed us in innumerable ways. I worried about money a lot in the beginning. I would try to figure out how we could stretch things enough for the ends to meet. I often have not understood how it worked out exactly, but the ends have always met. I finally stopped worrying about it! God has always provided for us and I know He will continue to do so.

What a faith-building experience it has been for us to learn to rely upon God for our “daily bread” and to see Him provide “abundantly above all that we could ever ask or think.” Since I’ve stayed home fulltime, He has blessed Jesse with a higher-paying job and the ability to work more hours many weeks. He has blessed our home business far beyond what I could have ever imagined. And most importantly, He has increased our faith. I could share story after story with you of instances where God has answered specific prayers in miraculous ways.

Throughout the last year, we have learned that money does not buy happiness. The more money you have, often the more you will spend. We have realized that you can live on just about any size of budget - all it takes is trust in God and creativity. I would much rather have my wonderful husband and beautiful daughter than all the riches and glitter that this world has to offer!

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say, “We can’t live on one income.” Or, “We can’t afford to have more children.” My response is, “How do you know?” If you would step out in faith and follow God, I have a feeling you would be pleasantly surprised.

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