I have three children.  Abigail, Luke, and Lottie are their names and they all carry very unique characteristics and personalities.  These kids have brought incredible challenges to our family.  I mean from the very get go, before they are even here they make sleep more difficult and they make money more tight.  By the time they come into the world you are hoping (or at least mom is) for a nap.  When they do arrive they are constantly wanting something.  Hold me, change me, rock me, change me, feed me, bathe me, change me, feed me some more (and thats all before lunch).

And what about as they get older.  They need help learning…everything.  How to get dressed, tie a shoe, brush teeth, eat with a fork, write, throw a ball, shoot a ball, share, be kind, and the list goes on and on.  They have an endless supply of questions that are impossible to know all the answers to (google is not even equipped enough for all of them).  And it is your job to answer them…or they will just keep asking until they get a satisfactory answer.

I was recently shown a picture of a first time dad.  He had a big smile on his face and was just elated to have this new responsibility.  I heard that he said, “I am just wanting to do everything right.”  WOW!  What high expectations, do everything right.  That’s just not possible, and the reality is, even if we do everything right the child is still going to mess up.  Because they are sinners just like us.  Flawed individuals.

All of this caused me to think about what a blessing my kids are to me.  If you read carefully up to this point in the post you might think I am crazy.  But the frustrations, the difficulties, the late nights, the tear-filled hospital stays, the endless questions, the constant teaching responsibilities, the high expectations, all of those things pail in comparison to the delight that my children bring to me.

Children are blessing because they bring a undeserved trust, and undeserved love, and an undeserved faith in you as their parent.  They believe what you tell them about the world.  They love you even when you spank them.  They are confident that you are doing what is right for the family.  They are a blessing because amidst the heartache they bring warmth and comfort that no one else can provide.

This is why it is so hard to fathom God the Father giving up His Son for our sake.  His Son is a blessing to Him.  And yet, the Father willingly offered His Son to take on the punishment that we deserved.  Now that is a blessing!