The Hidden Joys of Child-Rearing

Time for a myth-buster. Some Christian couples put off having children because they're told that children will radically change their life. They imagine having to give up comfortable lifestyles and personal pleasures. They observe other parents obsessing over their children, seemingly unable to think, talk, or do anything unrelated to the kiddos. Here's the myth: your life stops the moment your child's starts.

I bust this myth everytime I have to leave my family. One of the unexpected, hidden joys of child-rearing is how it focuses my private time on what really counts. When away on a trip I have a much harder time pulling off private worship and my personal reading really drops off. I waste too much of these free evenings passively watching TV or surfing the web.

But when at home and the kids are in bed I know I have only a limited amount of time and it disciplines me to make the most of it. And I believe as a result of more time in the Word, private prayer, and useful reading, God brings about growth that otherwise would not have come.

So I think parenting young children offers naturally lazy people like me a forcing function to make those early morning and late evening hours count. Rather than giving up your life, this season of life can help you to cut out the wasted time, thereby redeeming it for more useful purposes.

And lastly, this may also uncover idols of the heart. If you only have an hour or two to yourself each day it's likely that what you run to during that time is your god. When a deer pants for water, it goes where it can be satisfied. So do we. Do we run to Him, and the thoughts of Him, even with the remains of the day?