I came home from work one day and met Kim in the kitchen holding a little piece of plastic with a blue dot in the middle. I figured something under the sink broke and she was showing me the broken pieces. Apparently my bored indifference was not the reaction she was looking for so she shoved it closer to make sure I got a good look at it. When I still didn’t get it she finally excitedly blurted out that she was pregnant.

Excitement is not the word I would use to describe my feelings at that moment. Stomach churning, knee wobbling, heart thumping, abject fear is more like it. We had been married for four years but I didn’t think we were ready for the responsibility of raising a child. I know a lot of people have children without any thought about responsibility but I didn’t believe that was right. I figured I would just have to buck up and act like a man.

Our lives certainly went through a transformation when Ben arrived as it has with all of our children. When we found out Gabby was on the way we had just purchased a car that could seat five. We sold it and bought a van. All in all we went from living for ourselves to living for our family.

Having kids also means transformation for our church. In the last five years the number of children in our church has grown dramatically. That means we have new responsibilities and that our life will change. Sometimes those changes will mean great sacrifice.

Here’s the great thing though. Kids bring incredible joy. In all the years I’ve been in church I’ve heard a few older people complain about how rambunctious the kids are. But far more often I’ve seen the smile on the faces of older people when they see all the life that kids remind them of. All it takes is a few weeks in a church with no kids to realize what precious gift they really are.

© 2006-2008 Zanesville United Brethren Church