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The Pastoral Lens

With Pastor Brian Horrobin of First Baptist Church, Wallaceburg

Eight Is Enough?

Tuesday, November 19, 2002

Does anyone remember that television sitcom that was on a number of years ago called, "Eight Is Enough"? It starred Dick Van Patten as the father of a family with eight children. I believe Willie Aames also starred in it. It chronicled the whereabouts of a large family, emphasizing its many facets. Now, I can relate a little to this scenario since I married a woman who is the sixth of eight children. Christmas time and other family occasions are a really big affair, as you can well imagine. But recently, I delved a little further into the frenetic world of the big family.
As we approached another Santa Claus parade in Wallaceburg, it soon became evident that my twin brother and his wife and two children would not be able to join us this year for our annual celebration to the kick-off of the holiday season here in Wallaceburg. My dear wife suggested that we invite her sister, Lois, and her husband, Frank. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, they have ten children. That would be one more than nine, the number required to field a baseball team. Hey, what's a few more mouths to feed along with our five, eh?
We all made it to the parade just fine. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, waving to the friendly people on the various floats, and completely forgetting that I was running a small day care along Dufferin Ave. I found myself having great delight watching all these beautiful children laughing and squealing with each other. Later, we crammed ourselves on to the horse-drawn wagon for a stroll downtown under a snow flurried sky.
There was a time when such a venture into this realm would have qualified me to replace Rod Serling as host of The Twilight Zone. I came from a family of three boys. We grew up in a home with one bathroom. I never thought I would make it raising children, but now I wouldn't have it any other way. I love my children and it is a ton of fun getting together with my wife's siblings and their families. The Bible refers to children as ìa blessing from the LORDî (Psalm 127: 3). Whether you are an only child or one of eight (or more), God says you are special. It is hard to fathom that with over six billion people currently living on the earth, we can be unique and special to our Creator, but it's true.
I would encourage you, if you are a parent with children at home, or a grandparent, tell those children how precious they are to you. Go ahead, make their day. Don't just wait for Christmas, either. Children need to know they are loved twelve months out of the year. If God's Word says they are a blessing, then we need to treat them as such. Is eight enough? Well, if you asked my sister and brother-in-law the answer would be an emphatic "no"! Numbers are just numbers. Each child is priceless in the Lord's eyes, whether you are the firstborn or the tenth. Enjoy your children (or grandchildren, as the case may be) this week!