blessings or success.

[benjohnson]

Sorry,,
I do believe children are a blessing.

I don’t remember what writing it was but Pope John Paul II had an amazing insight on that he reminded us that children are really God’s children - we parents are just caretakers.

As a father, the message is true.

 

[littlenothing]

Fan of Francis: I could be completely misunderstanding you, but I feel like you are thinking that I am a career woman who doesn’t know if children are blessings or not. That’s not it at all. I know they are blessings!

My question, and my concern, is for those who can’t have children and feel they are abandoned by God, as the OT’s Hannah felt, as well as other Biblical women. What do I say to my best friend who sees all her cousins pregnant and she can’t conceive? That is my concern. She feels God hasn’t listened to her, and she is not alone in that feeling.

She and I are only “career women” because we have no choice…we don’t have the “children like vines” around our table, and feel left out of that feminine experience and, well, sometimes cursed!

 

[littlenothing]

In principle, children and marriages are blessings because they are products of the Sacrament Matrimony. Marriage couples are called to be fruitful and multiply. Children are new lives which are gifts from God.

There are definite roles for husbands and wives in Christian marriages and these are responsibilities which they are accountable for. They can take on the responsibilities diligently or they can abdicate them. The outcome of marriage relationship and how children raised and grew up very much depends on being faithful to the responsibility respectively. As long we are faithful to our responsibility in a marriage, we are faithful to God’s commandment and blessing will arise out of it.

There are couples who are unable to have children. Unfortunately the examples we have, especially in the Old Testaments, childlessness was a result of punishment. Thus we can say that being unable to have children is like being cursed. But not all it was like that though. Sometimes it happened so that God’s glory can be demonstrated and seen. That was true for Sarah, Abraham’s wife and Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife.

In short, when we entrust our marriage to God, marriage being His Sacrament, whether we are graced with many children or not at all, God will still has a plan for us.

Having children does not necessarily mean they will bring you happiness. They did
not for King David. Thus, it is always good to trust God that He will be the Lord of our marriages and He will bless them. For our part, we just need to carry out our roles faithfully.

God bless.

Good point about Anne, Mary, David. Hadn’t thought about that.

 

[Fan_of_Francis]

"My question, and my concern, is for those who can’t have children and feel they are abandoned by God, as the OT’s Hannah felt, as well as other Biblical women. What do I say to my best friend who sees all her cousins pregnant and she can’t conceive? That is my concern. She feels God hasn’t listened to her, and she is not alone in that feeling.
She and I are only “career women” because we have no choice…we don’t have the “children like vines” around our table, and feel left out of that feminine experience and, well, sometimes cursed!

I am a career woman and not by my choice as the perfect wife is an ideal for me. Am I saddened to see families, especially at mass? Yes and no. I close my heat to my grief and pray for them. This is what I must do.
Rachel remained unable to conceive and I also wept, so did my mother who lost her son, my brother. Did I feel abandon? Yes. I also had to look at my part before and during the marriage.
Cursed? I am not certain how our Lord would curse us. He may withhold graces until we are ready to receive them or it may not be His will for us. The hard part is the is accepting the truth that we do not have biological children (at this moment, for some.) This is also a grief period, when you mourn the loss of a dream, desire and a need. When your mourning subsides and your grief has been lifted to a manageable weight, ask for the desire just the desire to accept this. Pray along side and with your friend. Invite our Mother into prayer and imagine perfect Mary at Calvary watching her Son, our Lord. What unimaginable grief and unjustness, yet she knew it was to be. We also know John was entrusted to her and her to him. This means our Father will provide and help us with this cross.

 

[littlenothing]

"My question, and my concern, is for those who can’t have children and feel they are abandoned by God, as the OT’s Hannah felt, as well as other Biblical women. What do I say to my best friend who sees all her cousins pregnant and she can’t conceive? That is my concern. She feels God hasn’t listened to her, and she is not alone in that feeling.
She and I are only “career women” because we have no choice…we don’t have the “children like vines” around our table, and feel left out of that feminine experience and, well, sometimes cursed!

I am a career woman and not by my choice as the perfect wife is an ideal for me. Am I saddened to see families, especially at mass? Yes and no. I close my heat to my grief and pray for them. This is what I must do.
Rachel remained unable to conceive and I also wept, so did my mother who lost her son, my brother. Did I feel abandon? Yes. I also had to look at my part before and during the marriage.
Cursed? I am not certain how our Lord would curse us. He may withhold graces until we are ready to receive them or it may not be His will for us. The hard part is the is accepting the truth that we do not have biological children (at this moment, for some.) This is also a grief period, when you mourn the loss of a dream, desire and a need. When your mourning subsides and your grief has been lifted to a manageable weight, ask for the desire just the desire to accept this. Pray along side and with your friend. Invite our Mother into prayer and imagine perfect Mary at Calvary watching her Son, our Lord. What unimaginable grief and unjustness, yet she knew it was to be. We also know John was entrusted to her and her to him. This means our Father will provide and help us with this cross.

Ah, I understand. I especially like the part about John. You are so right. And I’m encouraged to hear that others have been through similar things, not happy about their sorrows, just encouraged. It is within God’s Will for some of us to have such hardships, even if we can’t understand why.

thank you!

 

[SteveVH]

I think success comes from hard work not God, I think that it is an illusion to say that God will bless you with what you need to have a semi stable productive life if you trust in him. After all, his own favorite people; who he likes more then everyone else, where slaves at one time, then ruled under the thumb of the Romans at another time. what does that tell you ?
I think if you want to win you have to be willing to give your health and life, there is no way around it.

What do you have that you can call your own? If you have a certain talent and that talent results in success is it not from God? Those who believe that what they have has come solely from themsevles, from their own hard work, have been deceived. The opportunity, and the talent to take advantage of it, has all come from the grace of God. Yes, we have a responsibility to take what God has given us and use it, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that your success is do solely to your own efforts. Nothing you have belongs to you. It was all given to you.

This reminds me of the scientist who challenged God by claiming that he could create life. He began by saying “I start with a pile of dirt…” God stopped him right there and said “Start with your own dirt.”

 

[Jessup]

What do you have that you can call your own? If you have a certain talent and that talent results in success is it not from God? Those who believe that what they have has come solely from themsevles, from their own hard work, have been deceived. The opportunity, and the talent to take advantage of it, has all come from the grace of God. Yes, we have a responsibility to take what God has given us and use it, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that your success is do solely to your own efforts. Nothing you have belongs to you. It was all given to you.

This reminds me of the scientist who challenged God by claiming that he could create life. He began by saying “I start with a pile of dirt…” God stopped him right there and said “Start with your own dirt.”

I love the joke, sorry for the delayed reply, I haven’t been online due to working. I get up at 4am

What talent do I have to call me own? Just the ability to work myself with little or no regards to my safety and health to the point of shear exhaustion. I don’t have any of these talents, that people have in which allows them to carry on a life and maintain progress as they move forward. I am quite average as an individual in stature, intelligence, and book smarts.
I’ve learned its foolish to contribute those things or to trust God, as I’ve watched many people in the schools in which I’ve attended coast through life with little effort as to how they will complete themselves. Those with more brains and better bodies will win
God doesn’t provide you with anything for being a " nice guy " or playing by the rules.
You have to be willing to give your life for it, to survive.
When it all comes down to it, what makes you a winner and successful is either the brain power your given. (again I’m average) or how much risk your willing to take through Cheating, Stealing, and any life risking hard work.
God didn’t distribute everything in perfect order. I personally wouldn’t have any shame in taking ADHD medicine off the street to pass my classes, or Dynabol to get a better body in the gym.
I say these things not out of pride in my own self, but rather the let downs of God and the holy spirit in my own experience,
Mormons call it the
“Pride Circle” , but in the past I attributed all things to God; it is the let down of God, in my life in which has made me feel that I am alone and bitter.
Cheers??: