.Everyone's Talking About It.

At least my facebook feed was just filled with the news yesterday. The news that the Duggar family is expecting their 20th child.

Source

Yes, that did catch my attention, but what caught my attention even more was the way that fellow brothers and sisters (mostly sisters) criticized and judged them - if they didn't "agree" with their decision to conceive again, or judge and criticize other believers for either agreeing or disagreeing with the decision. It was kind of a mess. And it made me pause.

I don't really have an opinion on the situation. It is not my decision. It has nothing to do with me. How a family decides to fill or not fill their quiver is just between that husband and wife and God. Some families are led to have one child, some three, some none. We chose to only birth two and then "fill our quiver" (so ambiguous, right?!) the remaining way through the miracle of adoption. The Duggars have taken a different approach. True, it's not one that many take today, but who are we to judge what God's perfect plan is for their family? All that to say why are brothers and sisters in Christ criticizing and judging fellow believers? How must this hurt the body of Christ? How must this sadden the Spirit?

Do you know what else hurts? Being on the receiving end of judgement from other believers. Unfortunately our family has had its fair share of criticism, whispers behind our back, and judgement for the way we have chosen to grow our family. We were even told things like as soon as your adoption is complete and Jamesy is home, I am sure you will be pregnant again. Almost as if adoption was not equal with being pregnant and having birth children. And, yup, it hurts, alot. Unfortunately my hands are not clean in all of this. I have judged and criticized. I am completely guilty in this area of judging people in my heart. God has been breaking me in this area, and perhaps that is why I was more sensitive to noticing it yesterday.

I think I would rather edify my sisters and brothers, and that means that I will not participate in the "Duggar debate". Plus I really have a lot of areas in my life to work on before I start pointing at other people. I'm pretty much a mess.

How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Luke 6:42

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