Children are a blessing

One day I read that God gave Job three of the loveliest daughters in the land and I felt sure that God was going to do that for me. Well it just so happened that I ended up with three girls and they are all very beautiful to look at and have the most empathetic and tender hearts. I prayed that they would be beautiful in the land of God's kingdom too. Family photos

Even before my children were born I was praying for them and for each one I asked specific attributes from God - wisdom, beauty, intelligence and as each one came along their names had special meaning for me. The first one was conceived on Christmas day - a Christmas gift earnestly prayed for following the first of 7 miscarriages. God protected her when I fell carrying her so her names are Natalie Hazel. I knew she was a girl and decorated the bassinet suitably to reflect this knowledge (I did not need to change the colour!).

For the second baby I had no girl name as Peter and I had disagreed on the name. We both liked different names based on Rose. On the day she was born, the song "Thank you for your gift of love", kept coming into my mind and when I looked in the name book and saw "Aimee" and that it meant "Beloved" I chose that but didn't tell my husband. When he looked in the book he said, "I like Aimee", and so it was. Aimee, Kristin, beloved messenger of Christ and a blessing to the world. She was a miracle, as the doctors thought that I would never have any more children. I was glad that I had hoped in God and hadn't allow my womb to be removed.

One day as we were taking the children for a stroll along the beach front and eating ice creams, the Holy Spirit popped the name Roseanne into my mind. I told Peter and he said "Yes that's it". We had not thought of it before, but both liked it. Very soon after I was pregnant with our third baby. I thought she would be a boy, even when God had pointed out a shop for me to go into and buy babies clothing. I had said to Him "But Lord, it's all girl clothing in here and I am having a boy"! Someone had even given me a bible verse about a son! Before she had been born I had felt that even though I loved roses so much, my husband hardly ever bought me any. I chose Fleur for her second name as I felt that she was like a lovely and gracious gift. For her dedication God gave me the words " precious, select arrow in God's quiver" (Isaiah 49:2). I didn't realize at the time that she completed my quiver of "arrows".

2008 Lately I have been praying more for my children as none of them go to church. Two still believe in God but the youngest one is into Buddhism. Each time I fervorently prayed for her salvation, she came back home to live. In June 2008 she left home again and I began wondering what verse God had given me in the past that had made me believe that they would love God wholeheartedly one day.

My oldest daughter rang me...she had been thinking about reading her bible on the way to work. She had had to move out of her flat and the only place she had to go to was miles away from her work. I felt a glimmer of hope that maybe the time was approaching when she would discover how truly wonderful a friend God is and how good it is to meet with His people. As I was reading the bible I came across the verse..."those who hope in me will not be dissapointed...and your children I will save" (Isaiah 49). I knew this was God's word for me and I thanked him for the salvation of my children. The following Sunday, during the sharing time, a mature man of God - Peter, got up and shared what he believed God was saying from Isaiah 60. He said that God would save our children and we were to acknowledge this. I thanked God for this further confirmation of His word and was glad that I had written the verse down so that I would not forget His promises this time. A few days later one of my daughters rang to tell me an interesting story of how she had seen a "good looking" man at the petrol station and when she came out after paying for the petrol, she found he had put his phone number on a piece of paper and stuck it in her car door...Amazingly she phoned him some weeks later and it just so happens that he told her he was a devout Christian. They have become friends and most nights he rings her up and tells her a bible story and how it applies to life today. When she told me this, she told me how he had told her the story of Job the previous night. I told her I had been reading from Job that same day. That very day I had remembered one of the promises God had given to me many years earlier.."all your children will be taught of the Lord" (Isaiah 54.13). I had looked up the verse to check out the Hebrew word translated as children. It was thought that the word may have derived from builder. I thought - that was very interesting as this young man was a project manager in the building field. He was a builder in God's kingdom too, fulfilling God's promise to me. God was using him to teach her.

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