As a couple, my husband and I decided that we would consider having a child when we were both at the age of 32, which was in the year 2020. This was because both our mothers had given birth to us when they were 32 years old. However, at that time, my menstrual cycle was not stable so we did not know whether we would be able to have a child at that time.
My testimony goes back to Sept 9th, 2017, to a prayer before worship service on Sabbath day. I prayed to God saying: "I originally was not worthy, yet if You think we are able, please grant us an inheritance so that we who have walked on Your path may not be put to shame." I was filled with the Holy Spirit and heard a voice, first in Chinese and then in English: "Jesus will give you a son!" After the prayer when we sang the chorus together, I heard a boy laughing, passing from my left hand side but because the sound of his laughter just wonderfully went together with what I prayed for, I opened my eyes and saw that it was Jairus, the son of sister Amy.
A month later, on October 6th, 2017, to my surprise and excitement I found that I really was pregnant! Back then I did not know the gender of my child yet, but out of faith I named him Zachary, meaning that ‘The Lord Remembers’. During the first trimester, I would constantly vomit 4-7 times per day, and it continued over the course of two months. In the end it became so bad that my throat hurt as if there was fire burning and I even coughed up blood twice. Another time, I was admitted to the ER during the night and given IV treatment. It was then that I found out Kate Middleton also had this disorder called Hyperemesis Gravidarum. After I went through an ultrasound exam halfway through pregnancy, the doctor indeed informed me that the baby would be a boy.
On the day that my son was born, I had sessions of pain in the triage room, I cried out and prayed "Hallelujah"; After I had given birth, I fainted due to excess loss of blood and a group of doctors and nurses rushed into the triage room and the light outside turned red, signalling an emergency. Though the suffering was difficult, it all went away as I held Zach in my bosom. I cried out of joy because I felt it was worth it, that Zach had come into this world to be my son. We named his Chinese name “許倚全” meaning to ‘Rely on the Almighty God’, according to (Zach 4:6), God said: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit." Now during our bedtime stories with Zach, we would always tell him: "God gave you to us."
From being a couple to being parents is a process of selfishness to selflessness. After the birth of our child, our priorities and focuses in life were changed. We only tried to find a bit of time for ourselves during small gaps to enjoy the new stage of life. Love and responsibility would continually propel us forward. As parents, there is nothing more precious than our child, especially when we see him laughing with joy and sleeping safe and sound. As Christians, our children are an inheritance from God, a treasure God had given us to take care of. In Psalms 127:3 it says "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward." When a child is young, his/her parents mean the whole world to them; thus their parents become the classroom and religious teachers for their entire life. Our children are also a reflection of who we are, reflecting our personal relationship with God. Our bond with our children can allow us to comprehend how our Heavenly Father teaches and cares for us. Parents love their children naturally, selflessly, unceasingly and hope for nothing in return. May we continue to try to learn how our Heavenly Father loves us without limit from our limited love to our children. Psalms 103:13 says: "As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him."
A different environment would result in a different child, every family has its own concepts and values in teaching a child; but what is similar is that every parent would want to supply the best for their children in terms of environment, education, and physical materials. Sometimes, we toil and labour in search of more income, which can cause our children to pursue after this world, causing him/her to put their eternal life behind without realising. In fact, the most important aspect of education is to teach them their "Life values". As a Christian, our "Core Value System" is to come to know the Truth of God and the passing down of our faith. In the Book of 3 John 1:4 the Bible says: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." The truth is, the path in teaching a child is full of losing control, every parent is faced with different difficulties in guiding a child; and as a new parent, we still have a lot to learn on this path as well. However, we hope to encourage everyone reading this article with these words and we continue to wholeheartedly rely on the Lord to pass down this faith so that the ‘Heritage Granted by God’ can walk on his life journey with God.
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