Recently, we just had our seventh baby. This time we did something a bit strange. We waited two days to officially announce the name. We had a good idea of what the name would be, but we wanted to make sure it was going to fit. But since we couldn’t use this name during the "waiting" time in case we had a change of heart, we had to use names that came up at the moment. We typically chose names that reflected the characteristics of our baby itself. It struck me that this was a lot like how one might name a puppy. A child notices that your new puppy has a spot on its back and for the rest of its life its name is spot. I started to think what would the most popular baby names be if we named children like we name a new puppy.
We came up with names like Peanut, Red Squash, Cutie, Noisy, Red Tomato, and our favorite Mr. Scrunchy. But then I began to question myself, do people really name their dogs like this any more? I checked. And guess what? They don’t. Sure enough, just as plentiful as there are baby name sites. Their are top puppy name sites too. The top name right now is Max. This is the name of the boy who lives next door to us. And sure enough all the rest of the top puppy names are names that could pretty much pass as people. Names like Jake, Charlie, and Buddy are are all on the list.
A while back while I was in church, and the pastor made a comment that struck me as bizarre. Maybe it was not that bizarre considering we are living in a city with more dogs then children. He mentioned something about children and then he added on after that, "I guess now some of you have dogs instead these days." I was a bit dumbfounded. Not that I don’t like dogs, I like dogs. I don't own one because I would don't have time to properly take care of a dog as it should be taken care of. However, I wanted to shout or at least whimper, as I was sitting in the back row of the sanctuary with a squirmy child on my lap, hold it a second. Where does it say in the Bible that blessed are those who have a quiver full of pet dogs?
When we were visiting the small resort town of Leavenworth in Washington a couple summers back, and I ran across a sign in a gift shop that seemed to sum up an attitude that is creeping into our culture. Do you mean to tell me that my Grandchild is a Dog? What a world we would live in if instead of pandering to the crowd, and making an observational comment about dogs now being the new kids, the pastor instead had implored, begged, and encouraged the congregation to have children! And if you can’t have children adopt. If you can’t adopt, support those who have children, support the crises pregnancy center, support efforts to make adoption easier. Then please bring your well cared for and happy dog and let it play with the children, but don’t treat it and pretend it is a child. As the sign of the pleading grandmother points out, everyone know that dogs really can’t replace children. Has our society slipped so far that we don't get this anymore?
Yes, yes I know having children does not make you a superior Christian. There are no superior Christians. What is important is being a faithful Christian “like a child” following His "commands". Each of us serving God in the place we are called, in the situation we are in, serving him as the Bible instructed as we go forward no matter what mess we have gotten ourselves into in the past. That is what is important. And for a lot of us still capable. That means having children…possibly even lots of em. See Genesis if you doubt me or check out one of my favorite Psalms.
Psalms 127
"Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he gives his beloved sleep. Children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."
Here's hoping you have so many children you run out of good names!
