Big Families Are Wonderful Because...

Marie MacPherson
December 30, 2020

This excerpt from Mothering Many: Sanity-Saving Strategies from Moms of Four or More has its focus on the blessings of big families! The trials and burdens that Mothers of Many face are numerous, but so are the joys! Like what you read? Consider other Mothering Many excerpts here on Into Your Hands, LLC website.

Big families are wonderful because …

… there is never a dull moment! You can change the world for Christ! No two days are the same!—Sheri

… God created and crafted each and every one of these precious children and we want all the little blessings He wants to give

us! How humbling that God has given me my beloved husband and my precious children.—Lissa

… there is never a dull moment. My kids don’t have to ever worry about finding someone to play with. My kids learn to stand up for themselves and be heard. They learn to be individuals and compete for what they want, or back down if needed. My kids learn to pick their battles. My kids learn that they cannot have everything they want. My kids learn to obey because Mommy and Daddy don’t have the time to say it twice. They will never be lonely and there will always be someone to lend a hand or to lead the way. We are almost guaranteed to have a house full of grandchildren visiting someday!—Shannon

… there is so much love and excitement and opportunity to show Christ’s love within the family and without. Big families stand out in today’s society just by being big! Use the opportunity to be a blessing to others.—Karina

… it’s so exciting to see the older children helping and loving the younger ones. Every time we have a baby, the whole dynamic changes and each person has something different to offer.—Ann

… they provide a safe, loving atmosphere for kids. They teach Mom and Dad to put others first. There’s always someone to talk to or play with. They support each other in their walk with the Lord.—Kate

… children are a heritage from the Lord, a gift! They provide a means to bring our homes joy and are the means, at times, that the Lord uses to grow us and change us for His purposes.—Janet

… any size family is wonderful if they are serving the Lord God with all their hearts. The size of the family doesn’t matter. It’s being content with what God will give you and making Him Lord of your life in all areas.—Amy

… there’s never a dull moment!—Dana

… I have to keep dealing with my selfishness. I have to keep allowing God to strengthen me. I don’t ever get to think I can do this well without His daily help. It is great for my kids because they learn patience, sharing, and working together as a family. They also have built-in life-long friends.—Christy

… they are God’s gift. I will always have some family around, and if I get old and decrepit, I’m more likely to have family to help me.—Sharon

… God builds them, and all that He creates is very good.—Karol

… there are more hugs and love!—Tina

… you always have someone to talk to.—Harriet

… God gave each child to us in His perfect timing! There are few things that I am sure of, but this is one.—Diana

… the children always have someone to play with. It is never boring.—Mery

… you are surrounded by people who love each other. The kids always have someone to play with and they learn to get along with others in a good environment. In a big family, you have more people you can count on.—Betty

… when you’re a widow, you won’t be alone.—Reba

… there’s never a dull moment; everyone has lots of playmates; the energy and creative juices run high; there’s ample opportunity for everyone to learn relationship and teamwork skills; and one day we’ll be able to have our own musical band and informal sports team just with our own family!—Sarah

… they give each other strength when it is needed, laughs when times are sad, and hugs every day. Each child is a unique individual, something like his or her siblings, but offering something to the world and to the family that no one else can give.

… each child is a gift from God! These wonderful little beings are our reminder of all those He loves and calls His own. I love my children because of who they’ve helped me become. I am not the same person that I was in my 20s!

… they are a picture of God’s handiwork. Through them, we learn endless possibilities for relationships, support, creativity, self-reliance, self-sacrifice, service, and strength. A large family is a complex social network that is deep, fulfilling, and interconnected. We are provided for and we provide. When one falls, another picks us up. We learn that we can do without many things people think they must have: a room of one’s own, dawdling in the bathroom, new clothes, and the latest gadgets. We learn to share what we have and not to focus on ourselves.

… they are able to provide the support for other family members. More members in a family keeps the family from getting bored and keeps them on a God-fearing course. Chores are shared and life is never lonely.

… for the children: they develop relationships with each other and life-long friendships that are special and different from all others; they learn to respect others by dealing with their siblings on a daily basis; they will have several other siblings to help them with the care and decision-making when their parents age.

… for the parents: The pleasure it brings is priceless! To give children new life experiences, to watch their personalities develop, to teach them about their Savior, to watch their faith grow and see it in action, to have so many loved ones to share life’s experiences with, both good and bad. Truly gifts from God! To know that as you age there will be many loving hands to help you and many loving hearts to love you and pray for you.

… there are more people around to love and be involved in each other’s lives.

… as they grow, they become your friends as well as your children. They also learn to care for others and not just themselves. Sharing is also something that children from a large family do more automatically.

… they give you such joy and pleasure as you see them raising their own families. The love and attention from grandchildren is so rewarding!

… when they are small, they are fun (mostly) to care for. It’s exciting to watch them learn, to teach them, to know their friends. As adults, they are wonderful companions.

… eternity, baby! I’m taking them along, God-willing.—Betsy

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Democrats and Republicans, Let's All Thank TX for suing PA

Ryan MacPherson
December 11, 2020

As the Supreme Court docket for Texas v. Pennsylvania et al. reveals, Democrats (no less than Republicans) have good reason to thank Texas for suing Pennsylvania and even to endorse Texas in its cause.

This may come as a surprise, especially to readers who have relied on mainstream media reports such as the following:

• Newsweek: Swing States Respond to Texas Lawsuit: “A Mass of Baseless Claims”
• New York Times: Two Reasons the Texas Election Case Is Faulty: Flawed Legal Theory and Statistical Fallacy
• ABC News: States Blast Texas Bid to Overturn Election as “Seditious Abuse of Judicial Process”
• Washington Post editorial: No, the ‘Hail Mary’ Plan for Trump Isn’t Going to Work

Reading the documents filed with the Court yields a different story, a story which Democrats and Republicans ought equally appreciate. The complaint filed by Texas boils down to three points:

• Factual Finding (i.e., the problem): “Put simply, there is substantial reason to doubt the voting results in the Defendant States.” (p. 7)
• Declaratory Relief (i.e., part of the solution): “Declare that Defendant States Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin administered the 2020 presidential election in violation of the Electors Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.” (p. 39)
• Injunctive Relief (i.e. the rest of the solution): “If any of Defendant States have already appointed presidential electors to the Electoral College using the 2020 election results, direct such States’ legislatures, pursuant to 3 U.S.C. § 2 and U.S. CONST. art. II, § 1, cl. 2, to appoint a new set of presidential electors in a manner that does not violate the Electors Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment, or to appoint no presidential electors at all.” (p. 40)

The constitutional administration of a fair election should be of equal interest to all parties. Indeed, it is the equal right of all.

What Texas Actually Argues

Read the complaint: Texas has not demanded that the Supreme Court name Trump rather than Biden the winner, but rather that the Supreme Court ensure that the electoral votes from the four defendant states either result from a fair and constitutionally administered procedure, or else that no electoral votes be counted at all.

If the 62 electoral votes from those states are vacated, the result (all other things being equal) would remain a Biden victory, 344-332. (For Trump to win, those votes would have to go to him rather than be vacated; or else if those votes are vacated, he would need to gain votes currently expected for Biden in Arizona and Nevada—or some other permutation involving the right mix of each of the six contested states.)

But more important than “who wins?” is whether all Americans can unite for the preservation of common rules of the game—i.e., the Constitution. Therefore, Democrats no less than Republicans should support a fair hearing by the U.S. Supreme Court of Texas v. Pennsylvania.

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