Celebrating Children - Universal Children's Day

This Sunday, November 20th,  is Universal Children's Day as decreed by the United Nations. My 5 year old daughter will be celebrating with ice lollies at school today.

I reflected on what the observance of this day really means and checked out the UN's website. Interestingly enough, as I perused the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, its 3rd paragraph states:

"Whereas the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth.." 


Did anyone else pick up on the last part of that sentence... before as well as after birth. Yet millions of babies are aborted all around the world. Children are starving, dying, discarded. Some are used for labour, exploited in the porn industry, sold in human trafficking.  This reality makes a mockery of this declaration.  All around the world adults fail to protect children...sometimes it is the children's very own parents who exploit them. So sad, but true. These precious ones lose their innocence at a very young age.. who protects them and loves them and cherishes them?

Children ought to be celebrated as a blessing from God. How sad it is that in today's world, even in so-called functional families,  that is far from the norm. They are seen to be burdens and an impediment to social and economical progress.  So many people, even within Christian circles,  are critical of those who have more than 2 or 3 children. I could direct you to a multitude of very nasty comments made about the Duggar's who are now expecting their 20th child.

Each child is unique and brings blessings far different from any of the others. The Duggars believe that they are honouring God in celebrating each new baby they receive from the hands of God, each new opportunity to be blessed and to bless. I do recognise that this is a hot and controversial topic within even Christian circles. My own faith teaches me to be open to life, but I know that there are many who do not believe in the practice of leaving their wombs open to the will of  God. This post is not about judging others' decisions. I have read so many arguments for and against that my head is spinning, but my heart remains the same, my convictions the same.

There are many who argue  the irresponsibility of  raising large families and the financial burdens and how unfair it is to children etc. For my own part, I firmly believe that God does not give us more than we can bear. Conception of a child is a miracle in itself and God is our partner in this new creation. I believe that these so called 'financial burdens' are based on the values of the world.

Every child does NOT need to have i-pods, laptops, expensive shoes and clothes and the latest toys and gadgets. Every child NEEDS to be loved... unconditionally, they need food, clothing and shelter. They need to be nurtured, protected and cherished.  Everything else is unimportant. We want to educate our children but a tertiary education is not a NEED... in fact I am of the opinion that soon the world will have a complete glut of MBA's and PHD's. I truly believe that people who raise their children with life skills will be the ones to benefit in the long run. But.. that's just my humble opinion.

Being a parent is an awesome responsibility and I have learned it is a vocation in which you always have room for growth. Our children teach us even as we teach them. They present, daily, new learning experiences and challenges as they grow through different stages and  we have to learn and grow right alongside them. These precious ones are the future of our world. How are we equipping and training them for their futures?

Today I want to applaud those women who gratefully accept each new blessing that is placed in their wombs, the ones who reach out and embrace unwanted children through adoption or fostering or those who mentor other people's children.  I want to grieve with those who have lost children to heaven and rejoice with those who daily walk the arduous path of motherhood, training their children to love God and to serve Him.

It is the greatest of all vocations and our children are the ones who make it possible. Let us celebrate them this weekend and remember to say a prayer for children worldwide who are not fortunate enough to have loving parents or who are living lives fraught with suffering. Let us remember the ones who live in squalor, who are forced to grow up before their time. Let us remember the ones who were violently ripped from their mother's wombs. Let us remember.. and pray!

Let us not forget those who work tirelessly behind the scenes to bring messages of hope, to comfort and provide for even one child through programmes such as Compassion. May God bless their efforts and may He work on hearts so that these precious ones will find relief, comfort and hope and through the kindness of others they will see His face.


If  your heartstrings are getting pulled on, please visit:

Sponsor a Child - Compassion International  and thank you! :-)

Sharing over at:

Have a blessed weekend everyone and may the angels walk with you.