"Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward."  The 127th Psalm tells us from the mouth of God how we are to view children.  The thinking of the world that we live in is so perverse that we don't even understand that children are a gift from the Lord.  The fact that abortion is even taken seriously is a horrific reality, and one that we cannot become numb to.  Some of our politicians frequently use children as props and political game pieces, ironically to enact policies that hurt children.  Many parents view their children as inconveniences or mistakes.

In Matthew 18:10 Jesus admonishes us to "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father who is in heaven."  Those of us who are parents need to make sure that our view of our children matches God's view.  If it doesn't match up then we need to change.  Anytime we may have a hard time changing our views to God's, we can always confess that to Him and ask for His help.  He is always ready to help us when we come to him in faith and repentance.  

As a teacher I work with kids who, through no fault of their own, have been abandoned, neglected and hurt by parents who are unwilling to put their children before themselves; and the consequences will break your heart.  I am not a perfect parent, but my heart and eyes are fixed on the perfect Father and we pray for His guidance, blessing and protection on our kids and our parenting.  Gentlemen, from one imperfect parent to another, fix your hearts on Him and get into the Bible to find out how the Lord sees your kids.  "Like arrows in the hands of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth.  How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they shall not be ashamed, when they speak with their enemies in the gate."-Psalm 127:4-5

P.S.  I've been playing out in the yard in one of those little vinyl pools with my little arrows today.  I highly recommend it!