For Love of a Child

In clinical and practical terms, the perpetuation of most species depends on successful propagation of progeny. In philosophical, maybe even idealistic terms, children are our legacy and future.

The Bible expresses a combination of both layers of sentiment. According to the Scriptures, God himself bestowed the blessing and honor of procreation and parentage upon us, instilling a sense of responsibility and accountability (Genesis 1:28). In doing so, God must have intended to impart real significance and meaning to familial relationships, mirroring aspects of his nature and regard for us. By his grace, we are endowed with tremendous opportunities to exercise the pattern of care and nurturing that God himself exhibits towards us.

There are various Biblical passages that leave no doubt that God is intimately involved in the creation and existence of every individual (Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5; Isaiah 49:1; Galatians 1:15). Furthermore, in the Torah we see how God emphasizes the connection between parents and children that relies on trust, respect, integrity, and loyalty (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:7; Leviticus 19:3).

Elsewhere in the Old Testament, we are exhorted to cherish, guide, and discipline our children (Proverbs 5:1; Proverbs 6:20; Proverbs 19:18; Psalm 103:13). We are also urged to live out our faith before them, modeling devotion to God while demonstrating his love, kindness, and provision (Genesis 18:19; Proverbs 20:7; Joshua 24:15).

In the New Testament, Jesus himself demonstrated the depths of God's concern and esteem for children. For instance, he told the disciples not to deter children from approaching him (Matthew 19:14). This contravened the cultural conventions of the day in which, quite frankly, children were not necessarily perceived as possessing inherent value by virtue of human existence. In this view, any such conceivable value lay primarily in their potential upon reaching adulthood.

But Jesus exhorted his followers to welcome children in his name as if they were welcoming himself (Mark 9:37). He warned about undermining the faith of a child or leading one towards the path of sin (Matthew 18:6). According to Jesus, childlike humility, candor, and purity are the key to heaven and spiritual truth (Matthew 18:3-4, Luke 10:21). He even indicated that there are angels who have special care over the welfare of these young lives (Matthew 18:10).

When blessed with the role of raising children, it is intended that we guide them along an effective path towards maturity, accounting for both a premise of principles and an understanding of individual strengths and quirks of character, disposition, or development (Proverbs 22:6). This also implies an acceptance of God's will for the manner or form in which such blessing may occur, along with prayer and faith for the means to steward and cultivate it accordingly.

In an episode of the "Star Trek: Voyager" television series, the recently married couple Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres — primary helmsman and chief engineer aboard the titular starship respectively — discover that they are expecting a child. As with any new parents, they experience the full gamut of emotional reactions, including joy, aspiration, anxiety, and dread.

At one point, Tom approaches Tuvok, the Vulcan chief of security, who is a father of four, to ask for some paternal advice.

TUVOK: I'm afraid my parenting skills are somewhat dormant. It's been many years since my children were young.

PARIS: Then you've had a long time to think back on it. Any helpful hints?

TUVOK: Offspring can be disturbingly illogical yet profoundly fulfilling. You should anticipate paradox.

Meanwhile, B'Elanna is undergoing her own personal bout of misgivings and doubts, mainly with regard to her particular lineage and its potential impact on the child, now identified as a girl. B'Elanna is of half-human and half-Klingon descent, which she perceives as having had significant influence on the way she herself was treated as a child, especially by her peers. Besides being typically an aggressive and combative species, Klingons tend to possess some distinct physical features — such as prominent forehead ridges — which tend to visually distinguish them when embedded among other societies.

B'Elanna recalls being regularly teased and feeling ostracized as a child, and she is concerned that her daughter will be forced to endure similar unpleasantness. She ends up approaching the ship's Emergency Medical Holographic doctor to request that certain genetic modifications be applied to the baby prior to birth, primarily as an attempt to minimize or even eliminate the Klingon characteristics. The doctor concludes that such alterations are not medically necessary and is reluctant to proceed. In desperation, B'Elanna hacks the doctor's programming to compel him to comply.

Tom discovers the truth about his wife's extreme measures, and he intervenes in an appropriately drastic and timely fashion. As they discuss the inner turmoil and issues she is contending with, it is revealed that she has been afraid for so long that her father left her and her mother because of their Klingon identity. As usual, the reality is much more complex. Tom reassures B'Elanna that he is fully committed to her and their family, regardless of any complications arising from the blending of their ancestries.

PARIS: B'Elanna, I am never going to leave you.

TORRES: You say that now. But think about how hard it is to live with one Klingon. Pretty soon it'll be two.

PARIS: And someday I hope it's three or four. I mean it. And I hope that every one of them is just like you. B'Elanna, I am not your father, and you are not your mother. And our daughter is going to be perfect just the way she is.

To those of us who are charged with caring for any child, we do well to emulate the model of unconditional love that God extends to us through his work of reclamation and restoration. We are all unique and precious in his sight, regardless of any perceived shortcomings or disparities.

In many ways, God's love for children, in their naive, powerless, and vulnerable state, very much exemplifies his love for all humanity. He accepts us as we are, imperfect and flawed, and freely grants us the grace of his redemption through Jesus (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 1:6, 2:4-5).

For love of a child, this redemption is possible – the love the Father possesses for his Son and for all the offspring of humankind; the love that the Son possesses for the Father and all the world for whom he sacrificed; and the love we reciprocate to our heavenly Father and convey to our own children and future generations.

In this manner, we are afforded the opportunity to grow and mature beyond our elementary and incomplete selves into our full potential that God intended.