Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Hebrews 11:1 ESV Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Romans 6:1-2 ESV What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? [2] By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? ❤✝️
I find it sometimes where the father of the household after having kids becomes the hierarchy and ranking in the family order according to the wife that is. If you have 4 kids the husband's number five on that list of priorities. Believe me there were days when I came home from work and the only one that was happy to see me was the dog.
I’m 35 and my wife and I have been married for 12 years. We were “atheists” but 7 months ago she got pregnant with a little boy and I immediately thought “god is real” and from then on I have felt gods presence grow stronger every day. I am so unbelievably blessed and I can’t stop apologizing to Jesus for all the wrongs I have done and boy there is no shortage of them. Thank you lord for your forgiveness and love and thank for blessing me with a child!
My wife has given birth to our second child 2 weeks ago. He has some heart issue and must be operated tomorrow. Please, pray for him that God keeps him with us. Children are more precious than all the riches in this world.
Sometimes I've wondered why I am still a single man, but after hearing you speak Father I think I'm seeing a part of myself that I have neglected. I'm happy that you and so many other faithful have brought more strong Christians into our dark world, it keeps the Church alive! Pray for me, a sinner.
Matthew 23:1-2 KJV Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. This part in particular I believe is most important here so I'm writing it again But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. We shouldn't call anyone father because of the reasons jesus mentioned here and I believe another reason is so they don't become proud of themselves. The scribes and the Pharisees was proud attention seeking people who expected everyone around them to call them by these titles. It's not unlikely church leaders today can fall into the same sins as those before them so by not calling them these titles helps keep them humble. I pray that this comment helps for the edification of the church
Thank you brother 🥹🙏. As a mother of 14, ages 25-8 months, I just want to thank you for this message 🥰. It’s definitely been a hard journey and taken a lot of courage to stand against our decaying culture.
My mother raised 6 kids alone after her husband deserted his family. I was too young to understand much of what was going on, but I knew I had missed out on field trips because my mom couldn't afford the fee, and other kids made rude comments about me being poor, which I figure must have been because my clothes were worn hand-me-downs. Despite this, I don't regret being born and I really cherish my childhood. My siblings were fun and we made many happy memories in our small, crowded home. The difficulties of poverty can leave you resentful, but they can also make you stronger, more humble, and more full of gratitude for your many blessings. We were still very blessed, never hungry, fairly comfortable, and my mother knew she had God supporting her through the trials. My husband and I don't make the U.S.'s recommended income for raising a family, but because of my childhood, living a frugal lifestyle and finding inexpensive ways to have fun comes naturally. I hope my children can look back fondly on their own childhoods, too.
This made me so emotional, 😭 thank you for sharing. I am a single parent and I feel bad sometimes because my kids don’t have the name brand shoes, new clothes, etc. I hope 🤞 they remember their childhood fondly.
I have found we think we can never afford having a child…but then we have the baby and God always provides. Now I did get question a little bit when I found out we were having twins but once again God always provides, and we were truly content.
@EctorLopez-yu1yc yeah, pretty much. I've seen this with my parents throughout my whole life. My parents will have something that breaks and can't afford to fix or one of us would have to take a trip to the hospital. Somehow, some way, everything ALWAYS worked out. Sometimes neighbors would come help fix the thing for free or for a price that my parents coincidentally had enough money for. Sometimes the thing would magically start working again until my parents could get the next paycheck. The only time things didn't work out is when my parents lost our house and they had to declare bankruptcy. But that wasn't because God didn't help them, it was because they were maxing out credit cards when they shouldn't have. Other than that, things have always seemed to just work out like they needed to. And it's still happening for them, to this day. Even after us kids are all grown.
@@youtubecommentator6023 Oh, you meant in your own personal experience. Ten percent of children 0-17, in the US, have experienced food insecurity in the past 30 days. Unfortunately, God doesn't feed the hungry children of poor parents very well. I think leaving pregnancies up to nature/god is bad advice for poor families when they can't feed the children they have.
@@youtubecommentator6023 We're they maxing out the credit cards for clothes, vacations, and luxury items or because God wasn't providing enough to pay the bills? If the bills couldn't be paid without maxing out the credit cards, that is the very definition of God not providing.
I'm 32 weeks pregnant with my second baby. Please pray for my baby and my family because we are sick and I'm so worried for his health. Bless you! Thank you for your prayers! We got well, but I delivered my baby boy at 33 weeks and 4 days. My baby is in the NICU now. (Maybe it was because of the sickness but not sure.) We are healthy and well now. Praise God that we are fine! ❤️
@@Headroomtalking you truly think like an atheist. Lots of money does not equal everything's good. All money can be lost in a heart beat, just like health or even a life. God is The one who gives mercy.
I wish parents knew how great a gift having siblings is. My brothers and sisters are so dear to me, and it is so wonderful to have people who also loved your parents, grew up in your neighborhood, know all your families little jokes and love the same holidays. The best gift parents can give isn't a college education or a down payment on a house, but siblings who will support each other through thick and thin after you are gone.
100% agree with this! I am pregnant with my first child, and I think that, God willing, I would really like to have my second child right away to give my child a sibling that is close in age. Please pray for me that my body will be strong enough to do this and to recover after giving birth ❤
I needed to hear this. I work around a lot of people who do not have kids, and employers start to expect their employees to give of their bountiful child-free personal time for work events and volunteering. It is nice to hear someone with a correct understanding of how our lives should be oriented toward God and our families instead of only toward work.
Indeed. 🥲 In our current economy and sociopolitical climate, the personal cost to swim against the current is very very high. But if anything is worth struggling for in this life, it is children.
Absolutely beautiful conversation. This is exactly the message that men, real men, need to hear and apply to their daily lives. None of us are without sin, however, we are forgiven, and it is up to us to forgive and to love.
Because if a parent doesn't "provide" a level of material comfort to the state's satisfaction. The state accuses the parent of neglect. I lived through it as a kid in the 90s. Constant harassment from neighbors and the school because we had second hand clothes or go on vacation all the time. No support being lower income.
I come from a weird situation. My family are upper middle class but they don't realize it. It's mostly from my dad's side of the family, the atheist side. My dad is in a panic about me not earning a large income, and he just doesn't understand. He even used to be Christian, and it still doesn't register to him that poverty is holy. I feel so sorry for him, and at the same time he makes me angry. It's gotten to where I just stay away from him as much as I can.
@sethabel4315 as understandable. Man made rules are not God's rules. The priest is correct when truth is spoken, the world persecutes. Mary, essentially, is the most famous woman in history: a mother and wife. I agree with keeping priorities. Loyalty is essential for society. Children are a blessing. It is confusing and hurtful society sees children as burdens but want working tax payers in 20 years. Society is hypocritical.
@@coloradowestaerialarts1316 You can thank our consumer capitalist system for the way your dad thinks. Its not his fault, he’s just been brainwashed to think he needs more and more. What I wish there was more talk about is the toxic culture of consumerism in Churches and not just the standard anti-woke topics. Gay people are not at fault for you not being able to buy a house or groceries.
@@johnplavsic441central banking & irresponsible fiat money printing is primarily why people can’t afford groceries, the one topic republicans, democrats, Christians or atheists don’t want to talk about.
@ Central Banking is nothing more then a conglomerate of Private banks. My people think it’s somehow run by the government but its our government that is run by them.
I needed to hear this. Family is a blessing and God has been communicating this to me these past few months. A few more questions are to be answered but I trust in Him to guide and lead me. I love my Father. He deserves all praise and love.
AMEN Dear FR. Trenham. We have 9 children. They are all grown now. I used to tell people within my OWN family, We let go and let God! That's used to shut them up! Glory to God!!!
@@oscar66810 lol I had the OPPOSITE experience. Now I'm ridiculed by non christians, have even been bullied, and made fun of (and given bad grades in college) after leaving their atheist cult and becoming a Chrostian as an adult. Funny how they don't see themselves as a cult and yet they call everything else except those who dont believe in God a cult. 😂
@@oscar66810Actually, I was an atheist until I opened my mind and started questioning the bible. I talked to priests, started understanding Christianity and, at the end of a long road, I finally understood. So, yes, open your mind. A common prayer for open-minded atheists who want to understand God is “Lord, I want to believe. Help me in my unbelief.”
I am Serbian Orthodox mother. I am so proud that I am Christian, that I am a wife, that I am mother of 2 amazing children, that I am a cook, a teacher, a caregiver a friend and everything else to my family, husband, children. I would not exchange my position as a mother, wife for anything in life. I am so thankful to God for everything 🙏
I'm glad you had the rare life choice It dies "At the resurrection none will marry not be given in marriage they will be like the angels in heaven." Matthew 22:30 Jesus speaking It all dies with you Enjoy what you have
It simply comes down to this. Which I think is the point he is missing. Our communities dont nearly support each other like they used to. An example is at my parish. We have a program for the reposed, to care for the body and funeral. I asked a simple question. What if a young person in a marriage with no wealth died. And the spouse was going to be homeless. Who would help? There was crickets. This is the crux of the problem. All the support and programs for the old. But never a lick of care for the young. We live in a world where any value I gain in pay to afford a family will just be stolen by a greedy landlord who can jack up rent with no limits. Or through inflation. God forbid I loose my job and don't immediately get another. Because if I miss one to two months rent. Im homeless with my family. And lately states are pushing to make homelessness a crime. Much to the joy of the conservative members in my parish. Imagine that. Christians happy at the criminalization of the poor. I know that in one month of no pay, I can easily become a criminal. And because there is not sufficient resources for struggling families. It means that kids become nothing more than pure risk because theres no safety net. Or the alternative is we work ourselves to death so we can pay for kids we end up latckeying. Whats the point of kids if you have to abandon them just to pay for them? Dont push kids if you have no intention of being there to support the familes. We have broken homes and messed up young people because the older gens sold their families out for companies. We expirienced that pain, and now don't want to perpetuate the issue. We have anxiety through the roof because our parents never taught us about the world, but then expected us to solve both their problems and ours. Getting tired of being pressured for kids by people who run like roaches when we need help. You'll see kids when you see support and trust. Real support. Not pats on the back and a "you're never fully ready". That doesnt pay these ever growing bills.
What parish is that? What nationality I mean? The community it’s your own blood related family! It’s the relatives that have to care about the young couples issues, not strangers in a parish
Looks like somebody deleted my comment here. All parishioners have their own bills and they will send you to local resources and food stamps with Trust to Jesus. Do a math what is a monthly $ in your area to pay just bills and food for family with kids and ask yourself if that's what you can pay. Spouses dies, gets sick and sometimes just leave...
@@AnnJo24224 unfortunately youtubers has a bad habit of shadow deleting comments these days. Your comment literally proved my point. Local resources??? Is that what christ taught? What exactly is the point of a community if they will just send you packing the second you need help? This is the very point im making. Everyone talks about love, almsgiving, and following christ until the rubber meets the road and they actually have to do the work. Suddenly its all "they need to figure that out". While at the same time videos like this one push having families. Or other videos he's posted disparaging dinks. The entire point is young people are doing the math, and its not good. Then they look around, and understand acutely that their parish wont care to help. And they will be abandoned. Cant be shocked about decline in children when no one wants to actually be the community they claim they are.
@@FoundSheep-AN strangers in a parish? How is this possible if we are all the body of christ? And didn't christ teach directly about caring for the poor and the stranger? Why does christs teaching stop at our wallets? Some of us like myself entered the church at the price of losing the only blood family we had. A lot of us these days either were abandoned by our blood family, or don't know our blood family to begin with. Isn't the point of our parish to be a supportive community? Not just a bunch of random people going to church and then leaving? This is not what christ taught. Nor was it the example the apostles showed.
I`m living in the most anti-christian nation with the most enormous tax on the planet. I am a worker so i´v never been rich. But i HAVE been blessed with 4 kidz, and i have allways been able to provide what they needed even when things have been extremely hard. God DO provide, and having kidz is a permanent blessing. If you "can´t afford", then move to another location where you will be able to. Stop seeking to be packed like sardines in citys.
Bruh no one can afford to just buy land anymore. My parents had a neighbor move in near their home in rural, absolute middle of nowhere Tennessee and they still had to pay close to a million for a house and 50 acres. It's not even farmable land either, it's mostly rocky hills. Covid letting rich people work remote has ruined any chance of "escaping to the countryside."
@@govols1995 Ofc it costs since that is freedom, and govs hates free people. But i am not necessarily talking about the countryside, there are small villages and smaller towns everywhere. An even better mindset would be for people to gather with likeminded people and all move into a village/smaller town. That would result in them owning that town and setting the rules. Their own people would run the town. But the problem is allways exaktly what i said from start, noone wants to move to a less confortable place away from everything. Even tho is would be WAY cheaper. They only wanna whine about things.
@seeker2219 The place my parents farm is close to is what you'd call a village. Maybe a thousand or so people. Cheapest house there is some run down one bedroom shack for like 250 grand. There's nowhere affordable to escape to anymore.
This is powerful. I was raised Orthodox but never received the kind of instruction regarding family life that I hear Fr. Josiah give in this and other videos. I feel like I'm hearing what I should've heard decades ago.
One major point that this guy misses is that there are some parents who not only can not afford children but also should not have them. My father is that example: I grew up going to church, but he is the definition of the Devil because he was so abusive, yet he was the one who was raising our family to believe in God. Fast forward to today, I abandoned my father and faith in the church, my younger siblings are now suffering, and one of them is unhappily married and an alcoholic because of my father's toxic and evil parenting. It's not just about affordability but accountability, and my father is not sorry about his abuse.
Thats the problem with religion. They get blindsided over the real problems. I was desperately poor and in a poor family. It has affected me so much emotional physically and medically. I don't hate the idea of having a family but in my situation, having a child now would be the most selfish thing a human could do.
My Husband and I have recently given ourselves to Christ and as new born again Christian’s we have stopped taking birth control. This scares me because I do wonder about how we are going to afford it. So thank you for this video. It just reassured me. We are doing the right thing🙏🏽
Be careful. Financial means is not even the most important aspect of having children nowadays as christians. Be careful towards the laws of your country, like, is school mandatory, are vaccines mandatory ? Surely the Lord has His opinion on these things. If you are born again, feel free to ask Him. The devil has put in place such an evil system to make sure as many children as possible are lost and critical towards God's salvation plan. Please be wise. May God bless you both.
7:00 stop, thats too cute! that’s what me and my husband did as older teens/young adults . We were so broke, and I remember being pregnant and having my hot cocoa so we could take our walk downtown. It was so special. Honestly it hold a place in my heart above most of the expensive dates and vacations
With this sentiment in mind, I'm curious: had you been offered coffee on a first date by someone interested in courting you for marriage, would you find that to be insulting? Lots of debate about this nowadays.
My children are certainly my teachers, they’re kind, patient and compassionate with me. My son is five years old and on a walk one evening he said to me that he used to be up in the clouds and he used to watch me, he used to watch me for a long time until one day god came to him and told him “it was time to be with that lady you’re watching” and that’s how he got in my belly. He prays, he prays over his sister, he goes to find the closest window to pray out of because he “needs to see the sky” it’s beautiful because he’s taught me that. I never grew up with God, and now thanks to my son, I’m finding my way back
I grew up in abject poverty. I wore the same clothes for 10 years sometimes. Don't have kids if you are in a really terrible financial spot. Kids are a lifelong commitment, just like marriage, too many people think "Yeah I can pop out a little me and things will be great" Don't. that ruined my entire life, I'm still picking up the peices a decade after I left my family.
You left your family, and you're the victim? What about the family you abandoned? I would say stop feeling sorry for yourself but that doesn't seem possible for you. PS I didn't have much when growing up either but am now married with children.
@@maddyg3208 I'm talking about my parents, not a family I started. I'm talking about my own youth. I owe my parents nothing, they never provided more than the bare minimum to avoid jail time. Enjoy your day, troll.
@@Rexhunterjman. I grew up poor and I was kicked out at 14. My parents and I haven’t had a relationship in over half my life now. But I have 4 kids now. And I’m telling you. You are still a very broken person. Because there is nothing greater on this earth than the experience of having your own children. Regardless how terrible our parents were. We have a chance to do and be better, for ours.. This is an experience? I feel sorry for anyone choosing to remain pessimistic and hurt. And opt out of. I really do.
Christ never said your job is to have endless kids until you can't anymore. Btw having 5 kids is wonderful and precious. I only responded because the way you put it almost sounds like Christ gospel is for you to just pop kids and that's what He came and died for. The commission given to Christians doesn't even include that and I'm sure if Christ meant to include it, He would have.
@@STak-ju7gxGod said to mankind in the persons of Adam and Eve: "Be fruitful and multiply" At Jesus' time, birth control and NFP did not exist; so, people had to "let go and let God" literally, because they had no control over how many children they would have. In our times, people wonder if birth control, condoms and NFP are morally right or not. The church has said that birth control and condoms are always morally wrong, but NFP is ok sometimes. NFP based on periodic continence works like this: the wife learns when she is fertile, and if they can't have a baby at that moment, they just don't have conjugal relations in these days. Sometimes a wife is sick and needs to space a child, sometimes the couple is struggling financially and they may need to space the kids in order to not neglect the ones they already have... We should always look for discernment from God in prayer and the councel of a spiritual director
I have had two kids back to back and want more- god is good ❤ I hate when people tell me I need birth control- children are precious ❤❤❤motherhood is the best
I just got back from the hospital today after giving birth to my 5th. It was a traumatic birth. Baby has to stay in the hospital. But despite the challenges, these children are the greatest gift I’ve ever, ever known.
As a fellow minister of the gospel, I thank you for your encouraging words. It hurts sometimes being a poor married couple in ministry but our children and marriage do make us feel like royalty.
I respect those who have been blessed with resources and resilience to raise children and I believe that comes from God. But with respect, having a child in 2024 has very different economic equations than it did 36 years ago. I know God is also a God of logic and reason and has not blessed us (and many in our generation) with resources to support a child. The debt loads are terrible and housing is limited and impossible. Most of us come from broken families and do not have support systems. I pray that more clergy will encourage childless folks in the church to become motherly and fatherly figures to children who already exist, which is what we are trying to do ❤
I was able to buy a home 20 years ago with a job only making 55k a year. My kids can only dream of something like this and I know it fully well. Im often shocked at how out of touch these boomer pastors are.
My sister had children while renting an apartment, they didn't kick her out until she was four kids over the limit. Every year they prayed, and every year he apartment company let them renew their lease until they had seven kids, even though official policy said three kids. It was very hard, but they absolutely wouldn't change a thing. Also when they did get kicked out, they were crazy stress for 6 months, lived with friends, and then God provided a home for them. It is possible to start a family without owning a home. It's scary and it's hard but it's worth it.
@@rebekah3698 Give ur sister and brother in-law sometime and u will see how much emotional trauma they and her kids have from this experience. I've known many families like this who were poor and had many kids. Most of the kids couldn't wait to get out the house at 18 and majority either left the church or became atheists. Asking others to live on the brink of poverty just because ur sister did it is a bit much I think.
I had a child in 2022 and in 2024, my husband and I are "poor" but we are doing just fine on our own. You do what you have to for the sake of your children. We moved to a state where we could actually find housing for cheap. So we might be "poor" and need food stamps for now, but only until my husband finishes school that he's paying for with student loans by the way, not a free ride or parents help. Then he will have a career as a software engineer and everything will be fine. In the meantime I won't apologize for using food stamps that are paid for by sales tax by the way, not income tax (so even us poor people and non citizens chip in to pay for the food stamps program lol). I womt apologize for not having more than one used car and living in a two bedroom apartment eith two kids. My kids will grow up knowing they are loved and cared for, no matter WHAT our financial situation is. We are doing the best we can and trust God for the rest. You might try doing the same.
great conversation - i wish i had this sort for information when i was younger instead of being bombarded by media sources that made me terrified of pregnancy. im 39 now so not really in the cards for me anymore but i focus on mentoring and helping kids as much as i can!
Doesn't it depend on what you mean by "afford"? I talked to a couple once who could not "afford" children because they had not yet bought a house and did not yet own their dream furniture. In such cases I would simply say they CAN afford children, but it's obviously not high on their priority list (which in my eyes is perfectly okay as long as it does not lead to an abortion - to kill a child because you'd rather have a new sofa is ... well... I have no words for that). But then, there are people who are already struggling. Who live in a flat with mould and cockroaches and can't cook because they cannot pay the electricity bill, they don't have (valid) health insurance, they eat only the cheapest food and have health problems from the conditions. This kind of poverty does exist in the US, in Europe... Children should not be raised in such conditions. If you do get pregnant, I hope there will be some kind of help available, but you should certainly not PLAN to get pregnant in such conditions. You really cannot afford it. Trust in the lord? Yes. But don't mock him, either.
As someone who has been in the conditions you describe, I would say existence is still worth it. There is someone at your church who will be willing to donate money so that kids can eat good food. Harris roach tablets can be back their numbers a little. It is very hard, and humiliating, and causes a great deal of tears, but it is for our own sanctification and the beginning of Life. And creating life is worth. Every child is worth it. People have sacrificed far more for their kids throughout history. People have died for their kids, and considered it an honor. It is also an honor to be humiliated for them.
@@rebekah3698No, there is not someone at the church who will feed your family for you on a regular basis. Depending on the church they’re either equally poor or a bunch of affluent hypocrites. I went to a supposedly very holy church where most people were far better off than me, and when I had a need they were very offended that I thought they might help, using coded language like “the church is not a social services organization.” So many vulnerable people have gotten screwed over by pouring time and energy into churches that won’t have your back when the chips are down instead of using that time to build up their own personal life and resources in the ordinary mundane way.
Only God can bring humans into existence. Its hilarious people think they have as much control as they think they do over conception and childbirth. We tried to NOT get pregnant but were unsuccessful after only 2 months of birth control. And yes we know how to use it.....people are so judgemental. But this child was meant to be. She came into the world exactly at the time she was supposed to and not a moment later. Or before. So yes you can try to be responsible but please know birth control just exists to ease your conscience. It doesn't actually prevent people from being born, if God says that person is going to be born, they will be born.
I would be willing to have a child if the church paid for all the child expenses. They're pressuring us to have children anyway so they can have more "donations"
My husband and I swore off birth control after losing our first child to an IUD. The medical establishment emphasizes the efficacy of birth control without being honest about what failure looks like. Today, it’s not the comments from random strangers that bother me but the unhelpful comments from friends and family who claim to be “pro life.” We’ve only had three children make it to term and have been excited about every birth. It took two miscarriages and four years to get our firstborn son, and then two more years of trying to get our daughter. But when we announced with joy that I was pregnant again shortly after our daughter’s first birthday, my in-laws acted like we had done something “irresponsible,” as though we were condemning our first two to neglect. Our second son is such a blessing and just turned one. My fertility has returned and we’re ready for another, but I dread the “helpful” comments that will come-even when we always told everyone we wanted at least four and my husband has a steady, respectable job. The antinatalism in the west is so toxic.
Yes. Antinatalism is its own religion. It's not logical, as the global birth rate drops below replacement levels people seem to be getting louder and louder about birth control. Even in South Korea, my mother's homeland, the birth rate is now 0.7 per woman. In each generation they're going to lose 2/3 of their population. And the antinatalists are so loud there!!!
I want a lot of children but I am so afraid. I want them more than anything but I want them to have a life better than mine. I feel like in enslaved by sin to maintain my lifestyle but I want to live a life the way God intended. Please pray for me and for my conversion into the true church
It took 14 years of marriage before god blessed us with our 1st baby. A total god thing. Now 5 years later we are expecting number 4 next month!!! We have always left our family size up to God. And still plan to. If we’re to have. 10 kids someday so be it!
The part about the coffee really hit me deep. There are so many people who worship money and look down on people who don't have much. They have no idea what blessings they are missing.
Bringing children is a big responsibility and it’s not easy it’s so hard. Don’t bring innocent children into the world it’s getting harder to survive and everything is so expensive.
God bless you and pray for me! I am becoming a catechumen and eager for children but my wife is still in the grips of the secular world. Pray for me to be a good husband: patient, long suffering and kind! It can be difficult to not get frustrated as we disagree about children.
@FoundSheep-AN based on context it sounds like they were both unbelievers or unserious believers at most when they got married. But now that they're married let not man separate what God has brought together. Even if he did marry an unbeliever when he was a believer, we need to pray for conversion. Knowing why he did what he did can't change who he's married to.
Awesome! Had one son 32 years ago and he’s married with a family. Now we are about to adopt 4. 3 brothers and their sister. Jesus has been guiding us all through this process since it was Jesus that brought the opportunity to our lives.
@@TheRazzaManazzaSo you rant children to be born into homes that do not want them and be abused and neglected as a result because it’ll make the God you believe in happy? That’s selfish. All children should be wanted.
@@talesse6396 No one wants kids to be born into family’s that don’t want them but remember this vidoe is advice for what believers to take. Believers shouldn’t do what’s contrary to God an his design for marriage. When it’s none believers then well we can’t except anything better there going to do what they have always been doing and what has lead up to the west ending up the way it is now.
This really is nectar for any Christian regardless of which Church we may belong to. God bless you, your family, and your ministry more than you can ask or think!
Razem z Żoną wychowujemy 4 dzieci które dał nam dobry Bóg. :Potwierdzam słowa księdza, macierzyństwo i ojcostwo jest pięknym i niedocenianym darem. Niech Bóg was błogosławi!
I get the impression in America some folks say "I can't afford kids" and then go on yearly international vacations, max out their retirement savings, and go to music festivals. The world has convinced us that ample leisure and "financial planning" are equal in necessity to reproduction.
@@KnukkaheadOG You should be very afraid of modern women. They will destroy your life and try to take your soul. They will summon legions of white knights to fight for them, an army of simpering men to defend them, and at the head will be the clergy, all trying to find favor in the woman's eye. They will defend every divorce, blame men for their promiscuity, try to find a financial backer for every single-mother. Better to live in a desert...
The saying goes we should not generalise, but certainly a significant percentage of women nowadays are materialistic, who covet other women's possessions and are racked with envy because of it. It's truly abysmal.
We had our fourth in April and hope to have many more! We need to listen to what the Bible says: Children are an inheritance from the Lord, blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them!
Dear Father, we are in a parish in Edinburgh Scotland, it is growing rapidly but hearing about how your community in California has organised itself so well, I would love to have some pointers. Things that we as lay people may do to organise and help grow the spirit of our community.
nobody is saying life isn't invaluable but you can't just have a child and not give it food, clothing, shelter, education and a playful childhood. all these things, especially in the modern world, are increasingly more expensive. like it or not, in order to survive, we need money. unless you are some sort of hunter-gatherer that has the skills and knowledge to live off the land. I’m not advocating for Neo liberal capitalism but the reality is, we live in this mammon worshipping system and under this system and our corporate overlords, life DOES have a dollar amount and it ain’t cheap.
God is the faithful's source of provision! I have 5 now and we're in no more want or need than we were when we had 1. Family is the only form of wealth that matters
Fr Josiah addressed this question before. He said to first make a list of all the qualities you seek in a potential mate. Then put your own name at the top of the list and seek to cultivate these qualities in yourself. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.
Every one of my 6 kids has taught me something. My oldest son taught me how to be a man, and i became closer to God because of him. My second son taught me what unconditional love actually is he has autism and will randomly break things when frustrated. My third son taught me patience because he is a reflection of my anger and shows me every day what i used to look like when i lost my temper. My fourth is my only little girl and she has shown me that its okay for a man to be soft hearted. My fifth child and fourth son was born during the pandemic and showed me that even though the world is falling apart everything is going to be okay. And my youngest son is just about the most aunry child i have ever had but his love for everyone in the house is unrivaled. He is always smiling even if hes not feeling good.
Should I feed them air, then? There's no missing the point because it's a factual statement. "Kids need care that requires money I do not have, I can give them love but nothing else because either the baby is fed or I am and, though I would die for my child, I doubt he'd be properly taken care of if I chose to feed the infant instead of myself"
I listened to this and its really just boomer logic. Its no different then when u hear people talk about how lazy this generation is and how they were able to save money to buy a house at 25.
If you're struggling to have enough food, it is worth asking people at your parish for help. If you use their money to feed your child, you are actually blessing both of them. I know it stings and I know it's painful to our pride, but love is more important than pride.
@@rebekah3698 Rebekah I've been around orthodox parishes and majority of the people and the parish barely have enough money to pay the heat in the church. I know a large family that gets handouts and I can tell you people start to resent them and judge them like you wouldn't believe, even to the point of bullying them. It's very sad and demoralizing to watch.
@@johnplavsic441 please stop with the "boomer logic" bs. I'm a millennial and I'm tired of hearing this pathetic cop-out (and yes blaming boomers IS a cop-out).
1. Not everyone is meant to have children 2. Not having children can open up other opportunities to serve that aren’t available to those with kids 3. Children are a huge responsibility that shouldn’t be taken lightly 4. Most birth control options are NOT discussed with both genders 5. Children can’t save you or fix you or your relationships 6. Humanity has fruitfully multiplied already and our resources are running thin 7. Children are gifts, not necessities or commands 8. Motherhood isn’t despised - it’s being revealed for what it is and the work and health risks it entails 9. We live in a harder time to raise children due to dual income needs for most people 10. God comes first, not children
What misses the point more is the psychopathic obsession with fertility. Family has to center around love, not showing-off to your friends. This is why I'll probably conversion date, because it's easier to convince them to be Christian than to convince an orthobro to act like a Christian. If I wait around, I'll miss out on having three kids because all these dudes are trying to have 9+ kids. Most of them won't meet someone. It is dangerous and selfish to not have a plan b if the marriage doesn't work out. You can't pregame whether or not the marriage will work. You have to do your best on your own side, but I used to think that way, but I have life experience, and that's not how it works. First of all, the US is nomadic, so you can never tell who people are anymore, therefore, there's always a risk that you married someone with a secret identity. Narcisissm is everywhere now. Early, early marriage is ideal, but it's functionally almost impossible to find. I would have liked that, it just didn't happen. I hope the trad movement dies, because it's turning into an authoritative cancel culture that wants authority over church authorities. I want people to return to their faith roots, but not by giving up common sense.
I was like you for a long time. Thinking there must be some mistake as to why Christianity isn’t what the good book promised it to be, thinking some particular “culture” or another must have hijacked its true nature. Eventually, I found that spiritual maturity means accepting what reality tells you. There’s no mistake. This is who they are.
@e23779 "I was like you" like in the two years you've been a Christian? Why is there always this competition of talking down to people with converts? Bro, when you're 90, maybe talk to people like that. Bro, coming in and assuming that you're guaranteed gibbs by a religion is your problem. "The Good Book" isn't your own personal legal document. However, I do expect people to have a certain amount of responsibility. No society can function without that expectation, which is why Paul tells laity to confront people. He was big on building a sustainable social system, and it's stood the test of time. The contrarianism for its own sake is goofy and unnecessary. It is an authoritative political movement trying to make its way into the church, no matter how you try to spin. Not the first time this has happened, even in recent memory, and won't be the last. There's no reason to sugar-coat this, other than to be deceptive. Sorry, but you can't convince me otherwise.
@@Poodle_Gun I haven’t been a Christian for a good while now. I was one from birth until middle age, with rigorous theological education. I read the Bible in Greek and Hebrew. It’s very telling, the tendency of people in this space to go on unhinged outbursts at elaborately hallucinated projections of their own mind. You guys are patently maladjusted. Anyway, I gave and gave and gave to the church for years. When I finally reached a point where I had no choice but to express some needs of my own, I got the cold shoulder and a ton of gaslighting. Speaking not of “gibbs” but of basic human kindness and solidarity - though as a matter of fact the treatment I saw doled out to the humble poor shocked me even more than my own experiences, and was the key piece in finally waking me up, because I couldn’t bring myself to do the reality-inverting victim-blaming routine I’d been taught to do to myself to those sweet souls. (By the way, I’m familiar with *exactly* the origin of that term “gibbs.” Its use in a religious context is certainly interesting - but then, it’s not exactly breaking news that Orthodoxy has filled up with unspiritual fools looking to baptize fundamentally secular and self-regarding motivations.) Having seen straight to the depths of the saying “They tie up heavy burdens to lay on others’ backs, and lift not a finger to help,” I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why actual Christian people are so far from the words of their prophets as to be actively evil in their cold hearted disregard for what others go through, why vile arrogance and hypocrisy is the distinctive mark of Christians of all stripes throughout the land. I never did quite figure it out, just kind of lost interest as better things opened up in my spiritual life. But I’ve known a lot of people who’ve practiced a lot of Christian piety and devotion. I’ve never known it to improve anyone’s character, and I’ve seen it degrade many. My own character suffered a lot from the mindf*** of pretending that obviously awful people were holy because they belonged to the right group and said the right words, and of betraying my own conscience to imitate them. No one can tell you what to believe about the Divine (if in fact you actually believe anything, and aren’t just indulging an irritable gesture towards clownworld). But I can tell you in no uncertain terms that the damage on display in your manner of expressing yourself is not going to be healed by stealing spiritual valor from an ancient Eastern holy man. Flight from reality avails nothing.
You saying God is irresponsible for placing Jesus with a poor family? And for making a virgin conceive, knowing that Joseph would assume she would cheat and this would possibly jeopardize the future marriage? Wow....well anyway Mary and Joseph sure weren't rich. 😂 oh and they went on to have several more kids. So I guess the joke is on you! God doesn't have an issue with poor people having kids. I myself was born into poverty. I was also abused, neglected, and malnourished. I endured homeless and foster care, amd separation from my siblings. However, I know now as a "poor" mother myself that your financial situation is no excuse for bad parenting. Or abuse. Or refusing to get the resouces and help that are right there if you need them. My husband and I will try our best to not be super poor all our lives but we won't apologize for having kids and dont regret having them. Our children will grow up knowing they are loved, no.matter what happens.
@Eph5wife4life you should be a writer, because you just created a whole narrative out of thin air. I'd recommend maybe trying to make the book about more than one character, though.
My husband does it on a single, taco bell I come in a more affordable state. While going back to school. We have two kids. You can do it too. With God, all things are possible.
I have sibilings I love them dearly and I have 3 children pregnant with forth I promise god makes a way when you take care of his children they are blessings and will shape and change you they will bring out the light in you if you let them my kids are the best things that ever happened to me.. I wish my husband enjoyed them as much as I do but I pray he does one day!
Married but we never had kids. By choice. Why? Because we did not want to. More reasons? I was badly abused by a horrific terrifying mother and simply put, the cycle of abuse stops with me. I would have been a terrible mother. I hated my childhood to the point I thought I would never escape my mother and tried to delete myself when I was 20. I survived her and made a good life. Stop judging childless people, you have no idea what their REAL reasons might be, even if they use the excuse of no money. Hard to talk about abuse to strangers.
Just like abortions we don't need these extremely dramatic examples to justify the spcietal changes. Most folks choose not to have kids because they're useful tools of the Devil, they want to spend their time and money and themselves.
He's saying that you need to take it up with the Lord. Live in the path HE takes you. He might tell you NOT to have kids and that's ok. He might also to tell you to have kids and that's ok too. That abusive cycle you're referring to is what is known as a generational curse. Jesus died and broke that on the cross. He's bigger than generational curses and can break ANY chains holding a person/family.
As a child from a very large family in which my parents were more skillful at making children than they were at earning money, I can tell you that it was absolutely miserable with either one or both of my parents around, because they were in nearly constant panic and strife over money. This lead to most of my siblings rejecting my parents' religion and living secular lives. "Rejoice not in ungodly children, if they be multiplied: neither be delighted in them, if the fear of God be not with them. 2 Trust not to their life, and respect not their labours. 3 For better is one that feareth God, than a thousand ungodly children. 4 And it is better to die without children, than to leave ungodly children." I have prayed many times that the Lord will see to it that I die childless. It was my parents' reckless procreation - without respect to the concomitant parenting that must needs ensue - that led me to pray thus.
I pray all the time that every one of my children will serve the Lord, because if not, "it would be better if they had never been born." Parenting is a very real and serious responsibility.
I am the youngest girl and have two older brothers. I was spoiled and am way too attached to my family. I was already complete and am not searching to have a greater love because I know nothing will ever compare to my childhood and one of my brothers still lives with my parents and I and he doesn’t have kids or isn’t married. He helps me and my family and my oldest brother has two kids and is married. I love my boyfriend but I am so attached to my childhood and family and know if I had kids I couldn’t forget my brothers and family. I don’t even need kids to feel so complete.
I'm not trying to convince you to have kids but your view is very absurd. Having children isn't about weighing what gives you more fulfillment or having to choose between one or the other it's about adding another piece to your family and building on your happiness rather than living in a past that's already behind you as well as present.
@@Jane-ow7sr it still is i am very attached to my brother who also doesn’t have kids and does everything for me. I would miss him too much a and my family. It still is the present as we all live together.
@@underated17 that's the thing you're still making it sound like you're moving across countries and living overseas. You don't have to move out of your house to raise a kid, you don't even have to move that far away but by the sounds of it you may be extremely unhealthily attached to your brother and family, is it anxiety.
If you have children you will always overcome, you will get any motivation you need, once you are blessed from the Lord, The Most High, his hands will cover you. They will cover your children.
"At the resurrection none will marry nor be given in marriage they will be like the angels in heaven." Matthew 23:30 Jesus speaking Marriage as an institution dies with us.
That's because marriage is only necessary in this life. Every Christian marriage is supposed to represent the unity of Christ and His Bride, the Church. In the next life, everyone will be "married" to God. Or should I say there will only be one union in heaven. Obviously not the same as earthly marriage but that goes without saying.
Look I disagree with catholics on about 70% of things so this guy and I probably won’t get along, but if we just had this discussion I could listen and affirm endlessly. Children are a blessing
Just be open to having kids is the overall spirit of the faith and marriage . Nothing wrong with big family’s who leave it all to God , but , Sometimes just admitting that you can’t afford children at a certain point is just being logical …of course God will provide if you become pregnant without plan . But should we be careless and tempt God by trying for children or not sexually being careful if we are for example homeless ? Or can barely feed even ourselves or in an unsafe living situation ? This is like the same sentiment as “ I can walk down a dark ally at night in the worst part of the city when ever I want ! I’ll be fine ! God will protect me ! “ nothing wrong with logic and common sense . Not every part of the secular view is evil . Some of it is just common sense taken to extreme .
If you (or anyone reading this) are facing homelessness, please ask for help at your local parish. Someone there will help you. Don't be proud and face it alone.
Check the price of housing, food and energy costs , theyre just responding to real world problems, kinda like in a drought the native animals will limit their breeding, real world solutions for real world problems
People in third world countries have a bigger birth rate. In the most wealthy countries in the world that have the lowest birth rate. Humans have less offspring when they are comfortable. People there just have more choices and are more individualistic.
I am not listening to the world but I don't have any physical, mental, financial resources to have another child. I am Christian orthodox , every woman understands me who will for 9 month bear children , and then sit with them 24H every day , treat them while they are sick and sometimes dangerously sick so you should go to hospital , even with a simple flu I spend around 100 euro ( I live in Italy) for medicine and each time I order also different additives and vitamins in around 150 euro to prevent flu. I spend lot of money for books , for clothes , for good quality food, for toys , for sport activities , even to go out just to have a pizza cost money. All of this I am sorry Father doesn't have any ground .
When people explain why they chose not to have children, I wonder how many have don't want any as reason #1. They only say more interesting reasons to end arguments. I am not afriad to just say "Don't want to." I only say "no cannon fodder for the war machine" if I might need to sound interesting.
At a funeral I attended in a Greek Orthodox Church the priest gave a sermon of sorts which partially detailed uncertainty about the future, he said “I’m not sure that I would want to have children in this world” it was very off putting.
Full Interview - link in description!
you are no follower of Christ; You sit there acting all sanctified, YOU ARE WEAK AND KNOW NOTHING
Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Hebrews 11:1 ESV
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Romans 6:1-2 ESV
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? [2] By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
❤✝️
Before I subscribe or listen further, I need to know your Soteriology.
How are we saved?
@@GiftofGod289 go to liturgy, talk to a priest and ask him
I find it sometimes where the father of the household after having kids becomes the hierarchy and ranking in the family order according to the wife that is. If you have 4 kids the husband's number five on that list of priorities.
Believe me there were days when I came home from work and the only one that was happy to see me was the dog.
I’m 35 and my wife and I have been married for 12 years. We were “atheists” but 7 months ago she got pregnant with a little boy and I immediately thought “god is real” and from then on I have felt gods presence grow stronger every day. I am so unbelievably blessed and I can’t stop apologizing to Jesus for all the wrongs I have done and boy there is no shortage of them. Thank you lord for your forgiveness and love and thank for blessing me with a child!
Wow you must have been a real atheist if all it trok was a pregnancy lmao
You became christian because your wife got pregnant? is your wife infertile? because it's normally not difficult to knock up a broad
Children truly reveal God's goodness.
@@SawBlade11wow he must not have been that arrogant and prideful, you mean.
@@SawBlade11>if all it took was the absolute miracle that is conception and childbirth.
Ftfy
My wife has given birth to our second child 2 weeks ago. He has some heart issue and must be operated tomorrow. Please, pray for him that God keeps him with us.
Children are more precious than all the riches in this world.
Η Παναγία και ο Άγιος Στυλιανός προστάτης των παιδιών να είναι δίπλα του και να σας δίνουν κουράγιο. Αμήν! 🙏☦
I’ve prayed a rosary for your child and asked Saint Father Pio of Pietrelcina for intercession. God bless you and your family!
I am expecting our 2nd every moment now, I will pray for your boy tonight
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
🙏
We were blessed with our sixth child recently. Thank you Amen
May God protect your family ❤
Bless your family and that baby :)
Amazing ❤
God bless you
Oh my God! 6 little darlings! (Although I assume the oldest are not so little anymore 😅)
God bless! ❤
My wife is pregnant with our 5th baby. I’m 49 year old.
Greetings from Switzerland.
Sometimes I've wondered why I am still a single man, but after hearing you speak Father I think I'm seeing a part of myself that I have neglected. I'm happy that you and so many other faithful have brought more strong Christians into our dark world, it keeps the Church alive! Pray for me, a sinner.
Matthew 23:1-2 KJV
Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
This part in particular I believe is most important here so I'm writing it again
But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
We shouldn't call anyone father because of the reasons jesus mentioned here and I believe another reason is so they don't become proud of themselves. The scribes and the Pharisees was proud attention seeking people who expected everyone around them to call them by these titles. It's not unlikely church leaders today can fall into the same sins as those before them so by not calling them these titles helps keep them humble. I pray that this comment helps for the edification of the church
Thank you brother 🥹🙏. As a mother of 14, ages 25-8 months, I just want to thank you for this message 🥰. It’s definitely been a hard journey and taken a lot of courage to stand against our decaying culture.
God bless
My mother raised 6 kids alone after her husband deserted his family. I was too young to understand much of what was going on, but I knew I had missed out on field trips because my mom couldn't afford the fee, and other kids made rude comments about me being poor, which I figure must have been because my clothes were worn hand-me-downs.
Despite this, I don't regret being born and I really cherish my childhood. My siblings were fun and we made many happy memories in our small, crowded home. The difficulties of poverty can leave you resentful, but they can also make you stronger, more humble, and more full of gratitude for your many blessings. We were still very blessed, never hungry, fairly comfortable, and my mother knew she had God supporting her through the trials.
My husband and I don't make the U.S.'s recommended income for raising a family, but because of my childhood, living a frugal lifestyle and finding inexpensive ways to have fun comes naturally. I hope my children can look back fondly on their own childhoods, too.
This made me so emotional, 😭 thank you for sharing. I am a single parent and I feel bad sometimes because my kids don’t have the name brand shoes, new clothes, etc. I hope 🤞 they remember their childhood fondly.
I have found we think we can never afford having a child…but then we have the baby and God always provides. Now I did get question a little bit when I found out we were having twins but once again God always provides, and we were truly content.
We just had twin boys! And we could not be happier with them! ❤ Praise God!
Always?
@EctorLopez-yu1yc yeah, pretty much. I've seen this with my parents throughout my whole life. My parents will have something that breaks and can't afford to fix or one of us would have to take a trip to the hospital. Somehow, some way, everything ALWAYS worked out. Sometimes neighbors would come help fix the thing for free or for a price that my parents coincidentally had enough money for. Sometimes the thing would magically start working again until my parents could get the next paycheck.
The only time things didn't work out is when my parents lost our house and they had to declare bankruptcy. But that wasn't because God didn't help them, it was because they were maxing out credit cards when they shouldn't have. Other than that, things have always seemed to just work out like they needed to. And it's still happening for them, to this day. Even after us kids are all grown.
@@youtubecommentator6023 Oh, you meant in your own personal experience. Ten percent of children 0-17, in the US, have experienced food insecurity in the past 30 days. Unfortunately, God doesn't feed the hungry children of poor parents very well. I think leaving pregnancies up to nature/god is bad advice for poor families when they can't feed the children they have.
@@youtubecommentator6023 We're they maxing out the credit cards for clothes, vacations, and luxury items or because God wasn't providing enough to pay the bills? If the bills couldn't be paid without maxing out the credit cards, that is the very definition of God not providing.
I'm 32 weeks pregnant with my second baby. Please pray for my baby and my family because we are sick and I'm so worried for his health. Bless you!
Thank you for your prayers! We got well, but I delivered my baby boy at 33 weeks and 4 days. My baby is in the NICU now. (Maybe it was because of the sickness but not sure.) We are healthy and well now. Praise God that we are fine! ❤️
Why not having money is an issue
@@Headroomtalking you truly think like an atheist. Lots of money does not equal everything's good. All money can be lost in a heart beat, just like health or even a life. God is The one who gives mercy.
@@justacarat2638no point in talking to materialists
Praying!🙏🏼
Me too! Praying for you and your family! May God bless you!
I wish parents knew how great a gift having siblings is. My brothers and sisters are so dear to me, and it is so wonderful to have people who also loved your parents, grew up in your neighborhood, know all your families little jokes and love the same holidays. The best gift parents can give isn't a college education or a down payment on a house, but siblings who will support each other through thick and thin after you are gone.
We just had our second (hoping to have more), and this is what I tell myself on the hard days. Giving them the gift of each other is priceless.
This helps when you are close. I'm the oldest of 3 brothers and 3 sisters. The youngest sister and I speak the most.
100% agree with this! I am pregnant with my first child, and I think that, God willing, I would really like to have my second child right away to give my child a sibling that is close in age. Please pray for me that my body will be strong enough to do this and to recover after giving birth ❤
I needed to hear this. I work around a lot of people who do not have kids, and employers start to expect their employees to give of their bountiful child-free personal time for work events and volunteering. It is nice to hear someone with a correct understanding of how our lives should be oriented toward God and our families instead of only toward work.
Indeed. 🥲 In our current economy and sociopolitical climate, the personal cost to swim against the current is very very high. But if anything is worth struggling for in this life, it is children.
Yes. My husband has told me how hard it is for him, a family man, to compete with the single, unattached yes men. It is worth it, though.
Absolutely beautiful conversation. This is exactly the message that men, real men, need to hear and apply to their daily lives. None of us are without sin, however, we are forgiven, and it is up to us to forgive and to love.
Because if a parent doesn't "provide" a level of material comfort to the state's satisfaction. The state accuses the parent of neglect. I lived through it as a kid in the 90s. Constant harassment from neighbors and the school because we had second hand clothes or go on vacation all the time. No support being lower income.
I come from a weird situation. My family are upper middle class but they don't realize it. It's mostly from my dad's side of the family, the atheist side. My dad is in a panic about me not earning a large income, and he just doesn't understand. He even used to be Christian, and it still doesn't register to him that poverty is holy. I feel so sorry for him, and at the same time he makes me angry. It's gotten to where I just stay away from him as much as I can.
@sethabel4315 as understandable. Man made rules are not God's rules. The priest is correct when truth is spoken, the world persecutes. Mary, essentially, is the most famous woman in history: a mother and wife. I agree with keeping priorities. Loyalty is essential for society. Children are a blessing. It is confusing and hurtful society sees children as burdens but want working tax payers in 20 years. Society is hypocritical.
@@coloradowestaerialarts1316 You can thank our consumer capitalist system for the way your dad thinks. Its not his fault, he’s just been brainwashed to think he needs more and more. What I wish there was more talk about is the toxic culture of consumerism in Churches and not just the standard anti-woke topics. Gay people are not at fault for you not being able to buy a house or groceries.
@@johnplavsic441central banking & irresponsible fiat money printing is primarily why people can’t afford groceries, the one topic republicans, democrats, Christians or atheists don’t want to talk about.
@ Central Banking is nothing more then a conglomerate of Private banks. My people think it’s somehow run by the government but its our government that is run by them.
I needed to hear this. Family is a blessing and God has been communicating this to me these past few months. A few more questions are to be answered but I trust in Him to guide and lead me. I love my Father. He deserves all praise and love.
AMEN Dear FR. Trenham. We have 9 children. They are all grown now. I used to tell people within my OWN family, We let go and let God! That's used to shut them up! Glory to God!!!
“If you’re going to follow Christ, you have to turn off the voice of the world.” Powerful stuff! 🙌🏼
@@Piccolo_Re yes, because it is a cult. Once your mind opens and you start questioning the bible. You become an outcast.
@@oscar66810 lol I had the OPPOSITE experience. Now I'm ridiculed by non christians, have even been bullied, and made fun of (and given bad grades in college) after leaving their atheist cult and becoming a Chrostian as an adult. Funny how they don't see themselves as a cult and yet they call everything else except those who dont believe in God a cult. 😂
@@oscar66810Actually, I was an atheist until I opened my mind and started questioning the bible. I talked to priests, started understanding Christianity and, at the end of a long road, I finally understood.
So, yes, open your mind. A common prayer for open-minded atheists who want to understand God is “Lord, I want to believe. Help me in my unbelief.”
I am Serbian Orthodox mother. I am so proud that I am Christian, that I am a wife, that I am mother of 2 amazing children, that I am a cook, a teacher, a caregiver a friend and everything else to my family, husband, children.
I would not exchange my position as a mother, wife for anything in life.
I am so thankful to God for everything 🙏
pride is a sin
@@genautelevishn5999not that kind
I'm glad you had the rare life choice
It dies
"At the resurrection none will marry not be given in marriage they will be like the angels in heaven." Matthew 22:30 Jesus speaking
It all dies with you
Enjoy what you have
@@Headroomtalking im unsure if you're being a rude bitch or not. Please elaborate
My wife and I are starting to try for kids. Lord willing we will be blessed.
I came "back" to church (not the protestant church I grew up in) when I realized just how right the Church is about families.
It simply comes down to this. Which I think is the point he is missing. Our communities dont nearly support each other like they used to. An example is at my parish. We have a program for the reposed, to care for the body and funeral. I asked a simple question. What if a young person in a marriage with no wealth died. And the spouse was going to be homeless. Who would help? There was crickets. This is the crux of the problem. All the support and programs for the old. But never a lick of care for the young.
We live in a world where any value I gain in pay to afford a family will just be stolen by a greedy landlord who can jack up rent with no limits. Or through inflation. God forbid I loose my job and don't immediately get another. Because if I miss one to two months rent. Im homeless with my family. And lately states are pushing to make homelessness a crime. Much to the joy of the conservative members in my parish. Imagine that. Christians happy at the criminalization of the poor.
I know that in one month of no pay, I can easily become a criminal. And because there is not sufficient resources for struggling families. It means that kids become nothing more than pure risk because theres no safety net.
Or the alternative is we work ourselves to death so we can pay for kids we end up latckeying. Whats the point of kids if you have to abandon them just to pay for them?
Dont push kids if you have no intention of being there to support the familes. We have broken homes and messed up young people because the older gens sold their families out for companies. We expirienced that pain, and now don't want to perpetuate the issue. We have anxiety through the roof because our parents never taught us about the world, but then expected us to solve both their problems and ours.
Getting tired of being pressured for kids by people who run like roaches when we need help. You'll see kids when you see support and trust. Real support. Not pats on the back and a "you're never fully ready". That doesnt pay these ever growing bills.
What parish is that? What nationality I mean?
The community it’s your own blood related family! It’s the relatives that have to care about the young couples issues, not strangers in a parish
Looks like somebody deleted my comment here. All parishioners have their own bills and they will send you to local resources and food stamps with Trust to Jesus.
Do a math what is a monthly $ in your area to pay just bills and food for family with kids and ask yourself if that's what you can pay. Spouses dies, gets sick and sometimes just leave...
@@AnnJo24224 unfortunately youtubers has a bad habit of shadow deleting comments these days.
Your comment literally proved my point. Local resources??? Is that what christ taught? What exactly is the point of a community if they will just send you packing the second you need help?
This is the very point im making. Everyone talks about love, almsgiving, and following christ until the rubber meets the road and they actually have to do the work. Suddenly its all "they need to figure that out". While at the same time videos like this one push having families. Or other videos he's posted disparaging dinks.
The entire point is young people are doing the math, and its not good. Then they look around, and understand acutely that their parish wont care to help. And they will be abandoned. Cant be shocked about decline in children when no one wants to actually be the community they claim they are.
@@FoundSheep-AN strangers in a parish? How is this possible if we are all the body of christ? And didn't christ teach directly about caring for the poor and the stranger? Why does christs teaching stop at our wallets?
Some of us like myself entered the church at the price of losing the only blood family we had. A lot of us these days either were abandoned by our blood family, or don't know our blood family to begin with. Isn't the point of our parish to be a supportive community? Not just a bunch of random people going to church and then leaving?
This is not what christ taught. Nor was it the example the apostles showed.
You need to let go of that bitterness to live your life. People are not all good. God is.
I`m living in the most anti-christian nation with the most enormous tax on the planet.
I am a worker so i´v never been rich.
But i HAVE been blessed with 4 kidz, and i have allways been able to provide what they needed even when things have been extremely hard.
God DO provide, and having kidz is a permanent blessing.
If you "can´t afford", then move to another location where you will be able to.
Stop seeking to be packed like sardines in citys.
Fr
certain demographics need to stay in the cities for the sake of our god blessed land.
Bruh no one can afford to just buy land anymore. My parents had a neighbor move in near their home in rural, absolute middle of nowhere Tennessee and they still had to pay close to a million for a house and 50 acres. It's not even farmable land either, it's mostly rocky hills. Covid letting rich people work remote has ruined any chance of "escaping to the countryside."
@@govols1995 Ofc it costs since that is freedom, and govs hates free people.
But i am not necessarily talking about the countryside, there are small villages and smaller towns everywhere.
An even better mindset would be for people to gather with likeminded people and all move into a village/smaller town.
That would result in them owning that town and setting the rules.
Their own people would run the town.
But the problem is allways exaktly what i said from start, noone wants to move to a less confortable place away from everything. Even tho is would be WAY cheaper.
They only wanna whine about things.
@seeker2219 The place my parents farm is close to is what you'd call a village. Maybe a thousand or so people. Cheapest house there is some run down one bedroom shack for like 250 grand. There's nowhere affordable to escape to anymore.
This is powerful. I was raised Orthodox but never received the kind of instruction regarding family life that I hear Fr. Josiah give in this and other videos. I feel like I'm hearing what I should've heard decades ago.
One major point that this guy misses is that there are some parents who not only can not afford children but also should not have them. My father is that example: I grew up going to church, but he is the definition of the Devil because he was so abusive, yet he was the one who was raising our family to believe in God. Fast forward to today, I abandoned my father and faith in the church, my younger siblings are now suffering, and one of them is unhappily married and an alcoholic because of my father's toxic and evil parenting. It's not just about affordability but accountability, and my father is not sorry about his abuse.
Thats the problem with religion.
They get blindsided over the real problems. I was desperately poor and in a poor family. It has affected me so much emotional physically and medically. I don't hate the idea of having a family but in my situation, having a child now would be the most selfish thing a human could do.
Your parent is jesus christ , he loves you. Forget about humans error, because you might end up following there error.
@@KarlaTrevino-x5d so shut up and follow the chairman?
@@Vibrantly_Monochromaticcorrect especially the divorce laws and if adultery happens no real help
@@KarlaTrevino-x5d This has to be the most idiotic statement a human being can make.
My Husband and I have recently given ourselves to Christ and as new born again Christian’s we have stopped taking birth control. This scares me because I do wonder about how we are going to afford it. So thank you for this video. It just reassured me. We are doing the right thing🙏🏽
Be careful. Financial means is not even the most important aspect of having children nowadays as christians. Be careful towards the laws of your country, like, is school mandatory, are vaccines mandatory ? Surely the Lord has His opinion on these things. If you are born again, feel free to ask Him. The devil has put in place such an evil system to make sure as many children as possible are lost and critical towards God's salvation plan. Please be wise. May God bless you both.
Amazing! Glory to God!
May you and your husband be blessed with a happy and healthy family. Everything will be ok. Don’t worry.💐
7:00 stop, thats too cute! that’s what me and my husband did as older teens/young adults . We were so broke, and I remember being pregnant and having my hot cocoa so we could take our walk downtown. It was so special. Honestly it hold a place in my heart above most of the expensive dates and vacations
With this sentiment in mind, I'm curious: had you been offered coffee on a first date by someone interested in courting you for marriage, would you find that to be insulting? Lots of debate about this nowadays.
@@jessebellino9780 yes, because I’m already married
@@Notcoolmom I'm talking before you got married.
My children are certainly my teachers, they’re kind, patient and compassionate with me. My son is five years old and on a walk one evening he said to me that he used to be up in the clouds and he used to watch me, he used to watch me for a long time until one day god came to him and told him “it was time to be with that lady you’re watching” and that’s how he got in my belly. He prays, he prays over his sister, he goes to find the closest window to pray out of because he “needs to see the sky” it’s beautiful because he’s taught me that. I never grew up with God, and now thanks to my son, I’m finding my way back
I grew up in abject poverty.
I wore the same clothes for 10 years sometimes.
Don't have kids if you are in a really terrible financial spot.
Kids are a lifelong commitment, just like marriage, too many people think "Yeah I can pop out a little me and things will be great" Don't. that ruined my entire life, I'm still picking up the peices a decade after I left my family.
You left your family, and you're the victim? What about the family you abandoned? I would say stop feeling sorry for yourself but that doesn't seem possible for you. PS I didn't have much when growing up either but am now married with children.
@@maddyg3208 I'm talking about my parents, not a family I started. I'm talking about my own youth.
I owe my parents nothing, they never provided more than the bare minimum to avoid jail time.
Enjoy your day, troll.
You sure are so judgemental... Give the guy a break... @@maddyg3208
I understand, its not easy / possible / smart sometimes.
@@Rexhunterjman. I grew up poor and I was kicked out at 14. My parents and I haven’t had a relationship in over half my life now.
But I have 4 kids now. And I’m telling you. You are still a very broken person. Because there is nothing greater on this earth than the experience of having your own children. Regardless how terrible our parents were. We have a chance to do and be better, for ours..
This is an experience? I feel sorry for anyone choosing to remain pessimistic and hurt. And opt out of. I really do.
I’ve done my job lol. I wish I could have more kids but 5 is enough. Praise God.
No need for me to have kids then. You balanced things.
Christ never said your job is to have endless kids until you can't anymore.
Btw having 5 kids is wonderful and precious. I only responded because the way you put it almost sounds like Christ gospel is for you to just pop kids and that's what He came and died for. The commission given to Christians doesn't even include that and I'm sure if Christ meant to include it, He would have.
@@STak-ju7gxGod said to mankind in the persons of Adam and Eve: "Be fruitful and multiply"
At Jesus' time, birth control and NFP did not exist; so, people had to "let go and let God" literally, because they had no control over how many children they would have. In our times, people wonder if birth control, condoms and NFP are morally right or not. The church has said that birth control and condoms are always morally wrong, but NFP is ok sometimes. NFP based on periodic continence works like this: the wife learns when she is fertile, and if they can't have a baby at that moment, they just don't have conjugal relations in these days. Sometimes a wife is sick and needs to space a child, sometimes the couple is struggling financially and they may need to space the kids in order to not neglect the ones they already have... We should always look for discernment from God in prayer and the councel of a spiritual director
I have had two kids back to back and want more- god is good ❤ I hate when people tell me I need birth control- children are precious ❤❤❤motherhood is the best
I just got back from the hospital today after giving birth to my 5th. It was a traumatic birth. Baby has to stay in the hospital. But despite the challenges, these children are the greatest gift I’ve ever, ever known.
Praying!
Everyone has the right to CHOOSE to be a parent should they so wish.
No one said you didn’t have a choice
We welcomed our second child into the world this summer. Being a parent is the greatest blessing next to knowing Christ.
Us too! May 26th. ❤
I never thought I would love listening to spiritual stuff as I do now
As a fellow minister of the gospel, I thank you for your encouraging words. It hurts sometimes being a poor married couple in ministry but our children and marriage do make us feel like royalty.
I respect those who have been blessed with resources and resilience to raise children and I believe that comes from God. But with respect, having a child in 2024 has very different economic equations than it did 36 years ago. I know God is also a God of logic and reason and has not blessed us (and many in our generation) with resources to support a child. The debt loads are terrible and housing is limited and impossible. Most of us come from broken families and do not have support systems. I pray that more clergy will encourage childless folks in the church to become motherly and fatherly figures to children who already exist, which is what we are trying to do ❤
I was able to buy a home 20 years ago with a job only making 55k a year. My kids can only dream of something like this and I know it fully well. Im often shocked at how out of touch these boomer pastors are.
My sister had children while renting an apartment, they didn't kick her out until she was four kids over the limit. Every year they prayed, and every year he apartment company let them renew their lease until they had seven kids, even though official policy said three kids. It was very hard, but they absolutely wouldn't change a thing. Also when they did get kicked out, they were crazy stress for 6 months, lived with friends, and then God provided a home for them. It is possible to start a family without owning a home. It's scary and it's hard but it's worth it.
@@rebekah3698 Give ur sister and brother in-law sometime and u will see how much emotional trauma they and her kids have from this experience. I've known many families like this who were poor and had many kids. Most of the kids couldn't wait to get out the house at 18 and majority either left the church or became atheists. Asking others to live on the brink of poverty just because ur sister did it is a bit much I think.
I had a child in 2022 and in 2024, my husband and I are "poor" but we are doing just fine on our own. You do what you have to for the sake of your children. We moved to a state where we could actually find housing for cheap. So we might be "poor" and need food stamps for now, but only until my husband finishes school that he's paying for with student loans by the way, not a free ride or parents help. Then he will have a career as a software engineer and everything will be fine. In the meantime I won't apologize for using food stamps that are paid for by sales tax by the way, not income tax (so even us poor people and non citizens chip in to pay for the food stamps program lol). I womt apologize for not having more than one used car and living in a two bedroom apartment eith two kids. My kids will grow up knowing they are loved and cared for, no matter WHAT our financial situation is. We are doing the best we can and trust God for the rest. You might try doing the same.
We live in one of the most prosperous times in human history. People in the dark ages and during the Great Depression made it work.
Wow… Fr Josiah speaks so beautifully and inspiring about marriage and family life! Thank you!
Is he Eastern Orthodox Catholic Christian ?
great conversation - i wish i had this sort for information when i was younger instead of being bombarded by media sources that made me terrified of pregnancy. im 39 now so not really in the cards for me anymore but i focus on mentoring and helping kids as much as i can!
God gives life. It doesn't have to be over yet for you
My comment was removed encouraging you to trust in the Lord because He gives life
Doesn't it depend on what you mean by "afford"? I talked to a couple once who could not "afford" children because they had not yet bought a house and did not yet own their dream furniture. In such cases I would simply say they CAN afford children, but it's obviously not high on their priority list (which in my eyes is perfectly okay as long as it does not lead to an abortion - to kill a child because you'd rather have a new sofa is ... well... I have no words for that).
But then, there are people who are already struggling. Who live in a flat with mould and cockroaches and can't cook because they cannot pay the electricity bill, they don't have (valid) health insurance, they eat only the cheapest food and have health problems from the conditions. This kind of poverty does exist in the US, in Europe... Children should not be raised in such conditions. If you do get pregnant, I hope there will be some kind of help available, but you should certainly not PLAN to get pregnant in such conditions. You really cannot afford it. Trust in the lord? Yes. But don't mock him, either.
As someone who has been in the conditions you describe, I would say existence is still worth it. There is someone at your church who will be willing to donate money so that kids can eat good food. Harris roach tablets can be back their numbers a little. It is very hard, and humiliating, and causes a great deal of tears, but it is for our own sanctification and the beginning of Life. And creating life is worth. Every child is worth it. People have sacrificed far more for their kids throughout history. People have died for their kids, and considered it an honor. It is also an honor to be humiliated for them.
@@rebekah3698No, there is not someone at the church who will feed your family for you on a regular basis. Depending on the church they’re either equally poor or a bunch of affluent hypocrites. I went to a supposedly very holy church where most people were far better off than me, and when I had a need they were very offended that I thought they might help, using coded language like “the church is not a social services organization.” So many vulnerable people have gotten screwed over by pouring time and energy into churches that won’t have your back when the chips are down instead of using that time to build up their own personal life and resources in the ordinary mundane way.
@oldeuropemyhome76 “Trust in the lord? Yes. But don’t mock him, either.”
That resonated SOO deeply with me. Perfect comment.
Only God can bring humans into existence. Its hilarious people think they have as much control as they think they do over conception and childbirth. We tried to NOT get pregnant but were unsuccessful after only 2 months of birth control. And yes we know how to use it.....people are so judgemental. But this child was meant to be. She came into the world exactly at the time she was supposed to and not a moment later. Or before. So yes you can try to be responsible but please know birth control just exists to ease your conscience. It doesn't actually prevent people from being born, if God says that person is going to be born, they will be born.
I would be willing to have a child if the church paid for all the child expenses. They're pressuring us to have children anyway so they can have more "donations"
My husband and I swore off birth control after losing our first child to an IUD. The medical establishment emphasizes the efficacy of birth control without being honest about what failure looks like. Today, it’s not the comments from random strangers that bother me but the unhelpful comments from friends and family who claim to be “pro life.” We’ve only had three children make it to term and have been excited about every birth. It took two miscarriages and four years to get our firstborn son, and then two more years of trying to get our daughter. But when we announced with joy that I was pregnant again shortly after our daughter’s first birthday, my in-laws acted like we had done something “irresponsible,” as though we were condemning our first two to neglect. Our second son is such a blessing and just turned one. My fertility has returned and we’re ready for another, but I dread the “helpful” comments that will come-even when we always told everyone we wanted at least four and my husband has a steady, respectable job. The antinatalism in the west is so toxic.
I’m sorry about your inlaws. I share the same frustration with the culture. It’s evil how we see them, and Ive only noticed since Ive had my first.
Yes. Antinatalism is its own religion. It's not logical, as the global birth rate drops below replacement levels people seem to be getting louder and louder about birth control. Even in South Korea, my mother's homeland, the birth rate is now 0.7 per woman. In each generation they're going to lose 2/3 of their population. And the antinatalists are so loud there!!!
You were stupid to trust that birth control wont harm your fertility
I have 4 kids and this is so true! God always provides what we need l
And the gubberment $$$
My grandparents had six children and grew up during the depression era. They made it happen.
I had the money to provide for a big family, but no woman to have children with. Now I'm in my mid fifties and it's too late. The irony is painful.
Never too late
Dude, my best friend is 34. His dad is late 80s, your tools work until death bud
@@jordansbrazy128 true
You have so many families that need $ just go and pay their bills, that will be the best repentance.
Look for a woman who is young enough to have children!
Timeless wisdom, thank you Father.
I want a lot of children but I am so afraid. I want them more than anything but I want them to have a life better than mine. I feel like in enslaved by sin to maintain my lifestyle but I want to live a life the way God intended. Please pray for me and for my conversion into the true church
It took 14 years of marriage before god blessed us with our 1st baby. A total god thing. Now 5 years later we are expecting number 4 next month!!! We have always left our family size up to God. And still plan to. If we’re to have. 10 kids someday so be it!
The part about the coffee really hit me deep. There are so many people who worship money and look down on people who don't have much. They have no idea what blessings they are missing.
I’d love to be a dad to a lil baby. Lord bless me with a good wife so we can have a godly family
Amen
Bringing children is a big responsibility and it’s not easy it’s so hard. Don’t bring innocent children into the world it’s getting harder to survive and everything is so expensive.
God bless you and pray for me! I am becoming a catechumen and eager for children but my wife is still in the grips of the secular world. Pray for me to be a good husband: patient, long suffering and kind! It can be difficult to not get frustrated as we disagree about children.
You have to try to convert your wife too so you can have the same calendar and the same lifestyle
Why did you marry a non Christian woman though?
@FoundSheep-AN based on context it sounds like they were both unbelievers or unserious believers at most when they got married. But now that they're married let not man separate what God has brought together. Even if he did marry an unbeliever when he was a believer, we need to pray for conversion. Knowing why he did what he did can't change who he's married to.
Awesome! Had one son 32 years ago and he’s married with a family. Now we are about to adopt 4. 3 brothers and their sister. Jesus has been guiding us all through this process since it was Jesus that brought the opportunity to our lives.
Some people also don't want to have kids because they choose not to have them
Yes, but why? Are they putting their earthly desires ahead of procreation and a loving family? 🤔
@@TheRazzaManazzaSo you rant children to be born into homes that do not want them and be abused and neglected as a result because it’ll make the God you believe in happy?
That’s selfish. All children should be wanted.
@@talesse6396 No one wants kids to be born into family’s that don’t want them but remember this vidoe is advice for what believers to take. Believers shouldn’t do what’s contrary to God an his design for marriage. When it’s none believers then well we can’t except anything better there going to do what they have always been doing and what has lead up to the west ending up the way it is now.
There’s always reasons why one chose to do or not do something.
This really is nectar for any Christian regardless of which Church we may belong to. God bless you, your family, and your ministry more than you can ask or think!
I’m honestly shocked the cashier had the audacity to say that to you! Great response Father.
Is he part of the Eastern Orthodox Christian church?
Razem z Żoną wychowujemy 4 dzieci które dał nam dobry Bóg. :Potwierdzam słowa księdza, macierzyństwo i ojcostwo jest pięknym i niedocenianym darem. Niech Bóg was błogosławi!
Thank you Father, I needed to hear this
Words of wisdom, father! The world desperately needs more priests like you! God bless you and God bless your family ☦
I get the impression in America some folks say "I can't afford kids" and then go on yearly international vacations, max out their retirement savings, and go to music festivals. The world has convinced us that ample leisure and "financial planning" are equal in necessity to reproduction.
I can’t afford kids and I don’t splurge on myself.
As a divorced man, I can tell you kids are not expensive at all. Its modern women that cost a lot.
timothy 2;12 this entire population are cowards.
@@KnukkaheadOG You should be very afraid of modern women. They will destroy your life and try to take your soul. They will summon legions of white knights to fight for them, an army of simpering men to defend them, and at the head will be the clergy, all trying to find favor in the woman's eye. They will defend every divorce, blame men for their promiscuity, try to find a financial backer for every single-mother. Better to live in a desert...
@@feralandroid TY you are very smart, god bless you
The saying goes we should not generalise, but certainly a significant percentage of women nowadays are materialistic, who covet other women's possessions and are racked with envy because of it. It's truly abysmal.
I appreciate that brother ❤
ХРИСТОС ВОСКРЕСЕ ❤✝
БОГ С НАМИ ПРОТИВ ЗЛА И ИСКУШЕНИЙ ✝🙏⛪💍👩❤️👨👼🕊
We had our fourth in April and hope to have many more! We need to listen to what the Bible says: Children are an inheritance from the Lord, blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them!
Glory to God ☦️
Dear Father, we are in a parish in Edinburgh Scotland, it is growing rapidly but hearing about how your community in California has organised itself so well, I would love to have some pointers. Things that we as lay people may do to organise and help grow the spirit of our community.
When you say you can't afford children, you're basically putting a dollar amount on a life. Life is invaluable.
True. Very National Socialist.
nobody is saying life isn't invaluable but you can't just have a child and not give it food, clothing, shelter, education and a playful childhood. all these things, especially in the modern world, are increasingly more expensive. like it or not, in order to survive, we need money. unless you are some sort of hunter-gatherer that has the skills and knowledge to live off the land. I’m not advocating for Neo liberal capitalism but the reality is, we live in this mammon worshipping system and under this system and our corporate overlords, life DOES have a dollar amount and it ain’t cheap.
Wrong @@YourHeartIsTheKey
@@thomasrhinehart6084ok boomer
@@thomasrhinehart6084 you are wrong, you can't even give him a reason why he would be wrong, you are weak.
This kept showing up on my feed and i was reluctant to click it. Finally I did and it’s a good video
God is the faithful's source of provision! I have 5 now and we're in no more want or need than we were when we had 1. Family is the only form of wealth that matters
Praised be Jesus Christ for this inspiring and bold proclamation!
Can't afford kids? What if you can't even get into a relationship?
Can you afford faith? It doesn't cost you anything. God works miracles and has done to me so many I was surely left speechless
@@OrthodoxIslands of course I can afford faith.
@@mstash5be it done to you according to your faith ☦️
Go to church. Get in shape, and be the best at your job. If you can't do these, you'll always be an incel, the real definition of the word.
Fr Josiah addressed this question before. He said to first make a list of all the qualities you seek in a potential mate. Then put your own name at the top of the list and seek to cultivate these qualities in yourself.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.
Every one of my 6 kids has taught me something. My oldest son taught me how to be a man, and i became closer to God because of him. My second son taught me what unconditional love actually is he has autism and will randomly break things when frustrated. My third son taught me patience because he is a reflection of my anger and shows me every day what i used to look like when i lost my temper. My fourth is my only little girl and she has shown me that its okay for a man to be soft hearted. My fifth child and fourth son was born during the pandemic and showed me that even though the world is falling apart everything is going to be okay. And my youngest son is just about the most aunry child i have ever had but his love for everyone in the house is unrivaled. He is always smiling even if hes not feeling good.
Hallelujah !
Have children brothers and sisters, it's the gift of God! do not deny the gift of God! God bless ☦️
Should I feed them air, then? There's no missing the point because it's a factual statement.
"Kids need care that requires money I do not have, I can give them love but nothing else because either the baby is fed or I am and, though I would die for my child, I doubt he'd be properly taken care of if I chose to feed the infant instead of myself"
I listened to this and its really just boomer logic. Its no different then when u hear people talk about how lazy this generation is and how they were able to save money to buy a house at 25.
If you're struggling to have enough food, it is worth asking people at your parish for help. If you use their money to feed your child, you are actually blessing both of them. I know it stings and I know it's painful to our pride, but love is more important than pride.
@@rebekah3698 Rebekah I've been around orthodox parishes and majority of the people and the parish barely have enough money to pay the heat in the church. I know a large family that gets handouts and I can tell you people start to resent them and judge them like you wouldn't believe, even to the point of bullying them. It's very sad and demoralizing to watch.
God will provide
@@johnplavsic441 please stop with the "boomer logic" bs. I'm a millennial and I'm tired of hearing this pathetic cop-out (and yes blaming boomers IS a cop-out).
AMEN, PRAY FOR ME FR JOSIAH. I'M BRING BAPTIZED TMR ❤
If you don't have kids the odds of them going to hell is zero. On the contrary once you are born the odds are pretty high.
Nowadays most people go to hell
If u think these people truly care about these things.... 😂😂😂...
This interview was recorded in Iasi, Romania. Thank you Father Josiah for visiting us!
1. Not everyone is meant to have children
2. Not having children can open up other opportunities to serve that aren’t available to those with kids
3. Children are a huge responsibility that shouldn’t be taken lightly
4. Most birth control options are NOT discussed with both genders
5. Children can’t save you or fix you or your relationships
6. Humanity has fruitfully multiplied already and our resources are running thin
7. Children are gifts, not necessities or commands
8. Motherhood isn’t despised - it’s being revealed for what it is and the work and health risks it entails
9. We live in a harder time to raise children due to dual income needs for most people
10. God comes first, not children
Children are blessings from the lord ❤❤
Modern society is selfish, Everything is about self, self, self....at this point we need to learn from animals & birds
This is Gods will, that the world be filled with poor, suffering children. How can He comfort us if we don’t suffer?
@@halcyonzenith4411 exactly. God NEEDS the supply of humans of sin. Otherwise, he will grow bored
What misses the point more is the psychopathic obsession with fertility. Family has to center around love, not showing-off to your friends. This is why I'll probably conversion date, because it's easier to convince them to be Christian than to convince an orthobro to act like a Christian.
If I wait around, I'll miss out on having three kids because all these dudes are trying to have 9+ kids. Most of them won't meet someone.
It is dangerous and selfish to not have a plan b if the marriage doesn't work out. You can't pregame whether or not the marriage will work. You have to do your best on your own side, but I used to think that way, but I have life experience, and that's not how it works. First of all, the US is nomadic, so you can never tell who people are anymore, therefore, there's always a risk that you married someone with a secret identity. Narcisissm is everywhere now.
Early, early marriage is ideal, but it's functionally almost impossible to find. I would have liked that, it just didn't happen.
I hope the trad movement dies, because it's turning into an authoritative cancel culture that wants authority over church authorities. I want people to return to their faith roots, but not by giving up common sense.
I was like you for a long time. Thinking there must be some mistake as to why Christianity isn’t what the good book promised it to be, thinking some particular “culture” or another must have hijacked its true nature. Eventually, I found that spiritual maturity means accepting what reality tells you. There’s no mistake. This is who they are.
@e23779 "I was like you" like in the two years you've been a Christian? Why is there always this competition of talking down to people with converts? Bro, when you're 90, maybe talk to people like that.
Bro, coming in and assuming that you're guaranteed gibbs by a religion is your problem. "The Good Book" isn't your own personal legal document. However, I do expect people to have a certain amount of responsibility. No society can function without that expectation, which is why Paul tells laity to confront people. He was big on building a sustainable social system, and it's stood the test of time.
The contrarianism for its own sake is goofy and unnecessary. It is an authoritative political movement trying to make its way into the church, no matter how you try to spin. Not the first time this has happened, even in recent memory, and won't be the last. There's no reason to sugar-coat this, other than to be deceptive. Sorry, but you can't convince me otherwise.
@@Poodle_Gun I haven’t been a Christian for a good while now. I was one from birth until middle age, with rigorous theological education. I read the Bible in Greek and Hebrew. It’s very telling, the tendency of people in this space to go on unhinged outbursts at elaborately hallucinated projections of their own mind. You guys are patently maladjusted.
Anyway, I gave and gave and gave to the church for years. When I finally reached a point where I had no choice but to express some needs of my own, I got the cold shoulder and a ton of gaslighting. Speaking not of “gibbs” but of basic human kindness and solidarity - though as a matter of fact the treatment I saw doled out to the humble poor shocked me even more than my own experiences, and was the key piece in finally waking me up, because I couldn’t bring myself to do the reality-inverting victim-blaming routine I’d been taught to do to myself to those sweet souls. (By the way, I’m familiar with *exactly* the origin of that term “gibbs.” Its use in a religious context is certainly interesting - but then, it’s not exactly breaking news that Orthodoxy has filled up with unspiritual fools looking to baptize fundamentally secular and self-regarding motivations.)
Having seen straight to the depths of the saying “They tie up heavy burdens to lay on others’ backs, and lift not a finger to help,” I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why actual Christian people are so far from the words of their prophets as to be actively evil in their cold hearted disregard for what others go through, why vile arrogance and hypocrisy is the distinctive mark of Christians of all stripes throughout the land. I never did quite figure it out, just kind of lost interest as better things opened up in my spiritual life. But I’ve known a lot of people who’ve practiced a lot of Christian piety and devotion. I’ve never known it to improve anyone’s character, and I’ve seen it degrade many. My own character suffered a lot from the mindf*** of pretending that obviously awful people were holy because they belonged to the right group and said the right words, and of betraying my own conscience to imitate them. No one can tell you what to believe about the Divine (if in fact you actually believe anything, and aren’t just indulging an irritable gesture towards clownworld). But I can tell you in no uncertain terms that the damage on display in your manner of expressing yourself is not going to be healed by stealing spiritual valor from an ancient Eastern holy man. Flight from reality avails nothing.
You saying God is irresponsible for placing Jesus with a poor family? And for making a virgin conceive, knowing that Joseph would assume she would cheat and this would possibly jeopardize the future marriage? Wow....well anyway Mary and Joseph sure weren't rich. 😂 oh and they went on to have several more kids. So I guess the joke is on you! God doesn't have an issue with poor people having kids. I myself was born into poverty. I was also abused, neglected, and malnourished. I endured homeless and foster care, amd separation from my siblings. However, I know now as a "poor" mother myself that your financial situation is no excuse for bad parenting. Or abuse. Or refusing to get the resouces and help that are right there if you need them. My husband and I will try our best to not be super poor all our lives but we won't apologize for having kids and dont regret having them. Our children will grow up knowing they are loved, no.matter what happens.
@Eph5wife4life you should be a writer, because you just created a whole narrative out of thin air. I'd recommend maybe trying to make the book about more than one character, though.
Very important video on TH-cam God bless
I work all day 6 days a week and can’t afford to live inside. How am I to get a wife and have kids?
Maybe speak to your father and grandfather about how they managed it
My husband does it on a single, taco bell I come in a more affordable state. While going back to school. We have two kids. You can do it too. With God, all things are possible.
I have sibilings I love them dearly and I have 3 children pregnant with forth I promise god makes a way when you take care of his children they are blessings and will shape and change you they will bring out the light in you if you let them my kids are the best things that ever happened to me.. I wish my husband enjoyed them as much as I do but I pray he does one day!
Married but we never had kids. By choice. Why? Because we did not want to. More reasons? I was badly abused by a horrific terrifying mother and simply put, the cycle of abuse stops with me. I would have been a terrible mother. I hated my childhood to the point I thought I would never escape my mother and tried to delete myself when I was 20. I survived her and made a good life.
Stop judging childless people, you have no idea what their REAL reasons might be, even if they use the excuse of no money. Hard to talk about abuse to strangers.
Just like abortions we don't need these extremely dramatic examples to justify the spcietal changes. Most folks choose not to have kids because they're useful tools of the Devil, they want to spend their time and money and themselves.
He's saying that you need to take it up with the Lord. Live in the path HE takes you. He might tell you NOT to have kids and that's ok. He might also to tell you to have kids and that's ok too. That abusive cycle you're referring to is what is known as a generational curse. Jesus died and broke that on the cross. He's bigger than generational curses and can break ANY chains holding a person/family.
Agreed, the arrogance of this man to espouse a one size fits all approach.
God's love unites us all
As a child from a very large family in which my parents were more skillful at making children than they were at earning money, I can tell you that it was absolutely miserable with either one or both of my parents around, because they were in nearly constant panic and strife over money. This lead to most of my siblings rejecting my parents' religion and living secular lives. "Rejoice not in ungodly children, if they be multiplied: neither be delighted in them, if the fear of God be not with them.
2 Trust not to their life, and respect not their labours.
3 For better is one that feareth God, than a thousand ungodly children.
4 And it is better to die without children, than to leave ungodly children." I have prayed many times that the Lord will see to it that I die childless. It was my parents' reckless procreation - without respect to the concomitant parenting that must needs ensue - that led me to pray thus.
I pray all the time that every one of my children will serve the Lord, because if not, "it would be better if they had never been born." Parenting is a very real and serious responsibility.
I am the youngest girl and have two older brothers. I was spoiled and am way too attached to my family. I was already complete and am not searching to have a greater love because I know nothing will ever compare to my childhood and one of my brothers still lives with my parents and I and he doesn’t have kids or isn’t married. He helps me and my family and my oldest brother has two kids and is married. I love my boyfriend but I am so attached to my childhood and family and know if I had kids I couldn’t forget my brothers and family. I don’t even need kids to feel so complete.
I'm not trying to convince you to have kids but your view is very absurd. Having children isn't about weighing what gives you more fulfillment or having to choose between one or the other it's about adding another piece to your family and building on your happiness rather than living in a past that's already behind you as well as present.
@@Jane-ow7sr it still is i am very attached to my brother who also doesn’t have kids and does everything for me. I would miss him too much a and my family. It still is the present as we all live together.
I am sentimental and emotional and am just very attached. It’s hard for me to explain
@@underated17 that's the thing you're still making it sound like you're moving across countries and living overseas. You don't have to move out of your house to raise a kid, you don't even have to move that far away but by the sounds of it you may be extremely unhealthily attached to your brother and family, is it anxiety.
ALL DELUSIONS
If you have children you will always overcome, you will get any motivation you need, once you are blessed from the Lord, The Most High, his hands will cover you. They will cover your children.
"At the resurrection none will marry nor be given in marriage they will be like the angels in heaven." Matthew 23:30 Jesus speaking
Marriage as an institution dies with us.
Why
That's because marriage is only necessary in this life. Every Christian marriage is supposed to represent the unity of Christ and His Bride, the Church. In the next life, everyone will be "married" to God. Or should I say there will only be one union in heaven. Obviously not the same as earthly marriage but that goes without saying.
Look I disagree with catholics on about 70% of things so this guy and I probably won’t get along, but if we just had this discussion I could listen and affirm endlessly. Children are a blessing
Ok but he’s not Catholic
Just be open to having kids is the overall spirit of the faith and marriage . Nothing wrong with big family’s who leave it all to God , but , Sometimes just admitting that you can’t afford children at a certain point is just being logical …of course God will provide if you become pregnant without plan . But should we be careless and tempt God by trying for children or not sexually being careful if we are for example homeless ? Or can barely feed even ourselves or in an unsafe living situation ? This is like the same sentiment as “ I can walk down a dark ally at night in the worst part of the city when ever I want ! I’ll be fine ! God will protect me ! “ nothing wrong with logic and common sense . Not every part of the secular view is evil . Some of it is just common sense taken to extreme .
If you (or anyone reading this) are facing homelessness, please ask for help at your local parish. Someone there will help you. Don't be proud and face it alone.
Thanks father i will suerly trust the will of God
i genuinely can’t wait to meet the right women, id love to start a family…
That is a true priest! Wonderful.
Check the price of housing, food and energy costs , theyre just responding to real world problems, kinda like in a drought the native animals will limit their breeding, real world solutions for real world problems
Wrong
@@thomasrhinehart6084 budgetary constraints are real , like it or not 🤷
People in third world countries have a bigger birth rate. In the most wealthy countries in the world that have the lowest birth rate. Humans have less offspring when they are comfortable. People there just have more choices and are more individualistic.
@@lagopusvulpuz1571 if it were only this simple
@@lagopusvulpuz1571people in those countries also have kids as a labor force and pension plan.
I am not listening to the world but I don't have any physical, mental, financial resources to have another child. I am Christian orthodox , every woman understands me who will for 9 month bear children , and then sit with them 24H every day , treat them while they are sick and sometimes dangerously sick so you should go to hospital , even with a simple flu I spend around 100 euro ( I live in Italy) for medicine and each time I order also different additives and vitamins in around 150 euro to prevent flu. I spend lot of money for books , for clothes , for good quality food, for toys , for sport activities , even to go out just to have a pizza cost money. All of this I am sorry Father doesn't have any ground .
How about this? Children aren't a responsibility I want.
Yes, that’s a more sincere reason.
When people explain why they chose not to have children, I wonder how many have don't want any as reason #1. They only say more interesting reasons to end arguments.
I am not afriad to just say "Don't want to." I only say "no cannon fodder for the war machine" if I might need to sound interesting.
At a funeral I attended in a Greek Orthodox Church the priest gave a sermon of sorts which partially detailed uncertainty about the future, he said “I’m not sure that I would want to have children in this world” it was very off putting.
Yes. It is very hard when priests are depressed and lose faith. Hang in there and pray for him!
How many people haven't said "I never asked to be born" and explored such concepts further?
Religious leaders pressuring people to do things they can’t afford and then not helping them when it gets tough? I’m so shocked. 🙄
Typical athiest cringepost
He’s an orthodox priest. They have wife and kids.
@@saraandstuartshannon2160 being a priest basically lives an easily lives because of "donations".
@@saraandstuartshannon2160 and? What’s your point?