What is Quiverfull?

As I mentioned before, I have read the Duggar book, 20 and Counting, for the third time. I'm surprised at how the Duggars are criticized for their life choices, even by Christians, and I believe it's because we don't understand the reasons for their choices. So, in an effort to be open-minded, and because I think they're such a great Christian family, I'm posting about some of their convictions and why they believe what they believe, in hopes of being more accepting and less judgmental of their choices.

One of the lifestyle choices that the Duggars have been heavily criticized for is the fact that they are quiverful. This is based on the verse found in Psalms 127:4-5, which says, "Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate." Verse 3 of this same Psalm tells us children are a heritage from the Lord and a reward. That means that children are a blessing, a gift from God Himself. And what a beautiful gift they are! I know I thoroughly appreciate the 3 precious gifts God has given me.

The issue here for most people isn't whether children are a blessing or not. Most parents would tell you that yes, even when our kids drive us absolutely nuts, we still love them unconditionally and consider them a blessing. The problem for most people is that the Duggars have chosen not to control the amount of children they have, and for many this is seen as irresponsible. Now, I can see how people who don't seek God's direction in their lives might think this way. But it bothers me when Christians also make these accusations of irresponsibility. I believe the reason is because most people, Christians included, don't understand what quiverful is or what it means.

Say "quiverful", and families with 10+ children come to mind, each about a year apart. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Not to say that there aren't quiverful families with many children; quite obviously there are. But quiverful families can also have few children. I worked with one Christian woman who is quiverful; she and her husband have one daughter. Another quiverful woman wrote about having 3 children 3 years in a row, and never getting pregnant again. Her children are now teenagers. Still another quiverful couple never had any children. They dedicated their lives to ministry directed at children even though they were never blessed with any of their own. So what is quiverful, really?

Quiverful families believe in leaving their family size in God's hands. This means they don't use any method of birth control, nor do they seek fertility treatments. If God chooses to give them 2 children or 20, they accept whatever is God's will for their lives. Even in biblical times, when the massive amounts of birth control available today didn't exist, people didn't always have dozens upon dozens of children. Abraham and Sarah had Isaac, and they had to wait till they were elderly before that happened. Isaac and his wife Rebekah had twin boys, and that was it. There was no guarantee then, just as there is no guarantee now, that by not using birth control the result would be an astounding amount of children.

Let's face it: it takes a HUGE amount of faith to give this area of our lives to God. We claim to have faith (what Christian would say they don't?), yet when it comes to the size of our family, we pretty much tell God, "I think I'm a better judge than You are of how many children I can handle." It scares us to think God might give us too many blessings (remember, that's what children are), so we limit them instead. That's a decision each couple has to make on their own, and no one wants to be judged because they've chosen to limit themselves to one or two children. Yet how many turn around and judge the Duggars and families like them because their faith is strong enough to trust God with this important area of their lives? Maybe they're looked down on because of that, because their faith makes ours seem lacking, because they're willing to let go and let God, and we aren't. Whatever the reason, it is wrong and unloving to judge our Christian brothers and sisters for making choices different from ours. Rather than be critical, let's applaud the Duggars and other quiverful families for their love and faith in our Almighty God, who can and does make the best decisions for our lives.