Do Men Have a Certain Age Where They Consider Themselves Unable to Have Kids?
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S
He did that because He was a man of faith. God told him too, and He believed God. Besides that, God can bring anyone back from the dead.
Genesis 22
Abraham Tested
22 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,[c] because you have obeyed me.”
Hebrews 11
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
Genesis 22
Abraham Tested
22 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,[c] because you have obeyed me.”
Hebrews 11
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
S
Yesterday I decided to google When do Men go through Menopause.
Male menopause: Myth or reality?
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/mens-health/in-depth/male-menopause/art-20048056
Male menopause: Myth or reality?
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/mens-health/in-depth/male-menopause/art-20048056
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be prepared to sacrifice .... the son you love (Isaac)
and...to wait past childbearing age (Sarah!) and not rope in a surrogate mother (Hagar) and leave your illegitimate child (Ishmael) then go on to marry someone much younger (Keturah) and you will have as many descendants as you will sands on the beach and stars in the sky...
oh and LEAVE your homeland and everyone else behind, and tell your scheming nephew that Sodom and Gommorah isnt All THAT either
and...to wait past childbearing age (Sarah!) and not rope in a surrogate mother (Hagar) and leave your illegitimate child (Ishmael) then go on to marry someone much younger (Keturah) and you will have as many descendants as you will sands on the beach and stars in the sky...
oh and LEAVE your homeland and everyone else behind, and tell your scheming nephew that Sodom and Gommorah isnt All THAT either
John,
Thank you for this extremely poignant, albeit, heartbreaking post.
I have often thought about the huge, sometimes crushing weight that Christian men must feel when it comes to the responsibility of looking after their families -- even when they are gone.
I know my single friends and I are often asked or told things like, "But what about when you get old? Who's going to take care of you?"
I'm certainly not saying any child of yours would be like this, but when I answer people who say this, I always have to cite the reminder that we are not guaranteed anything in this life.
I've written about spending extended amounts of time around senior establishments and communities, and have unfortunately witnessed many older people who were estranged from their children or, most commonly, they were just too busy or too far away to think of them.
I went to visit some relatives at a senior place the other day. I've come to know a few of the residents and even those in the best situations have grown children who only come to visit occasionally, or maybe take them out for the day. Those in the worst situations have no absolutely no one (sometimes due to choices rather than death,) and I remember feeling a little piece of my heart crumbling when I heard one man say, "I've just come to accept that I'll be locked in this prison until I die."
I used to have a friend who worked in nursing home facilities for 10 years, and he said the saddest days there were the holidays because so many people sat with no one to visit them.
I know you know all of this already... I guess what I'm trying to say, and I'm not doing it very well, is that even having a child is no guarantee that your wife would be looked after.
I'm not meaning that as pessimism. What I'm stumbling around trying to say is that I have every confidence that God knows you have done and are doing everything you can to take care of your beloved wife, no matter what happens, and I know God will honor that.
I'm just sorry I'm not better at saying something more comforting than that.
May God bless you with His assurance.
And thank you very much for sharing.
Thank you for this extremely poignant, albeit, heartbreaking post.
I have often thought about the huge, sometimes crushing weight that Christian men must feel when it comes to the responsibility of looking after their families -- even when they are gone.
I know my single friends and I are often asked or told things like, "But what about when you get old? Who's going to take care of you?"
I'm certainly not saying any child of yours would be like this, but when I answer people who say this, I always have to cite the reminder that we are not guaranteed anything in this life.
I've written about spending extended amounts of time around senior establishments and communities, and have unfortunately witnessed many older people who were estranged from their children or, most commonly, they were just too busy or too far away to think of them.
I went to visit some relatives at a senior place the other day. I've come to know a few of the residents and even those in the best situations have grown children who only come to visit occasionally, or maybe take them out for the day. Those in the worst situations have no absolutely no one (sometimes due to choices rather than death,) and I remember feeling a little piece of my heart crumbling when I heard one man say, "I've just come to accept that I'll be locked in this prison until I die."
I used to have a friend who worked in nursing home facilities for 10 years, and he said the saddest days there were the holidays because so many people sat with no one to visit them.
I know you know all of this already... I guess what I'm trying to say, and I'm not doing it very well, is that even having a child is no guarantee that your wife would be looked after.
I'm not meaning that as pessimism. What I'm stumbling around trying to say is that I have every confidence that God knows you have done and are doing everything you can to take care of your beloved wife, no matter what happens, and I know God will honor that.
I'm just sorry I'm not better at saying something more comforting than that.
May God bless you with His assurance.
And thank you very much for sharing.
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You are correct...having kids is no assurance that they will come to visit.
While I was leading a small group bible study in a senior citizens apartment complex....one of the things that became very very clear to me was the effect of sin vs having an intimate relationship with God through Jesus.
When we are young and have all our wits about us we as people tend to play footsie with sin. We keep them around as pets. But in our geriatric years those fears and wants absolutely control us...and it isn't pretty.
Fears of being alone are haunting in the latter years. But someone who conquered that fear a long time ago is usually silently annoyed by the number of friends dropping by when they are sick or hurt.
But I've seen people terrified at going to the hospital and those who look excited and hopeful...absolutely convinced that they are going to get that face to face with Jesus soon...and happy about it. Huge huge difference.
Just food for thought.
While I was leading a small group bible study in a senior citizens apartment complex....one of the things that became very very clear to me was the effect of sin vs having an intimate relationship with God through Jesus.
When we are young and have all our wits about us we as people tend to play footsie with sin. We keep them around as pets. But in our geriatric years those fears and wants absolutely control us...and it isn't pretty.
Fears of being alone are haunting in the latter years. But someone who conquered that fear a long time ago is usually silently annoyed by the number of friends dropping by when they are sick or hurt.
But I've seen people terrified at going to the hospital and those who look excited and hopeful...absolutely convinced that they are going to get that face to face with Jesus soon...and happy about it. Huge huge difference.
Just food for thought.
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I dunno... My grandmother is 90 years old and she will often comment that nobody visits her... 10 minutes after Uncle Fred or Aunt Diane has left. She just doesn't remember.
Sometimes the account of elderly people is not very reliable.
Then there are all those people I know who have kids, and their kids have sold their house right out from under them and kicked them out.
Sometimes having kids doesn't guarantee the kids will not be greedy jerks.
Sometimes the account of elderly people is not very reliable.
Then there are all those people I know who have kids, and their kids have sold their house right out from under them and kicked them out.
Sometimes having kids doesn't guarantee the kids will not be greedy jerks.
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I remember once I was visiting my grandmother who was on her last legs with ahlzeimers. My mother had flown in to see her. But I had a different schedule so I couldn't go with her. But when I did she excitedly told me that her daughter came to see her. Obviously there was a disconnect...she knew who I was but didn't remember that her daughter was my mother.
Totally forgot her youngest son came to visit as well.
Very very odd things happen when the brain deteriorates.
Totally forgot her youngest son came to visit as well.
Very very odd things happen when the brain deteriorates.
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C
It really depends on the two people involved.
You would have to assume though, that if during courtship it was outed that one was pro and the other anti children, they would decide to just be friends, and stop all thoughts of developing a deeper relationship.
On a personal note, and I’m 75 years old, if after looking carefully at all the pros and cons, my potential wife to be and I decided that it would be Ok to have kids, then so be it. I would carry my weight, do my fair share of care and bringing them up in the ways of the Lord.
God has given me a heart that ticks over at about 35 bpm at rest, so that part of me won’t be worn out at least, and I like doing things outdoors, as do most kids. Kids help you stay young.
You would have to assume though, that if during courtship it was outed that one was pro and the other anti children, they would decide to just be friends, and stop all thoughts of developing a deeper relationship.
On a personal note, and I’m 75 years old, if after looking carefully at all the pros and cons, my potential wife to be and I decided that it would be Ok to have kids, then so be it. I would carry my weight, do my fair share of care and bringing them up in the ways of the Lord.
God has given me a heart that ticks over at about 35 bpm at rest, so that part of me won’t be worn out at least, and I like doing things outdoors, as do most kids. Kids help you stay young.
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I saw the opposite at retirement villages, people went in there because kids wore the oldies out..they didnt want them anymore, didnt want them to cramp their lifestyle and they rarely visited.
But then that was people of a certain income bracket that had sold all they had to live in those villages and had left nothing for their children, though their children probably did not want any of it anyway. Also, many oldies migrarate to a different country and leave their off spring behind.
One village was full of English pensioners. They didnt WANT to be cared for in their old age by their own children. it is ananthema to them
But then that was people of a certain income bracket that had sold all they had to live in those villages and had left nothing for their children, though their children probably did not want any of it anyway. Also, many oldies migrarate to a different country and leave their off spring behind.
One village was full of English pensioners. They didnt WANT to be cared for in their old age by their own children. it is ananthema to them
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The only wedding I heard about in the retirement villages was the one between the village owner and her second husband, I dont think he actually lived there.
Everyone in the village was invited, including staff but as I didnt know them very well, I didnt go.
I wasnt up enough in all the gossip to know which oldies were going with who. Many were widowed. I think they just enjoyed each others company without any pesky kids around. They could have happy hour and not worry about what that would look like for the kids. Hard on the staff though, who had to pick them up when they fell over drunk
true story...I dont make this stuff up
Everyone in the village was invited, including staff but as I didnt know them very well, I didnt go.
I wasnt up enough in all the gossip to know which oldies were going with who. Many were widowed. I think they just enjoyed each others company without any pesky kids around. They could have happy hour and not worry about what that would look like for the kids. Hard on the staff though, who had to pick them up when they fell over drunk
true story...I dont make this stuff up
S
Most people think that only women have a biological clock but if you want healthy babies, men have one too.
"The analysis revealed that children born to men aged 35 to 60 are up to 24 percent more likely to have autism than children with fathers aged 31 to 34. Likewise, children born to women aged 32 to 46 are up to 34 percent more likely to have autism than those born to women who are 29 to 31."
This part is interesting too.
"They found that children born to women who are 22 to 24 years old have a 29 percent higher risk of schizophrenia than those with mothers in their early 30s. For children born to mothers 15 to 21 years old, the risk of schizophrenia jumps by 76 percent."
https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/parental-age-different-impact-autism-schizophrenia/
I wonder why younger mothers have a higher chance of giving birth to a baby with schizophrenia.
"The analysis revealed that children born to men aged 35 to 60 are up to 24 percent more likely to have autism than children with fathers aged 31 to 34. Likewise, children born to women aged 32 to 46 are up to 34 percent more likely to have autism than those born to women who are 29 to 31."
This part is interesting too.
"They found that children born to women who are 22 to 24 years old have a 29 percent higher risk of schizophrenia than those with mothers in their early 30s. For children born to mothers 15 to 21 years old, the risk of schizophrenia jumps by 76 percent."
https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/parental-age-different-impact-autism-schizophrenia/
I wonder why younger mothers have a higher chance of giving birth to a baby with schizophrenia.
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i dont believe those stats
autism is something that is genetic and also neurodevelopmental and got nothing to with age and more like environemntal conditions and possibly toxicity in the environment
also, schizophrenia is often linked with marital breakdowns not what age parents are when babies are born
you can also have children too young and unable to care for them
eg Temple Grandins mum had her when she was just 19
She had other children after her and they were not autistic
autism is something that is genetic and also neurodevelopmental and got nothing to with age and more like environemntal conditions and possibly toxicity in the environment
also, schizophrenia is often linked with marital breakdowns not what age parents are when babies are born
you can also have children too young and unable to care for them
eg Temple Grandins mum had her when she was just 19
She had other children after her and they were not autistic
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