Article April 28, 1986 Issue

When an unexpected child comes

THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

When a pregnancy is unplanned or considered a "mistake," married couples often feel a great deal of anxiety about the responsibilities and financial burdens of a child. It may be carried to term under a cloud of stress, fear, and condemnation.

Having a child might not appear to be the best thing for a family, and certainly a couple should carefully consider the obligations and responsibilities that a child might bring. But once a child is conceived, the fact that it is unplanned need not mitigate the value and worth of the child in the eyes of parents or society. Nor does a new child have to be an unbearable burden to a family.

Looking at things from a spiritual basis, parents can bring great light to the situation and feel divine support for both them and the new child. The truth is, the child represents far more than what the physical senses say. He or she is, in God's sight, what Christ Jesus came to reveal—man as the radiant image of God, man as the beloved offspring of Spirit, not matter.

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