A few days ago, on Jacob Two-Two (that’s right: today’s post draws from the very center of the Western canon), Jacob’s father referred to him as “my biological creation.”
What a strange way of thinking about a child, especially from a father. Whenever I have created something with my hands - a poem, say, or a bookshelf - there has been a defined process that I can describe, in which I can clearly point to the actions that I took to reach the final product. I am working with pre-existing materials (the subjects of the poem, the wood for the bookshelf), but there is “sweat equity” that I contribute.
In comparison, my contribution to “creating” a child seems trivial.
The Bible depicts children as a gift from God, and that holds true with my experience. When my wife give birth to our first daughter, I felt like I was experiencing a miracle: a new person came into being. I could never have done that myself. I hope that I’m not stretching the exegesis too far by applying this psalm to my two daughters:
1 Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one’s youth.5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate. (Psalm 127)
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Micheal Hickerson is Associate Director of the 
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