Should We Postpone Children While I Finish My Degree? // Ask Pastor John

Deciding when to start a family can be complex. Pastor John shares how he and Noël decided and what biblical truths should inform the process.
Young couples face a lot of questions. Can they use birth control? Should they? Can the wife be the breadwinner in this season? Should she? Questions like these are faced by young couples in the transition years of finishing up school and launching into careers. The email is from a young man.
“Hello, Pastor John! I’m a junior in my undergrad work with plans to attend medical school when I graduate. My girlfriend and I have been dating for about five months and are strongly considering marriage. We have the support of our church community, have preserved our physical purity, and are both maturing Christians. With medical school, I will not be able to support a family for at least four years if my girlfriend and I were to get married. My two questions are these: (1) Is it pleasing to God for a young couple in our situation to use birth control? (2) Would it be wrong to get married knowing that my girlfriend feels her main calling is to be a wife and a mom, and she will not be able to do this for four years of my medical school? What advice would you give a young couple in our situation?”
Episode 1347:
Related Resources:
“How Do I Show Kindness to My Children and Expect Them to Obey?”
“Should Children Sit Through “Big Church”?”
“Is Permanent Birth Control a Sin?”
“Should Christians Use the Pill?”
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