My brother and his wife just had their second child, another boy. Holding him for the first time this past week brought me back to the first time I held my two boys and left me with the joyful expectation of holding our next child (due this September).

However, a new Pew Research Center survey has sparked conversations regarding the joy (or lack thereof for some people) about having children. Among adults under 50 who say they’re unlikely ever to have children, most say “they just don’t want to” (57% of respondents), while many stated that “they want to focus on other things” (44%) or “they don’t really like children” (20%)

Christian parents, and single Christians who hope and pray to have children one day, know that these are sad statistics. Disciples are called to love others and welcome life as an invitation to sacrifice and pour one’s heart out. Kids are living expressions of the uncontainable love that a husband and wife have for each other. The love between a husband and wife is so strong that it results in other immortal beings walking around. Those who are given the blessing of being a spiritual mother or father also carry the cross of the needs of their loved ones.

Now, more than ever before, we must proclaim the truth about love, marriage, fatherhood and motherhood. Love must always be turned outwards, not inwards. Love is grounded in being selfless, not selfish. This is why marriage is a sacrament. It is necessary for spouses to receive the grace of God in order to live like God in their marriage. The sacrifice of one’s “wants” leads to new life. This is the route of fatherhood and motherhood, no matter the circumstances.

There is no career, hobby or overall focus that could be more important and transformative than having children. Understanding this truth requires the eyes of faith because when we place God as our No. 1 priority we become more centered on living for others. As the saying goes, “If you want to bring happiness to the whole world, go home and love your family.” While loving those closest to you is challenging, it is sanctifying and necessary for society and the human heart.

For all married Americans, and those who act as mothers and fathers for others, the joy and importance of children ought to be cherished. When we refuse the gift of sons and daughters, we risk rejecting the gift of life in all other areas as well.

I think it was for this reason that Jesus said that we must be like children if we wish to enter into the kingdom of God (Matthew 18:3). The beautiful innocence and dependence of little children invites the human heart to remember that we are all in need of God, just like an infant is in need of his mother and father. Parenthood requires humility and dependence to remind us of who we all are.

In our humanity, we also know that there is nothing like the feeling of holding a newborn baby or seeing a young child smile. God makes the beauty of children evident in order to showcase the beauty of all life — even amid the challenges of raising little ones. I was reminded of that when I was holding my nephew this week, and I pray that it will reinforce the joy that each of my children have brought my wife and me within our domestic church.

To all parents, those who desire to be parents and all those who have their own spiritual children, let us cling to and radiate the joy of what it is like to hold a newborn child. That joy will build his Kingdom and bring us all closer to our Heavenly Father.