Training 'em up

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

I'm excited that my peas are doing well--they taste so much better straight out of the garden! Part of growing peas includes training them onto a trellis. As they grow, they send out little suckers, that upon contact, wrap themselves around whatever they're touching--netting, a stick, another plant, even themselves. If they anchor to some kind of trellis, they'll be more upright, bear more fruit, and avoid diseases. When they wrap around themselves, it gets to be a tangled mess.

Maybe parenting is a bit like gardening--you plant the seeds and watch them grow, and pray they bear fruit. You offer scaffolding, untangle them from themselves, and encourage them to attach to the trellis and pray for strength and health.

We ordered a Bible for Henry. He's reading really well (He's read "James and the Giant Peach" and "How to Eat Fried Worms" in school). It's time we give him his own trellis. I'm looking forward to studying with him this summer!

Thanks for growth in our garden and in our children, Lord. Let them attach to You.