The Acorn

There once was a young man that had recently moved into a new home. He loved everything about his house and property except that he had no trees nearby to give him shade.
   One day he went out into the woods to find a plant near his home to provide himself some shade, as he walked he happened upon a small acorn. He picked it up and brought it home, and placed it into a small pot to let it start growing.

 As time went on he took good care of the seed. He watered it and kept it inside for the first few months, when the seed began to sprout and grew a little bigger he moved it outside and planted it in the yard. But he still kept a careful watch over it. He placed a wire cage around it to keep things from eating or crushing it and as the small sapling got a little larger he placed a stake next to it to help it grow straight.
   As the years went by and the seed continued to grow he eventually saw that the young sapling was strong enough that he didn't need to keep watch over it and continue placing safe guards around it. The Sapling continued growing in the way that the man had groomed it to, it grew strong and straight. And that tree lasted for years and years and grew many other acorns, some that were taken and planted and grew straight and true.

~

This is a little different from a few other of my posts, today's post is directed a little more towards the parents that are out there reading this. 

I want to talk about how we raise our children, now I know a lot of you will either close the tab out. Or maybe you're thinking, "Come on Ryan, really? YOU are going to try and tell us how to raise our kids? You're only 21, you don't even have kids!"

Granted, and I acknowledge there is a lot that I don't know. But I do know that there are some basic principles that the Bible gives us on how to raise our kids and I also know from personal experience of what I appreciate from how my parents raised me. 

The main issue I want to address is this idea that parents shouldn't shelter their kids, they should just throw them out and expose them to as much as they can so that their kids can fit in and know the facts of life. After all, they're gonna learn about it somewhere eventually. Might as well just give it to them now. 

I disagree. Strongly.

First lets look at a few things the Bible has to say about parenting. 

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4

"You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Deuteronomy 6:7

First off as you can see we're given a command about our children (there are many other passages that say similar things to what I listed, these were just the top three I picked.) 

We are to raise them up in the Word of God. 

And not just a passing, "oh we take them to church and we let them decide for themselves." No. It doesn't say that, it says, commands in fact, that we are to "You SHALL teach them Diligently," (emphasis added)

So many times I see in different homes and in a few different friends that I've had in the past where their parents never truly took an interest in whether or not their children followed in their footsteps following Christ. This shouldn't even be an issue. 

We are called to raise our children up in the scripture and not just at church, that verse in Deut. says "When you sit in your house, when you walk, when you lie down." That sounds like pretty much all the time don't it?

If there is one thing I'm thankful for it is that my mom and dad took the time to sit down and do Bible studies with me and my siblings. As a matter of fact part of our school curriculum was reading through the Bible, we had a book that went through many of the names of God (Jehovah Jireh- The Lord will provide, Jehovah Nissi- The Lord is my banner, etc) 

If I didn't have the firm foundation that my parents gave me I don't know where I would be today without that faith that I witnessed in front of me and in turn adopted as my own. 

The second thing I truly appreciate (though not at the time foolish child that I was) was how much my parents protected me. Not sheltered. Perhaps by the worlds standard then yes, I was sheltered. I was very sheltered. I can remember a good friend of mine across the street from me in FL used to tell me what different words meant if I looked confused when someone in the gang we made said. 

And I can honestly say I'm thankful for that protection. I didn't need to be exposed to the world and what it's perversion of different ideas and items were, I was raised first in the Bible and in my faith and as I got older I was slowly exposed to different things and had a proper biblical understanding of them.

Parents, take the time to raise your children like you would take the time to tend to a plant! Your children are your legacy, raise them up how they should and they'll grow straight and true. If you just throw them out there without any guidance or support how do you expect them to grow straight and strong the way you would want them to.

God Bless, 

     Ryan