We have a garden in our back yard. Things grow very well in it.

Unfortunately, not food.

The strawberries we produced, were eaten by rabbits before we got to them. Most of our rhubarb went unharvested. The only things that thrived were dandelions, and some nettle.

I’m sowing strawberries, but I’m reaping weeds.

It isn’t a matter of planting the wrong things. We put food in the ground in the spring.

It’s not that I’m a bad gardener… when I prioritize it, I do pretty well.

I just had “more important things” to do this year.

I need to be careful not to do the same thing with my kids.

We have planted seeds of faith in their lives, and they are growing. But are we cultivating an environment for them to grow in the best possible way, and produce the best possible fruit?

  1. Just as with gardening, I don’t cause my kids to grow. I don’t make the fruit grow. God has taken care of that part. But I can do my part to improve the growing environment. It’s the same with my girls: I can do my part to create the best possible environment for growth.
  2. In gardening, not tending to the soil doesn’t just produce less fruit, it produces undesirable alternatives. In the same way, not tending to my child’s environment wont’ just produce a “weaker Christian”, it will allow undesirable alternatives to flourish.
  3. I may be a good gardener, but if it’s not a priority, my skills don’t matter.Good parenting skills mean nothing, if discipling my children is not a priority.
What are some ways YOU tend to the soil of the lives if the children in YOUR life?