Child Training and Farming

Like most fathers, I'm sure, there are a few times that I can be, through the grace of God, stellar. Most of the time, though, God is using the children He has placed in our care to reveal character flaws in myself. For instance, patience, is something I learned long ago to stop asking God for help with. He will, most assuredly, send things your way that will build patience in you. I will share one of the bright, shining moments in our child training adventure.

We believe that children, in order to learn a good work ethic, should be working right along side of us. This is by no means slave labor, I want to make that clear. They are working along side of us. In other words, we are out there also working. This working together also serves in tying strings of fellowship. Bonding, you might say.

The other day, we had to go get a load of hay we bought from a friend. This friend has horses and the kids love to see the horses. So, it is always a treat for the kids to come with daddy to get hay. When we got back, I had to load it into the barn and stack it. It was here that I was able to bond with my youngest son (5). He can't lift very much, but he thought it was the "coolest" thing to "help daddy" put up the hay. I knew he wasn't really doing much, all he did was put his little hands on the bale and "act" like he was lifting it, grunting and all. The thing that I love the most is that it gave him a sense of helping daddy. His reward for his "hard" work was just being there with me. (Not to mention the rides on the Power Wagon). It was so cute, when he was done, he wiped his brow and said "whew!" Then he looked up and said, "I helped daddy!" with a grin that could light up New York City.

He felt good, I felt good, the other three felt good. It was good. The other kids cleaned out the the left over hay from the trailer. They were with their dad. Right along side of me. I couldn't help but notice that today, the day after the hay excursion, they were all extremely well behaved. More so than usual, they took joy in that they pleased their daddy. Oh, what a feeling!

These strings of fellowship that are tied are precious and precarious at the same time. If they ever get broken, it takes a bigger effort to re-tie them. Lord grant us the wisdom to keep them connected.

Pr 22:6 ¶ Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. {Train...: or, Catechise} {in...: Heb. in his way}

3Jo 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.