I know that the following doesn't come close to the comparison I'm going to make, and the statements I'm about to share will probably make me sound like a freak, but this hit me today.
This is the first year I've ever had my own garden. By garden I mean watermelon patch because that's all I planted. I knew it would take over the area which was perfect because I wanted to grow something, but didn't want to put a whole lot of time into it at the moment. And so I settled on watermelon.
I plated several seeds, and ended up with five healthy plants. I've lost count of how many melons I've seen started, but for one reason or another many didn't make it. But I've picked three so far, am waiting for my father-in-law to pick up a fourth, and have three that are still growing. I'm really satisfied with the work, and I'm looking forward to planting a larger variety of plants in the future when I get some more space.
But here is what I noticed yesterday. Three of the melons I've taken care of, and watched grow are gone. We shared one with my brother and sister-in-law and my niece. We gave one to my parents, and one to my mentor. You can see where they grew, the places on the ground that they once occupied are empty. And it's a strange feeling.
I'm not shedding tears over fruit, and I'm not losing sleep over it either, but it's a strange feeling seeing something you've invested so much time and effort turn into an empty space. For months I'd go out in the morning to water the vines and I'd see the melons, now they are gone. I imagine that this is a very small and weak comparison, (again, probably nothing like it at all), to the experience parent's go through when a child moves out of the house for the first time. You see the empty space that they occupied.
As I type all of this, I'm thinking "Wow, I sound pathetic."
But as I think about the melons I'm reminded that they were grown for a purpose, to be harvested and eaten. If they stayed in the garden forever then they work profited me nothing. The weeding, watering, and cultivating was all pointless if I never enjoy the fruit.
One melon we picked when family was over. We got to watch my niece, who is almost a year old, devour slice after slice of melon, including trying to eat the rind. Two other melons have been given away, and a third soon will be, to family and close friends. They are gifts of thanks for the investments they have poured into our lives. It's a joy to be able to share with them.
And from the melon we had here at the house I was able to collect dozens of seeds for next year. The work that went into this season, will continue to bear fruit for years to come. It will continue to be a blessing to others.
Our Children are like that. I'm not a parent yet, but I know that they day they leave for college will be a hard day. Walking past their empty room, seeing the empty seat at the dinner table, won't be easy. And it will be a lot harder than seeing empty spaces in the garden. But at the same time I'm reminded that they aren't really going to be my children.
They are God's children, His princesses and warriors, that He has loving place in the care of my wife and I for a season. We are blessed with them to raise and train them to serve Him. But we can't keep them in the safety of the garden forever. One day they must be cut from the vine and given away. They must be sent out into the world to make a difference in it. They must be given back to God, fully handed over to His service so that they can fulfill their purpose on earth, and be a blessing to others.
To the parents who aren't yet at the harvest stage, enjoy your children. Soak up every moment you have with them. Realize that your children are a precious gift of God. Invest into them, because if you do they will be a blessing that will carry on for generations.
For those who have experienced what I talked about, thank you for being a parent. Thank you for the time and money you've invested and sacrificed for your child. My encouragement to you is to find new children to invest in. Maybe their is a teen at church that comes from a broken home, or has no home. Maybe you know of families in the community that are struggling. These are new seeds that you can invest it and watch grow. Don't be afraid to start another garden.
John Eldredge talks in The Way of the Wild Heart how the empty nest stage is not the time to run off to Florida, but the time to invest in future leaders, to share the wisdom and experience you've gained with other younger individuals. Take what you've learned as a parent, and pour it into the young couple that's just had their first baby. Be there to offer support and encouragement. Be their to give advice when it is asked for. Be their when they go through the harvest stage.
Above all, remember your children aren't really yours. They are God's, and He has lovingly entrusted them to you. Remember the song, "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world." And in Matthew 18 Jesus warns about causing little ones to stumble.
If God has blessed you to be a parent take the responsibility seriously. You must weed out the bad influences that threaten to block the light of truth from them. You must water then with love, and provide nourishing fertilizer so that they can grow strong and healthy. And you must protect them from the birds and squirrels that will try to eat them alive. Watch and care for them as they grow, fill them with the truth of God, and then when they are ready, pick them and send them out to fulfill His will.
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
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