May 2 Home Communicator – Parenting is hard. I love my children dearly, but my wife and I find ourselves struggling at times to know how to lay the best foundations for them in Christ and not “mess it up” too badly. We hurt when our children hurt, and we want to help them whenever we can. Under our care, we desire them to grow deep roots while leaning on Christ and navigating a world that appears to be more complex by the day. We cannot do it alone. We need help along the way.
Philip Gulley wrote a devotional entitled “Growing Roots”. Mr. Gulley shared that as he was growing up, he watched his neighbor, old Doctor Gibbs, plant trees on his 10-acre yard. The kind doctor had some interesting theories for planting trees that flew against conventional horticultural wisdom. He never watered his new trees because he felt they would form deeper roots. He would often take a rolled-up newspaper and wack them with it to “toughen the tree up.” Years later, the author, Mr. Gulley, planted his own new trees, watering them and giving them special attention for two years. Recently, he went back past Doctor Gibbs’ yard and saw that the trees had grown big and robust, while his own trees struggled to make it past the cold winds of winter and the heat of summer. Mr. Gulley concluded that adversity and deprivation seemed to benefit Doctor Gibbs’ trees in ways comfort and ease never could.
The author went on to say that every night he prays over his two sleeping sons. He had mostly been praying that their lives would be easy and free from hardship. But after thinking more about the lesson learned from Doctor Gibbs’ trees, he’s changed his prayer. He concludes,
“Because life is tough, whether we want it to be or not, I’m going to pray that my son’s roots grow deep, so they can draw strength from the hidden sources of the Eternal God. Too many times we pray for ease, but that’s a prayer seldom answered. What we need to do is pray for roots that grow deep into the eternal God, so when rain falls and the winds blow, we won’t be swept under.”
None of us as parents want our children’s lives to be difficult, but more importantly, we want our children to have a foundation of faith in our God that will be there for them as they go through life. May God continue to use your home, your church, and Hudsonville Christian School to create that foundation for them.
Devon Brinks, Superintendent
The full Home Communicator can be found at this link: May 2 Home Communicator
