Jeremiah 12:1-14:10
1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:8
Psalm 79:1-13
Proverbs 24:30-34
30 I went past the field of a sluggard,
past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
31 thorns had come up everywhere,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.
32 I applied my heart to what I observed
and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
34 and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
- Proverbs 24:30-34
It's easy to think today's reading from Proverbs is about work - about farming a vineyard, in fact. And it certainly would seem to be. On further reflection, however, it would seem relevant to any number of areas in our lives. The area that came to mind today was a parent's relationship with his child.
There is a system to planting grapes. While they may grow wild, they do not grow well in those conditions. The farmer has to know his vines - when they have to be watered, pruned, sometimes even just left alone, the farmer trusting God for the bounty of the harvest.
The same is true of relationships with our children. While they may grow in the wild, they do not grow well in those conditions. Like the vines, parents need to get to know their children. Let them speak - and listen. Observe them. Learn when they are to be nurtured, to be disciplined, sometimes even just left alone, trusting God for the bounty of their lives and your relationship.
But let us not delay. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and they are no longer children, their lives cultivated by others and other influences, and all we will be left with is the poverty and scarcity of relationship we might have been able to enjoy.
Father, give us the wisdom to realize that our children do not grow by chance. Give us intentionality and purpose, to cultivate relationships with them that we might enjoy the bountiful harvest of joyful lives together.
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