"Good parents give their children Roots and Wings." Roots, to be firmly established and grounded in love. and wings to fly and reach heights beyond your expectations.
Psalm 1 tells us that the man is blessed who does not walk in the council of the ungodly, nor stands with sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But rather delights in and meditates on the law of the Lord.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
The roots of a strong faith, a loving family, parents committed
to one another,enable a child to grow into a grounded and confident adult. To dare to dream dreams and know that the home team is cheering. Always supporting and encouraging. This child reaches for goals that we as parents may have never dreamed of.
WingsSee how the Eagle soars! Such grace, such freedom, such confidence! He has trust in his abilities, his skill and he knows he has a firm and protected base to return to. He dares to soar out beyond the line of vision and try new pastures.
As parents, though we have invested many years, many tears, many prayers into the raising of our children, our job is not done until we have rooted and grounded them firmly enough to let them go. They are going to make mistakes, they are going to make decisions we do not agree with. They know what we believe on things. that our life and faith is grounded in the Word of God, yet they will at times make contrary choices. But if they know that we are behind them, upholding them in prayer, loving them, then they will spread their wings and fly!
Ah, there are reams that could be written about the does and don'ts of child rearing. From catechizing to spanking, not supporting our children in sinful lifestyles, not holding on, not letting go,..... but just for now think of
Roots and Wings!
This couldn't be more a more timely post Ruby. It blessed me so much. You are familiar with some of my difficulties of late, so thank you, thank you...
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you :)
This is good.
ReplyDeleteAlways supporting, always loving, always trusting, always hoping, always praying.
Quite a challenge there.
Mom used to say, "You raise 'em to lauch 'em." I miss my mother, even though she has been gone thirty years! One day I can tell her thank you in person in Heaven.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteCarol, that is sweet still missing your mother. I am very thankful to have had mine for so long. Can't imagine how that will be when she goes. Perhaps she will outlive me!
Just to add,
These thoughts on this little quote are idealistic. I know from bittler life experience that children do make very poor discisions, just as we did at times. I know that I have not been able to be all those things all of the time. But it is a good goal to aim for.
Good morning Ruby,
ReplyDeleteSome parents invest many years in raising their children - others pass them on to grandparents. Sometimes animals are nicer than people - my cat loves me unconditionally!
My fondest memories are of my nanna, who raised me for the majority of my childhood years. My mother-in-law died at 92.5 years, and she loved me and I miss her very much.
Perhaps I shall post about my nan - she was delightful and gave me most of my values. :D
Have a wonderful week,
Blessings, Jillian ♥
Jillian,
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear of your Nan.
It is true that some, in fact many, children do not have the advantage of a "Roots and Wings" style of upbring. It is such a blessing for those who have been raised by loving grandparents or adoptive or foster parents, when their own parents have not been able to do so.
Isn't this one of the amazing things about knowing the Lord? No matter what upbringing we have had, God can and does change lives. I love that phrase (as can be observed by my regualr use of it!) BUT GOD....
We should not despair if we have not had the ideal, nor if we have not been able to provide it to our children. It is never too late with God!
(I do agree that pets are often the most faithful of creatures we will know!)
My mum said her knees were wore out from always being on them pray for us children (4 kids) even though we had grown up and left home and had children of our own.
ReplyDeleteRuby, sadly so many parents don't do anything (don't care enough) and then wonder why they have problems. However in saying this, I have a problem son who keeps me praying hard and long (God doesn't want my journey to be easy otherwise I might not lean on him as much). He is a gorgeous 17 year old that seems to find problems.
Thanks for your wisdom Ruby. I am finding even with the older children that prayers from us parents never stops. Ever. I suppose they are always our children so it's only natural to pray for them. All the time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this Ruby. I am sure aliens have abducted my beautiful teenage daughter and replaced her with a clone who is rude, disrespectful, disobedient and sometimes violent. I almost told her to leave my house today, but instead just closed my eyes and prayed.
ReplyDeleteThis is so lovely. Thank you Ruby.
ReplyDeleteMany of us often find that our own family has been lacking in providing the foundations and then the freedom we each need. I'm glad we can find comfort in knowing our true Father and mother (the church) gives everyone their true, proper grounding, so we can experience the real nurturing we need and then pass that on to our children. Let's hope they take heed to the lessons learnt too (because, deep down, I'm sure they do!)