Sweet Potatoes Make Strong Christians

I've been planting sweet potatoes this week. Purple and orange potatoes. I've grown my own slips before but I met a young dad and his daughter selling these. I'd never heard of purple sweet potatoes, so I had to give them a try.

You know, sweet potatoes don't come from seeds. You have to sprout them from another sweet potato. Then you break off the slips and plant them to get more potatoes. Christian families are kind of like that. The children have to grow up under our guidance, from our own tuber or roots in our little gardens. We can't just scatter a little knowledge and expect our children to grow into strong Christians. There must be that home foundation that is the mother plant for growing our children in the Lord. One day they will be ready to break away from us to grow families of their own. We want them to be strong in the Lord to prepare a Christian home for our grandchildren.

So how can we be sure we are grounding our children. A little Sunday School and a little preaching won't be enough. We must daily instill the Word in our children. The first way to grow strong children is by our actions. Are we honest in our dealings with others? Is our day filled with joy or complaints or even anger? Are we truthful with others and with our children? Do we keep our promises? Are our children working along side us or do we put them off in their rooms to play? Are they helping us with the cooking and cleaning or sitting with the iPad? Is there family alter time at the end of the day or the beginning of each day?

Growing another crop of sweet potatoes depends on the quality of the tuber the slips are grown from. Growing another generation of Christians depends on the quality and quantity of time we put into the lives of our children.

May we all tend our little gardens well. 

Blessings,

Gail

Hey Kids:

Have you ever grown sweet potatoes?

Place a sweet potato in a jar that holds about a pint.

Fill the jar about 3/4 full with water.

Place toothpicks or skewers around the middle of the potato.

Place one end of the potato down in the water, resting the toothpicks/skewers on the side of the jar. Hold it over the sink in case some of the water runs over the side of the jar. 

Place the jar in a sunny window. In a couple of weeks you will see sprouts with leaves rising from the sides of the potato. 

As these sprouts begin to form little roots you may break them off of the potato and place them in rich soil to grow a crop of sweet potatoes for that great Thanksgiving pie.

Now try imagining how you grow from your parents' guidance to become strong a Christian. 

Are you drinking from the Water of Life?

Are you reaching for the Son?

Are you putting down roots into the good ground of God's Word so you will be ready when it's time to break away and start your own family? 

May you be blessed by God's leading.