This morning I woke up thinking about children. In the Bible, children are sometimes likened to tender young plants, and I thought of the tiny tomato plants we recently potted. Not all of them stood up straight at first; they needed to be planted into good soil, gently watered, and trained with a gentle and patient hand. With that kind of care, their little stems gained strength, their leaves stretched toward heaven, their roots went deeper into nourishing soil, and they've grown into strong plants and are even beginning to bear fruit.

I thought about how silly it would have been to yell at those tiny plants for being so flimsy, or to impatiently stick them into the soil, or worse, toss them onto the soil and throw up our hands hopelessly, saying these plants will never amount to anything. That's ridiculous. No one would do that with a tiny tomato seedling. Yet people do that with their children.

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. {Ephesians 6:4}

What does it mean to "bring them up"? The Greek word is /ektrephō/, which means "to rear up to maturity, that is, (generally) to cherish or train: - bring up, nourish". Cherish. Train. Nourish. These speak of meeting needs, and children have a lot of needs.

We must cherish them to meet their emotional needs.

We must train them to meet their spiritual needs.

We must nourish them to meet their physical needs.

How can children grow up right, if their needs are not met? How can they learn to be kind to others, if they are not treated with kindness as they grow? How can they learn to tolerate others' shortcomings, if they are not allowed the the same grace? How can they learn to do a job well, if they are never given opportunities to try, to fail in a safe environment, to build confidence, and then to succeed?

When parents provide the secure, loving, nourishing environment that little ones need, they can grow up to maturity and produce the good fruit that we long to see.

I remember the days when one of my little boys would streak through the livingroom after bathtime, naked and without a thought about it. As a toddler, he had no sense of modesty whatsoever, as should be expected from a little one.

Over time, he became aware of what nakedness is and started to keep himself covered up. He realized (with little help from us) the inherent shame of being naked, and actually preferred to cover his body. I thank God for it, because we learn from the Garden of Eden that it is right and proper to cover ourselves in this fallen world.

Ah, the slow awakening of a child's conscience! It is the parent's help in raising them to be God-fearing and holy (set-apart). We should never, ever violate that sense of modesty by dressing them in skimpy clothes because it's "cute" or because the weather's hot.

But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. (Matthew 18:6)

That word "offend" doesn't mean what people think it means. It does not mean to cause vexation or annoyance. Here it means to entrap, scandalize, entice to sin. To offend a little one means to train him/her to sin!

Let us consider Biblical guidelines for modesty when dressing our littlest ones, too.

An old friend of mine has got me to thinking about Lazarus, and his sisters Mary and Martha. They are mentioned several times in the gospels, and were very good friends of the Lord Jesus. They lived in Bethany, which was located just about two miles from Jerusalem.

This is the Mary who anointed Jesus with expensive ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair. This is the same Martha who toiled in the kitchen, complaining to the Lord that her sister had left her to do all the work. Both sisters expressed the tiniest smidge of doubt when their brother Lazarus had died and Jesus showed up four days "late," so they thought. It makes me smile when I think of how I can relate to these very human people!

With all their quirks, these three, Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, had a home in which the Lord Jesus felt welcome. Several times when Jesus was in Jerusalem, pressed by crowds, selflessly ministering to people, teaching those who would listen, and being wearied by hypocritical Pharisees asking pointless questions in order to trap him with his words... we see Him at the end of the day, resorting to Bethany to rest in the house of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.

What was it about these particular people that made Jesus feel welcome in their home?

I think, first of all, they were humble. Humility is willingness to yield. Humility is the absence of pride. When humility hears a Word from the Lord, it says, "I will obey." Jesus could recognize pride immediately, and always rebuked it. No doubt Lazarus, Mary, and Martha must have been humble people.

It follows that they were also obedient. Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." A simple thing, even if it is easier said than done sometimes. There is no clearer demonstration of our love for God, than our obedience to Him.

Due to their obedience, I believe they were people who lived a holy lifestyle. Holiness is very underrated these days, and many preachers never preach about it, because it makes people uncomfortable. "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation [lifestyle]; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."

Lazarus, Mary, and Martha were not without their flaws, as we have seen. But I think the key to having a home where Jesus feels welcome is found in our heart attitudes. We should be aware of our shortcomings, willing to listen to His Word, and ready to yield and make changes as He deems best.

An attitude like that is like a big, cheery sign on the door that says, Jesus is welcome here!

How many times have you heard something like this from your child: "I'm sorry, I forgot to _____"? Or, "I forgot I wasn't supposed to _____"?

A lot? Yes, me too. I came across the following helpful article on this subject at the No Greater Joy Ministries website. Read this...

If you are a parent, hundreds of times you have stood in front of a child and heard the excuse, “I forgot,” in a weak, singsong begging voice. That is when you need the wisdom of Solomon. He is only eight years old, and his life is full of stimulation and distractions. So you reason, “It is possible that he did forget; but on the other hand, how could he forget after two hundred consecutive days of my nagging, rebuking, and threatening him every one of those exasperating days?” You may even have tried spanking several times, until you began to feel guilty in the face of his apparent sincerity: “I just forgot, Mama, please, Mama, I forgot, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again… I mean, I will try to remember.”

How do you get kids to remember and to be thankful? The same way you get a 63-year-old man to remember to wash his oatmeal pan and bowl immediately after use....

Read the rest of the article for helpful suggestions at this link: How to Get Kids to Remember (by Michael Pearl)

While the Pillsbury dough boy is pretty cute, he doesn't even compare to this little kitchen helper.


Anytime I make anything that involves dough (tortillas, in this case), and J.B. knows about it, he's right there, climbing up to the table and asking, "May I help?" He loves to mix and knead, make balls and flatten the dough.

Granted, he's really not that much help yet, but he is learning to work, and is eager to help. I don't want to squelch his desire to help out!


...Besides, how could I say no thanks to these big, brown eyes?


He's my little dough boy.

When one becomes a Christian, one has not yet "arrived". We are redeemed, bought by the blood of Jesus, and called to serve a purpose in His kingdom. What is yours?

Like many others who read here, I am called to be the help meet for a husband, and mother to our children. And while the world downplays the importance of those roles, they are still the most important roles a married woman can fulfill.

Reading from Matthew 10 this morning, I found so much encouragement that I wanted to share it! Jesus was commissioning his disciples to do a task that was humanly impossible, but He made it clear that they would never be alone. While I am not called to go out and preach and heal all manner of diseases, my calling at home is just as important in the eyes of God. (Come to think of it, I do preach a little, as well as do a little healing. ;o)

** "He gave them power" to do what He commanded them to do. Are there not times when the task seems overwhelming? Sometimes I tell myself, "I just can't do it all!!" and then I hear Someone whisper in my ear, "Then just let Me do it through you." He doesn't tell His disciples to go out and do a great work in their own power, but the power to do His will comes from the Lord. We are to seek the Source, and upon receiving, we are to spread it all over our families. If we don't seek the Source, however, in whose power do we perform the task we are called to do? Forced to draw upon our own meager resources, we soon exhaust ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually. We must not try to do God's work without God's power.

** I am to "freely give", and not hold back. Jesus said, "Freely ye have received, freely give." Wives and mothers, too, are to be a conduit of God's power and the Holy Spirit. A good word to sum up a wife & mother's calling is "Giving". This does not come naturally for most (it doesn't for me), but a woman who gives and does by faith will joyfully realize that every effort put forth to do the task is equally replenished by the Source of her strength!

** "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves." (No, the wolves aren't the children. ;o) But Satan is the wiley one that we have to watch for. Ungodly influences tend to sneak into the home and snag the hearts of our children. We are to be "wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." Be careful what music you allow into the home, what you set before their eyes, and what attitudes you allow them to harbor in their hearts. Get your wisdom from the Lord and his Word! Share it with your children.

** "It shall be given you...what ye shall speak." What power the tongue wields! With it, we can build up our families, or tear them down. Death and life are in the power of it. The virtuous wife and mother "openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness."

** "Fear ye not therefore." If God sees and takes care of the sparrow, then He certainly knows you, and cares for you! It is our loving Heavenly Father who sets the task before us, and He "knoweth our frame, that we are dust". Fear not.

** "He that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Loving the Lord supremely is not neglecting husband and children. Rather, it makes us better wives and mothers. Putting God first will always be the best thing for our families!

** "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." Many a woman today struggles with "losing" her identity, saying she wants to "have a life". Many for this reason pursue careers outside the home, preferring meeting her own wants instead of her family's needs. A Christian woman can trust that when she loses her life in Christ, therein will she find real Life!

** "And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water...shall in no wise lose his reward." Being a wife and mother often does not involve many huge, monumental tasks, but rather many small, menial tasks. Be Jesus to your family when preparing a meal, or straightening up the living room, or wiping a nose. It is not so much the enormity or "importance" of the task that concerns Him, but it is our faithfulness in the little things. Just do it in His name... there will surely be a reward!

You aren't going to believe this, but just as I published that last post, Joel squirmed a little in my lap, then made a push, and I quickly zipped him over to the trash can next to the desk, and HE WENT POTTY IN THE TRASH CAN! It happened fast, but I remembered to make the "mmmmmm" sound so that he can begin to associate the sound with the poo-poo action. I'm so excited! Maybe we can really do this.

So I've learned one important thing so far about infant potty training: Do not dress the baby in anything that takes more than three seconds to remove. :o)

Okay, well, I've been hearing a lot about this phenomenon known as infant potty training, or elimination communication, etc. And seeing I have an infant handy, I think I'm going to give it a try. Today I've just been watching Joel, who is three months old, trying to pick up on his "signals" that indicate he's going to "go". It's difficult right now, because he grunts all the time, not just when he wants to "go". But we're giving it a shot, and I will keep you posted.