Our children - little apples of Gold

If you've read my blog at Family Tracks, you know about IKE blowing through our town. Over 300,000 people in Ohio were without power. Debris was everywhere. I was one of the lucky ones with power. Unfortunately I didn't have Internet, cable or phones for several days.

Before I could roll my trash can to the street I had to carve a path through hundreds of apples that had fallen off our tree. They covered our driveway and many had been smashed when my husband left for work.

I grabbed a rake and began pushing them to the side. I felt as though I was in an apple rodeo. I'd have 10 or 15 in the claws of my rake but as I pushed them to the side, 4 or 5 would break loose and make a run for the slope in the driveway. It wasn't long until 40-50 were at the end of the driveway and several made it to the middle of the street. No problem, right? Just get behind them and do the golf thing. Hit them for all it's worth and send them sailing up the driveway into the pile.

Golf - no way. Pool - maybe. Most of them made it 1/2 to 1/4 up the driveway and then rolled back down. The few that did go sailing hit the pile of apples and sent them spinning in all directions as if the cue ball had just hit dead center......and of course that sent another 50 or so down the driveway.

Since my back wasn't doing so well, I didn't want the repetitive action of picking each apple up. The only way to get them to the top of the hill was if I raked them to the side of the driveway and then up the grass. Those pesky little apples needed something to hang on to in order to make it up the driveway - they just couldn't do it alone. I felt sorry for the ones that escaped my guidance and were smushed in the road by passing cars.

It made me think of our children. If you'll notice the first picture - in the middle of all those apples is a bird's nest. I'm so glad it's fall and that in all probability the little ones housed in that nest are grown and gone. But it reminded me that our children need to have the comfort of our nest. They need to be shielded from storms and wind. They need to know that even when the world dishes out everything it can in order to rattle their resolve; our children can return home and find peace, comfort and love.

It breaks my heart to watch shows like Supernanny. How awful for children to feel lost in their own homes, to be struggling alone without the proper love, training and peace that parents are supposed to give. The other side of that however, is that parents need the love and support of their children as well.

When the home is at it's best, parents aren't trying to play golf or pool with their children. When problems arise they aren't trying to "send them sailing" up a hill.

Instead, they provide guidance. They ease them to the sidelines and guide them up the hill, holding their hands the entire way.

And the children....they are protected by their parent's guidance. They aren't alone in the middle of the road facing the tires of an oncoming car. They aren't flying full force into the piles of unguided children at school. Instead, they are guided by the loving rake and the cool grass of their parent's wisdom. That wisdom builds a bond that can't be broken and will cause the child to forever desire their parent's love.

When you choose to guide instead of provoke, your little Apples of Gold will have the chance to become all they were designed to be.

Seeking His Wisdom

Debbie