“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.”

Psalm 127.3

Below is a comparison between raising children and bamboo… I found it very interesting!

Did you know that there is a certain type of bamboo that only flowers once every 120 years?

It's certainly puzzling how this plant can keep track of time, but everything 119 years before it germinates will determine how much the bamboo will bloom.  And that's a long time to wait to see the results.

In the same way, children don't always blossom on our timetable.  The love, discipline and instruction we pour into their lives cannot be immediately seen.  Our job as a parent is to prune and nourish our children in anticipation of their blooming.  And once they do, we'll see them grow rapidly into patient, loving and consistent people.

Interesting isn’t it?  The truth is that we know that God is working too… because we trust Him “by faith”.  And today as we celebrate Father’s Day in Australia, we can thank the Lord for His presence in our lives as He patiently works in us day after day, year after year.  May we pray for the fathers and men of our church to lead our families “by faith”.  And may we all enjoy the blessings of God because of it!

Happy Father’s Day!