God's plan is for work,
For me and for you,
Each one in the family,
Has something to do!
This little poem is in one of our favorite Little Jewel books, "God Gives us Work". It has become a little source of encouragement around our house. It is a wonderful reminder that we each play an important role in making family life pleasant, edifying and fruitful.
"And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing." 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12Having a good attitude about work is something that has always been important to us as parents, and something we have worked to instill in our children. Especially with having sons, it is important that they understand the value of working hard. God willing, these little boys will one day be big men with families of their own to provide for.
We have had great opportunities lately for teaching hard work. We are just beginning our little homestead here, and so there is much to be done! This week we have been working on our chicken house. We had a hog farrowing house that hasn't been used for many years, and it seemed like just the right place to house chickens. There were old pieces of wood, and scraps of metal and who knows what else piled inside. Someone had dumped mounds of dirt inside two of the stalls, and so we had to level back out the floor. Most of the windows needed to be covered in new chicken wire, and there were some cracks that also needed to be covered. We are also planning to put up a fence to make a little yard for the hens. Needless to say there has been (and still is!) quite a bit of work to do!
The chickens are going to be a huge lesson in teaching responsibility to the children. They are going to help with feeding and watering, egg gathering and cleaning the hen house. The boys are excited about the challenge ahead!
On Wednesday afternoon, Jacob and I worked outside pulling overgrown ivy off of the front of our house. We trimmed back bushes, and cleared out a large bed for planting. We worked
hard. I was impressed with how hard he was willing to work. Near the end he was beginning to get tired and complaining a bit about when would we be done. At that point I was quite tired myself. It occurred to me that this was the time when real lessons were learned. He knew that I was also tired. Would he see me give in to that, throw down my tools and go inside? Or would he see me push through and finish the task at hand? Would we leave our tools and yard waste laying about, or would we push through and clean it all up despite our aching backs and tired hands? We can talk all that we want about what we should do, but
these are the moments where lessons are truly learned and most effectively taught. I told him that I was tired too, but explained the importance of doing a job right. We pushed through, and were both so pleased to sit back and see the work we had done!
It has been so neat lately to see how the early years of child training are beginning to bear fruit. In the beginning, teaching your children to work with you is more about principle than actual help. But now, he is getting bigger and stronger, and his "help" is actual real help! There were quite a few vines that we had pulled together, and I'm not sure I could have done it without his help. He was working with me, side by side, and his help was such a blessing. He carried big vines and bush branches off to the wooded area, he pulled vines and helped rake up leaves. All the while I kept encouraging him about what a help he was. After our work was done, I really enjoyed sitting with him and smiling together about a job well done!
"Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul." Proverbs 29:17Jacob is especially excited about our garden, and has asked for his own little garden spot. I am excited to see how he will do!
Children really are such a blessing!
In His Precious Name,
Jacob has been asking a lot of questions about faith lately. Really good questions! He's always been the type to seek knowledge and understanding, even from a very early age. But, lately his questions have been deep and challenging!
