I had often heard of people referring to their dogs as "fur babies". Honestly, I thought it was silly. I also thought it was silly to compare dogs to children. Think about it...what if I chose one day to feed our four kids twice a day, water them and then put them in their crate...the Department of Social Services would be making a visit. Now, I must admit the thought of tossing them in a crate a time or two has briefly crossed my mine...seriously though if we look solely at this comparison then clearly they are not the same.
As Paul Harvey would say, "And here is the rest of the story"...random I know...for me too...in the midst of Proverbs the voice of Paul Harvey enters my mind...back to my point. Then we have the discipline and unconditional love. It's been about a year since we picked up Miss Pearl and brought her into our family. Much like my first baby, I looked at her all snuggled up in my arms and thought to myself, "what in the world am I going to do with you." Much like my babies, by the time we got her home that evening Miss Pearl had bonded with me and made me her mama.
Whether it is "paws off" or "hands off", it is still that ongoing training and discipline that is so important to the well being of all babies even the furry ones. Proverbs 22:6 is one of those verses that we all know by heart. When I think of the word "train", I think of discipline...but honestly, there is more to it than just the discipline or at least I think there is.
When it comes to "training up our children", I desire nothing more than for them to grow strong in their relationship with the Lord, to always be themselves and to be good to others. I think sometimes we forget that even after we have children and we become the "trainers", we are still in training ourselves. God continues to train us each day. So just because we think we go up, we never really do...we are always God's children and His training never ends. We are always learning more of what God wants for us. I am so thankful for His kindness and patience with me. I pray that He will always continue to train me because much like our five children, I still have a lot to learn. No way I could do this life without Him.
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