Establish the Work of their Hands
It has taken a lot of effort to get this bunch to work with their hands. Many arguments. Countless conversations. Continual reminders. Inconsistent rewards. Maybe a little bribing. And far too many frustrating parenting moments.
They just don’t like to work.
They’re easily distracted.
They’d rather pick up electronics.
Their dad envisions with his creative mind a different way of living, a redeemed way of using land, a slower pace to life. And then he works hard to see those dreams fulfilled for his family. A part of that dream is working alongside his sons and daughters.
Their hands and ideas contributing to the work in process.
He doesn’t just want his children to work out of obedience. He wants them to make the vision part of their own.
It’s a slow journey. There’s a patience involved in the shaping of their hearts, in the passing down of family dreams, in the forming of a love for labor.
They’re slowly coming along. Willingly setting aside screens. Offering assistance. Joining in with more grateful hearts. Partnering in the creative work. Sustaining a pace for longer lengths of time.
We are thankful.
Our prayer is that God establishes the work of their hands. That he enables them in redemptive activity, propels them toward faithful engagement with all of His creation.
May they love people. Care for animals. Toil the ground. Restore what is broken. Grow and create. Serve who & what is in need. Bury what is lost. Partner with God in his activity.
For these are the treasures worth storing up. The stories they will want to tell. The skills worth investing in. The activities that nourish our whole beings.
This is where the physical and spiritual collide to create the beautiful.
