When hubby and I were in Arizona, USA, a few years ago, a certain Cactus plant caught my eyeand it was so tall I actually saw one the height of which is comparable to a 3-storey house! Referred to as the state flower of Arizona, the magnificent Saguaro Cactus is composed of a tall, thick, fluted, columnar stem, 18 to 24 inches in diameter, often with several large branches (arms) curving upward in the most distinctive conformation of all Southwestern cacti. The skin is smooth and waxy, the trunk and stems have stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. When water is absorbed , the outer pulp of the Saguaro can expand like an accordion, increasing the diameter of the stem and, in this way, can increase its weight by up to a ton.
It was so abundant, more in number than any plant or tree that I've ever seen in that place. It was said that the slow growth and great capacity of the Saguaro to store water allow it to flower every year, regardless of rainfall, growing more commonly, 5 arms! And I got to thinking, parenting is a slow transformation that it is so easy to be impatient to get there as fast as you can. Nonetheless, this slow growth like the saguaro enables us to develop a great capacity to develop our character, to increase in patience and endurance, to maximize our strengths. We need all these to bring our young into the world which will oppose them more than support them. We need to equip them with tools that will protect them from an overwhelming society that upholds selfishness. Like the saguaro, we need to give these 5 arms or weapons of Obedience to God, Love for His Word, Wisdom, Humility and Service to others.
Parenting is a gradual internal and external process. As parents, we should be able to nourish and mature before we can effectively raise children under our care. The internal component is us growing to be like Jesus and that is what will come out externally as we set principles which will guide our children to be like Jesus too. Walk the talk. More is caught than taught.
It was so abundant, more in number than any plant or tree that I've ever seen in that place. It was said that the slow growth and great capacity of the Saguaro to store water allow it to flower every year, regardless of rainfall, growing more commonly, 5 arms! And I got to thinking, parenting is a slow transformation that it is so easy to be impatient to get there as fast as you can. Nonetheless, this slow growth like the saguaro enables us to develop a great capacity to develop our character, to increase in patience and endurance, to maximize our strengths. We need all these to bring our young into the world which will oppose them more than support them. We need to equip them with tools that will protect them from an overwhelming society that upholds selfishness. Like the saguaro, we need to give these 5 arms or weapons of Obedience to God, Love for His Word, Wisdom, Humility and Service to others.
Parenting is a gradual internal and external process. As parents, we should be able to nourish and mature before we can effectively raise children under our care. The internal component is us growing to be like Jesus and that is what will come out externally as we set principles which will guide our children to be like Jesus too. Walk the talk. More is caught than taught.
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