I was talking with a cousin this morning. We were discussing how some children we knew had been and are being "raised"; and how some just let their children "grow up".
I then thought of this, I am sure it is not original from me. In other words I am sure I have heard something like it before. Anyways, I said some things like this.......
Well, you have to "raise" children, you can not just "let them grow up". and I gave this as an example..... it's like a grape vine, you buy it, plant it and then you nurture it, you fertilize it (feed it), you prune it when it grows out its bounds, you always try to promote new growth and get rid of the old stuff that is hard and tough .... you keep the weeds and briers from growing up in it that would eventually choke it...and as you nurture it, it grows and produces good fruit..... on the other hand.... you buy a grape vine and you plant it......... and you leave it to itself .... it just grows up .... but, if it gets entangled with the briers ..... it is hard to get to the fruit, and not having been pruned and fertilized that fruit may not be good ....... or maybe part of it grows up into a tree, there the fruit is out of everyone's reach and is of no benefit to anyone..... and eventually that vine will choke the tree to death...... or maybe it grows up and just winds around itself going nowhere, and becoming a clump in which weeds start to grow and eventually choke the vine .......... so think about children then........ you have a child, you can either "raise" him/her or you can "let him/her "grow up"....... you can give guidance or just "let 'em figure it out for themselves".
oh this cousin is thinking of having children.... thus the reason for the conversation...
ok.......... now let me get of the soap box.....
May God bless and keep you all
in the shelter of His mighty,
and loving arms, and may
your hearts all be filled
with His sweet peace
and wondrous love.