And you, fathers...bring them up in the teaching and counsel of God (Ephesians 6:4)
When I was little, I was fooled by a big cucumber. Actually the cucumber was no different from other cucumbers, but it was in a very strange place. Uncle kept it in a bottle on the shelf. The strange cucumber was too big to fit through the neck of the bottle. I wondered, how did the cucumber get there?
I am amazed at the uncle who can do this. But actually, he was joking about it. He never told me how he did it. In the end, it was my mother who explained that when the cucumbers were very small, they were passed through the neck of the bottle and left, while the vine was on the outside. It was allowed to grow there.
My mother practiced the same principle with her children. From an early age he surrounded my life with prayer, teaching and the gospel. As a result, I was led to Christ and now I am safe in His "bottle" of salvation.
This is a lesson for parents who have "little cucumbers" at home. Don't let anyone tamper with your duties towards them. The person who says, "Give me a child until he is seven years old and then I don't need to know who he walks with" knows well the value of this early training.
Don't neglect your little cucumbers. They will soon grow big [MRD]
A PARENT'S LIFE IS A HANDBOOK FOR A CHILD
* Take from Daily Reflections