Growing Olives, Growing Children

The Bible states that our children will be like olive plants around our table. I wondered why God would use an olive plant to describe children. I began researching olive plants and found that they are rare plants that can grow well in coastal climate environments, such as the Mediterranean, South Africa, Australia and some parts of California.

They grow slowly and require a long, hot growing season to properly ripen. Olive plants can grow when neglected, but they don't grow very well. A deep, monthly watering is recommended for maximum growth potential. As a result of researching olive plants, I began to see the reason God used them in His word to describe our children.

Olive plants, like children, grow well in the right kind of environment. And as their parents, we are responsible for creating that environment. This is a key parenting principle because our environment colors the view we have of ourselves, others and the life around us. Therefore, parents must spend the time necessary to create an environment where our children receive the Word of God, prayer, encouragement and affirmation needed to grow and flourish, thus producing good fruit themselves.

Honestly, we all have been guilty of not spending enough time with our children or doing something else while we are supposedly spending time with them. But we are being held accountable for what we are pouring into our children. No one should have more influence on a child than God and that child's parents.

You may be saying, "But I don't have time, I've got too much on my plate." Then maybe it's time to clean the plate. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you have to drop everything that doesn't involve your child. But I am saying that it is your responsibility to remove the unnecessary things that fill up your time. You and I are responsible for creating an environment where our olive plants can grow and thrive, reaching their fullest potential.

You may be thinking, "Where do I start, how do I begin?" The best place to start is in the Word of God! Ephesians 6:4 states, Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the nurture and instruction of the Lord.

Begin by speaking love to them. If you do not already do so, begin by saying you love them every day. Reinforce that love by spending some real time with them. This may mean you need to turn off the TV and reconnect with your children. Find out what they are interested in, start building a relationship with them, and make a conscious effort to show that you care about them and their interests.

Here are some suggestions for growing your olive plants:

1) Review your day. Determine how much time your olive plant spends alone, with others, or with the TV. Then determine how much time you spend with your olive plant. Set a daily goal to spend quality time with your olive plant either doing an activity, or just talking.

2) Each day, ask your child about their day. For example, “What did you learn?” “Who did you play with?” Or if you have teenagers, just ask "How was your day?" Now, you may have to probe deeper in order for them to give you some information. But if you have younger children, starting with this pattern of talking about their day engages them and causes them to develop a closer relationship with you. It becomes a normal routine for them, so when they are teenagers, those lines of open communication have already been established.

3) Encourage scripture memory. Encourage them to memorize one scripture a month, and find ways to use that scripture weekly. Talk with them about the scripture, and remind them of the scripture when dealing with issues they are facing. Always remind them of God's love. As we discussed earlier, this can be started as young as 2 or 3 years old.

Scripture Of The Day: “Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine, in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants, all around your table.” - Psalm 128:3 (NKJV)