Faith like Potatoes

That was the title of a movie, but it made me think of our venture in planting potatoes.  They were planted a few months ago, and we were getting restless waiting on them to mature. I had learned from experience before that you have to wait until they bloom and then wait until the leaves wither.

The other day I happened to see the picture of a tub of potatoes we grew from a year or two ago. It was dated June 27, I think. Anyway, the date prodded me to think ours might be ready. True to form, the leaves were withered (mostly), so one day I dragged out a shovel to dislodge our prize.

Wow! That was hard work! Especially when the ground was hard! I gave up until another day when my spouse would help me.  He also discovered how hard the soil was, so we decided to soften up the earth by pouring water on and soaking the dirt.

Yesterday we took the plunge and attempted to dig some potatoes. The ground was still dry and hard, but we managed to unearth a few gems. Unfortunately, they were still pretty small, so we decided to wait a little longer.

In the movie, the man's faith grew with the growth and success of his potatoes.  We have faith in our venture, too.

I got to thinking about how raising children is a lot like growing potatoes. They start out as helpless, appealing little darlings we are gifted with, and as we watch them grow, we have the opportunity and responsibility to help shape our little "taters" into people who bless the world.  We might have to buff off the rough edges of the little lumps of joy as they grow, learn and are affected by life.

They have good roots from the ground up, and it is up to us to "bring up a child in the way it should go." They, too have to develop their faith, not only in their parents, but in a relationship with God, the God who made them and the world and everything that is in it. Even the potatoes!