I love plants that climb on trellis. Grapes, climbing roses, cucumbers, beans and peas all love to climb. Their need for structures to hold and climb creates lovely visual interest in the garden and they also make wonderful word pictures.  Peas, which have tendrils, are so amazing to watch. From the moment they are about 3 inches tall they send out little tendrils like arms and support themselves so they can continue to grow. The tendrils reach out for the trellis provided and the grab hold and then grow upward. They continue this climb and then once statisfied begin to send out the pods for eating that are dangling far above the hunrgy mouths of slugs and other ground bugs.

 Just starting to hold on.
 Pea tendril reaches for rope.
 
 Holding on!
 
 Pea pod for eating.

One summer when the triplets where small (3 or so) I planted a vigorous climbing bean called a scarlet beans. They did not have tendrils but the leaves grew up and I would have to go out daily to twist and turn them on the trellis. If left alone I am certain that plant would have reached for the moon trying to grab a hold of anything for stability. Having three-year-old triplets I instantly saw a parallel to my devotion to training my beloved Scarlet beans. It was much like guiding my children and reminded me of the constant daily directing of our little people.

We set trellises in our garden for peas to climb on and we set limits and boundaries in our childrens lives. We do this for the better of the plant and for the benefit of our children. Many times we set limits or restrictions for our children because we don’t want them to make the same mistakes we made. Other times you may not have gone through something but the Bible is clear on the matter so you guide them in another direction (towards the trellis) so they will grow straight and strong.

The Bible says in Proverbs 22: 3-6 “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life. Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them. Train a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” 

Wow, what a powerful word full of clear direction and promise. It seems to me parenting is a privilege full of wonderful opportunity for guiding and directing. I looked up the word train in Hebrew and what I found was very interesting. It means to narrow, initiate or discipline: -dedicate, train up. Look a little further and it means to be narrow, by implication to throttle or reflexively to choke oneself to death (by a rope). Please note, I am not saying nor is the Hebrew here advocating that you should choke your kids to death! On the contrary I think that its meaning goes into the heart of what the young adult feels in his heart when you are disciplining them or saying “no” to something that could cause them harm. They may say to you, “you are killing my dream” or they may feel you are reining them in and not letting them “Experience life”. You are like I was with the Scarlet beans “training the vines” to go straight on the trellis. You see down below the thorns and snares, they do not. 

It is a wonderful challenge and a constant dedication training these gifts that God has given to us. It takes vigilance, patience, creativity, God’s strength, perseverance, and much more. In the end there is fruit and you will get to enjoy with your children the promised blessing of riches, honor and life. 

I thank God daily for the grace He gives to John and I to train our children. They need a lot of instruction and guidance. I delight in training peas and delight in climbing plants; I must remember our children are just like that! May we stand dedicated to training them up with joy and rejoice when we see the fruit that God will bring in their lives because of His grace.

Dorene