Weeding with your kids is an opportunity for deep conversation, reflection, teaching and training in the discipline of work ethic.

The most common complaint from children when weeding…

I hate these weeds, they are prickly… they are a nuisance.

The most common question among children when weeding…

WHY? WHY MOM? WHY ARE THERE WEEDS?  WHY DID GOD HAVE TO MAKE WEEDS?

weedsI love it!  These are the kinds of conversations I simply love while weeding with all the kiddos. Such opportunity for teaching and training their perspectives, heart attitudes and understanding of the scriptures with relation to real life!

I love hearing the older children pitch in to give their answers. All together, contributing to answering the questions of the younger ones. What is so fantastic about the younger ones questions is that they often ask the most simply questions that have the deepest reflection. Questions that maybe we ourselves never really asked or thought about.

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
    and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you,
    ‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
    in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
    and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
    you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
    for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
    and to dust you shall return.”
Genesis 3:17-19 (ESV, emphasis mine)

I love that, when having discussions with the children, even when we might not have the answer, God’s Word always does. Our responsibility as parents is to know the Word of God so that we can fully utilize this tool God has provided us.

So the ANSWER: God cursed the ground when Adam sinned, making thorns and thistles to grow in the ground. Just as childbirth is still painful, there are still weeds in the ground.

Question #2:  But didn’t Jesus die for our sins? If he died for our sins why are there still weeds?

Awesome Question isn’t it?  Answer: “Yes, honey, Jesus did die for our sins, but we still sin don’t we? His blood covers our sins and justifies us before God so that we may enter His presence and go to Heaven. However, weeds still exist, just like how we still sin.  We still struggle with original sin. Weeds we one of the punishments for original sin. As long as original sin exists… there will be weeds.

Question #3: Well we are Christians and we try not to sin, so why do we have soooooo many weeds? Why don’t we have a little bit, it’s not fair.

Answer: We may try not to sin, but we still do don’t we? We are not any “better” than anyone else;  and the weeds are our reminder of that truth. Every-time we see a weed we should be reminded of our humanity our sinful nature and be led to repent. We need Jesus to save us because we are sinners.

We have had many “WHYs” at our house as I am sure you have to!  I just love the why question. My first 2 children didn’t ask why very much and I always wished they did. Now we have many “whys”!  I want to encourage you moms and dads. When your child asks why, don’t get annoyed! Instead, look at it as an opportunity to teach and train and led them to Christ and to His Word!

God Bless!

Angie and the Kids

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