Mark stood gazing at the long rows of cabbage and tomato plants emerging from the moist seedbeds in his newly constructed greenhouse. Spring was a wonderful time. The anticipation of growing sturdy, healthy plants to be transported into other soil inspired Mark to be the best of growers.

Mark learned all he could from other, more experienced, growers. He studied articles and books about greenhouse growing. He discovered what worked and what didn’t work. He learned how important it is to pay attention to small details.

Plant nutrition is number one to produce hardy plants. He learned about soil fertility, trace minerals and their benefits. He learned the role of organic matter and soil acidity.

Mark was careful about his plants’ environment. Maintaining the right temperature is exceedingly important. The right amount of moisture is also crucial. He learned the role of sunlight and insect control.

Mark is a Christian. He believes in a God who created the universe with all its marvelous functions. He believes in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, who came to save sinners like himself. He believes in God’s Word, the Bible. From it, he has learned God’s wisdom and moral ethics that stand good as he faces the responsibilities and circumstances of life. Mark believes God wants him to do his best in whatever he does – including the greenhouse work.

Mark is also a parent. He has a lovely wife and six children. As Mark tends his greenhouse, he can’t help comparing his role as a father to his occupation of growing plants and healthy produce.

Stable, successful homes require careful planning and diligent effort just as managing a greenhouse does. As he ponders his role as husband and father, he asks himself if he is giving his work with his family his best. Is he
providing a safe moral structure and wholesome atmosphere for his growing family? Mark decided to list his moral priorities on paper. He outlined what would constitute a safe environment for his family.

Godly Principles

• I will teach my family that God made the world and claims ownership of all, including their lives (Genesis 1). “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1).
• God’s ownership delegates to me a stewardship for which I must give account. “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).
• God loves His world and desires a relationship with each of His children. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
• God’s holy laws are found in the Bible. I will teach and live by God’s laws. “Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart” (Psalm 119:111).
• I can only live God’s law as I yield my life to Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me” (John 15:4).
• As much as possible, I will establish family worship of God, a time and a place where we gather as a family to read the Bible and pray. “[Abram] went on his journeys . . . unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD” (Genesis 13:3, 4).
• With God’s help I will strive to be a worthy example of godly living for my family. “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned [unpretended]” (1 Timothy 1:5).

A Safe Environment

• I will provide a structured order of headship and authority maintained by love and acceptance, loving and caring for my wife and children. I will honor my wife as mother and queen of the family. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).
• I will provide safe educational opportunities for my children in which Biblical values, ethics, and godly behavior patterns are established (Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 4:10-13).
• I will guard my home against the evils of television, the Internet, DVDs, cell phones, pornography, and any other morally degrading influences. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18).
• I will surround my family with friends and associates that share our values. “[Be] a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate” (Titus 1:8).
• I will be an active participant in a church brotherhood that maintains Bible standards. “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
• I will give a listening ear to the struggles and difficulties my children face as they cope with challenges that come with maturing age.
• I will teach my children to be givers rather than takers, to be servants rather than lords, to be useful rather than useless, to develop their God-given abilities and use them for the benefit of humanity. “Let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful” (Titus 3:14).

As Mark reviewed his beliefs and his commitments to do his best as a parent, he felt insufficient for the task. He needed God’s help. Parenting, like tending a greenhouse, requires diligent planning and hard work. Both would be a failure if pursued carelessly.

Mark bowed his head and thanked God for His merciful kindness. He knew that God would bless him in his efforts to raise a family for God. He could not ask for a greater blessing. He prayed that he could encourage others to experience this blessing.

Mark’s experience can be your experience! Turn your life over to Jesus Christ, read the Bible, and apply its teaching to your life and to your family.

–J. Martin