Wood for Winter

Growing up in small town North Carolina, plenty of folks heated their homes with the ‘all naturale’ wood stove. It was a joy of my upbringing to collect firewood throughout the year, cut and split whatever we scavenged or bought cheap, and then reap the benefit during the winter months. Power outage from an ice storm? No problem, we would be warm.

In East Africa where we now reside, there’s no need for heat in the homes—and that wouldn’t pair well with the grass thatch covering many rooftops—but firewood is a primary fuel source for cooking. It is common in the villages, in town, and even down South in the capital city, to see ladies, youth, and children gathering firewood and carrying it home atop their heads. The outcome: the evening or morning foods, along with bathing water, will be nice and hot!

The premise of preparation is the same for each, though one is seasonal while the other is closer to day to day or week to week. Both carry merit.

The other day one of my professors, who is also our dear friend, was talking with me about parenting. He knows our aim is to guide, direct, instruct, and demonstrably love our children with the love of Christ. He encouraged us that we were doing well as we talked through the simple questions and answers and basic Scripture passages we practice night by night with Alma, and the glad recent addition of Lewis.

He said that what we were doing was not so different from storing up wood for winter. While Alma is not able to understand everything she has learned already in her first two years, she is growing in knowledge and we are praying it would become experiential as time marches on. We trust the Lord will use these things for her nourishment and care.

From her birth, we have made family walks and conversation a priority. We read the Bible for 10-15 minutes a night, then share prayer time and a song. On our “Almy and Poppy walks” we have always practiced the alphabet, as it is my desire to help her communicate and read from a young age.

In this way, the alphabet and conversations are a form of tilling the soil, a matter of pre-evangelism. Our family times each evening is a form of pre-discipleship, helping her form norms and values from her earliest days. I want her to know our love for her in every way, and our desire to help her learn day by day.

We know that our children have to get the content of the gospel, and that is what drives my desire for Alma to see Christ for who he is and be able to communicate as best as she can at each stage of development.

We want to foster a family atmosphere where questions are welcome, where truth is supreme, where thinking and learning are highly valued, where what matters most is obvious and not obscured.

I am amazed that a few months ago Alma started picking up on some of the days of the week and the glad routine of Sunday being ‘Churchday.’ It warms my heart to hear her make that announcement prior to us going to gather. When Lewis was born, that very morning she said, “Family worship, teach Lewis Jesus.” We were stunned.

I have also learned that children are catching on to more than most folks might realize. In this way, we do all we can to protect what conversation is being had around Alma; we do not desire for her to be hearing about the horrors of a fallen world during her infancy; that will come with time. This has required diligence and been a challenge at times to moderate. The teaching needs to match the level she is ready for, and the level just out of reach that she can grasp for and understand. We praise God for this opportunity to be her parents.

At times we may get glares for gently disciplining our young daughter, and our son in the future, yet we believe wholeheartedly that this is wise and loving and for their benefit.

We have been saddened by several friends who mocked us for talking to Alma as a newborn in our current context. We tried to explain that this is how she would learn in the months ahead. Some who mocked us had children at the same time as us, and would never speak to them; the result is that now their development is lagging. We pray that friends would observe and that slowly over time, culture would change.

Likewise, regarding discipline, some will say of a baby or toddler who is going in error, “it is his right,” or “he’s only a baby.” This, can carry on far too long without instruction or reproving or much attention of any sort, to the detriment of the child and the family dynamic of the future. We have seen the child that receives no discipline may later be the recipient of harsh beatings not too far down the road. It is like the ‘on-ramp’ has been withheld, but the severe punishment follows.

There is no place for abuse, or harsh treatment of children.

Children are no less to be treated according to their personhood whether in the womb, newly born and non-communicative, and truly through every stage of learning and growth. At the same time, parents must be attentive that their children need love to be displayed, communication to be honorable, and loving and gentle discipline to be administered.

Surely the family is the training grounds for all of life.

So, store up wood for winter. Help your children to communicate and understand as much as possible in each stage of their development. Imprint the truths of Scripture in their minds and help provide them with all they need to see the world through the lens of biblical wisdom, God’s way, for this world is His. Pray fervently for their salvation from a young age, and trust the Lord to work in their lives as you steward all that he has entrusted to your care.

It has been our joy to watch Alma memorize, to one degree or another: John 14:6, Psalm 119:105, Psalm 46:10, Proverbs 18:10, Genesis 1:1, 1 Corinthians 13:13, and Philippians 4:7. She has started answering questions like:

What is the Bible? God’s perfect Word.

Does God love you? Very much.

What is your hope? Christ alone.

Who made the world? God.

What does God give us? Grace and peace.

Who is Jesus? God’s son.

Why did God make you? God’s glory.

How do we obey God? With our mind, words, and acts.

We hope to be adding on to these as we carry on reading the Scriptures together, and seeking to live them out more faithfully. We are imperfect, and it doesn’t require a searching eye to realize that; yet, we are seeking to walk in the light of the truth, set our minds on things above, and live daily by the faith we confess. We will endeavor and pray that our children will do the same.

Even in the village setting, you can find a calculator or a small phone handed to a child as a distraction, and the temptation can always be there to distract rather than involve. Lord help us all.