A Spiritual Greenhouse

“Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” —Deuteronomy 11:19

My parents were first-generation Christians. God gave them the wisdom and courage to “grow” their children in a spiritual “greenhouse.” They made a conscious effort to protect us from influences that could be harmful and to surround us with influences that would spiritually nurture our lives. At a young age our hearts were sensitized to sin, and we learned to discern between right and wrong.

How I thank the Lord today that my parents had the courage to not knowingly allow us to be influenced by the lies promoted in this world. They earnestly desired that we would grow up to love the Word and the ways of God, that our hearts would be quickened by the truth, and that we would embrace it for ourselves. Once they released us from that greenhouse environment into the world, they wanted us to continue to walk in the truth and to recognize and reject anything that was deceptive and untrue.