“In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper…” – Ecclesiastes 11:6 (ESV)
Yesterday, we reflected on God’s calling for us to raise children with confidence to speak and safety to challenge. We often pray in public and private for our children to be like Daniel, ten times more excellent than their peers, and yet we seem surprised when they challenge us. Their intellect is blessed and applicable beyond their academics. We are raising thinkers, not just followers.
When we appreciate this, the scents of peace and growth will permeate the environment – “In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper…” says the writer of Ecclesiastes 11:6. Our job as parents is to create the right environment for growth.
The wisdom of Solomon reminds us to create spaces of freedom for our children. We can reflect on whether we are guilty of limiting them by our fears and failures. Peace creates safety – not perfection. It tells a child, “You can try, fail, and try again.”
Try replacing: “You failed – don’t do that again,” with “You tried – what did you learn?”
Peaceful parenting reframes failure as growth and mistakes as stepping stones. Scripture reminds us, “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth” (Psalm 127:4, NIV). Parents, arrows are shaped with patience and released with purpose; prepare your children for flight. Can you pause to consider how high your child or children can go – academically, spiritually, financially?
Curiosity, confidence, and creativity don’t grow in chaos; they grow in the quiet strength of love and peace, which is not passive but intentional. As such, we have a daily choice to respond with grace instead of noise.
We can model curiosity for our children by wondering out loud when we see their hesitation; saying, “I don’t know – let’s learn together.” And for older children, encourage them ahead of a big leap with this reminder from Dr Myles Munroe: “The greatest risk in life is refusing to risk for your purpose.” Dr. Myles was reminding us to embrace uncertainty as the pathway to purpose, not the obstacle to it. If you stay where it’s safe, you may survive — but you won’t fulfil why you were created.
Turn your home into a place of discovery, not judgement, so that the sweet fragrance of peace will linger where uncertainty and fear have no place.
Read: 2 Timothy 1:7; James 3:17
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 74: 1-9; Acts 9:32-43; Acts 10:1-23; 2 Samuel 23:8-39; 2 Samuel 24