Plucking Strawberry Blossoms

I pinched the blossoms from my baby everbearing strawberry plants today. It was painful. Kind of like the discipline session that had just preceded my gardening time. With both, it’s the long-haul I’m concerned about. While I’d love to see those lovely blossoms turn into red fruit in the next few weeks, but by plucking them until July, the plants can concentrate on growing strong and healthy. The idea is that by doing this the first year of these plants’ lives, we’ll get much more fruit in coming years than we would if we allow impatience to rule now.

Disciplining kids takes a long-term vision as well. Sometimes, especially as I grow older and wearier, I want to just ignore selfishness, strife, or sloth. But when I do this, or when I go for the quick fix instead of dealing with the root of sin, I’m settling for the short term “peace” at great cost. Left alone the fruit of sin is always death. (James 1: 14, 15).

I Kings 1: 5,6 gives a very sober warning to parents from the life of Adonijah, David’s son and usurper. It says, “His father had never crossed him at any time by asking, ‘Why have you done so?’ And he was also a very handsome man, and he was born after Absalom.” Fathers and mothers need to have courage to discipline sons and daughters. We need to quickly deal with sin in children of all ages. Mamas, don’t be afraid to cross your children, even when they are in their teens. And don’t allow your love for your sweet offspring to blind you to budding sin, but look accurately into the hearts and actions of your children, helping them also see their selves with sober judgment. Take heart – you will reap a harvest at the proper time if you do not grow weary in well doing! (Gal. 6:9)


Hebrews 12: 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.