THE FIRM FOUNDATION

The little kids we see today will eventually grow up. We know this is true because we’ve been there. Believe it or not, young as they are, some of them have dreams and a clear picture of how they want their future to look like. However, others don’t have their lives figured out as yet and that’s ok. The best thing we can do for them is help them build a strong foundation which will stand still in any storm. If we nurture their dreams, those dreams will mature to fruition and if we cheer on those that are still figuring out their lives, they will eventually figure out the ending they want. Whatever the case may be, do not give up on your children. The most attractive parts of our stories are not about how much we have or who we eventually become, but how we fought through obstacles to become who we are.

Joseph was one of those few who knew from a tender age that he was going to be a ruler one day. He was infamous because of his dreams. His biggest hurdle was his own family. It is funny how Joseph and his brothers had dissimilar principles even though they were all raised by the same principles. Joseph’s brothers sold Joseph into slavery, thinking that they had sabotaged his dream, but the truth is they had actually helped him get closer to fulfilling his dreams. Years later, his brothers found themselves kneeling in front of Joseph, begging for help. That was the moment they realized how much they had wronged their brother and found their way back to the right path; they humbled themselves and admitted they were wrong. After everything Joseph had gone through, he chose to forgive and help his brothers. Joseph’s dreams came true in the land everyone least expected.

We have no idea what lies ahead of us or the battles our children will have to fight, but we are dedicated to investing in our children’s future (the same way our parents did). A lot of things around us are changing every day; policies, cultures, economies, technology, you name it, and we do not know how these changes will impact our lives, but we can work on ourselves and equip our children on how to respond and adapt better to those changes. The investment should go beyond the physical adaptations. Maybe one day they will look back and remember these teachings. We cannot protect our kids from the cruelty and temptations of this world, but we can at least empower them to make the right choices. We are not the first ones to have chosen this path, we hope that this foundation we are building on is solid enough to withstand any storm that lies ahead.

In our first year of parenthood, we had a specific schedule we used to follow. We would read Bible stories and sing hymnals to our infant. Sometimes we would question ourselves if it was too early to do so or if we needed to wait until our son was a little older. We clearly did not know what we were doing and the only points of reference we had were the testimonies of elders and God’s instruction: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Years later, we are still trying and we keep asking God for wisdom. May our children’s future be everything they envision, may the seeds we are planting now be fruitful and may this foundation be strong enough for decades, centuries and generations to come.

by Shamiso Patience Mbiriri