I was at a graduation exercise. The speaker was actually speaking to the parents of homeschoolers, not the actual graduates. She gave the Biblical story of the feeding of the 5,000. Remember that one?

A boy gives his five loaves of bread and two fishes to Jesus. With that, Jesus fed a crowd of 5,000 men, besides women and children.

She challenged me to look at it differently. The mother of this nameless boy did what she did so many mornings: she made him a lunch. It was food sufficient for him. She knew her child, what he needed, and what he would eat. And she fed him like so many other mornings. Then, like so many other mornings, she sent him on his way. She trusted him. He could make his own decisions about daily activities. She did not need to be present to constantly correct him or tell him what to do. For good or bad, he made his own decisions and paid the consequences.

Then he met a friend of Jesus, Andrew. Bless the Andrews of the world. This boy knew good. He shared his lunch with Andrew and eventually with Jesus. Jesus multiplied what was in his hands. He multiplied because this child made the correct decision. He multiplied one boy’s talents and it fed thousands.

Are you following me? We set our children up for success. We feed them with necessities: math, writing, history. Then we release them. Not all at once. The child did return home every night. (Oh, what stories he told that night!) His parents could review what happened, guiding him with wisdom on good and poor decisions. Then he was released the following day. And the next. Soon, he’ll be an adult with his own household making wise decisions. This comes from a foundation at home. The parents can only do so much. But that much is a lot. God took what the parents also gave, instruction into their child, and multiplied that. May I not fear for the decisions my adult children make. Knowing I laid the foundation, and God is building on it.