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Testimonies for the Church Volume 3
are habitually censured there will be a spirit of “I don’t care,” and evil
passions will frequently be manifested regardless of consequences.
Whenever the mother can speak a word of commendation for the
good conduct of her children, she should do so. She should encourage
them by words of approval and looks of love. These will be as sunshine
to the heart of a child and will lead to the cultivation of self-respect
and pride of character. Sister J should cultivate love and sympathy.
She should manifest tender affection for the motherless children under
her care. This would be a blessing to these children of God’s love and
would be reflected back upon her in affection and love.
Children have sensitive, loving natures. They are easily pleased
and easily made unhappy. By gentle discipline in loving words and
acts, mothers may bind their children to their hearts. To manifest
severity and to be exacting with children are great mistakes. Uniform
firmness and unimpassioned control are necessary to the discipline of
every family. Say what you mean calmly, move with consideration,
and carry out what you say without deviation.
It will pay to manifest affection in your association with your
children. Do not repel them by lack of sympathy in their childish
sports, joys, and griefs. Never let a frown gather upon your brow or a
harsh word escape your lips. God writes all these words in His book of
records. Harsh words sour the temper and wound the hearts of children,
and in some cases these wounds are difficult to heal. Children are
sensitive to the least injustice, and some become discouraged under it
and will neither heed the loud, angry voice of command nor care for
threatenings of punishment. Rebellion is too frequently established in
the hearts of children through the wrong discipline of the parents, when
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if a proper course had been taken, the children would have formed
good and harmonious characters. A mother who does not have perfect
control of herself is unfit to have the management of children.
Brother M is molded by the positive temperament of his wife. He
has become in a degree selfish like her. His mind is almost com-
pletely occupied by “me and mine,” to the exclusion of other things
of infinitely more importance. He does not take his position in his
family as father of his flock and, unprejudiced and uninfluenced, pur-
sue a uniform course with his children. His wife is not, and without a
transformation never can be, a true mother to his motherless children.
Brother M, as a father to his children, has not stood in the position that