Speech
337
your children, who are weaker than you and cannot endure as much.
Let your pleasant, cheerful words ever be like sunbeams in your family.
The fruits of self-control, thoughtfulness, and painstaking on your part
will be a hundredfold
A Time for Silence or Song—Trials will come, it is true, even to
those who are fully consecrated. The patience of the most patient will
be severely tested. The husband or the wife may utter words that are
liable to provoke a hasty reply, but let the one who is spoken to keep
silent. In silence there is safety. Often silence is the severest rebuke
that could be given to the one who has sinned with his lips
When they [the children and youth] lose self-control and speak
words that are passionate, an attitude of silence is often the best course
to pursue, not taking up a line of reproof or argument or condemnation.
Repentance will come very soon. The silence that is golden will often
do more than all the words that can be uttered
[443]
When others are impatient, fretful, and complaining because self is
not subdued, begin to sing some of the songs of Zion. While Christ was
working at the carpenter’s bench, others would sometimes surround
Him, trying to cause Him to be impatient; but He would begin singing
some of the beautiful psalms, and before they realized what they were
doing, they had joined with Him in singing, influenced, as it were, by
the power of the Holy Spirit which was there
The Battle for Self-control in Speech—God requires parents, by
self-control, by an example of solid character building, to disseminate
light within the immediate circle of their own little flock. No trifling,
common conversation is to be indulged. God looks into every secret
thing of life. By some a constant battle is maintained for self-control.
Daily they strive silently and prayerfully against harshness of speech
and temper. These strivings may never be appreciated by human
beings. They may get no praise from human lips for keeping back
the hasty words which sought for utterance. The world will never see
these conquests, and if it could, it would only despise the conquerors.
But in heaven’s record they are registered as overcomers. There is One
who witnesses every secret combat and every silent victory, and He
36
Ibid., 1:401
.
37
Manuscript 70, 1903
.
38
Manuscript 59, 1900
.
39
Manuscript 102, 1901
.