With Love and Firmness
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doing justice, lead you to pursue a course which can be interpreted by
your son that you feel too much mortified and dishonored to ever take
him back into confidence and to forget his transgressions. Let nothing
cause you to lose hope, nothing to cut off your love and tenderness for
the erring one. Just because he is erring, he needs you, and he wants
a father and a mother to help him to recover himself from the snare
of Satan. Hold him fast by faith and love, and cling to the all-pitying
Redeemer, remembering that he has One who has an interest in him,
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even above your own....
Do not talk discouragement and hopelessness. Talk courage. Tell
him he can redeem himself, that you, his father and mother, will help
him to take hold from above to plant his feet on the solid Rock, Christ
Jesus, to find a sure support and unfailing strength in Jesus. If his fault
be ever so grievous, it will not cure your son to press this constantly
upon him. A right course of action is needed to save a soul from death
and keep a soul from committing a multitude of sins
Seek Divine Help to Overcome Hasty Temper—I wish to say
to every father and mother, If you have a hasty temper, seek God for
help to overcome it. When you are provoked to impatience, go to your
chamber, and kneel down and ask God to help you that you may have
a right influence over your children
Mothers, when you yield to impatience and deal harshly with
your children, you are not learning of Christ, but of another master.
Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek
and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my
yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” When you find your work hard,
when you complain of difficulties and trials, when you say that you
have no strength to withstand temptation, that you cannot overcome
impatience, and that the Christian life is uphill work, be sure that you
are not bearing the yoke of Christ; you are bearing the yoke of another
master
Reflecting the Divine Image—The church needs men of a meek
and quiet spirit, who are long-suffering and patient. Let them learn
these attributes in dealing with their families. Let parents think a
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great deal more of their children’s eternal interests than they do of
32
Letter 18e, 1890
.
33
Manuscript 33, 1909
.
34
The Signs of the Times, July 22, 1889
.