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Lessons of Life
69
Jesus Our Example
The gradual development of the plant from the seed is an object
lesson in child training. There is “first the stalk, then the head, then
the full grain in the head.”
Mark 4:28
, NRSV. He who gave this
parable created the tiny seed, gave it its vital properties, and ordained
the laws that govern its growth. And the truths taught by the parable
were made a reality in His own life. He, the Majesty of heaven,
the King of glory, became a baby in Bethlehem, and for a time
represented the helpless infant in its mother’s care. In childhood
He spoke and acted as a child, honoring His parents and carrying
out their wishes in helpful ways. But from the first dawning of
intelligence He was constantly growing in grace and in a knowledge
of truth.
Parents and teachers should aim to cultivate the tendencies of
the young so that at each stage of life they may represent the beauty
appropriate to that period, unfolding naturally as do plants in the
garden.
The little ones should be educated in childlike simplicity. They
should be trained to be content with the small, helpful duties and
pleasures and experiences natural to their years. Childhood answers
to the stalk in the parable, and the stalk has a beauty peculiarly its
own. Children should not be forced into a precocious maturity. As
long as possible, they should retain the freshness and grace of their
early years. The more quiet and simple their life—the more free
from artificial excitement and the more in harmony with nature—the
more favorable it is to physical and mental vigor and to spiritual
strength.
In the Savior’s miracle of feeding the five thousand is illustrated
the working of God’s power in the production of the harvest. In
multiplying the seed cast into the ground, He who multiplied the
loaves is working a miracle every day. By a miracle He constantly
feeds millions of people from earth’s harvest fields. Human beings
are called upon to cooperate with Him in the care of the grain and
the preparation of the loaf, and because of this they lose sight of
the divine agency. The working of His power is ascribed to natural
causes or to human instrumentality. Too often His gifts are perverted
to selfish uses and made a curse instead of a blessing. God is seeking