March 30, 1891

Words for Mothers—No. 3

EGW

God has given to the father and mother a sacred trust, and he requires them to rule in his love and fear. Many abuse their trust, and become despots, controlling by severity and oppression. All such will see their actions reproduced in their children, and in their old age will probably reap a harvest in despotism from their misgoverned children.ST March 30, 1891, par. 1

The training of children puts the parents as well as the children to school. The dependent children look to father and mother to have their wants supplied, and in this is a lesson to the parents of their own dependence upon their heavenly Father. The children look to the parents for precept and example, and for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, and the parent sees himself as dependent upon God for wisdom and knowledge. The father and mother find that they have to acquire habits of self-control in order to teach the same to their children. Parents may find cause for humiliation in the manifestation of perversity in their children; for their own evil nature is reflected, and their own defects of character reproduced. Oh, what need there is that parents flee to God in order to obtain his grace and power to train their children in the way of the Lord!ST March 30, 1891, par. 2

Parents should ever remember that the salvation of their children is placed in their hands. They should teach their children from infancy the true aim of life. There are unnumbered dangers around the youth in this degenerate age, and parents should study how they may teach their children to avoid the perils in society and in private life. The mother should teach her children how to gain eternal life; and in training them in obedience with reference to immortal life, she will be securing for them the best happiness for this life, besides developing in them the most manly and womanly characters. Connection with Heaven will ever lead to purity, to elevation of character, to the acquirement of Christian courtesy.ST March 30, 1891, par. 3

The mother may be compared to a sculptor working for eternity, and she need not look upon her task as drudgery. It is her life-work, and if that work is well done, God will look with approval upon the humble worker. Angels, who have ministered to her through her days of trial and temptation, will say, “Well done.” Her husband, her children, may not have appreciated her hard conflicts with herself, her daily vexations, and may not have known how near she came to despair; but Heaven appreciated all, and her reward will be great when she kneels before the throne and says, “Here am I, and the children whom Thou hast given me.”ST March 30, 1891, par. 4