Instant Obedience!

       

 Dearest Mothers and Daughters,

I will post section #2 on "Mother" next time, but I had to share this with you today as I was inspired by a picture my dear husband showed me earlier today. It is the picture you see on this post. My husband said to me, "How would you like to see something like that coming at you?" as I looked at the picture I said "I did!"

Yes, that picture immediately took me back, I was there in my mind, 17 years ago. We were living on a little farm in North/West Illinois and I was with my two youngest children at the time 10 and 8 year olds. We were busy in the back garden, hoeing and weeding and planting, It was a beautiful day with blue sky, warm breezes and each of us were busy doing our own project, being across the expanse of our medium/large size garden. Looking to the North was our neighbors property, a vast expanse of field, as far as the eyes could see, farm country you know, and it was early Summer and the crops were just beginning to show green sprouts. We were having a wonderful time, singing as we worked and praising Jesus Christ, as is our custom in all we do.  We had been out for over an hour when I stood up from my work and looked North, my heart stood still, it was surreal I had seen things like that in videos but never first hand, it was a rolling wall of cloud as high as a mountain (or so it seemed) full of brown dirt and debris rolling in the distance right towards us! I dropped my garden tool and yelled "RUN!!!" my children followed my lead, didn't stop and ask any questions but obey instantly. We made it to the house just in time and just as we closed the porch door, branches, dirt and stones hit the door and house with such force it was remarkable. We ran around inside the house closing windows as the dust began to enter through them, the sky became as dark as night and we just watched out our windows, amazed at what was taking place, thanking God for His protection and praying safety for our neighbors. It lasted a good 10 minutes, yes a very large dust storm, after it passed we found such a mess outside, yet all was well, our neighbors were safe, we were safe and things soon went back to normal, praise to Jesus!

This story made me think about the obedience of my two youngest children, they obeyed instantly. How did this happen? Why didn't they just look at me and say "Why?" or decide to ignore my words and do their own thing? It was instant obedience, I didn't see them stop and turn their heads, they just began running on the command! I can answer that question, it was training. Ever since they were small I taught them to obey on command. There were numerous stories I had shared with them of how obedience to parents had saved children from death, I also taught them God's Word in which He commands children to obey their parents in the Lord.  "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth."(Ephesians 6:1-3)
 Sometimes we practiced instant obedience in creating a scenario in which something threatening was about to happen and when they obeyed it kept them safe. There are many creative ways to teach your children, ask God for wisdom! I taught them in love because love is the way to win the hearts of your children... God's love, genuine love, true love which takes time, interest and work. I taught them the Bible, I read His word to them, we had many talks about what God teaches in His word. I taught them the truth of the cross, what Jesus has done for us and of His death and resurrection. I taught them to keep thanking God and praising God in and for all things. We didn't watch t.v. we rarely watched a movie or played video games and my two youngest children were rarely bored! Life was busy and exciting.

After having said all that, I know there were many things that I did do and didn't do in which I regret... I wasn't perfect that is certain, but I do praise God for the insight He had given me in those early years of their lives, and time spent with them to teach, train and bond is cherished.

Where are they now? My 10 year old daughter has grown into a beautiful women, married and with children and she and her husband are lovers of Jesus, training thier children now for Him and His glory. My 8 year old son is grown and in college training to be a missionary in China, he has been in China twice and feels called of God to serve Him there, he loves Jesus so much and I love conversations over the phone with him since his main subject line is Jesus' love and being filled with His Spirit.

Investing holy time into the lives of our children reaps a beautiful harvest to the glory of God. Our children belong to Jesus Christ- teach, train and point them to Him- you will never, never regret it.

In His love,
Sarah

"Mother" A Chapter From an Old Book Published in 1876

                                                                                      "Mother"


From, "The Royal Path Of Life" written by: T.L. Haines A.N. and M.W. Yaggy M.S. 1876
(Please see previous post for explanation)

"Mother"

It is true to nature, although it be expressed in a figurative form, that a mother is both the morning and the evening star of life. The light of her eye is always the first to rise, and often the last to set upon man's day of trial.  She wields a power more decisive far than the syllogisms in argument, or courts of last appeal in authority. Nay, in cases not a few, where there has been no fear of God before the eyes of the young--where His love has been unfelt and His law outraged, a mother's affection or her tremulous tenderness has held transgressors by the heart-strings, and been the means of them back to virtue and to God.
Women's charms are certainly many and powerful. The expanding rose, just bursting into beauty, has an irresistible bewitchingness;--the blooming bride, led triumphantly to the hymeneal altar, awakens admiration and interest, and the blush of her cheek fills with delight;--but the charm of maternity is more sublime that all these. 
Heaven has imprinted in the mother's face something beyond this world, something which claims kindred with the skies-- the angelic smile, the tender look, the waking, watchful eye, which keeps its fond vigil over her slumbering babe.
 Mother! ecstatic sound so twined round our hearts that they must cease to throb ere we forget it! 'tis our first love; 'tis part of religion. Nature has set the mother upon such a pinnacle, that our infant eyes and arms first uplifted to it; we cling to it in manhood; we almost worship it in old age. He who can enter an apartment and behold the tender babe feeding on it's mother's beauty--nourished by the tide of life which flows through her generous veins, without a pantng bosom and a grateful eye, is no man, but a monster.
"Can a mother's love be supplied ?" No! a thousand times no! By the deep, earnest yearning of my spirit for a mother's love; by the weary, aching void in my heart; by restless, unsatisfied wanderings of my affections, ever seeking an object on which to rest; by our instinctive discernment of the true maternal love from the false-- as we would discern between a lifeless statue and a breathing man; by the hallowed emotions with which we cherish the depths of our hearts the vision of a grass-grown mound in a quiet graveyard among the mountains; by the reverence. the holy love, the feeling akin to idolatry with which our thoughts hover about an angel form among the serphs of Heaven- by all these, we answer, no!
Often do I sigh in my struggles with the hard, uncertain world, for the sweet, deep security I felt when, of an evening, nestling in her bosom, I listened to some quiet tale, suitable to my age, read in her tender and untiring voice. Never can I forget her sweet glance cast upon me when I appeared asleep; never her kiss of peace at night. Years have passed away since we have laid her beside my father in the old church yard; yet, still her voice whispers from the grave, her eye watches over me, as I visit spots long since hallowed to the memory of my mother.
Oh! there is an enduring tenderness in the love of a mother to her son that transcends all the other affections of the heart. It is neither to be chilled by selfishness, nor daunted by danger, nor weaken by worthlessness, nor stifled by ingratitude. She will sacrifice every comfort to his convenience; she will surrender every pleasure to his enjoyment; she will glory in his fame and exult in his prosperity; and if misfortune overtake him, he will be dearer to her from misfortune; and if disgrace settle upon his name, she will still love and cherish him in spite of his disgrace; and if all the world beside cast him off, she will be all the world to him.

To be continued in the next post!
blessings to you dear ones!

Sarah 

 

An Old Book On Issues of Life From 1876

Dearest Mothers and Daughters,

I found an old book on my shelf called "The Royal Path Of Life" dated 1876- The book was given to my great aunt Mable Hathaway when she was 5 years old, 1878, in South Paris Maine, USA. An old book indeed! I found it to be very profound in it's writings and teachings yet the teachings are not altogether after the heart of God. However, we are able to glean from such books and pullout the lovely thoughts and enjoin them to our thinking. This old book is very incisive, does not beat around the bush, so to speak, on the issues of life in it's day and yet very profoundly for our day as well if one would expiate the "not-acceptable terminology" so as to learn the deeper and perhaps better perspective of thought and way of speaking. As you may know, our society has been"dumbed down" to a lesser and even poverty level of education and thinking,which has progressively/ or degressivly been happening through-out the past Century. Consider, the book that I'm talking about, it was given to a 5 year old for reading. Indeed! Even many Journalists writings of our day would have been considered on an elementary level One Hundred years ago. (Including mine, I'm sorry to admit)

 

Front Cover 

                                                                 First Picture/print "the Past and Future"

                                                               "Aime's and Aides to Success and Happiness"




In the next post I would like to share the chapter on "Mother" because it truly reflects the high and honored position of "Mother" that should be recognized now in our day as it was one hundred years ago. This Chapter is long so will take a few posts to complete it.

Blessings in Jesus Name!

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck." (Proverbs 1:7-9)