Within your home is the place to shine for God.
There is no greater field of labor. A Christian
mother’s influence among the young can not be
too highly valued. No one can fill your place
in the hearts of your children. Another can provide
their temporal needs, but nobody can take the place
of Mother. No one else can enter into the daily
trials as you can. Nothing else can soothe the
wounded feelings as well as a tender embrace or a
word from mother. Be liberal, dear mothers, with
these tokens of sympathy, so sweet to your child;
and think not for one moment that you are not fulfilling
God’s plan concerning you or that moments thus
spent are wasted. It is only a short time at best
that we can be blessed with the privilege of instructing
our children.
CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE.
As Bessie grew older, Mrs. Worthington chose the twilight
hour for confidential talks with her daughter.
Both looked forward to these times with pleasure.
Each evening after the daily duties were ended, Bessie
might be found sitting at her mother’s feet.
Here she related the many happenings of the day and
in turn received instruction and advice from the one
who held her confidence. Here the mother taught
her child the secret of true devotion. She instructed
Bessie that prayer, good reading, and meditation are
the keys to use to unlock God’s great storehouse
of blessings. She pointed to the Bible as a pattern
by which to fashion one’s life, pointing out
to her the many scriptures bearing upon different
subjects and telling her how every modest, earnest
Christian ought to dress and act in order to adorn
the gospel of Christ. She encircled the word
“purity” with such a halo of glory that
she awakened within the heart of her child a determination
ever to live so pure a life that she would not only
keep herself stainless but also help others to that
sacred and elevated plane.
Upon one of these occasions, when Bessie was in her
twelfth year, she said: “Mama, why don’t
we go to the meetings that are being held at the schoolhouse
on Sunday? The girls have asked me several times,
and I have told them I didn’t know. They
have a minister from a distance, and he has taken
the names of all who want to join the church.”
“That is a deep subject, my child,” said
Mrs. Worthington. “I have often wished
to explain to you my reasons for not attending the
public services held in our neighborhood by the different
denominations, but have feared you were still too
young to understand, for the matter seems hard even
for some older persons to comprehend. But I will
tell you and trust the Lord to make it plain.
