Beside Mothers Leading Their Little Ones, May 8

Beside Mothers Leading Their Little Ones, May 8

For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. 1 Samuel 1:27, 28.

Christian mothers should realize that they are co-workers with God when training and disciplining their children in such a manner as will enable them to reflect the character of Christ. In this work they will have the cooperation of heavenly angels; but it is a work that is sadly neglected, and for this reason Christ is robbed of His heritage—the younger members of His family. But through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, humanity may be a co-worker with divinity.

The lessons of Christ upon the occasion of receiving the children, should leave a deeper impression upon our minds. The words of Christ encourage parents to bring their little ones to Jesus. They may be wayward, and possess passions like those of humanity, but this should not deter us from bringing them to Christ. He blessed children that were possessed of passions like His own.

We often err in training our children. Parents often indulge their children in that which is selfish and demoralizing, and, instead of having travail of soul for their salvation, they let them drift along, and grow up with perverse tempers and unlovely characters. They do not accept their God-given responsibility to educate and train their children for the glory of God. They become dissatisfied with their children’s manners, and disheartened as they realize that their faults are the result of their own neglect, and then they become discouraged.

But if parents would feel that they are never released from their burden of educating and training their children for God, if they would do their work in faith, cooperating with God by earnest prayer and work, they would be successful in bringing their children to the Saviour. Let fathers and mothers devote themselves, soul, body, and spirit, to God before the birth of their children.—The Signs of the Times, April 9, 1896. [138]