her father: “ You share your time with me and when I’m bad and you punish me, I don’t like that, but in my heart I know you are right and I still love you.” Such training allows for the fullest freedom of action that is good for the child at the time. It is the goal of all discipline that the child should be so well instructed in principles that he needs no spe cial instructions for any occasion. So he is given more and more freedom. All the while it is meas ured by what experience shows he will be able to use profitably. As he matures he can gradually take more and more responsibility for his own decisions and actions. For the parent knows that he will do nothing that is contrary to the wishes of a good, Christian family. Confidence grows. Spiritual growth will strengthen the building up of a child’s security. As parents lead their chil dren on in spiritual relationships there will be a closer bond between the members o f the family and their Father in Heaven. The child will soon see that God is the One who matters most to each member of the household. Prayer and Bible reading not only enrich family life, they also help to create family unity. Teaching our children to pray is a vital part of their spiritual growth. Even before they are able to say the words for themselves there is the exam ple of Mommy praying alone about the important events as they happen during the day; the grace that is said at mealtime; and the kneeling down by the bedside at night as she prays for the child. Soon he is taught to phrase his own first peti tions. Then by example, discussion and teaching, he is led to talk to God freely and naturally about his
needs, mistakes and hopes. Gradually a strong prayer life is built up. There is nothing like it for giving security and poise. The relationship between God and the children thus becomes personal. They feel the security of knowing and trusting One who never fails. They need “a sense of the infallible, a feeling that there is something entirely dependable and trustworthy, something on which they can count,” as Robbie Trent has put it. And that something is the relia bility of God. It is God’s intention that we all, whether child or adult, should have this feeling of security. It is not built around ourselves, but rather upon our God for He is the final authority on all matters. Life is difficult for any child today. As the late President Kennedy said: “We live in an exciting time, a time of unlimited danger, and yet of unlim ited hope . . . Next year, the next decade, and in all likelihood the next generation, will require more bravery and wisdom on our part than any other period in our history.” That means that security and self-confidence will be tested severely. There will be many hard knocks at school and with friends. As our children come to adult life there will be many hard battles. The child who has known security from his earliest days will stand the best chance o f winning. What a joy it is to see the gradual growth of security and stability in the personality of those who find their satisfaction in our homes! The happy child is the one who is self-confident. The self-confident child knows security. That comes from that training that has led him to the God who never fails.
“û d ù id h mjx&l likely, io develop Jtiyhily who i& bhouqhi up in a
ihuly ÇlvÙAtian hom e . . . "
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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