said, “I think I’m going mad and may lose my life,” Without discussing the entire case, I discovered she wasn’t getting enough rest. Her husband came home and never helped her about the house. He settled down to look at TV, the late show, and the late, late show. When they retired after midnight she was physically weary and not in any kind of a romantic mood. She had to get up at the crack of dawn while he stayed in bed until it was time to go to work. She was never able to get any rest in the afternoon and her diet was some thing that she caught on the run. No wonder that she was experiencing some real problems. After a while I asked the husband to come in. He asked if I had discov ered the problem. When I told him that he was the cause, he was somewhat shocked. He wisely wanted to know what to do. I told him to go down in the basement and get a hammer. With TV ON SUNDAY NIGHT Sunday morning's very nice. But Sunday night's such sacrifice! With television's relaxation Must I make the congregation One man larger? After all I'm only one, and one's so small; And surely I'm within my right To skip the service Sunday night. Others wifi be there to see That worship's kept. They don't need me. O I like a church with an evening service; In any other I'd be nervous. It marks a church as spiritually right— But I'll still stay home on Sunday night. — Rev. William H. Rice Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church Delano, California that to knock a hole in the TV. Or, for less stringency, at least turn it to the wall. “You are wasting your life and your wife,” I frankly told him. The wives of our land, in similar conditions are in danger of serious nervous collapse. For untold numbers it is already too late. No wonder the 18
Chapter Twelve C hildren always need to know the boundaries which have been set for them. After one of my meetings, I was standing out by the church house near the cemetery. There was a mother nearby with her little pre-school daugh ter. They were observing another moth er with her son who was behaving very poorly. The little girl tugged her moth er’s hand and declared, “If his Mommy really loved him she wouldn’t permit him to do that would she?” Yes, “Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained strength.” If we love our children, we will not permit them to go undisciplined. In this study, however, I want to point out that we must not overcorrect our children. Sometimes we can do more for a child without a lot of correction but by using appreciation, encouragement and praise. When he does something that is good and right, give him an understanding word so that he will see that you approve of this kind of behavior. Evil behavior, of course, ought to be punished and disapproved of. Good be havior, however, should not be passed by. It is not necessary in good family discipline to be fussy. Don’t always be picking at your children or “hacking” at them. Many times our disciplinary problems are a reflection of our own personality and character. We, our selves have not learned the quiet peace of the Lord. Or it could be that we are experiencing physical problems such as being tired. A woman came to me for counsel who said, “You know, I can do all right in the morning when I get up until about 10 o’clock. I have three pre school children at home and three oth ers in school. About mid-morning I could scream and climb the walls. I am afraid I might choke one of them.” I explained that with this large of a family, tensions are bound to be in volved. The feeling of wanting to harm them, however, is abnormal. “Yes,” she
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