take care of the spiritual respon sibilities of my household. This should be in both instruction and example. I said, 'We have never had a family altar. We are going to start tonight. I want you to help your father/ After reading the Bible, although I had never prayed in public, we did so by starting with the Lord's prayer. We have carried it on for several weeks, and it is remarkable the difference in the attitude we have seen even in this short time with a family altar." How thrilling such testimonies are. We encourage you to have a time when you can have joyful fel lowship with one another and the Lord. Do not be discouraged and give up. Keep the practice going, even though you have to miss now and again. Among the interesting questions we have received here at "The Biola Hour," this is one which is fre quently asked: "In the case of a second marriage, where the new mother is not accepted by the chil dren, what is there that she can do? How should she treat them? Can you suggest ways by which she can counsel with them? Should she strive to be a mother to them or merely a friend?" First of all, you will have to pro ject yourself into the lives of the children. Sometimes a new moth er finds the children are not ready to accept her, believing that she may be trying to displace their real mother in the father's interest and affections. A new wife may want the husband to put away the dishes of his former companion and to change the household around be cause it reminds her that she is not first.
The second wife should encour age the little children to talk about their real mother, unless there is something of an immoral nature behind the circumstances. Chil dren need to see that you are their friend and not trying to displace the other one. A person does not win the affection of another the first day. There are too many asso ciations and experiences which will never be erased. In the loneliness for their moth er, children will not soon forget. Come into the home with kindness and love. The little child will quick ly respond to such a sincere and genuine approach. They may have resentment that their father did not remain single, but this will be ov ercome with Christ-likeness. Treat these precious ones as your own. You will win your own place of affection with them. All counsel cannot apply, how ever, for much depends on the age of the children and individual cir cumstances. Be assured, every move you make will be carefully analyzed and scrutinized. They will see if you complain about the ways of the other mother. Do not try to change everything overnight. Do not make comparisons with what was before and what is now. Ask the Lord to win the hearts of these new loved ones. The Lord Jesus Christ, by His Holy Spirit's infilling their experiences, can tuck into their lives ideas, concepts, and af fections so that they will respond to new ones. The children will also be watch ing to see what kind of a helpmeet you are to their father. This is a most important area. To be sure, there are many d ifficulties and problems involved, however, our Page 57
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