and father were astonished. Mary said, “Son, why hast thou so dealt with us? Behold thy father and I sought thee sorrowing.” And He said unto her, “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And they understood not the saying that he spake unto them. Joseph and Mary were concerned about Jesus as an earthly little boy. Not only did they have love for one another but also for the child. This is the kind of an atmosphere which is a priceless heritage for any youngster. When a child does not have such love he hun gers for it. I was visiting in a State institution in Des Moines, Iowa one day to pick up a friend who had a mentally un balanced child in one of the buildings. Asking for the friend I was told he was probably with his child. The fam ily tried to keep the lad at home for several years. They didn’t know how to care for him properly. When he got out of hand the doctor told them it would be better for him to be in the institution. In the building where I looked for my friend there were 40 boys and girls. They ranged from the ages of 8 to 12 years. Turning from the main walk two children burst out. They took me by the hand and dragged me up the stairs and inside the build ing, chattering as they went. “You came to see us, didn’t you? You came to see us.” When I got inside the door, I was thronged with little children. They grasped me around my knees, hugged me and showered me with love. One little child, a little older and more bold than the others, reached up and stroked my chin and out of the loneli ness of her heart said, “You came to see us, didn’t you, because you really love us.” My heart was heavy as I saw these who were starved for human affection. A child doesn’t need to be in an institution to have this happen. He may be living in a home where there is no love. There was a woman of mature years who had just buried her mother. She cried to my wife, “Just before my mother died, she said to me, ‘Esther, 9
and only job is love. An interesting thing took place in one of our local courts. There was a young man who was a juvenile delin quent. Brought up before the judge for the second time, parole was not possi ble. The judge said, “I must sentence you to a correctional institution.” His father was an upstanding and respected man in our community. The jurist continued, “Son, why have you done this? There isn’t anything that your father and mother wouldn’t do for you. Here you’ve broken their hearts. There’s your mother weeping and your father deeply grieved. Why have you done this?” The boy spoke up, “Your honor, you’ve asked me. It’s true there wasn’t anything my father wouldn’t do for me but there was nothing my fa ther ever did with me. All I wanted was my father’s love and affection. There was not friendship or under standing. He thought he could buy things and satisfy his own conscience. I sought my companionship elsewhere. I will pay my price; I will not whim per. But ask yourself who is really guilty.” You may ask, “But how do you love a child?” The first thing is that you must communicate with him. Tell him that you love him and mean i t Provide an atmosphere of love in which he finds acceptance. Let your love be poured out without selfish concern. And what will be your pattern? The Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He will give you the power, too, as you seek it through His Word and by the in dwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Chapter Six O ne of the most idyllic pictures in the entireNewTestament is the love Joseph reveals for his spouse, Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. The first two chapters of Matthew, and Luke two, are beautiful. When Jesus was a boy about twelve He was already carrying on a ministry. His mother
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