Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

The Priorities of the Christian MotherMrs. John M. McMillan *The demands upon any mother are numerous andvaried. The day the baby is sick and fussy may be the sameday that an older child comes home from school and yells,"Mom, I said I could bring two dozen cookies for a classparty tomorrow."Or the day the house is being cleaned in order toentertain a visiting missionary may be the day Susie fallsand gets a big cut in her forehead and has to be rushed tothe emergency room at the hospital.A request to teach a Sabbath School class may comeat the same time that the P.T.A. is making a desperateplea for workers to help on the scholarship committee.The wisdom to meet these needs efficiently and to knowwhat things should have priority can come only with God'sguidance.Therefore, daily fellowship with God is importantfor the Christian mother. Prayer and meditation uponGod's Word can be the means God uses to give the calmand fortitude for meeting daily crises.It is important that the Christian mother teach herchildren to love God. I believe that love for God is thegreatest incentive for doing right. A child may choose todo right because he fears punishment from a parent.However, if fear of parents is the only motive for doingright, then the incentive will be gone when the parent isnot watching. It has been a thrill to me to see a childdevelop so that his desire to please God causes him toresist the temptation to steal or cheat even though noparent or teacher is watching.Titus 2:4 says that the young women are to be soberand to love their husbands and children. The mothershould strive to develop a family unity and love. No doubtthere are times of fighting and quarreling in any family ofchildren, and the parents may despair of ever having aspirit of love. I remember once when I was small and ourfamily was on a trip in the car that the quarreling of us fivechildren caused my mother to break into tears. Of course Ithink she was worn out from being up half the night inorder to get everything ready for the trip.What can a mother do to help develop this spirit ofunity and love? I believe it is important to have fun, work,and worship times with the children. Plan outings and playtimes as a family. If it is necessary to let the housecleaninggo for a day in order to have time to play with thechildren, let it go! Then enlist the children's help to clean'he house the next day.If a child wants to make candy or cookies, let him.Some mothers are so afraid of having a messed up kitchenthat their children can never learn to do things. Flour orsugar may have to be swept up from the floor, andsplattered dough may have to be wiped from the walls, butwhat fun the learning is! And eventually the child canreally be a help in the preparation of family meals.Involving children in the work makes them feelneeded and helpful and prepares them for adult life. Ibelieve that the Christian mother should teach herdaughter the basics of cooking, sewing, laundering, etc.,so she will be prepared for these responsibilities in adultlife. Parents should put confidence in their children. Helpthem learn things and then expect that they will be able tocarry on.Plan times to teach your children to read the Bible,sing, and pray. This may be done with the family as a unitor just by a parent and one child.Love for one another should be expressed audibly,but especially by actions. If I tell my husband and childrenthat I love them, but squander the family income onmyself, they will question my love. If I work hard toprovide every desire of my family the members maybelieve I love them, but telling them so gives addedassurance.Proverbs 31:27 tells us that the wise mother looksafter her household well and is not idle. Therefore, it isimportant for the Christian mother to be industrious and agood organizer. She must see that Henry gets to his dentalappointment on time, Mary to her piano lesson, and Susieto her Brownie meeting. She must plan her work so thatthe ironing is done when it is needed and the household isas orderly as possible when her husband comes home.Having a somewhat regular mealtime schedule can be ahelp to each member of the family in planning his ownschedule.Ephesians 5:22 tells the wife to submit herself to herhusband as to the Lord. To some women this command isirritating, but I have not found it so. If husband and wifelove each other and God, even their disagreements can betalked out in a way that is satisfactory to all.Being a Christian wife and mother is one of the mostchallenging and satisfying occupations on this earth.Enjoy it!• • •# Mrs. John M. McMillan is the wife of the pastor ofColdenham. New York R.P Church. The McMillans havethree children.APRIL 28. 1971