| The Joy of Service |
Chapter 15 |
Page 6 |
The father’s responsibility in the training of the children should not be overlooked. If Jesus were a guest, this sacred duty would not be neglected. No doubt, in ordinary cases, the responsibility is the mother’s first. In the present conditions of society the burdens which most men carry in the world’s life and in providing for their families are so great that they can give only fragments of time to the direct work of training their children. Besides, there are certain parts of the home duty which a woman can do infinitely better that a man could do. We all know how awkward most men are with a baby, while a woman does not even need to learn how to handle it with grace and ease. No hands so well as a mother’s can write God’s holiest lessons upon a child’s heart.
Yet fathers have a serious responsibility. What would a true father do for his children if Jesus were living in his family? He would, first of all, live a noble, manly life. He would maintain a character without spot. His life is one of the first two books his child reads, and he should want it to be well worth reading. He would make every effort to provide a good, beautiful, and comfortable home for his family, filling it with those things whose influence will be refining and inspiring. He would seek to give his children the best possible education. He would maintain in his home the forms, as well as the spirit, of religion, since he is the priest of the family.
As children grow up they also have their share in the home making. If Jesus were living with them, what kind of life would the young people give to their home? What spirit would they show towards their parents? How would brothers and sisters live together?
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