Preparation is Needed - Chapter 8

Us mothers are the first teachers of our children and the opportunity given to us is to mold their character for good or evil. Yes the task of parenting may overwhelm us, and it has every reason to if we keep God out of the picture. 'At times the heart may be ready to faint; but a living sense of the dangers threatening the present and future happiness of their loved ones should lead Christian parents to seek more earnestly for help from the source of strength and wisdom. it should make them more circumspect, more decided, more calm yet firm, while they watch for these souls, as they must give account.' CG 64. What can make our task easier is PRAYER, STUDY OF THE BIBLE and EARNEST ZEAL.
 
A very interesting part of the study this week was about the preparation needed before we have a child or care for one:

• Laws of health and physical development
• Physiology
• Hygiene
• Prenatal Influences
• Laws of heredity
• Sanitation
• Dress
• Exercise
• Treatment of Disease
• Functions of organs and how they relate and depend on one another and the healthy action of each

"To assume the responsibilities of parenthood without such preparation is a sin." CG 64
Wow - this is very strong and very important! When I first read this I was little taken back and overwhelmed at the thought. It is a university degree in itself. But we are so privileged to have the Bible and SOP as our reference guide on so many points, and we are also blessed to live in a day and age where literature is so ready available to us and for free. Your local library or Internet is full of information - we are living in the information age that is true. So do not be overwhelmed, take each subject of study at a time, and make it a double blessing and teach it to your children and you learn it yourself.

Our lifework should be to understand the will of God so that we can train our children in the right way so that it might be approved by God. The Bible should be our rule of life - it is full of instruction. The Bible also gives us instruction in terms of obedience. 'Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.' Col 3:20 So the question to be asked is - Should Gods rules of guidance be strictly obeyed? Should our children strictly obey our requirements? The answer is YES! In no way are we to indulge the child to a point where they feel that they can follow their own desires without consulting with the parents. All that is done in the home should be done in Gods perfect order. In home we expect our boys to ask before they go anywhere even if it's outside, and yes as soon as they could communicate. If we want our children in their teenage years to talk to us and communicate with us about their desires, we need to instill that at an early age.

Another point which really hit home for me was that if we see that our children are 'untaught, unmanaged and unrestrained' it concludes to the fact that WE are not spending enough time in the Word and thus we are not meeting Gods standard because we are not searching the scriptures to know what Gods standard is. The rule of our life must be 'What saith the scriptures?' and to know what the scriptures say we must spend time in it. I personally have found a real blessing in having my own quiet time with the Lord in the early hours of the morning before my children awake. Yes, this can be difficult depending on the age of your children and when I had infants I did not follow that practise but I found the time to read throughout the day, but as soon as they were sleeping through the night then I was able to regain that special time in the morning with our Lord. I would encourage you start your own quiet time. It may be difficult at first, but the Lord will help you through as it is His desire so spend time with you.

Because we are mothers and our calling is so great, we need to spend time with God to be able to develop a "well balanced mind and pure character. Reflecting only the true, good and beautiful." CG 67 The reason why it is so important that our characters are reflecting Christs, is because it will be copied by our children. We need to show love to our family in 'gentle words and courteous deportment' for this will bring sunshine to our homes which will then reflect on others. Through submission to the will of God we will then be fitted to be the teachers God desires us to be to our children.

 You may look back over the months and years of your child training and fall into despair because you feel that you begun all the training wrong. But DO NOT DESPAIR! Be soundly converted to God, obey the Word of God and have true reformation of your practises. God is ever willing to help and give you the Righteousness of Christ. A beautiful practise to begin each year with is to look back over the past year and ask the Lord for 'spiritual discernment to discover the defects in the work of the past'. repent of your neglected work in the home and  make this your motto for every day:

"This is your day of trust, your day of responsibility and opportunity. Soon will come your day of reckoning. take up your work with earnest prayer and faithful endeavour." CG 69

Please find the next study guide here

Practical Lessons from Nature - Chapter 7

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This chapter is just wonderful! So practical with such clear guidelines of how to teach our children in nature. I just love being in the outdoors, but I often find that I get myself so busy that i don't even step out of the house all day. It is physically and spiritually bad for me and it is especially wrong because I have children who need to be taught from the lessons of nature. I know that I need to prioritise my time in the things that are most important, and spending time with my children in the outdoors and drawing lessons from Gods 'Nature' textbook is just this.

The Sabbath day is given to our children for one main reason. It is to draw their minds up to God through the nature around them. Yes it requires much thought and energy on the parents part, but what blessings our children and ourselves will receive. We really enjoy going for a walk in nature on Sabbath afternoons with our boys, and it is the time they enjoy best. BUT, I must say that we have so much more to do in the regard of teaching from nature. Often we go for a walk but we don't learn any practical lessons which draw us closer to God. This week we started looking for objects in nature that reminded us of a story, lesson or God. It was amazing what the boys came up with! Once they chose an object, we continued with the theme and talked about it. We even did this activity in the car whilst driving! It was great fun.

GARDENING - there are so many lessons to learn from it. There are so many varieties of plants, so from each one we can learn practical and spiritual lessons:

• Soil
• Transplanting
• Care of young plants
• Pruning
• Watering
• Shielding from frost
• Shielding from sun
• Keeping out weeds
• Controlling disease and insect pests
• Training plants
• Arranging plants

When our children start to work in their gardens, it cultivates in them carefulness, patience, attention to detail and obedience to law. All these things they see as necessary in the plants life so it has a convicting effect on them too. If you do not have a garden, I urge you to start one. Even if it is in pots to start out with. Your children will reap great rewards from it.

The parable in the Bible about the 'Sower and the Seed' can be made so practical for our children too:

• The children can prepare the soil and sow the seed. Explain that our heart (garden) must be prepared for the good seed.
• Our heart (soil) must be broken up by repentance
• Explain that our heart is a garden and we can plant good or bad seed in it.
• When you cast the seed down, explain how it can represent Christs death
• When the seed springs forth a blade, explain the truth of the resurrection
• As the plants grow, compare between the natural and spiritual.
• The evil growth (weeds) that chokes the good must be uprooted
• Just as our plants depend on on God for growth, so must we depend on God to do that which no human power can do.

"We are not merely to tell the child about these creatures of God's. The animals themselves are to be His teachers." CG 58, 59

There are so many lessons to learn from the animals. Here are a few from the chapter:

• Ants - Patient industry, perseverance in surmounting obstacles, providence for the future, faithfulness.
• Birds - Trust in God as He provides for them. They gather food, build nests and rear young whilst staying cheerful even though enemies are always seeking to destroy them.
• Bee - Perfect order, no idleness.

Just imagine all the lessons you can teach from each different animal. AMAZING! We can never run out of resources from Gods great textbook. So this week your activity to start is easy and enjoyable. Get into nature each day with your children and pick a lesson to teach, either from the garden or greater outdoors or an animal. Let us know how you are going by commenting at the end of this blog. I really look forward to hearing about it all and sharing ideas.

God bless and please find the next lesson here.



The Book of Nature - Chapter 6

NATURE - all inspiring nature! It is our next lesson book after the Bible, and what precious lessons we can learn from it if we make the time. The fields and the hills should be the child's first classroom and we should encourage them to love it and recognise Gods hand in it all.

When Adam and Eve were in the garden they were taught by Jesus himself. The lessons were about:

• The heavens
• Planets
• "Balancing of the Clouds"
• Light and Sound
• Day and night

These lessons we are to teach our children so that they can see the working of God in all that their eyes behold. There are lessons to be learnt due to the result of sin too. When our children see the decay, death, and the unpleasant sights in nature, explain to them the result of sin and what it has done. But even though there is decay in nature, there are representations of Gods goodness through it all - singing birds, flowers, sun, rain.

A great activity which we are going to start with our children is that whenever we go into nature we are to find an object that illustrates a lesson, story or description of Jesus. It's a great way to talk to you children about Bible truths when "thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." Deut 11:19

If you are not sure about the themes of study, take a pick from the list below as quoted in Child Guidance:

• Leaf of the forest tree
• Grass that covers the earth as a green velvet carpet
• Plants and flowers
• The stately trees
• Lofty mountains
• Rocks
• Restless ocean
• Light of night that makes the night beautiful
• Exhaustless riches of sunlight
• Solemn glories of the moon
• Winters Cold
• Summers heat
• Seasons in perfect order and harmony

At home we have a great bible and nature curriculum which is put out by 'Sonlight'. The curriculum goes for 3 years and each quarter is focused on a different nature object (trees, rocks, plants...) They are VERY good and VERY biblical.

Jesus' education was gained by useful work, study of scripture, study of nature and life's experiences. You may ask 'Can our children gain the same education that Jesus did?' and to answer that "Every child may gain knowledge as Jesus did. As we try to become acquainted with our heavenly Father through His Word, angels will draw near, our minds will be strengthened, our characters will be elevated and refined." CG 51

When Jesus began to teach others he brought His hearers into contact with nature to teach them the lessons spoken of. The parables were always influenced by nature - birds, lilies, sower and the seed, shepherd and the sheep, the leaven, pearl, etc... We should in the same way teach our children.

THIS WEEKS ACTIVITY:

• Each day take your child into nature and see what lessons you can teach. Write down what you have done and the blessings you have all received.

  "...that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. "

Isaiah 61:3

Please find next weeks study here.

God Bless!

How to Download files

I have had a few questions on how to download the documents so I will try my best to explain. When you press on the link a page such as the one below appears in a new window

Click on the bottom left 'Download Now' button. The download will begin and you must wait for the countdown of seconds to finish (15 or 20 second timer) and then you can open the link.

Hope this helps and you have success with the download. Please let me know.

Blessings.

The Bible as a textbook - Chapter 5

The Bible should not only be the childs first textbook but ours also. Mothers need strength from God everyday to be able to do their task successfully and the Lord had provided such beautiful promises in His word for us. These are some of my favourites:

God will give you strength to care for your family
"Let Asher be blessed with children... and as they days, so shall thy strength be." Deuteronomy 33:24,25

God will help you with your young:
"He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Isaiah 40:11

God is watching over you and your family:
"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." Isaiah 49:16

God won't let you drown:
"Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." Isaiah 43:1,2

When you feel exhausted and discouraged
"I will not forget your work and labor of love." Hebrews 6:10
 "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galatians 6:9

When you are distracted by the world and are losing focus:
"And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?" Nehemiah 6:3

"Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee." Proverbs 4:25

For all those times when you need the Lords strength:
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Phillipians 4:13 

The Lord has also filled His word with blessings for us.

"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." Psalm 127:3-5

When a mother is fulfilling her mission: "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her." Proverbs 31:28 

A couple of years ago I was studying through a motherhood manual which had a wonderful suggestion. The suggestion was to go through the book of Proverbs and categorize each verse so that when your child needed guidance or reproof you had on hand a resource that would help greatly. I have laminated this resource and gone to it many times. It truly has been a blessing. Instead of my own words, I am now using Gods own words. You may download the resource here.

We have read in this chapter that the most important work that we do is to teach our children that the smiles of Jesus are of greater value then the praise of man. This is a VERY important work, and also a continual work. We naturally like to have the approval of others and friendship of all, but we need to fight this desire when it contradicts the law of God. We need to speak to our children of this often, and they must see us also live by the same principles.

One of my children are naturally timid, so I found the information on this subject wonderful. Yes it is very true that for a timid child they need to sense the nearness of Gods presence so that they feel secure. The story suggestions are wonderful and I look forward to reading them with my children. We will be claiming the promise: "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them." Psalm 34:7

We must keep in mind that our children will not always be with us so we need to prepare them for those times. We must teach our children the commandments in a practical way so that they will become "rule of their life" and will be a blessing to them throughout their lifetime.


ACTIVITY:

1. Find a promise and a blessing that is relevant and uplifting to you and claim it everyday.
2. Talk to your child this week about the importance of receiving Jesus' smile on all the things we say and do.

Please find next weeks study guide here

Blessings from our home to yours.