For Moms.  (Everyone else can listen)

The book of Genesis we have the beautiful story of the creation
of mankind. How God stooped down, and with his hands gathered
clay and formed a man and breathed into him the breath of life.
Then, after man was able to recognize his loneliness, after he
noticed that all the animals had their two parts, male and
female, and that he was only half there, God put him to sleep
and took part of his body and formed the other part of man. It
is interesting that if you look at the original language here
what it describes is the man or human, and the female of the man
or human. It describes beautifully the equality of M/F.

The Bible goes to describe the fall, and how Satan, through the
women enticed the man to take of that which he knew he
shouldn't, and as  result they were both thrown out of the
garden. It was after this happened that man was put in charge of
the family. Before, they had communed with Christ, and He had
taught and directed them. Now that personal contact was
impossible, and the man was given the duties of Husband.

We should take note that after the fall, mankind was no longer
living in the ideal circumstances that he had been before. Two
perfect beings would have automatically moved in the same
direction, for the same purposes. But once sin entered the
picture, for two to be in perfect unity one had to set the
direction one was to follow. As long as the leader is following
the ways of God in the Spirit of Christ, this is good and proper.

However, this was not to be. For the majority of the population
has taken, is taking, and will take the path of least
resistance, and move directly against the will of God. Thus you
have historically, that mankind has taken the initiative to be
the head of the household and of the wife, but has not followed
the direction of God in assuming this responsibility. Before
going any farther, let me way that the man who claims his
authority in the family without acknowledging the authority of
Christ over him, is taking a position never granted him by God.

And this opens up an area of problems for many Christian women,
for it seems that in our time, the women are more susceptible o
the workings of the Spirit of God, and often end up taking the
spiritual leadership of the family because of the abdication of
the husband and father in this area.

We have record of this in the Bible, where Moses had delayed
doing God's will in circumcising himself and his children, and
his wife took the initiative and saved them all from
destruction.

 But what does the Christian woman do when she is faced with an
unbelieving husband? How does she divide her loyalties? What are
her priorities? Should a Christian wife leave an unbelieving
husband, or as far as that goes, the other way around?

Ellen White once gave the following advice to a woman in this
predicament The husband was not a believer, and he did his best
to make it hard for the mother to train her children in the
Lord. He was a person who used profanity, and was vulgar and
abusive in his language to his wife. He went so far at to teach
the children that it wasn't necessary to obey their mother.
while she would try to pray with the children he would come in
and make all the noise that he could, and would curse God and
curse the Bible. The woman became very discouraged, quite
naturally, and felt that if she left she could do some good
somewhere else. Perhaps she could find somewhere else to labor
for her God.

The advice was given "whatever trials you may be called to
endure through poverty, through wounds and bruises of the soul,
from the harsh overbearing of the husband and father, do not
leave your children: do not give them up to the influence of a
godless father. Your work is to counteract the work of the
father, who is apparently under the control of Satan."

We should all remember that the main duty of every Christian is
to draw others to Christ. If you have a husband, or wife, who
seems to be pulling away from God, it is your duty to attempt to
win that person over to the side of the Savior. It is hard. It
is a discipline, but the spouse of a non-believe. should be the
living example of patience and self control. Everything within
your power should be done to draw that person to see Christ,
without yielding up one principle of truth. Be patient,
considerate, forbearing. Live your beliefs, don't talk them. Do
not stop loving that person. Use the love that you have for them
to bring you closer together, and if you are close to Christ,
then the closer your spouse becomes to YOU, the closer be will
be be God

The pattern is: Obey God, please your spouse whenever you can.

But what of authority? The Christian always has his first
allegiance to God.  God does not require that a woman obey her
husband if he would have her go against the law of God. Even in
marriage the women is an individual. had been personally been
bought with the blood of Christ and she does not belong to
herself or to her husband.

 Ellen White wrote to a newly married woman who found that she
had ended up with a spoiled godless youth. She says,  "(Your)
marriage was a deception of the devil. Yet now you should make
the best of it and treat your husband with tenderness, and make
him as happy as you can without violating your conscience; for
if he remains in his rebellion, this world is all the heaven he
will have.

But to deprive  yourself of the privilege of meetings to gratify
an overbearing husband possessing the spirit of the dragon is
not according to God's will."

Finally, She makes the following statement, which can sum up
what may be the best that can happen; If you can save only a
part of your family, it is much better than to loose all.

 Barbara Johnson made this statement about motherhood. She said
"If it was going to be easy to raise kids, it never would have
started with something called labor." (--Barbara Johnson, Stick
a Geranium In Your Hat And Be Happy, Word, 1990, p. 17. )

Mothering is an idea that does not have a lot of favor with some
these days, and many who  call themselves by this title have
done nothing to deserve it. Contrary to what we hear so much
today' I believe that motherhood is the  most important and
uplifting work that a woman tan take on.

It also requires more skill, patience, energy, perseverance, and
time than any other. Perhaps that is why so many are defaulting
on their responsibility. Not only that, I believe that it is the
most important work that any human being can be involved in.

What the world needs more of now is mothers. Mothers who are not
mothers only in title, but who are mothers in function. I think
that it is safe to say that the distinctive duties of woman are
more sacred, more holy than of man, and women should realize
that they are engaged in a sacred work when they take on the
challenge of bringing up Christian children in a pagan world.

This is a challenge that includes molding the character of her
children that they might be fitted for a higher immortal life.
The mother is God's agent to Christianize her family. This
thought is interesting in the light of the feminist assertions
along with those of Marx and Hagle that the family structure as
we have it must die and the state take over the responsibility
of raising the children.  And by the way, the government is
moving in that direction.

She is to be the agent in perpetuating the values of
Christianity, and of a free society as a whole, and the Devil
knows this and does whatever he can to see that mothers that are
not doing this work.

This work of influencing the child for the Lord takes many and
varied turns. First, it requires that the mother be close to the
Lord herself. The good that she will do will far surpass
anything that   preacher could do because of the sheer weight of
time that she spends with them. The word instructs us, God's
children, to instruct our children of his way and love here a
little and there a little, when we stand up and sit down. This
we do from the the Word. This a mother does by her actions and
attitudes. She has to remember that if the child sees her throw
a tantrum, the child will assume that is proper behavior. Satan
knows this and tries to reach those little ones by influencing
the mother to do things that the children will mimic.

Unfortunately, some mothers feel that they are doing an
unimportant and thankless work. there are no engraved
cornerstones on a clean kitchen, or on the legs of a growing
child. Often she will feel that she is in a round of drudgery
that will not stop, and that she has accomplished nothing. But
this is not true. This duty of the mother is so important that
nothing should be allowed to take its place. Not even being
directly connected with active work in the church.

No work is more important than the work of a mother, and the
mother that ignores her duties as wife and mother and asks for
some great work to do instead is going against what the Lord has
desired. The mother should not even accept positions the church
which would compel her to neglect the children .

A mother should have fixed principles. The devil is after her
with everything that he has to sidetrack her from this,  just
like he is the children and the father.  There are so many
things to do and read and watch now that we can become quite
absorbed in them. How many moms do you know, or any one as far
as that goes, who will not let any any interfere with their
social time each day....... not with the Lord, but with their
favorite soap opera.  By the way, I doubt that you can point out
any of these programs that consistently uphold the principles of
good and virtue that are so necessary to the Christian life.

Sometimes work comes before the raising of children.  There are
many children of Christian families who are being sacrificed to
a new house or new car, because mom has to work to get these
things rather than making do with something a little less
expensive.

KATHLEEN AND JONATHAN KUNTARAF write in an article:

We, Kathleen and Jonathan, travel extensively in our work for
the church, and often have to deal with  this situation. We
suggest:

1. Mothers need to be with their children during their infancy
and preschool age.  When they reach school age, mothers may take
part-time jobs_going to work  while the children are in school,
and being at home upon their return from school.  Ellen White
admonishes mothers: "The first great business of your life is to
be a  missionary at home" (Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 138).

2. A mother, counsels Ellen White, should "be careful how she
trusts the  molding of fhe infant mind to other hands"
(Fundamentals of Christian  Edrscation, pp. 156, 157). Unless we
can find someone whom we can fully  trust, we should not leave
our children to other people.

The Christian mother and wife, or anyone else, should keep
herself up.

An important part of this is regular physical exercise. Mothers
should be health reformers, not in the kooky sense of the word,
but they should be knowledgeable in the area of foods and diet,
and through correct diet should protect her family against
disease and weakness.

She should not run around the house looking like a scarecrow. I
am not saying that she has to be dressed fit to kill all the
time, but if she keeps clean and neat, even if in worn clothes,
there will be an example set for the children, and the husband
will respect her more for it. This will influence the children
to be of a cleaner and neater themselves. By their example and
teaching, mothers should guide their children to be clean ,
neat, and tidy in their home and in their personal appearance.

As she studies the instruction given in the Word of the Lord it
goes a long way in helping solve the little and larger problems
that wifehood and motherhood are faced with.

The Lord requires submission in the Lord that the family might
run smoother. Submission not to any other male around you, which
is a point that perhaps should be better understood, but only to
your husband in the Lord. Not denying your individuality, your
special talents or interests. Pulling together to bring your
family closer to God, and closer to each other.

But the Lord also requires that he be the first in your lives.
That you work with your husband to bring up the children in the
ways of the Lord. That your Christian influence is such that
others want to know more of the Lord. That we should become one
in our families just as Jesus and his father are one. One in
love, purpose, desire, and concern. That our words might build
rather than destruct. That our influences might join rather than
divide.

Mothers, God has called you to a work that is more important
than what I do.  He has called you to help Him mold little lives
to be like His life.  And you need help from on high.

Today I want to have a special prayer for you.  And as we pray,
I am going to ask those who are kneeling near you to just place
their hands on your heads or shoulders in a statement of
blessing.

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