An Interesting Occasion by David Paulson, M. D.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 22, 1912

An Interesting Occasion

By David Paulson, M. D.

DAVID PAULSON, M. D.

At a certain Chautauqua assembly where I was giving a series of health lectures, there was a man who made it his business to entertain large audiences by performing remarkable feats of dexterity. One of them consisted in balancing three glass balls one on top of another on the rounded end of a broom handle. Desiring to know whether he naturally possessed a special knack for such work, or whether he acquired it by sheer practise, I sought a personal interview with him. He assured me that he had learned it all by patient effort. I inquired how long it took him to acquire the ball-balancing trick, and he told me that he practised it four hours a day for an entire year, and then one hour a day for another year.

On leaving that man, I felt both ashamed and humbled. I firmly believed that God had sent me to that great gathering to instruct the people with life-saving truths, while this performer was there merely to furnish them an interesting entertainment; yet he had spent a hundred times more time and effort in preparation than I, who came with a thousandfold more important message to this congregation. I resolved then and there that by the grace of God I would in the future study to show myself “approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.” 2 Tim. 2:15.

The children of this world are not only wiser than the children of light (Luke 16:8), but they often take far more pains to make their work interesting. How many parents deplore the fact that their children seem literally to devour the comic page of the Sunday newspaper, while they take little or no interest in the family worship. But somebody lay awake nights figuring out how to make that page interesting, and in a crude and unfortunate way he succeeded; while perhaps those parents did not spend ten minutes in prayerful study on how to make the morning worship attractive, helpful, and interesting.

Flowers More Attractive Than Weeds

While it is true that many worldly snares and inducements, like weeds, grow without any cultivation, it is also true that when we do take the necessary pains to grow a crop of roses, we have something much more attractive and lovely than the weeds.

Many believe that the world and the devil have a monopoly of about all the interesting things in this life; but that is a great mistake. Whoever heard of anything the devil has originated that is considered half as interesting as the Niagara Falls that God made?

John the Baptist’s preaching was infinitely more interesting, and drew larger crowds, in an age nearly as worldly as our own, than any cheap show that the devil was running at the same time up in Jerusalem.

While it is true that we can not secure John the Baptist to take charge of our family worship, we can do something far better, and that is to have Christ himself. When he was here on earth, he succeeded in making religion so charming that it captivated even the hardened publicans and sinners, and the little children left their toys and crowded around him till it annoyed the disciples.

Modern science teaches us that food must be appetizing in order to be satisfactorily digested. The same principle holds good in spiritual food; and the same gracious Father who has put such

delightful flavors into food, and such sweet fragrance into flowers, has locked up in every spiritual truth the most appetizing flavors in the universe, and he himself will help us to set them free. And we may actually see fulfilled in our family worship and in our church prayer-meetings and other services the promise, “I, if I be lifted up . . . will draw all men unto me.” John 12:32.

If we have been putting forth but little effort to make our religious exercises interesting, we need not be surprised if we have met with but little success. “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly.” 2 Cor. 9:6.

Some Practical Suggestions

First of all, do not let the family worship drift into a rut. Absolute and unvarying routine is certain in time to kill everything but the farm. Another important point is to have the entire service so short that no one becomes weary, or feels a sense of relief when it is over.

Talk about Bible incidents in the same animated tone of voice that you do about some interesting event that happened in your community yesterday. If something unusual has just occurred, such as a great earthquake, ask each member of the family to look up some Scripture text on that subject for the following morning. To make this easy, be sure to have in the house a concordance. Cruden’s Complete Concordance can now be secured for $1.50 or less. This plan helps to create an individual Bible habit which is so indispensable for the Christian.

Another good plan for an occasional change is to assign in advance some particular Bible incident, parable, or miracle, then have each one relate the feature of it that especially interested or impressed him. A little judicious and tactful work on the part of parents during the day will insure against failure on the part of any one. Don’t forget that what all take part in will generally be interesting to all. Smith’s Bible Dictionary or some similar work will often throw helpful and interesting side-lights on some Bible scene or incident.

One morning in the week may be profitably used in studying the Sabbath-school lesson. Other mornings short portions of Scripture may be read that are likely to be especially interesting and easily understood. The prayer or prayers that follow should be short and pointed, not the long prayers taking in the wider range of subjects about which each one of us must pray in secret each day if we hope to make progress in the Christian life.

All this is intended to be only suggestive. If it shall be the means in the hand of God of arousing such earnest effort on the part of some that they shall succeed in doing something far better than is suggested in this article, my prayer will be abundantly answered.

Hinsdale, Ill.