Proper Sabbath Occupations for Children by Mrs. B. P. Foote

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 13, 1916

Proper Sabbath Occupations for Children

By Mrs. B. P. Foote

MRS. B. P. FOOTE

The question of proper Sabbath occupations for children is one of the problems that all Seventh-day Adventists have to meet. There are three phases to this problem,—the mental, physical, and spiritual,—and to overlook any one of them is a serious mistake. Growing children need physical exercise on the Sabbath, and they need mental and spiritual training, in addition to that which they receive in Sabbath school.

It is important that a love for the Sabbath be instilled into the minds of the children from the time they begin to understand. Perhaps I cannot do better than to illustrate what I mean by comparing two actual cases, since practical illustrations appeal to us more strongly than the most elaborate theories.

When I was a little girl, I visited a Seventh-day Adventist family consisting of father, mother, and eight children. The members of this family were often spoken of as “strict Seventh-day Adventists.” I shall never forget the gloom that settled down over that house at the beginning of the first Sabbath I spent there. No laughing was permitted. During family worship, all the children were compelled to pray, instead of being taught to love to pray, and to consider it a privilege to be able to do so. They were not allowed to take any walks on the Sabbath. In fact, the whole family kept the Sabbath as if it were a great burden. One by one the children grew to manhood and womanhood, went out into the world, took worldly companions, and today they are all out of the truth. Even the father and mother, from sheer discouragement, have also practically given up the truth.

Another family, consisting of a mother and four children, lived in the same city. Their Sabbaths were happy, pleasant ones. The mother read, told Bible stories, and took the children out for walks to near-by parks, where they gave away missionary papers. She talked to them of nature and the handiwork of God. These children looked forward to the Sabbath with pleasure. The Sabbaths were too far apart to suit them, while with the other family the Sabbath came too often. When these children grew up, they

took companions of like faith, and today they are all in the truth, and trying to bring their children up in accordance with God's will.

If we will give careful thought and study to this subject, we shall find that there are many ways to interest the children on the Sabbath, and they will grow up to love this day above all others. Take walks with them; tell them of nature and of the many beautiful things God has created. In “Christ’s Object Lessons,” pages 25, 26, we find these words:—

“Christ’s purpose in parable teaching was in direct line with the purpose of the Sabbath. God gave to men the memorial of his creative power, that they might discern him in the works of his hand. The Sabbath bids us behold in his created works the glory of the Creator. And it was because he desired us to do this that Jesus bound up his precious lessons with the beauty of natural things. On the holy rest day, above all other days, we should study the messages that God has written for us in nature. We should study the Saviour’s parables where he spoke them, in the fields and groves, under the open sky, among the grass and flowers. As we come close to the heart of nature, Christ makes his presence real to us, and speaks to our hearts of his peace and love.”

If the children have proper home companionship, they will not feel the need of going visiting or pleasure seeking on the Sabbath. It is almost impossible for grown folks to confine their conversation to proper Sabbath topics when visiting on that day, and surely we cannot expect more of our children.

One cannot begin too early to train the children in proper Sabbath observance. The child’s mind is said to be like wax to receive impressions, and like marble to retain them. It has also been said, and truthfully, that a child learns more during the first four years of its life than during any succeeding four years. How important that a love and respect for the Sabbath be one of the things learned during these early years!

It seems perfectly proper for little girls to play Sabbath school with their dolls. I knew of one little girl who would place her dolls all in a row, and go over the memory verses, and tell them all about her Sabbath school lesson. She spent a great deal of time in this way on the Sabbath, and seemed to receive much benefit therefrom. Let the little ones rock their dolls and sing Sabbath school songs to them.

One child where the Sabbath had always been made one of the most pleasant days of the week, remarked, one day, “I wish Sabbath would come every day; it’s too long to wait a whole week.”

Part of the Sabbath could be very well spent with blocks, building the temple or the sanctuary. Something special should be planned for each Sabbath. The older children who can read, should be encouraged to do so. But whether the children play with blocks, or go walking, or read, they should be under sympathetic supervision. Let us be sure that we know just where our children are, and what they are doing. If they are inclined to read, we should know what they are reading, and help them make the right choice of books, papers, etc.; for reading is either a blessing or a curse, and few children have the judgment to make a wise choice of Sabbath reading.

This problem of proper Sabbath occupations is one that each family will have to work out “with fear and trembling.” It has as many variations as there are families of Seventh-day Adventists,—yes, and there are as many problems in each family as there are members of the family; so no set of rules can possibly be made that will meet all requirements. The great secret of success is for each member of each family to seek, by every possible means, to solve the problem. Let the children help. Often they will make good suggestions; and the more responsibility they can be made to feel, the easier it will be to lead them along in the way they should go. Every hour spent in careful, prayerful study of this question will bring a rich reward in the day of final reckoning.

Mountain View, Cal.