p. 11 | A *Christian* Home

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 29, 1906

A Christian Home

NOTHING on the earth is more beautiful than a Christian home. No place on the globe is so near to the gate of heaven. It may be in the country or in the city; it may be in a cabin or in a palace; the structure matters not if the souls that dwell there are in Christ. Father, mother, sons, and daughters, living in peace and harmony, bound together, not by outward constraint or artificial ties, but by the bond of love, all acknowledging allegiance to one God, and serving him in sincerity and truth—such a home is a blessing to the community and to the world. It is worth more than the largest factory, the most flourishing commercial house, or the best college. Out from this home will shine a light more bright, more warm and beautiful, than the light of the sun, and it may penetrate to the ends of the earth. If every home where Christ is named were truly and altogether a Christian home, the problem of the evangelization of the city and the reformation of society and the conversion of the world would be a simple problem. This leaven would soon leaven the whole lump.

Many homes are divided. Christ has a foothold in them, but is crowded into a narrow corner. In one home the wife is a Christian, while the husband is an infidel or an atheist or an agnostic. Why will Christian women marry unbelievers? It is easy to understand why an atheist or an infidel will seek a Christian woman for his wife. He knows she is the best kind of woman and will make the best kind of wife. He does not want one of his own kind. But why a Christian woman will give her hand and heart to one who does not believe in God nor live a life of prayer, to live together with him till death shall part them, is hard to understand. In this home there is no prayer, except the secret, silent prayers which the Christian wife offers with a heavy heart. The Bible may be hid away lest the sight of it should kindle the wrath of the man who hates it. No Christian minister is welcome in that home. In one such home the sons and daughters all grew up without God, although their mother was a Christian, and it may well be believed that they all died without hope.

In another home the husband does not oppose religion, but he is utterly indifferent with regard to it. He says: “The Bible is a good book, the church is a good institution, and religion is a good thing. I never hinder my family from going to church, but as for me, I have no personal interest in it.” But he does hinder his family by his example. He is a tremendous stumbling-block. If that Christian wife goes to church, she goes alone, sadly thinking of the awful chasm which separates her and her husband. For the most part she does not go at all. This is what her minister has heard her say: “I should like to be at church every Sunday and at prayer-meeting every week, but my husband is not a Christian. He does not oppose me in my religion, but Sunday is the only day he has at home, and when I leave him, he is so lonesome, and the day is so dull, that I feel called upon to stay with him and make the day and the home as pleasant to him as possible.” Can it be expected that children brought up in this home will become Christians? Nay, rather the Christian wife may lose her faith and hope in such an atmosphere ere she is aware of it. It is a sad thing when the head of the house is an unbeliever, a scoffer, or utterly indifferent to the claims of religion.

Some Christian parents are skeptical about the conversion of children. They discourage their own children from seeking the Lord when their tender hearts are touched by the Spirit of the Lord. They say the children are too young. They do not understand what they are doing. Wait till they are older. This pernicious sentiment has been used with deadly effect by the enemy of souls. Many children have been hindered by their own parents when they earnestly desired to seek the Lord, and afterward when the parents longed to have them come into the kingdom, they had no such desire. If parents knew how much evil their children would escape by seeking the Lord in the morning of life, surely they would not rest day nor night until they should lead them all to Christ. It is the duty and privilege of every man who enters into the kingdom of God to take all his family with him.

How old must a child be before he should be encouraged to seek the Lord? Some children are older at five than others are at ten. But this much is certain: as soon as a child begins to feel his need of Christ, let no time be lost in leading him to Christ. As soon as children feel that hungering and thirsting after God, which young people brought up in a Christian home are sure to feel keenly at a very early age, lead them at once to the fountain of living waters. But they are too young to understand what they are doing, says one. Fear not. Dr. Watkinson beautifully says: “Children can not understand botany, but they can enjoy the beauty and fragrance of the lily. They can not understand the deep things of theology, but they can enjoy the love of God.”

There will come a time when the child must choose for itself. Be watchful when that time comes. See to it that Satan does not take advantage of that crisal day when you are asleep. The spiritual life begins easily and beautifully in the soul of a young child. The bud of grace is already in his heart before he knows his right hand from his left. Teach him not to crush it, and it will open before the atmosphere of a Christian home as the rose will open before the breath of spring. The flame of grace is already in his heart before he can speak one articulate word or think one intelligent thought. Teach him not to quench it, and it will burn brighter and clearer there than in the soul of a converted prodigal. This is the Lord’s way of raising up a holy seed in the world and filling the whole earth with the knowledge of the Lord.—The Christian Advocate.