FATHERS, BE CAREFUL HOW YOU SPEAK.
By Amelia Nason Price
Not long ago as I was teaching my little class in the Sabbath-school concerning the prodigal’s return, and illustrating the lesson by comparing the prodigal’s father to any true father, a little boy, with tears in his eyes and stammering voice, said: “My father is not like that; he told me not long ago that he wished I would go away and stay; for I was only a continual trouble to him.” As I was acquainted with the father, and knew him to be a kind-hearted man, I wondered that such words could fall from his lips; but I remembered that in his haste he would sometimes speak unadvisedly, and these words had burned themselves into the very soul of that boy. With aching heart, I said: “Your father spoke hastily. He did not really mean what he said.” But I was ashamed to be compelled to tell the boy that a father could so far forget himself as to say what he did not mean. How we misrepresent our Heavenly Father, in whose stead we stand, when we give way to hasty, meaningless words! Do we wonder that such children talk continually of the time when they shall be old enough to leave home? Fathers, mothers, think in time; for the time is speedily coming when we would give all we possess for the power to recall every hasty, harsh word; but alas! it will then be too late, and the deep wounds they have made only heaven can partially heal. The scar is still to be seen. Let us think, O let us think, lest by our thoughtless and hasty words we crush the tender opening buds of childhood, and drive our children unprepared out into a cold, unfeeling world, and at the same time rob ourselves of the child’s wealth of love and confiding trust. This little incident has taught me to be more careful of my words.