I have been reading some emails lately about home life. Something has deeply troubled me. Many homes have anger, rebellion and the like. How are these mothers responding? In one case, the mother "rebuked" the "demon" of anger from a teenage child. The child wept. She then threatened the child with severe bodily harm if he ever allowed himself to get into that angry mode again. This seemed to be her normal custom. She had even done this with a four year old child...... (Are you weeping with me now?)............ How can this happen?     

    Please understand that anger in children, that any sin a child is committing is simply because of his sin-nature. We ALL have one. Mother, guide that child in love. I would sit down with a child, with the love of our Savior, and find out what was wrong. Communicate! Please, lovingly GUIDE your child to the light of heaven and a world of love (As Jonathan Edwards describes in his incredible book). A world of love and forgiveness. That is what home should be. If a child is angry, find out why? Mother, you must realize that you also have a sin nature and must carefully ponder the thoughts of your child to see if there is anything that you need to change.

    What makes a child love home? What brings that child comfort? It is the mother's willingness not to be shocked or amazed at the wrong things her child can do. For he is just a babe in Christ! Let him grow in your tender and patient, loving home. Let him feel comforted that when he sins, you will gently talk to him and resolve the issue at hand. (With compassion...... With tears..... with an understanding of sin and the hold it can have on us frail humans.)

    I was standing in my kitchen the other day with my (almost) 14 year old son. And he is so handsome. He wears a leather jacket, lifts weights and is so precious. He willingly does Bible studies with me and asks all kinds of wonderful questions. He has a heart of service and generosity.... I was thanking God in my heart that this son loved to chat with me! When he has a problem, he will tell me. When I've done wrong to him (and, believe me, I have without meaning to), he gently tells this to me and we work it out. Then I hug him. I don't yell at him. I do not rebuke him. He is almost an adult. He does not need my lectures. He needs my guidance. And then I tell him how special and wonderful he is. This is called nurturing. Mother, do you nurture your child? If a child is nurtured *also think of nursed - cared for*, he will remember his childhood with fondness and want to always go back there, in his heart. He will later want a home just like his Mamma made for him. This makes children love home...........