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When
Kings and Queens Come to Call
by H. Wallace
Goddard
Our
very best loving and teaching is none too good for God's children.
In all things our teaching should point them to their eternal Destiny.
Imagine that
you own a modest farm in rural Wyoming. You enjoy your work. You
make just enough to get by. But one day everything is changed. You
get a call from a powerful monarch. The king is inquiring whether
you might allow the crown prince to come and work on the farm with
you. "We want him to get some experience." You are speechless. "We
don't expect you to change the way you live and work. Just be a
good farmer and let him learn from you." You mutter a weak assent.
Thus it is with
parenting. The heavenly King asks us to take a crown prince (or
princess) into our home. At first we are unnerved by the responsibility.
But as the weeks and months pass, the duties of the farm eclipse
the awesome responsibility of mentoring royalty. In time our irritation
over spilled milk and neglected chores exceeds our awe of office.
Our birth is
but a sleep and a forgetting:
The soul that
rises with us, our life's Star
Hath had elsewhere
its setting,
And cometh from
afar:
Not in entire
forgetfulness,
And not in utter
nakedness
But trailing
clouds of glory do we come
From God, who
is our home:
Heaven lies
about us in our infancy!
(William Wordsworth,
"Ode on Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood.")
Viewing our
parental responsibilities in an eternal perspective should change
everything. Could I speak harshly and carelessly to my royal charge?
Even after occasions of misbehavior, could I ever fail to see the
nobility and potential in the growing child? Could I ever believe
that a television program or magazine article was more important
than a walk in the fields with the cherished guest? When his or
her ideas are silly and childish, would I mock them? Or would I
listen, understand and counsel? In times of trouble would I shrug
carelessly or would I beseech heaven with my whole soul in behalf
of the errant child?
Enos paid high
tribute to his father: "for he taught me in his language, and also
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord--and blessed be the name
of my God for it" (Enos 1:1). "Taught in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord." Our very best loving and teaching is none too good
for God's children. In all things our teaching should point them
to their eternal Destiny.
In the last
two years we have added two princes to our family. Those two grandsons,
seen from the perspective of a man who has gained some experience
since he raised his own children, are a heavenly gift. To hold them
is an honor. To speak of them is a blessing. When our daughter called
recently to tell us that their infant boy was ill and might require
an operation, our hearts sank. As soon as the phone call was over
we fell to our knees to plead for heavenly help. We would gladly
give our lives to protect our cherished charges. God asks instead
that we live our lives in loving and teaching them.
Maybe it is
only in times of crisis that we fully recognize the blessing and
responsibility of caring for the children of the divine King. In
ways we don't fully understand we are eternally connected to each
other and to Him. "Say your prayers always before going to work.
Never forget that. A father--the head of the family--should never
miss calling his family together and dedicating himself and them
to the Lord of Hosts" (Discourses of Brigham Young, p.44).
Given the magnitude
of the parenting task, God has given scant direction to parents.
Surely it is not because of indifference. It must be because His
instructions on gospel living are as apt for being good parents
as for becoming sanctified saints. He simply counsels parents to
be good Christians.
And thou shalt
love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy might.
And these words,
which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou
shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk
of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest
by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt
bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets
between thine eyes.
And thou shalt
write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. (Deuteronomy
6:5-9, emphasis added)
The secret of
effective parenting is to be a humble follower. When our words and
deeds bespeak our love and devotion to God we are ready to be good
parents.
Parents should
never drive their children, but lead them along, giving them knowledge
as their minds are prepared to receive it. Chastening may be necessary
betimes, but parents should govern their children by faith rather
than by the rod, leading them kindly by good example into all
truth and holiness. (Discourses of Brigham Young, p.208, emphasis
added)
An admired friend
told about an experience with her 8-year-old daughter. The little
girl wrote a song and sang it to her mother. The mother was amazed
at the deep message. In her heart she asked: "Heavenly Father, who
is this woman?" For a moment the veil parted and she saw her little
girl as she really is: a magnificent woman, a glorious spiritual
being! "I wanted to kneel at her feet." It changed the way she treated
that child because she had seen her divine nature and heritage.
When the great
King calls us Home, we will return with our dear children to His
glorious presence. We will sit with Him at that heavenly Feast.
And we will thank Him that He entrusted us with some of His dearest
children. Then will we all be Kings and Queens to the Most High
God.
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