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The Bible Says
When a boy or girl thrusts his small hand in yours, it may be smeared with chocolate ice cream, or grimy from petting a dog, and there may be a wart under his right thumb and a bandage around the little finger. But the most important thing about his hands is that they are hands of the future. These are hands that someday may hold a Bible or a Colt revolver; play the church piano, or spin a gambling wheel; gently dress a leper's wound, or tremble wretchedly uncontrolled by an alcoholic mind. Right now that hand is yours. It asks for help and guidance. It represents a full-fledged personality in miniature to be respected as a separate individual whose day to day growth into Christian adulthood is your responsibility.
-- Author Unknown Some day when children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a mother, I will tell them:
-- Pulpit Helps The Bible tells us about a man and wife by the names of Amram and Jochebed who lived in Egypt between 3 and 4 thousand years ago. All their lives they worked as slaves and had welts on their backs due to the lashes they received from their cruel taskmaster. While no one remembers Amram and Jochebed, their three children all became famous and the name of the youngest of the three is still revered today. Ever hear of that third child, "Moses?" It was through Moses that God gave to Israel and the whole world, The Ten Commandments. It was upon the principles of the Ten Commandments that the Constitution of the United States Government was framed. Furthermore, until recent years, the entire civilized world, recognized the Ten Commandments as the proper code for living. To break some of the Ten Commandments, such as murder, theft, and sex violations, were crimes punishable by the law. Aram and Jochebed are pretty well forgotten but please remember, it was Jochebed who trained Moses in his formative years. "And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her (Jochebed), take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman (Jochebed) took the child and nursed it" (Exodus 2:9). We are not told how long Jochebed was able to care for and train Moses, before turning him over to the Egyptian Princess, who educated and trained him in all the learning available in order to fit him for the Egyptian Throne. In the end, however, his mother's early training won out. "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season" (Hebrews 11:24,25).
so precious from the start, it seems the Lord has fashioned it with pieces of my heart. And as it grows and learns to walk, and learns to run, and learns to talk, Dear Lord, the more it learns to be, the more it grows away from me. Then finally there comes a day I have to let it walk away, and pray the path it walks upon will be to follow God's dear Son. A child's a gift and though I try to keep the years from flying by with tears of joy I must let go, because my Lord has willed it so. My gift is God's and must be free to choose what e'er its life will be. And so, I give into God's care the gift He gave to me, to share.
"O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed remember me . . . and give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life." I Samuel 1:11
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