A Humble Parlour as a School of Theology

The Parlour Table at Mrs. White's Home in Vermont.

It has been said that Mothers of old time spent their leisure hours reading the Bible to their children.  These Mothers also lived a moral and virtuous life. The greatest witness of true character and holiness, are the eyes of the immediate family.

When Mother's hobby and devotion revolves entirely around the home, she has the freedom and the privilege of training her children in godliness. 

(Do we realize that this is why mothers are being pulled away from the hearth?)

I remember when my children were little. The main part of their education was Scripture. We did not  focus on memorizing some verses. We did not do short devotions or read little devotional books.   We, the children from the age of solid readers (5 and up) and I, read the entire Bible over and over again, year after year after year.

We also had some help. . .

If the children didn't know the meaning of a word, We looked to the 1800's Webster's Dictionary. This is an enormous, hardcover book that cost me well over $60.  It has thousands of pages.  The children greatly respected this treasured resource.   

If a phrase or passage confused me or the children, we looked to Matthew Henry's Commentary.  Or we used the Strong's Concordance.   Later, we also added John MacArthur's study Bible to help answer our questions.

But the daily, hour by hour, readings took place using the trusty old KJV Bible.  The children sharpened their minds with those "antiquated" words.  They sharpened their reading skills and committed to memory (from repetitive reading) many precious truths.

As most of my children have grown up, I have heard and seen how they have faced "giants" of confusing doctrine. I have seen them stand their ground against un-biblical religions and people trying to convince them of another way.  And each time, these children have prevailed and stood strong, as the strongest roots of an ancient oak tree.  .  . Unbending and sure of their Faith.  While these children still struggle with their sin nature (as we all will until we reach the heavenly gates), nothing can sway them away from the lessons learned in the old parlour.  Why? Because they learned sacred, ancient truths, that have stood the test of time.

The other day, I was sitting at the parlour table.  I had my books and Bible laid out before me. One of my teenagers came by and wanted to read with me.  We looked through Scripture and looked to our "helpers" to understand passages. And we delighted in spending valuable, fleeting time, on that which was eternal. 

Our home may be old, with ripped up linoleum and cracks in the walls.  The furnishings may be torn and "dated."  We may have plain, inexpensive foods to share.  We may have a poor income.  But the time spent in my humble parlour, in my school of theology, is the greatest place this Mother could ever be.

Blessings
Mrs. White

From the Archives -


What Many of Us Crave - An Ordinary Life at Home.

What To Do When - There Isn't Much.

Joyful Homemaking with - Kitchen Sermons.

 

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Mrs. White's special book for homemakers:"Introduction to Home Economics:  Gentle Instruction to Find Joy in Christian Homemaking." Paperback, 200 pages.