Gold Nugget 229 - The Bane of Youth

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      “Fathers provoke not your children, that they be not discouraged.” … That is the coarse way of ruling. … That is not only to be condemned in itself, but it is especially to be condemned to those who should regard themselves as the representatives of Christ to their children. … The effects are, as might be expected, bad.  The children are discouraged.

      Youth is the time of hopefulness.  With the wakening of the powers hopes spring forth.  And parents have carefully to watch over the calling forth of the powers of their children.  It is all important that these be directed in a Christian way. 

      But children are easily discouraged.  They lose heart before the difficulties connected with following out useful and Christian aims.  And they need to have many words of encouragement spoken to them.  They need to be shown what they can do.  But to give them no encouragement, to treat them as though they were incapable of anything great, to heap reproaches on them, to punish them harshly, is to crush the life out of them.  The breaking of the spirit is said to be the bane of youth. 

The Pulpit Commentary, Colossians p. 189, Colossians 3:18, (R. Finlayson)

Gold Nugget 229

The Bane of Youth

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