I was in a house one day where a boy was getting ready to go to school.
His bag was slung over his shoulder, and he was just reaching his cap
from the peg, when his mother said, "Put on your overcoat, Jimmy; it is
rather cold this morning". Oh, what a fuss there was! How he argued with
his mother, "It was not cold; he hated overcoats. Could he not take it
over his arm, or put it on in the afternoon?" Many more objections he
made, and when at last he =had= put it on, he went out grumbling, and
slammed the door after him.
Can you guess how his mother felt? "Unhappy," you will say. And do you
think it is right, dear children, to make mother unhappy? I am sure you
do not.
Little child with eyes so blue,
What has mother done for you?
Taught your little feet to stand,
Led you gently by the hand,
And in thousand untold ways
Guarded you through infant days:
Do not think that =you= know best,
Just obey, and leave the rest.
You see Jimmy thought that he knew better than his mother, but he did
not. Children need to be guided like the boat in the Humber (Story
Lesson 3), for they are not very wise; and when we obey, we are building
up our Temple with beautiful stones.
(Blackboard.)
=Two= kinds of Obedience:--
1. Ready, Cheerful-Robert.
2. Unready, Sulky-Jimmy.
Which do you like best?