Posted in Helen's Temper by Mrs. George Gladstone

 It is surprising to me that Miss Herne didn't see the 2 girls talking to each other and stop them. I know that one room schoolhouses were small. I just would have thought that she would have seen them. It is very sad that they had so much contempt for Louisa.
 I am so glad that Louisa got SO much from just the one lesson. It brings joy to me to think that she could pick up so much in so little time. She is going to get far with that!
 It was nice to read more about Louisa's family. It gave me a little more insight to what she might be going through.
 I would have thought that Miss Herne would have maybe spent more time with Louisa. It appears, though, that she just met her and told her to come back.
 Poor Mrs. Hall! I am not a mother yet, but I do feel remorse and guilt sometimes for things that I did that have caused pain to others.
 I am kinda getting mad at Helen. HOW HATEFUL she is! Oh my word! She really loves herself more than she loves her sister. Even more than she loves Christ, I think. If she cares more about not

Last week I was on vacation and I found myself wondering about Betty and Louisa as if they were real friends. I thought of Betty’s compassion toward Louisa and I wondered what would happen next! I was happily surprised when my children mentioned it too!

Betty’s desire to help Louisa moved me to tears. What understanding this child displays! We tend to become so wrapped up in our own lives that we often forget to consider another’s plight before our own! When I read this to my children, I reminded them of the passage of scripture we are currently memorizing from Philippians Chapter 2:

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

We need to be more like Betty and think carefully of how we may bless one another firstly in our own home and then those we meet. Betty did not only pray for Louisa, but she took action!  We would do well to make a weekly plan for blessing others! Ask yourself, “What is one way I can bless my family this week? Whom else can we, as a family, bless? How?” Then, DO it!

As I read this story, I grieved for Helen. How blind she is. I asked myself repeatedly if I am blind in some areas too and I asked God to reveal any areas where I am prejudiced, selfish, more interested in impressing humans than in pleasing God, etc. 

Even in the face of persecution, Betty continued to minister to this family. She quietly endured Helen’s bitterness towards her and set her mind to be a blessing! She brought the family resources in every form: mental (kindness and encouragement), physical (food, clothing, curtains, and even a toy) and spiritual (a hymnbook, Sunday School lessons, talking openly about the things of God with the family). She also set about not only doing FOR them, but also teaching the children to be useful and cheerful in so doing!

Can you imagine a young child being so able to speak to a grown man?  She spoke with certainty and joy. She shared her understanding of the gospel. I believe she had “earned” the right to speak in this manner by living what she believed before him in the previous days and weeks. He had seen the difference in her and was able to receive the truth from this child. In what ways do we hinder our own testimony? Are we too busy to see a need? Are we inconsistent? Do we begin to help, but become too scattered to do what we must? Do we gripe and complain about our own situation to the point where we are no different and lose our ability to shine the light of Christ to those around us?

Betty devoted her free time, her resources, her energy, and her prayers to bringing the love of God to this family. Perhaps this is one way we can be effective, by being single-minded instead of over-committing ourselves to a variety of “good” activities. If Betty had been like this, she may have missed chances to garner credibility in the eyes of the Hall family. What if she had not showed up that first Sunday and kept her promise to Helen? What if she visited seldom and then with complaints about her own situations? What if she had been dissuaded from her little mission by Helen’s cruelty? Have you ever determined to be a blessing, but found yourself off-track eventually?

When Betty spoke of the suffering of Christ, my heart was heavy within me. We certainly take this for granted. We have heard it all so much that we have stopped realizing its weight and its worth. Betty persuaded Mr. Hall to resume the reading of the Scriptures and to begin to take his troubles to Jesus in prayer. She provided a Burden-Bearer for this family and she herself did her share to carry a portion of the load to the glory of God!

Near the bottom of page 63 where it says, “The next afternoon Betty started off to see Louisa and to hear how her father had passed the night.” I initially read it incorrectly, as “her father had passed away in the night.” All of my children groaned with sorrow and we all breathed a collective sigh of relief when I announced that I had read it wrong! Louisa’s father’s health begins to improve and his spiritual health blossoms! His daughter begins to seek him to lead her and to read the Scriptures to her. His hope is renewed and he is given a chance to again become gainfully employed.

As sit at the end of chapter 6, we know things for the title’s namesake must soon come to a head. How will Helen’s Temper further bring distress for those around her? She is so selfish and unkind. She must be very unhappy in her own heart. There is a saying that says something like, “He who is wrapped up in himself is a very small package.” I am afraid that will prove to be true of Helen.

In the meantime, let us apply what we have read. Let us have a plan to bless our own family and pray about how we can take on a single-minded family project to proclaim Christ to the world around us. I would love to hear how this plays out in YOUR family!

The Perils of Parenting and Other Ponderings