One of the most hallowed, lovely, and beautiful sights in our world is, a woman at home discharging in all the meekness of wisdom, the various duties of wife and mother, with an order that nothing is allowed to disturb; a patience which nothing can exhaust; an affection which is never ruffled; and a perseverance that no difficulties can interrupt, nor any disappointments arrest—in short, such a scene as that described by the writer of the most exquisite chapter of the Proverbs. Eve in Paradise, in all her untainted loveliness, by the side of Adam, propping the lily, training the vine, or directing the growth of the rose; shedding upon him, and receiving, reflected back from his noble countenance upon her happy spirit, such smiles as told in silent language, their perfect and mutual bliss, was no doubt, a brighter image of perfect virtue and undisturbed felicity; but to me, a woman in our fallen world, guiding in piety, intelligence, and all matronly and motherly excellences, the circle of a home made happy chiefly by her influence, presents a scene little inferior in beauty, and far superior as a display of virtue and intelligence, to that of which our first mother was the center even in her original perfections. And it is imagination, and not reason and moral taste, that can revel in the mind's pictures of Eve in Paradise, and not feel warmer admiration in the actual presence of such a woman as I have described.
But it will, perhaps, be asked, whether I would shut up every married woman within the domestic circle, and, with the jealousy and authority of an oriental despot, confine her to her own home; or whether I would condemn and degrade her to mere household drudgery. I have, I think, protected myself already from this imputation, by representing her as the companion, counselor, and comforter of man. She shall, with my consent, never sink from the side of man, to be trampled under his feet. She shall not have one ray of her glory extinguished, nor be deprived of a single honor that belongs to her sex; but to be the instructress of her children, the companion of her husband, and the queen partner of the domestic state, is no degradation—and she only is degraded who thinks so!
Christianity has provided a place for woman for which she is fitted, and in which she shines; but take her out of that place, and her luster pales and sheds a feeble and sickly ray! Or to change the metaphor, woman is a plant, which in its own greenhouse seclusion will put forth all its brilliant colors and all its sweet perfume; but remove it from the protection of its own floral home into the common garden and open field, where hardier flowers will grow and thrive—its beauty fades and its fragrance is diminished. Neither reason nor Christianity invites woman to the professor's chair, or conducts her to the lawyer's bar, or makes her welcome to the pulpit, or admits her to the place of the magistracy. Both exclude her, not indeed by positive and specific commands, but by general principles and spirit, alike from the violence and evil of the military, the debates of the senate, and the pleadings of the forum. And they bid her beware how she lays aside the delicacy of her sex, and listens to any doctrines which claim new rights for her, and becomes the dupe of those who have put themselves forward as her advocates only to gain notoriety, or perhaps unneeded income.
The Bible gives her her place of majesty and dignity in the domestic circle—the heart of her husband and the heart of her family. It is the female supremacy of that domain, where love, tenderness, refinement, thought and tender feeling preside. "It is the privilege of making her husband happy and honored, and her sons and daughters the ornaments of human society. It is the sphere of piety, prudence,diligence, in the domestic station, and a holy and devout life. It is the sphere that was occupied by Hannah, the mother of Samuel; by Elizabeth, the mother of John; by Eunice, the mother of Timothy; and by Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is the respect and esteem of mankind."
It is, as Dr. Spring has said, that silent, unobserved, unobtrusive influence, by which she accomplishes more for her race, than many whose names occupy a broad space on the page of history. A woman who fills well the sphere assigned to her, as a wife and mother; who trains up good citizens for the state, and good fathers and mothers of other families which are to spring from her own; and so from generation to generation in all but endless succession, need not complain that her sphere of action and her power of influence are too limited for female ambition to aspire to. The mothers of the wise and the good are the benefactresses of the human race.
What would be gained to woman's comfort, respectability, or usefulness, or to the welfare of society, and how much would be lost to each, by withdrawing her from her own appropriate sphere, and introducing her to that for which she has no adaptation? Who, but a few wild visionaries, and rash speculatists, and mistaken advocates of 'woman's rights', would take her from the home of her husband, of her children, and of her own heart—to wear out her strength, consume her time, and destroy her feminine excellence—in committee-rooms, on platforms, in mechanics shop, or philosophical institutions?
But may not woman, in every way in her power—benefit society by her talents and her influence? Certainly, in every legitimate way. Her sphere is clearly assigned to her by God—and only by very special and obvious calls should she be induced to leave it. Whatever breaks down the modest reserve, the domestic virtues, the persuasive gentleness, of woman, is an injury done to the community. Woman can be spared from the lecturer's chair, the platform of general convocation, and the scene of public business; but she cannot be spared from the hearth of her husband, and the circle of her children! Substitutes can be found for her in the one, but not in the other. In the bosom of domestic privacy she fulfills with truest dignity and faithfulness the first and highest obligations of her sex.
~from FEMALE PIETY, written in 1852 by John Angell James (1785-1859)
Because the family is so central to building up a godly society, it has always been under attack by unbelievers and is in particularly great danger today.
At the root of outright hatred of family bonds lies sinful man's craving to be independent of God and his fellow men so he may do as he pleases and not be burdened or restrained by any responsibilities or obligations. Such individual anarchy and selfishness among ever growing numbers of people eventually leads to the breakdown of society at large. But this is not the end: the most ruthless and selfish people will usurp the government and enslave the rest of the people to serve their own ends. He who will not serve God his Creator invites human tyranny, as history shows.
As C. S. Lewis wrote, "Some fatal flaw always brings the selfish and cruel people to the top and [civilization) slides back into misery and ruin. Because the family is so central to building up a godly society, it has always been under attack by unbelievers and is in particularly great danger today.
At the root of outright hatred of family bonds lies sinful man's craving to be independent of God and his fellow men so he may do as he pleases and not be burdened or restrained by any responsibilities or obligations. Such individual anarchy and selfishness among ever growing numbers of people eventually leads to the breakdown of society at large.
But this is not the end: the most ruthless and selfish people will usurp the government and enslave the rest of the people to serve their own ends. He who will not serve God his Creator invites human tyranny, as history shows. It seems to start up all right and runs a few yards, and then it breaks down. They are trying to run it on the wrong juice [instead of on God Himself]. That is what Satan has done to us humans." (Mere Christianity. p.39).
Modern enemies of biblical Christianity have attacked the family on the grounds of evolution, denying the biblical creation account (for instance. Sigmund Freud). The vituperative attack on the family by Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx's co-founder of Marxism-Communism, was based upon evolution. For him, the monogamous family was founded upon enslavement of the woman by the man, and original group marriage was replaced by individual marriages inevitably accompanied by adultery and prostitution. His idea of marriage was that of a contract based only upon physical love, which could be easily broken. Likewise Engels looked upon private property not as a trust under God, but rather as theft from communal ownership of all things, and to be abolished, as it is today in Communist countries. Consider that Communism dominates about half the world today and bids fair to conquer it all by invasion (Afghanistan, Tibet), subversion, and by confluence with New Age thought in the anticipated one-world state of the near future. "Communal ownership" means administration by the state/government, and in practice by the ruling elite.
Because the biblical family protects true cohesion and love, and points to the God of Scripture and His true freedom in Christ, it is especially under attack in today's "post-Christian" world. One line of attack is to confuse the difference between a true family and "people living together" no matter who they are. Another is to take over the education of the children. Another is to discriminate against biblical families by peer pressure (as against families with more than two children). by tax disadvantages, and by contempt against "homemakers" in the name of feminist "self-esteem," "self-fulfillment," etc.
Enemies of the biblical family also suppress the lesson all `History teaches, namely, that breakdown of marriage and family has always been a sure precursor of the breakdown of an entire society or state.' Ancient Greece and Rome are perfect examples of this historical fact.
Because the family is God's basic social institution,
to abandon or destroy it
is to destroy
society.
-The Creationism Website
Father's Day will be here in a blink of an eye and around the Fuentes household we are busily preparing to have everyone over. I thought I would share some quotes:
None of the things I remember about my father had anything at all to do with his lifestyle of whom he knew or the places he had been or the style of the clothes he wore. I just knew that he was always there. -Cal Thomas
A father carries pictures where his money used to be. -Author Unknown
There is no more vital calling or vocation for men than fathering. -John Throop
Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him Father! -Lydia M. Child
Children's children are the crown of old men and the glory of children are their fathers. -Proverbs 17:6
My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person--he believed in me. -Jim Valvano
One night a father overheard his son pray, "Dear God, make me the kind of man my daddy is."---Later that night, the father prayed, "Dear God, make me the kind of man my son wants me to be. -Anonymous
F...You are my friend.
A...You are my ally.
T...You are my teacher.
H...You are my hero.
E...You are my example.
R...You are my rock.
-K. Williams
Here is how we have celebrated Father's Day in the past and a tribute I had written to my own father.
Feel free to print this out and stick this into your Father's Day card!
Have a Happy Father's Day and don't forget to honor the special men in your life!
