I've been reading once again The Family (formerly titled Home-Making) by J.R. Miller (1882) in which he addresses the roles and relationships in a harmonious home. I've been working on a baby shower devotional for a dear friend, and Miller's introductory remarks are a fitting reminder of the part homes play in the blessing of a nation. I thought I'd share this thought with you today.
"The benediction that falls upon the homes of a country is like the gentle rain that descends afterward, and along the banks of a thousand streamlets flowing through the valleys the grass is greener and the flowers pour out richer fragrance.A spring among the hills with a new bundle of joy arriving soon. May this home pour out pure, bounteous currents into every channel.
"Homes are the springs among the hills, whose many streamlets, uniting, form like great rivers society, the community, the nation, the Church. If the springs run low the rivers waste; if they pour out bounteous currents the rivers are full. If the springs are pure the rivers are clear like crystal; if they are foul the rivers are defiled. A curse upon homes sends a poisoning blight everywhere; a blessing sends healing and new life into every channel."
