Article December 7, 1968 Issue

"And the child grew"

[For parents]

MARY BEACH

In bringing up children, parents often place great stress on food, sleep, exercise, and scholastic achievement. Certainly, from the human standpoint, nourishment of the physical body, adequate rest, wholesome activity, and progress in school are normal requirements for the welfare of a growing child. However, if he is to have the life of abundant good promised in the Scriptures, he must be helped to temper such considerations with the understanding and utilization of spiritual truths.

There is a report given in the Bible regarding the development of the boy Jesus. "And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him."^{Luke 2 : 40 ;} This brief but profound statement is far from indicating concern over diet, exercise, and retardation or acceleration in school.

What enabled Jesus to wax "strong in spirit"? His thinking, as a boy, was not limited by a wrong sense of God as some superior physical being seated upon a throne in some vague distant place. The Bible substantiates that he knew God as ever-present, incorporeal divine Love, infinite Spirit, embracing all being. His thought held fast to the dominion of Christ, the divine idea of sonship. He was constantly aware of his true identity as an individual spiritual expression of God, forever coexistent with the Father and forever expressing only Godlike qualities.

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