Keppers devotion- Honor your parents with your Words

Honor your Parents with your Words
Phil 2:14" Do all things without arguing and complaining"

Rosa and Mrs. Heart had been invited to stay as guests with the Preston's until the doctor gave Mrs. Heart a full release. After being treated by a good doctor, and fed healthy meals, and after resting in a warm bed and having her mind at ease that her daughter was being cared for, Mrs. Heart showed great progress in her health and was even beginning to have color back in her cheeks, and her thin face and hands were beginning to grow plump yet again. Rosa and Katherine had become like sisters in the meantime, and there was but little time they were never away from each other. Rosa showed great patience with Katherine and though she was slow to change completely, Rosa's good character was beginning to have an effect on Katherine which made the entire family take notice.

However, Katherine still had much to learn and as usual as it is with all of us, she would have moments where it seemed she had forgotten everything she had learned.

One morning at the breakfast table, a morning which Rosa chose to stay with her Mother and read their Bibles and pray, the bright morning light touched the white table cloth draped over the large table in the dinning room making the pastries and fruits loaded on platters look glittering and happy. The widows were cracked halfway ajar to let in the fresh air, stirring the air with all the good smells mingled together; toast, honeysuckle, roses, and strawberries . Perhaps all of these things played a part in stirring within Katherine a feeling of power and superiority; whatever the case and without thinking of anything else, Katherine sprang into the room with pink cheeks and bright golden curls. She flopped on to her chair with a flourish and said in a sing song voice, " Mama, I think I should like a new dress."
Mr. Preston folded down one corner of his newspaper and looked severely at his daughter and Mrs. Preston turned her head to gaze at her daughter, " Katherine, eat you breakfast and we should discuss this later."
Katherine, oblivious to anything else but her desires wished only to have her question answered and her heart contented, pressed her Mother further, " But I would like to have your answer now."
"Katherine." Her father said in a severe tone as he folded a corner of his newspaper down and looked at her with an arched eye which clearly told her he was annoyed with her tone.
Katherine gave a smirk and ate her food with a relish. Soon after, she asked to be excused and then skipped upstairs to find Rosa. Rosa and Mrs. Hart were through with their time together and with a loving peck, Rosa left her mother to join Katherine.
"Rosa, I think we should have new dresses. Yours are positively ugly and I simply just want a dress cut to the latest fashion." Katherine gave a little grimace as she looked at Rosa's dress; a thing she had been aching to do since she first met Rosa.
"Well, mine are not so nice, I do admit that, but I should not want to put your Mother out." Rosa said patiently.
"Oh, it's nothing. Nothing but convincing Mama, that is." Katherine grasped Rosa's hand in hers and dragged her to the sitting room to find her Mother.
Lady Preston sat prettily on a padded chair, tediously mending a piece of clothing. She put her work down as Katherine stood be for her.

Katherine gave a Rosa a side glance and winked her eye, " Mama?" she said in her sweetest tone, " Look at Rosa's dress. Isn't it about time she had a new one? Why its all faded and so out of fashion, if ever it was in fashion!" she said in a snicker.

Lady Preston's face colored as she set her sewing down. "Kate!"

"Well, is it not? I've been thinking. Why not make a new dress for Rosa and make one for me as well, while we're at it? It will be a cinch. Rosa need not have a fancy dress, just a practical one for her stay here and I can use rest of the material for a nicer dress that will make me look all the fashion."

"Katherine, that is quite enough! Rosa, would you please excuse us?"

Rosa, horrified that Katherine had used her as an excuse to get what she wanted, turned to leave the room, but Katherine kept her put by grasping her hand and applying pressure on it.

" Mama, please." Katherine's said in a whiny tone, her eyebrows pinched in the middle and her lips pucked into a frown, "I want a dress!"

"Katherine, please don't make this difficult. I would be happy to make you and Rosa" this said in a slow way, "a dress next week, when I have time to devote to it, not today."

"Oh, Mama. Why ever not? It's not too much work.You don't do anything of much importance anyway. I can help you cut it out and sew it together. Momma, Please?"

" No, Katherine."

"Oh, but Momma, please? I don't understand why you don't want to do it" and Katherine gave her most beseeching look and forced tears into her eyes.

Lady Preston looked helpless and she sighed a great big sigh, " Darling, please don't cry. I so don't like it when you do it."

Katherine squeezed a few tears out like a good little actress fit for the stage, " Momma, I'll stop if you promise to make me a dress, Oh, Mama it would please me so much!" cocking her head in a most innocent way.

"Alright, Katherine, We'll begin looking at the patterns of the Lady's Goody's book tonight, we will discuss patterns tomorrow."

Katherine and Rosa left the room hand in hand, but Rosa left with heavy eyes and dejected face.
Katherine turned to her like a conquering soldier and said in a satisfied tone, "Now, Rosa, aren't I the smart one?"

Rosa dropped her hand from Katherine's hold and smoothed back her loose curls with the other hand, " No, Katherine! I think you have shamed me, your Mama and Christ today!"

Katherine's eyes widened in surprise, " Why! That's gratitude for you, you mean thing! You could at least say Thank you."

Rosa stepped back against the wall, " No, Katherine, I should not say thank you. I don't want a dress. Please tell your Momma that I will be busy tomorrow."

"But why ever not, you goose?"

" Katherine, " Rosa said in a solemn tone, " I should think that a gift given in a loving and generous way would be a wonderful thing, but when it is gotten deceitfully, I despise it!"

Katherine's face grew hard as she said, " Tell me what is the matter, you ungrateful girl! I should not ever want to be the friend of a poor girl who thinks she is too good for me!"

Rosa colored and cried, "Katherine, You should be ashamed at the way you talked to your Momma! I have never stopped loving or praying for you, yes daily. I have prayed you might see how you never fail to get whatever you want by controlling everyone about you.

You controlled your Momma by arguing a wheedling and complaining until she gave in and gave you what you want and it is shameful! I do love you, very much, but I must go to my Mama who can council me now when I am in need of it. She does not turn me away when I am in need of her prayers. You should go to God and ask for his forgiveness for the way you treated your Mama and brought shame to the One who you should please! "

Katherine stood back in indignation, " I don't care what you think! Go away you ungrateful girl, go and look like a little beggar that you are!" she turned and ran to her room throwing herself on her bed with a temporary heart of stone to the friend who loved her enough to tell her the truth.
Happily enough however, Katherine did not stay angry. She made amends with Rosa and learned a lesson in honoring her mother by obediently doing as her mother said the first time without complaining or disputing, for Katherine was truly tenderhearted and did not like to know she was as naughty as she was, when exposed, she learned to take a good look in her heart and see the dirtiness that hid itself there. And with God's help, she learned this lesson in time.

Discussion Questions:
1. How are we to obey? (Without arguing and Complaining) Phil 2:14
2. How did Katherine obey?
3. What is God's promise to us if we obey? Col 3:20
4. Consider this quote: "When Children answer back or argue against the commands of parents, it is so much as saying that they are wiser than their parents." in the Bible God punished this offense in this manner: " He that curse his Father or Mother shall surely be put to death."
5. Do we offend God by arguing?

Take home:
Review: Did we write in our journals last week when our parents told us to do something? Did we try our best to obey even when they were not in the room with us? How ?
Ask God to forgive us for times we argue and complain- perhaps we need to take steps to ask God to forgive us and then we can ask our parents to help us not complain and argue with them.