The pervading influence in a home is often referred to as its atmosphere. When we enter a home we readily feel whether there is the warmth of cordiality and friendship or a cold formality there. In like manner the practical living and enjoyment of our Christianity will be felt by all who enter our homes.
In the realm of nature the Egyptians had darkness in their homes while the plague of darkness covered the land, but by divine intervention the children of Israel had "light in their dwellings." The same thing is true today in a moral and spiritual sense. We have the light of God, and where He Himself is enjoyed, those that "come in will see the light.”
When the Israelites obeyed the Word of God, there was a constant influence of the Word of God in their homes. They were instructed: "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou Best down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." Deut. 6:6-96And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6‑9).
If one had come into a home where all this had been followed, he would have said, "Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord." The occupants of such a home would have been living and breathing a God-fearing, God-honoring atmosphere. And children brought up in such surroundings would have been blessed indeed.
Our homes often tell a sad story of an attempt to mix the things of God and the things of the world. Do we speak together of the Lord's things as those who have found "great spoil"? Those who find "great spoil" are like those who suddenly inherit great wealth, and come into possession of mansions and other property. Such persons would most likely speak together of their newly found wealth and treasure when they sat in their home, when they walked by the way, when they went to bed, and when they got up. The psalmist rejoiced in God's Word in like manner—"as one that findeth great spoil.”
How quickly a whiff of the world's amusements will cause the godly atmosphere to disappear! Could we possibly enjoy and speak together of the Lord and His things and at the same time listen to the world's entertainment coming into our homes by means of radio? If we had been enjoying the things of God, the first sounds of Cain's world would have the same effect as an icy blast from the north would have on a tropical plant. And the devil's latest masterpiece with which he seeks to remove the last vestige of a godly atmosphere from the Christian's home is television. The walls and doors of our homes should shut the world outside so that we can quietly enjoy our hidden treasure, but Satan has found a way to get through the best walls and doors, yes, even of bolted ones, and to bring in the world by means of television. Dear Christian reader, we plead, Do not let this invade your home. As Timothy was exhorted, “Keep thyself pure," may we paraphrase that and say, "Keep thy home pure." Television will defile it, without fail.
Another thing: let us keep the atmosphere of the home such that the children shall find it the place where they are always welcome and wanted. On the outside, they will encounter the world bidding for their hearts and hands and feet, but the warmth and love of Christian parents and a Christian home will greatly offset its baneful influences. Home should be so attractive to them that they will want to be there. It should be to them the place where they can come with all their problems and all their joys, and find a ready ear. Parents who are too busy to be companionable with their children defraud themselves of a great privilege, and may unwittingly drive the children to the outside for that which they should have found in the home—love and understanding.
In these days of rush and struggle, parents are apt to relegate their children to a secondary place. The business of making a living, or of having the home in perfect condition, may take precedence over loving and attentive interest in the children. Sometimes parents set up such standards in the style and furnishings of the home that children can scarcely live there. Not that children should not learn to be careful with things in the home, for it is in the home that they learn how to conduct themselves; but the home should be their home, where they belong, and where they love to be. Nothing will ever compensate for the loss of the child's confiding trust in the parents, or for the loss of the child's feeling "at home" in the home. Its sense of being loved and cared for, will result in a reciprocal affection, the value of which is beyond computation.
Growing children need interests and occupations that are healthful and instructive; they have energies that need to be directed in right ways. When these are centered in the home or shared with the family, they will tend to forge a link that will withstand the pulling power of the world. A mere negative approach to the great problems will not suffice; one cannot say, "You cannot do this and cannot do that," while giving no explanation that would instruct them in what is pleasing to the Lord, or offering anything to them that they could properly do. We would stress the need of creating a home atmosphere of warmth, interest, and love, on the one hand, and of the fear of God on the other. But for all this the parents must be much cast upon the Lord.