The Wilderness Family
It was a day when the fall leaves were coming down and the green lawn was covered with crispy yellow and brown. In a little log cabin in a small Manitoba village, family and friends were waiting to here the good news that a child had been born to the young, newly weds. It was a baby boy who came to warm their hearts and home. October can bring quite a few chills but being real pioneers it was just the way it had to be and face it. The Father was working in a local sawmill and also in the woods logging. Their home, ever so humble, in a tiny cabin, was just the right place for this tiny mechanic. Not a care in the world, not knowing the first thing about himself and coming into this strange new environment. Just lying there absolutely helpless.
The Creator picked out every identifying mark of this newborn infant, just as he does for every single person in this world. Jesus knows every particular thing about each of us. He takes care to make everything perfect for He is a perfect God and He wants us to follow His example of perfection explicitly. Of course, God had made the greatest machine there ever was, the human body.
Automatically, as the days went by, this little darling was realizing his sounds brought him attention. Then, Oh, when he made a sound someone would come to see what was happening. The loving eyes gazing upon the innocent babe made him feel good and happy. So as love begets love, the three drew ever closer and fonder of each other. When He was two years old, Daddy went off to war. Poor little mommy and baby were all alone. There was so much to do, they didn’t have time to wonder what had to be done and he learned to be a little, big helper for mommy.
It was a fact that the little mechanic liked honey and he watched where Mother put the honey jar. Its customary place was up high in the china cabinet. One day when he knew no one was watching he climbed up on the china cabinet to get some honey. In his little mind he just knew he had to reach the honey somehow. The mechanics of getting there seemed quite easy to a little four year-old. But, crash, it all came down on top of him. This certainly shows he had a guardian angel to keep him from being hurt. All the noise soon alarmed whoever was in hearing distance, that there was trouble somewhere.
Little mister mechanic learned the hard way that he needed to ask mommy for the honey. That sweet tooth has kept with him for a long time and gave him much more trouble than he would like to have. We don’t like to think about all the china that was broken, but what can you do once it’s gone. Mommy was just so thankful that her little mechanic was all right, that there wasn’t too much thought for the dishes. The Lord Jesus is so merciful and loving and caring even when we are bad but we need to ask Him to forgive us. So many times we put ourselves into hard places and we need to ask Jesus to get us out. What kinds of tools need to be used to make a bad boy remember to ask mommy for the honey. Sometimes mothers should use mechanic tools also.
One day they got on the big train and went for a long, long ride to see Daddy in the army. But when Daddy finally came home after that long time in the army, he didn’t really think his Dad belonged there, so he had to get used to the idea that Daddy was going to stay with them.
Then as the years went by two sisters and two brothers were born into the family. When his little sister came along to capture attention that he was use to having, brought to him a new challenge and he learned to love and share. But he was wanting to have the baby food his little sister had. So hiding under the bed with the bottle could be a good way to have a taste.
After the war and dad was home to stay, they moved out of the village four and a half miles to a quarter section of land that was totally bush land. Dad began to clear the land for a garden and eventually fields. He built a small three-room cabin and a small barn for the horses and dug a well for water.
The little boy that would become a mechanic and “jack of all trades” like his dad, was now seven years old. It was truly a beautiful place to live and Dad worked hard cutting cordwood and putting up hay for the winter months. After a year they moved to a little cabin that was just one room, but was two miles closer to the village. Dad went to work about 20 miles from home, logging for a company. He worked there for the winter and then in the spring, his brother, who was farming another man’s land near by, decided to move to B.C. They had an auction sale and moved away. Dad then went and asked the owner if he could rent the land. The owner agreed and so they moved from the little one room cabin to the bigger house ¼ mile up the road. This house had two bedrooms, living room and kitchen and dinning room combined.
On the farm, Dad was always the ‘jack of all trades’. He was the repairman, and the carpenter, the water man and logger, the mechanic and the firewood chopper. He planted the grain and fed the cows and chickens, as well as cleaned the barn. In harvest time the work was long and hard, and many times trying, especially when the weather was rainy.
Though the days were filled up with hard labor, they took time to visit their neighbors. Some of them were relatives and some foreigners, but all were poor and scraping together their little bits to keep alive.
Then it was discovered that the little mechanic had a problem with his heart. But he would run and play and no one would ever think he had any difficulty. His mother filled his little mind with every song she could. It was such peaceful surroundings, great for him to develop a love for nature and the Creator God who makes all the good things for us.
The little mechanic watched closely what his Mother and Father did all day and was anxious to learn how they did this, and why they did that. If something broke, he wanted to fix it. He watched his father make things like wagons and sleighs and harnessed the horses to do the work and take them to town.
His inquisitive eyes watched the birds and the ants and recognized the actions as something of interest and meaning. He eyed his father as the cows were milked and pondered the actions taking place, just how things had to be done to get that milk out. Of course he had to crow like the rooster and talk to the hens.
From a very small boy he would help his Daddy fix the motor on the tractor or watch him fix the washing machine.
Daddy was great for making the little sleds that he spent much time with, in sliding down the many hills and snow banks.
This small boy was a chore boy and one of them was bringing in the firewood so the house could stay warm and for mother to cook the food and bake the bread. Such a peaceful atmosphere this was for this alert child.
Oh, a little brother, how neat. Now there are two little ones to share mommy with. Now he would have some help to do the chores. That would be lots of fun. How the time flew by and each one was getting bigger. So now the garden needed to grow more vegetables and that means to do more canning on the wood stove, and that means there needs to be more firewood. The garden grew so beautifully and had the best quality produce. The wild crops were always welcome to the table too, for the Lambs quarter leaves are delicious greens. Wild berries grew in abundance in the surrounding hills and the children enjoyed each summer the mechanics of gathering the raspberries, cranberries, and wild strawberries. Many jars of this wild fruit were stored away for the long winter months. There were plenty for them and the bears too, that roamed the country around their home.
Many were the trips made in the wagon in the summer and in the winter on the sleigh with the horses trotting through the snow.
The years keep running along never to return. And another little girl came to bless this lively home. Then the third little boy arrived. What a busy little mother. With her arms of love filled with children whom she loved dearly. She sought to bring them to the feet of Jesus, longing for their salvation in the merits of the crucified Redeemer. Praying and reading the Bible to them daily they learned about the true Friend who cares for them more than anyone else in the world. She was wanting to see them industrious, noble citizens here and for heaven.
“Parents, in the training of your children, study the lessons that God has given in nature. If you would train a pink, or rose, or lily, how would you do it? Ask the gardener by what process he makes every branch and leaf to flourish so beautifully, and to develop in symmetry and loveliness. He will tell you that it was by no rude touch, no violent effort; for this would only break the delicate stems. It was by little attentions, often repeated. He moistened the soil and protected the growing plants from the fierce blasts and from the scorching sun, and God caused them to flourish and to blossom into loveliness. In dealing with your children, follow the method of the gardener. By gentle touches, by loving ministrations, seek to fashion their characters after the pattern of the character of Christ.”
CG 36