DO 171312/82

1. OUR CHILDREN ARE QUITE MATURE—I THINK THEY'RE QUITE WISE WITH THE LORD'S HELP—& I THINK WE OUGHT TO LET CHILDREN DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO & LIKE TO DO as much as possible as long as it' s reasonable & congenial & agreeable with the rest of you & as long as you have no objections. We should let them sort of make their own choices. We broached the subject to them tonight after we got Sara's consent, to find out if they would like to move into our room, & they all shouted for joy! Of course, I didn't tell them yet that we wouldn't be there, but anyway, the older ones know. I don't think it dawned on Techi yet, but don't push it, don't stress it, just let her gradually discover that fact. She'll find it out soon enough without worrying her about it in advance.

2. THAT'S WHY THE LORD CONCEALS SOME THINGS FROM US ABOUT THE FUTURE‚ knowing that we will finally get used to the idea & we will probably make the right choice in the long run anyhow. But He doesn't want to worry us about it ahead of time before it's necessary & before we're ready for it. Isn't that a pretty good example of why the Lord doesn't tell us everything about what's going to happen next?

3. JUST LIKE WE DO WITH OUR CHILDREN, WE DON'T ALWAYS TELL THEM EVERYTHING, we don't worry them with every detail of business & problems we have, & we shouldn't. I've known some families where they didn't hide those things from the children, & they had fusses & fight & business arguments & quarrels about money right in front of the children, & it had a very bad effect on them‚ gave them a real feeling of insecurity!

4. I THINK OUR CHILDREN HAVE A GREAT FEELING OF SECURITY AS LONG AS THEY FEEL OUR LOVE & OUR CARE & CONCERN & THEY HAVE THE LORD. It doesn't matter whether we move tomorrow or turn things upside–down or upset the fruit basket or play musical chairs or whatever, they wouldn't feel the least bit less secure because they know they've got a Family & they have the Lord & they're perfectly happy no matter what happens.

5. IN FACT, I'VE FOUND THAT CHILDREN ACTUALLY LOVE CHANGE!—I DID WHEN I WAS A CHILD. I really got bored with having to stay in the same place all the time for too long, especially when I had to stay in school, & I enjoyed even moving from one house to the other or from Miami to Miami Beach, any little change was welcome. I especially loved to get away in the Summer & take those long trips with my Mother & go from city to city. I loved it!—Loved travel‚ loved change. Maybe it's just because I'm an Aquarian‚ I don't know, maybe you don't like it, but I've found most young people like it, & psychologists say that one thing most people need is regular change. The Bible says you need change. (Ps.55:19.)

6. SO THESE PSYCHOLOGISTS WHO SAY, "OH NO NO NO, YOU MUSTN'T CHANGE HOUSES, you mustn't move your children too often from one city or state to another, it's hard on them psychologically to uproot them & tear them away from their accustomed surroundings, it gives them a feeling of instability & insecurity!"—That's the lies of the Devil, absolutely of the Devil, because it's the best thing in the World for'm!

7. BUT OF COURSE IF THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE PARENTS THEY CAN DEPEND ON & THEY DON'T FEEL LOVE, they don't feel the security of the love of a family no matter where the family is, & they don't have the Lord, then that's a different matter. If they are attached to things like their parents are & to the things in a house & a certain house & a certain neighborhood & a certain school instead of the Lord & the Family themselves, or even our spiritual Family, then of course if they have been taught & raised & reared to be attached to "things" instead of people & instead of the Lord‚ then it's going to be quite a psychological wrench to tear them out of that frame of reference into another situation.—If you've allowed them to get attached to those things & that place instead of to God & the Family!

8. THAT'S A GOOD LESSON TO REMEMBER‚ THAT IT'S FAR MORE IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ATTACHED TO EACH OTHER & TO THE LORD, THEN IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE WE ARE! (Sings:)

"A tent or a palace‚ why should I care?—

They're building a mansion for me over There!

Of rubies & diamonds & silver & gold,

My Father is rich, He has riches untold!"

—Well, I don't even need all that, but if the Lord wants to give it to us, all right. And we used to sing another one:

"I'd rather live in Heaven than to have all Earth's silver & gold!

I'd rather have Jesus than the riches of a palace untold!

I'd rather be a beggar‚ live in a little shack by the road,

Than to have all Earth's treasures, & no title to a Heavenly abode!"

That's an old-timer! It was an old Country-&-Western song when I was a kid.

9. BUT ANYWAY, THANK GOD WE'RE ATTACHED TO THE LORD & EACH OTHER, & as long as we have our Family & each other & the Lord, I don't think we'll care where we live or where He leads us or guides us to serve! (Sings: )

"Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go,

Anywhere He leads me in this World of woe!"

So even if it's only moving from one end of the house to the other, you shouldn't have to worry about it‚ the Lord will still be with you, amen?

10. "IF JESUS GOES WITH ME I'LL GO, ANYWHERE!

'Tis Heaven to me,

Where'er I may be

If He is there!

I count it a privilege here

His cross to bear!

If Jesus goes with me,

I'll go—anywhere!"

Amen? Will you go anywhere with Jesus?

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family