Susanna Wesley - A Godly Woman
by Barbara Chadwick

I John 3:18
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

I was reading about Susanna Wesley this week. She was amazing. She was the mother of John and Charles Wesley who were leaders in the Christian world of the early 18th century. She had 19 children. Ten survived.

She lived in the 17th century so we can believe that the life of a wife and mother was pretty full just with everyday chores.

When I think of my own mother-in-law having to draw water from the well for everything from washing dishes to washing diapers, building fires in the fireplace to heat the house and fires in the kitchen stove to cook, planting, weeding and harvesting a garden in the summer and canning most of what grew for the winter, sewing clothes for the children from flour sacks and besides all she did in the home, she also helped my father-in-law in the fields! She was faithful in the church and faithful to pray at home. And this was in the 1930's and '40's in the Ozark mountains of Arkansas. I thank God for her example.

First of all just having to deal with the path out the back would have done me in! I realize that I'm spoiled. Probably just rotten. I'm probably like a hot house flower that has to be tended!

Anyway, back to Susanna Wesley. She had daily devotions. I can remember thinking when my oldest was thirteen months old and the second a newborn, that there simply wasn't enough time in the day for a wife and mother to have daily devotions!

Besides all of the household chores, she taught all the children. "Under no circumstances were the children permitted to have any lessons until they had reached their fifth year, but the day after their fifth birthday their formal education began. They attended classes for six hours and on the very first day they were supposed to learn the whole of the alphabet. All her children except two managed this feat, and these seemed to Susanna to be very backward." (Haddel, 1961, pg.14)

"The children got a good education. Daughters included, they all learned Latin and Greek and were well tutored in the classical studies that were traditional in England at that time." (Haddel, 1961 pg.15)

Oh my goodness!

At that time she also arranged to spend personal time with each child. One on one.

I can tell you that I, Barbara, am put to shame by Susanna Wesley.

But this is really so important - this spending time with each child.

We had a memorial service for E. O. Bracken yesterday. He was 90 years old. He died in his daughter, Barb Coate's home. Barb recalled how at one time he was a mining engineer and had to go out into the field each week. He would take a different grandchild with him each week, spending quality time with each one. This is a beautiful picture of nurturing in our times.

Our children could become the John and Charles Wesleys of the 21st century if we ask God to give us the passion to instill in them His Words, His Grace and His Love and if we continually hold them up before Him in prayer as Susanna Wesley did.

Let's ask God to help us to, Love in actions and the spirit of truth, especially in regards to our children.