Susanna Wesley was born the youngest of twenty-five children. Her father was a preacher and encouraged her in the values of education. Brilliant even from a young age, she mastered French, Latin and Greek as a teenager and was always studying theology and pursuing her faith.
Susanna was an excellent writer, a fiery Christian and dynamic woman. She had nineteen children of her own and still found time to write commentaries on the Apostles Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments, among many others. Much of her recorded knowledge, which I imagine would have been pure gold, was lost in a house fire leaving her remaining legacy in her influence on her children. This impact was significant because she loved the Lord deeply and sought to honor the position God placed her and its influence on her children and neighborhood.
Susanna married Samuel, a preacher, who was often away from the home for work traveling to London. While left in their town of Epsworth, Susanna felt the weight of responsibility for souls. In a letter to her husband, she wrote:
Susanna was an excellent writer, a fiery Christian and dynamic woman. She had nineteen children of her own and still found time to write commentaries on the Apostles Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments, among many others. Much of her recorded knowledge, which I imagine would have been pure gold, was lost in a house fire leaving her remaining legacy in her influence on her children. This impact was significant because she loved the Lord deeply and sought to honor the position God placed her and its influence on her children and neighborhood.
Susanna married Samuel, a preacher, who was often away from the home for work traveling to London. While left in their town of Epsworth, Susanna felt the weight of responsibility for souls. In a letter to her husband, she wrote:
I am a woman, but I am also the mistress of a large family. And though the superior charge of the souls contained in it lies upon you, yet in your long absence I cannot but look upon every soul you leave under my charge as a talent committed to me under a trust. I am not a man nor a minister, yet as a mother and a mistress I felt I ought to do more than I had yet done. I resolved to begin with my own children; in which I observe the following method: I take such a proportion of time as I can spare every night to discourse with each child apart. On Monday I talk with Molly, on Tuesday with Hetty, Wednesday with Nancy, Thursday with Jacky, Friday with Patty, Saturday with Charles.
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She understood that to best love her children, she needed to equip them so that they would walk with God all their life. She said “The child that never learns to obey his parents in the home, will not obey God or man out of the home.” She ran a very disciplined home. Before her children could speak, she taught them to sign prayers of blessing. As soon as they could speak, they were taught the Lord’s Prayer so that they could recite it every morning and night. Then she would move on to memorizing scripture and other Christian works. No other education would be taught to the children until they turned five. At that point, Susanna would teach every child the alphabet in one day and then moved onto spelling and reading the next day using the book of Genesis as her framework.
Susanna also had extensive influence in her community. When her husband was away, and the church was left in the care of another minister, Susanna did not feel that his repeated teachings on debt were sufficient. She began having another service for her children in their home Sunday afternoons. When neighbors learned about this, they asked if they could also attend. At one point there were over 200 people who would attend Susanna’s Sunday afternoon service while the other Sunday morning service dwindled to nearly nothing.
Susanna also had extensive influence in her community. When her husband was away, and the church was left in the care of another minister, Susanna did not feel that his repeated teachings on debt were sufficient. She began having another service for her children in their home Sunday afternoons. When neighbors learned about this, they asked if they could also attend. At one point there were over 200 people who would attend Susanna’s Sunday afternoon service while the other Sunday morning service dwindled to nearly nothing.
We can see the fruit of her methods particularly through the upbringing of her second son, John, who would later become the leader and founder of the Methodist church. As a young boy, he was enamored by her great purpose to life, her religious genius, and disciplined approach to life. John’s father once said “I think our boy would not attend to the most pressing necessities of nature unless he could give a reason for it.” Yet, when John went off to school, he had all the tools to succeed and thrive in life and in his faith but began walking away from the commitment to holiness he was taught to live out. He often wrote to his mother who gave him strong guidance though they were apart. When he began feeling a call into ministry, knowing of his spiritual missteps, Susanna asked him to deeply consider his personal relationship with Christ.
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In this, speaking from her own experience of salvation, she stirred in him a search for a deeper encounter with God. This changed everything for him. In this search, his mind and consciousness was ignited, giving him a passion and zeal that would bring about the Methodist church. He wrote out a list of Rules of Intention and about All Actions of Life in response to his study. At its heart, these rules are the source of the Methodist revival and even though John wrote them, Susanna's teachings to her son can be seen clearly through them. John and his brother Charles went on to become leaders of a revival movement in which many were saved and thousands reached with the gospel around the world.
Susanna honored (gave weight) to her children by taking seriously her role as mother. It was as if she held a crown above their head calling them higher, to grow into the high calling of royalty as sons and daughters of God. She saw who they could be before they could even speak and declared it over them in word and action.
Is there anyone in your life that you are beginning to see the higher purposes of their life in Christ? Ask God to give you the vision to hold the crown over their head and encourage them to grow into it! Declare it over them in word and action as you honor them.
Is there anyone in your life that you are beginning to see the higher purposes of their life in Christ? Ask God to give you the vision to hold the crown over their head and encourage them to grow into it! Declare it over them in word and action as you honor them.