The Old Lady and Ana: July 2010

PREAMBLE

PREAMBLE

“Teach a child in the way he should go;

And when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

These words taken from Proverb 22:6 speak loudly of the responsibility of parents and caregivers to the children entrusted to them. In these modern days with the advent of such a large and diverse selection of electronic gadgets, our children are bombarded with so many distractions from every direction that it becomes increasingly difficult to keep up with their spiritual development.

We as adults, often overwhelmed by the demands for survival, are guilty of neglecting our responsibilities of ensuring our children’s growth. We are losing sight of the fact that at this stage children are at their most receptive phase for absorbing information and unless we make an effort to help them, they are likely to acquire wrong information from other sources.

I believe no one is better equipped or better placed to do the job than the parent or the caregiver. By making use of every opportunity to teach the words of Jesus Christ, to read the Holy Bible as well as by setting personal examples we can build our children’s faith and offer them alternative examples to live by. In this way we can prepare them to deal with the many and varied temptations they will face in life as they go forward.

These stories under the banner “The Old Lady and Ana” grew out of a discussion I had with my cousin Starr Sabga during which we lamented that our children are not being exposed to reading and discussing the bible as we were. We both felt that as a result of this we are missing a very important opportunity to expose them to God’s words and running the risk of losing them.

The stories are strictly my interpretation of selected passages from the Bible based on my Christian education and on my own life experience. They are meant for the younger child, as examples of how we may use day to day experiences to learn about God’s word. They are by no means exhaustive but I trust they may serve to get other parents and caregivers to do the same.

If this happens, then I would consider myself fully rewarded.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

12. THE OLD LADY AND ANA-ROMANS 8:26-38 (God's Love)

Ana was worried all day long and just could not find an answer to her problem. Finally she sought out her favorite grandmother who was sitting at the dining room table cleaning the family silver ware. Taking a chair next to the old lady, Ana, looking intently at her, asked:
“Gramma, how does God know when we need help and how does he choose who should be helped and should not be helped?”
The old lady put down the vase she was cleaning, turned to her grand daughter and smiling reassuringly, whispered quietly but firmly:
“No my dear Ana, God has no favorites, he loves us all in the same way and does not choose sides. He knows our needs and does everything for us. The bible is very clear about this, let me read to you from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans:”

The Holy Spirit helps us because we are weak.
We do not know how we should talk to God.
But the Holy Spirit himself talks to God for us,

while we cry and cannot say any words.
God looks to see what is in people's hearts.
And he knows what the Holy Spirit is going to do.
The Holy Spirit talks to God for God's people.
And he asks for them what God wants them to have.

“He is telling us that the Holy Spirit takes care of us. He knows our weaknesses and our fears
and in fact, is always interceding for us. He carries our needs to God and speaks for us even when we are not able to do so. St. Paul went further, listen:”

We know that God works out everything

for the good of those who love him.
They are the people who are part of his plan.
He knew all along that he would choose them.
He chose them to be made like his Son.
Then his Son would be the first one of many brothers.
He chose them and he also called them.
He called them to himself as if they had never been bad people.
He made them right with himself

and he also made them great in heaven.

“God is making it quite clear that he loves all those people who love him. In fact he assures us that he sees us in the same way as he sees his own son. He went further to state that Jesus is the first of many brothers and as far as he is concerned he sees us all as part of his family and worthy of heaven”.

The old lady paused for a while to allow Ana to assimilate the information and then continued:

So what shall we say about this?
If God is on our side, who can be against us?
He did not keep his own Son, but gave him up for us all.
Because he has given him to us, will he not also give us all other things?
Who will say anything against God's chosen people?
For it is God himself who says they have been put right with him.
Who will say they are not right?
Jesus Christ died. Yes, he was raised from death.
He is at the right side of God. And he talks to God for us.

“what could be stronger than this statement of the commitment of our God to us? By Jesus dying on the cross for us and subsequently raising from the dead, he has guaranteed our eternal salvation and given us security in obtaining God’s love and the right to be called his chosen people. Even after becoming one of us and suffering and dying for us, Jesus continues to seek our salvation before God. So you see the bad people of the world can try to destroy our good name but Jesus, by paying the ultimate penalty has earned us the right to be declared righteous before God and he has given us his promise that he will do so”.

Ana, beaming with joy and relief was about to exclaim her pleasure and satisfaction, but the old lady gestured to her that there was more, and continued to read from her bible:

Who can take us away from Christ's love?
We may have trouble. We may have hard times.
People may make us suffer because we believe.
We may have no food to eat and no clothes to wear.
We may be in danger. We may be killed with big knives.
Can any of these things take us away from Christ's love?
I am absolutely sure that not even death or life
can separate us from God's love.
Not even angels or demons, the present or the future,
or any powers can do that.

“What a beautiful promise we have received from our God. Nothing, not trouble nor hard times
nor starvation nor death nor demons nor anything else, can separate us from the love of Christ.
We are indeed truly blessed and secure in the knowledge that we are eternally loved."

Ana jumped up from the chair hugged her grand mother as tightly as she could and exclaimed in a voice meant to be heard around the world:

“Our God is the greatest, most awesome God, and I am so glad that he loves me!”

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

11. THE OLD LADY AND ANA -PSALM 64:1-10 (Dealing with Evildoers)

Ana listened quietly at the dinner table, as her mother recounted the rumors that were being spread about her brother and his wife. Some wicked people were determined to destroy his good name by accusing of him of illegal business activities and mixing with questionable people. This was causing him to worry a great deal and he was getting very depressed.

Later that night while her grandmother was helping her get ready to go to bed, Ana asked her;
“Gramma why does God let these bad people say these things and hurt Uncle Joe. Everybody knows he is a good man?”
The old lady, sensing an opportunity to teach her grand daughter, replied that she was not correct in thinking so, for while God does not control what evil people may do, he certainly does not abandon his faithful. Sitting at the side of the bed, she beckoned Ana to sit next to her as she opened her favorite bible to Psalm 64.
“Listen to these words and see if you recognize them”. she said::

Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint;

protect my life from the threat of the enemy.
Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,

from that noisy crowd of evildoers.
They sharpen their tongues like swords

and aim their words like deadly arrows.
They shoot from ambush at the innocent man;

they shoot at him suddenly, without fear.

Ana thought for a minute and then confidently responded;
“That sounds like the person is pleading to God to protect him from all these bad people.
They seem to be trying to destroy him with words and arrows, just like what they are doing to Uncle Joe”.

The old lady nodded her head in agreement and by way of reinforcing the idea she added:
“Yes Ana, this is what they do when they want to destroy good people. They don’t hesitate
to plan and devise any means to trap them, malign them and spread lies about them. Let me continue reading from the bible:”

They encourage each other in evil plans,

they talk about hiding their snares;

they say; "Who will see them?"
They plot injustice and say,

"We have devised a perfect plan!"

Ana, obviously perplexed and confused that God, knowing all this about evil people, allows them to continue to cause so much injustice and suffering to the good, God fearing people.

Turning to her grandmother she wondered whether God might be too busy to pay attention to all these people.
The old lady reacted quickly and replied:
“Heavens no my child, God knows and cares for all people. He is all powerful and does not hesitate punish those who deserve to be punished. Listen to these words:”

Surely the mind and heart of man are cunning.
But God will shoot them with arrows;

suddenly they will be struck down.
He will turn their own tongues against them

and bring them to ruin;

all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.

Visibly relieved, Ana smiled broadly, for her confidence in God was restored, and raising both arms high over her head she proclaimed:

“Thank you God for never forgetting your faithful”
The old lady happy to see the relief in the face of her grand daughter, smiled broadly and replied:
Yes Ana, we must never ever forget that God will never abandon his faithful. We should never be afraid to declare our loyalty to him and always praise and honor him. Listen how the Psalmist spoke on behalf of all of us:”

All mankind will fear;

they will proclaim the works of God

and ponder what he has done.
Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD

and take refuge in him;

let all the upright in heart praise him!

Bouncing out of the bed with renewed joy and confidence, Ana hugged her gramma tightly, kissed her, and announced at the top of her voice, as she ran out of the bed room:

“I’m going straight to Mommy and tell her that she does not have to worry about Uncle Joe
anymore, because God will take care of the wicked people and destroy them!”