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.

Friday, May 14, 2010

10. THE OLD LADY AND ANA - PSALM 62: 1-12(Trust in God Alone)

Ana listened intently, as her Uncle related his problems to her father. His business had suffered badly and he was worried that he might lose it. Yet he was calm and kept saying that he was not worried and had faith that God will provide an answer as he promised in Psalm 62.

After he left, Ana turned to her grandmother and with a worried look, asked her:
“Gramma, I don’t understand, how come Uncle Joe is so calm with all his problems?”

The old lady, sensing an opportunity teach Ana about the real meaning of having faith in God under all circumstances, replied:
“My dear child, your Uncle Joe is blessed with the kind of faith that only a genuine believer in the goodness of the Almighty can possess. He has the strong belief that God will never abandon him, even if the whole world turns against him. Let us read about God’s promise in Psalm 62”.

As Ana slipped beside her, the old lady picked up her trusted bible, opened it at Psalm 62, and started to read:



For God alone my soul waits in silence;


from him comes my salvation.


He alone is my rock and my salvation,


my fortress; I shall never be shaken.



“This is real, true faith. The Psalmist expresses his confidence to wait in silent hope for God to provide his salvation. With God alone as his rock and his fortress, nothing will shake him”.

The old lady paused awhile, to allow Ana to reflect on the statement, and then continued:

“You remember how your Uncle spoke of his troubles with the people who are trying to bring him down. Well listen to what the Psalmist wrote:”



How long will you assail a person,


will you batter your victim, all of you,


as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence?


Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence.


They take pleasure in falsehood;


they bless with their mouths,


but inwardly they curse.



Upon hearing these words, little Ana sat up abruptly. Although she did not understand every word, she knew enough to recognize that these were bad people. Looking directly at her grandmother, with her mouth wide open with disappointment, she said:

“Wow! Gramma, are people really so wicked?”

“Yes indeed my child, they will do anything to hurt you. They will attack you, and take advantage of your weakness. Their aim is to bring you down. They will lie about you, or even say nice things to you, but curse you behind your back”.

Little Ana paused incredulously and with a voice saddened with concern, observed:

“Is this what is happening to Uncle Joe?”

The old lady nodded her head in the affirmative, but then quickly added:

“But your Uncle Joe is an honest, God-fearing man who is patient and firmly believes that at the right time, God will deliver him and provide salvation, exactly as promised by the Psalmist. Listen to the promise:


On God rests my deliverance and my honor;


my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
Trust in him at all times, O people;


pour out your heart before him;


God is a refuge for us.


“He continued further by advising us to avoid anything that involves cheating or stealing or putting all your trust on getting rich. Listen to these words:”




Put no confidence in extortion,


and set no vain hopes on robbery;


if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.


“finally, as if to make sure we understood the message of God’s trust, he went on to state that when God speaks, the power belongs to him, while our love must steadfastly belong to him and he will repay us according to our worth. Listen to his promise:”




Once God has spoken;


twice have I heard this:


that power belongs to God,


and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord.


For you repay to all according to their work.


Relieved by the words of her grandmother, little Ana jumped up, hugged and kissed her, and headed directly to the telephone as she announced, in a happy and positive voice:


“I am going to call Uncle Joe and tell him that God Loves him and he should not worry for God will make sure that every thing will come out alright”




Posted by at
Labels:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)