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.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

4. THE OLD LADY AND ANA - PSALM 91(Living with God)

The night was particularly dark and gloomy. It had been raining continuously all day with bouts of lightening and thunder so strong that the windows shuddered. The television repeatedly warned of the risk of tornados.
Little Ana sat huddled close to the old lady, visibly frightened, she pleaded with her:

“Please Gramma, I am afraid, why is God causing all of this to happen?”

The Old lady smiling sweetly, calmly sat up and looking intently at the face of her grandchild, whispered reassuringly:

“Don’t ever be afraid of anything bad my child. Always know that God will never leave you alone”

Picking up her trusted bible, she opened it at Psalm 91 and said:

"Let us listen to what God has promised those who believe in him”.

Reading slowly and deliberately:




He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High


will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD,


"He is my refuge and my fortress,


my God, in whom I trust.


Turning to her grand daughter she said:
“He promises that if you trust in your God and make him your strength and your protector, you will live under his shadow”.

She continued reading:




Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare


and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,


and under his wings you will find refuge;


his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

“God is promising you that in the worst of times when you feel threatened and deadly disease abound, he will cover you with his feathers and shield you with his faithfulness”

Ana, somewhat puzzled, asked:

“But Gramma what can I do when I am afraid like this?

The Old lady held her closer and continued:




You will not fear the terror of night,


nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,


nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,


ten thousand at your right hand,


but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes


and see the punishment of the wicked.

The old lady lifted her head and looking into Ana's eyes, said:
“God said to us we must not be afraid of anything, be it terror or threats or disease. He promised us that although thousands of others will succumb all around us, it will not happen to us. We will see how the wicked are punished”.

Visibly relieved but still incredulous, Ana asked:

“What does God want us to do so that he can do all this for us?

The Old lady, still smiling shook her head gently and continued:




If you make the Most High your dwelling—


even the LORD, who is my refuge-
then no harm will befall you,


no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you


to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,


so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;


you will trample the great lion and the serpent.


“You see Ana, God has told us clearly. If you chose him as your home and protector, he promises that no harm will ever befall you and no disaster will come to you. He will also command his angels to guard you and lift you away from danger and strengthen you so that you could trample the lion and snake, which means your enemies."

Ana’s eyes opened wide with joy as she heard these words. But then she paused for a moment , and with a frown on her small forehead and a very serious tone in her voice asked:

“But Gramma, why would God want to do all this for me?”

The Old lady laughed out loudly and quickly replied:

“You see Ana, God knew you would ask that question and this is his answer:”




Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;


I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call upon me, and I will answer him;


I will be with him in trouble,


I will deliver him and honor him.
God will do all this if you love him,


acknowledge him and call upon him.


He will respond to you, be with you


and deliver you when you are in trouble.


And he will honor you.

And without pausing, the Old lady continued:




With long life will I satisfy him


and show him my salvation.

At which point, little Ana jumped up, hugged her grandmother as hard as she could and spoke, with a voice full of faith and confidence:

“I know Gramma, God will give me a long life and salvation, if I love and trust him”.
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