22. THE OLD LADY AND ANA-EPHESIANS 4:26-32 (Do not be Angry)

Ana sat next to her grand mother who was watching a popular television program about a family where there was so much anger and conflict among its members that it was breaking apart. It seemed that that no more love or trust existed within the family, there was only hate and animosity. After the program was completed, Ana turned to her grand mother and said:

“Gramma I feel so bad for the children in the family. Everyone was so angry that the children were always afraid and had no respect for the parents. Does God say anything about angry people?”

The old lady listened carefully and holding the child’s hand, pulled her closer while she picked up her favorite bible and replied:

“Yes indeed child, God is a God of love and peace, and always condemns this kind of anger that gives rise to pain and suffering. You must remember that all anger is not bad because sometimes anger may be justified in the presence of wrong doing. But when anger becomes sinful or malicious it results in suffering and destruction of people, friends and families. The Holy Bible contains many references to God’s attitude toward anger but perhaps the best advice about anger is contained in St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Chapter 4, paragraphs 25 to 32. Let us read what he said:”

When you are angry, do not sin,
and be sure to stop being angry
before the end of the day.
Do not give the devil a way to defeat you.

“You see Ana, God did not condemn all anger. It is when anger becomes sinful or malicious you allow the devil to take hold and this is when damage is done, because this kind of anger leads to other sins of evil, injustice, pain and suffering. This is why St. Paul advises that whatever the reason, we must never carry our anger over to the next day.”

Ana appeared to be confused, this was too much to assimilate as she tried to separate “good anger” from “bad anger”. Looking directly at the kind old lady’s face, she asked:

“Gramma what do we have to do to be sure that we do not disappoint God?”

The old lady anticipating the question, nodded affirmatively and continued to read from Verse 29:

When you talk, do not say harmful things,
but say what people need—
Words that will help others become stronger.
Then what you say will do good
to those who listen to you.

“The first advice is to only speak good of people and never say things that will harm or hurt others. When you speak good of people they become stronger and are better respected. So that you must always remember whatever you say will have effect on others.”

The old lady paused and looked over to her grand child who, by this time, was becoming much less perturbed and after a brief period continued to read Verses 30 and 31:

And do not make the Holy Spirit sad.
The Spirit is God's proof that you belong to him.
God gave you the Spirit to show
that God will make you free when the final day comes.
Do not be bitter or angry or mad.
Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others.
Never do anything evil.

“St. Paul is reminding us that as God’s children we inherit his spirit so that when we sin we make him sad. The spirit is our bond to secure our place in the final day when we come to God. This is why we must not be bitter, or angry, or mad or shout at people or say hurtful things to anybody. We must never allow ourselves to sin or do anything evil to anyone. All these things will offend God.”

By this time, Ana was beaming with joy and happiness, for she was beginning to understand why being angry is not a good state to be in. Her grand mother turned to her and continued to read Verse 32:

Be kind and loving to each other,
and forgive each other
just as God forgave you in Christ.

“This therefore my child is what God, our all-loving and all-forgiving God, expects from every one of us who want to be counted among his children; -We must be kind and loving to one another and we must be ready and willing to forgive one another as God himself forgives us over and over for our own transgressions. There is no place for anger in our hearts in the same way there is no anger in God’s heart.”

With a deep sigh of relief and with obvious gratitude toward her grand mother for taking time to teach her about God’s love, Ana got up and with her hands held high, exclaimed:

“I promise I will always love and respect everybody, and I will never get angry with anyone!”

21. THE OLD LADY AND ANA-ISAIAH 41: 10-13 (Do not be Afraid)

Ana was quiet all day. Her grand mother finally sought her out after dinner and invited Ana to come sit with her on her favorite chair. After a short pause, her grand mother spoke:

“My child, why are you so sad and quiet. Is something worrying you?”

She initially responded with a shake of her head from side to side indicating a denial, but that quickly changed with a vigorous nod as she replied:

“Yes Gramma, I am really worried and frightened that God will not always be there when we need him. He is so busy taking care of all the big things that are happening in the world that he will not have time to help small people like us with our small worries.”

The old lady put her arm around Ana’s shoulder and with a smile on her lips she quickly reassured her:

“You are so wrong my child. We are all God’s children and he cares for each and e very one of us. He will never, ever, turn his back on us. Let me read his words from his Holy Book:”

Turning to the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Chapter 41, she began to read from Verse 10:

So do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

“You see my dear Ana, God’s words were clear and unequivocal. He promised us, no, he commanded us, not to be worried or afraid for he is with us. He is our God, he will give us the strength and help we need and a promise to support with his righteous hand so that we can do no wrong. These words are meant for all of us, he is with us always; We are never alone.”

Ana, now visibly relieved by the words of her grand mother asked her:

“Gramma, does God say what her would do with the bad people?”

The old lady sat up erect and touching little Ana’s lips replied:

“Yes indeed my sweet child, let me read the next Verse 11":

All who rage against you

will surely be ashamed and disgraced;

Those who oppose you

will be as nothing, and perish.

“He promised us that he will deal with all those people who attack us, or try to threaten or embarrass us, by shaming and disgracing them. He went further by reassuring those of us who trust him, that our enemies will be like nothing and will perish.”

The old lady paused a while, waiting for a response from Ana, who by this time had become obviously delighted by the words she heard, and then continued to read Verse 12:

Though you search for your enemies,

you will not find them.

Those who wage war against you

will be as nothing at all.

“In case you did not understand what he said to you, God repeated his promise that he will so dispose of your enemies that even if you search for them, there will be nothing left. What a powerful promise he makes to us! But that was not enough, to reinforce his commitment to us, he went on further to repeat his promise in Verse 13”:

For I am the LORD your God

who takes hold of your right hand

and says to you, Do not fear;

I will help you.

“What a great and faithful God we have, whose love is so strong that he promises us that we should not be afraid for he will take care of us and help us against all adversaries.”

Little Ana, by now fully reassured and restored, bounded out of the chair and exclaimed:

“God is indeed a great and glorious God,

and I will always trust him and be faithful to him.”

20. THE OLD LADY AND ANA -PROVERBS 1:8-19(Warning against Enticement)

Ana sat quietly at the dining table, listening to her father speaking to her older brother, John. She dearly wanted to say something in his defense but knew that this was not the right time. For at least thirty minutes her father spoke about her brother’s recent behavior warning him of the dangers and the pitfalls that could occur and the risks of continuing his actions. His father was reacting to a note from John’s baseball coach about his increasing involvement with a group of students who were of questionable influence. She waited for them to finish and then sought out her grand mother for advice.
“Gramma, why was dad so hard on Johnny tonight?
You know he is a good, hard working and obedient boy. I felt so sorry for him!”
The old lady, recognizing this as a good opportunity to teach her grand child on the need for vigilance and avoiding negative influences replied, as she turned for her trusted bible:
“Don’t be upset Ana, your father was only carrying out his duty as a father to follow the advice of God himself as contained in the holy Bible. Let me read from Proverbs 1:8-19, It begins:”

Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction

and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

They are a garland to grace your head

and a chain to adorn your neck.

“Notice that the advice God gave to the son was through his parents. He was to listen to his father’s instructions as well as his mother’s teaching. By doing this, God acknowledges that the parents have the final responsibility over the children and confirms that the knowledge gained from them will make him better. This will be like a crown on his head and a chain around his neck, much like a champion will wear. By heeding the parents’ example he will be made strong and God fearing and be acceptable to God”.
Ana appeared confused because she knew her brother always listens to her parents and did everything asked of him. The old lady sensing this, continued to read:

My son, if sinful men entice you,

Do not give in to them.

If they say, “Come along with us;

let’s lie in wait for innocent blood,

let’s ambush some harmless soul;

let’s swallow them alive, like the grave,

and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

we will get all sorts of valuable things

and fill our houses with plunder;

cast lots with us; we will all share the loot”—

“This is why your father was so concerned. He was worried because of the friends that John was mixing with. He was getting afraid that they may lead him astray into wrong behavior. The words of the proverbs are very clear. They warn you to be careful because the wicked people will do anything to entice you to join them. They will try to fool you with promises of sharing the ill-gotten gains. They will make it sound easy enough. They are playing to the worst side of man; Greed and Envy.”

The old lady paused for a while to allow Ana time to appreciate what she had just heard, and then continued to read:

My son, do not go along with them,

do not set foot on their paths;

for their feet rush into evil,

they are swift to shed blood.

How useless to spread a net

where every bird can see it!

“This is what your father was saying to John tonight. He was warning him to stay away from them and don’t follow them for they don’t care about the consequences of their action. They believe that they will fool everybody and do not realize that everyone knows them for who they are. He was concerned that John, by joining them, will be caught in their evil ways.”

Ana, by now alert and attentive, was beginning to understand her father’s concern for Johnny and was herself getting worried about her brother. Looking directly at the old lady’s face, she asked in a solemn and frightened tone:

“Gramma, what happens to these evil people?”

The old lady, nodded in response and continued to read:

These men lie in wait for their own blood;

they ambush only themselves!

Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;

it takes away the life of those who get it.

The old lady slowly raised her head as she closed her bible, and turning to her grand daughter, who by then was in a state of anxious anticipation, and said:
“You see Ana, these people who will have no qualms to hurt innocent people, will end up destroying themselves. They will set traps for others and end up getting caught in them. They are so crooked in their thinking that they don’t see that what they are doing today is going to affect them later on. They inevitably waste their own lives by their greed and stupidity."

The old lady stopped and paused, with her eyes closed as if in deep thought, and then turning to her grand daughter she spoke slowly and deliberately;

“You see my dear child, it takes many years for people to gain the wisdom to live according to God’s teachings and it is during the early years that young people can be fooled and misled. This is why the older and wiser parent must be vigilant and prevent them from drifting away. I hope you can now understand why your father is doing what he did. He wants to save and protect his son.”
Little Ana, now fully relieved and invigorated by the thought that her father was all she imagined, and more, spoke excitedly as she ran off to find him:

“I am heading to the TV room to find Dad and hug him as tight as I can, and thank him so much for being such a good and caring father.”

19. THE OLD LADY AND ANA-PSALM8:1-9 (The Glory of God)

Ana felt pleasantly embarrassed when her father’s friend, who was visiting from out of town, remarked favorably, in response to her comments on her feeling towards God and his greatness, with a quotation that included “Out of the mouths of babes”. More so, because Jack was a very successful author and he was someone whom she held in high regard and secretly hoped her career would follow.

Later that night, after Jack left she sought out her grand mother and asked her:
“Gramma, what did Uncle Jack mean by his quotation about out of the mouths of babies?”

The old lady smiling gently replied that Jack was referring to one of her very favorite passages in the bible. It was taken from the Psalms 8:1-9 and deals with the Glory to God. Opening the bible at the relevant section, she began to read:

O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

Your glory is higher than the heavens.

You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength,

silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.

“You notice the Psalmist acknowledges that God is the Supreme Being, who rules over heaven and earth. His glory is seen in everything on earth, and greater than we can imagine. He is able to make babies and infants speak of his power as he deals with all his enemies, even before they could understand the real meaning of what they are saying. This tells you that even at this early stage they are already accountable as God’s children.”

Ana perked up, obviously impressed with what she had just heard, looked directly at her grand mother and asked:
“Do you mean that when Uncle Jack spoke he was suggesting that what I had said came from God?”
The old lady laughed quietly and replied:
“Yes, in a way you are right, that is what Jack was suggesting. That even at your young and tender age, you are already speaking of the Lord’s goodness and strength. Let me read you some more from the Psalm about God’s greatness and goodness”:

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers,

— the moon and the stars you set in place.

— What are mere mortals that you should think about them,

human beings that you should care for them?

Yet you made them only a little lower than God

and crowned them with glory and honor.

“The Psalmist was referring to the glory and splendor of God’s creations. You only have to look at the sky at night and marvel at the moon and the stars and how they appear, and realize the greatness of God. And then you wonder how this Great God will nevertheless spend time to make us and care for us and give us powers that are just below his. We are indeed blessed to be in this special relationship.”

Ana was puzzled, she did not understand about this special relationship. She always assumed that we are all God’s creatures and he takes care of all his creations. She listened intently as her grand mother continued:

You gave them charge of everything you made,

putting all things under their authority

— the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals,

the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,

and everything that swims the ocean currents.
O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

“This is such a wonderful honor to all of us. God has given us responsibility over everything in the world. We have authority over every living thing including all beings that fly, the animals, both domesticated and wild, as well as all the living creatures in the sea. Because God made humans in his own image, he was in fact giving them responsibility to exercise dominion over the land and every thing living on it, to be faithful caretakers to the benefit of all his creation and to the glory of the Almighty. This is why, like the Psalmist, we should all give praise to God at the beginning and at the end of all we do. He is the great king over all the earth and its inhabitants and no one can ever be greater.”

The old lady closed her bible and waited for her grand daughter’s reaction. Ana rose slowly and with her hands raised high over her head, proclaimed at the top of her voice:

“Glory to you great Almighty God, you are the King of the World and all who live in it.”