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.

Monday, May 9, 2011

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.”
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