Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real
even if we do not see it.
Hebrews 11:1
I was teaching the children about faith this past Sunday and played a game with them to help illustrate the concept. Each child took a turn being blindfolded and I gave them a familiar object to identify by touch. This little boy's head did not adapt well to a silk scarf, but he easily identified the sock. Some objects were less familiar and more difficult to identify. The "seeing" children wanted to blurt out the answer before the blind folded child could figure it out. I assured them that there was nothing gross or scary to be handled in this game, but in life that is not always true.
Last night the Becka and I went to see Slumdog Millionaire. The hospital had received a block of tickets and staff were offered two free admissions each. The movie was excellent, but I cannot say all of it was "enjoyable". It tore at my heart to see how the children lived in the slums of India and I had to shut out some of the images which were depicted. It is illegal here to subject our animals to the treatment these children endured, but the human spirit is strong and hope for a better life was never lost. Jamal's faith in achieving a life "not seen" persevered. People in the audience cheered at the ending, which had to be good or the movie would have been very depressing indeed.
Lyncia is a beautiful young girl who has been in our Sunday School for two years now. Her family moved here from Sri Lanka when she was in grade 5. She is very smart, fluent in two languages, and her spelling and composition in English is far ahead of other children her age in the class. She and her sister are part of a loving family who have come to Canada to seek a better life for themselves and their children. They represent the many decent, hard working people from this part of the world who will work diligently to achieve their dreams.
It is sometimes easy to become complacent and bitter and lose faith in the future. People who have suffered and sacrificed greatly to seek a yet unseen goal are often the most persevering and hopeful people I have met.
Child-like faith is something we all need to nurture throughout our lives.
What a great thing you do and such a nice lesson.
ReplyDeleteI haven't yet seen slumdog..i understand it is a wonderful movie. Hopefully it will bring some change to that area.
You are right ..we can be complacent..most of us have it easy..and when things that are happening now in the economy..people loosing retirements..homes..jobs..though these are difficult things to deal with...
are not half has bad as what many people have to endure each day.
nice post.
I am sure those young children will not soon forget that lesson.Oh,that we all were more child-like in our faith.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,Ruth
Hi Ruth.... it is a wonderful lesson that you are teaching the children....
ReplyDeleteI have not seen Slumdog yet but hope to soon. I have travelled to India and seen first hand the children working in the streets and markets. We stayed in a family run hotel....it was only small but enough for us.
A little girl had her shop just outside the hotel.....it was a piece of material with all the things that she had made. She had her baby brother lying on a piece of fabric next to her. My daughter and I became her friend.....we took her food and gave her pencils and papers....we also bought her little hand made items (I still have them).
It is sad to see, but it makes you realise what is going on out there.
You are the second person to recommend this movie so when we get a chance we'll go and see it.
ReplyDelete"It is sometimes easy to become complacent and bitter and lose faith in the future. People who have suffered and sacrificed greatly to seek a yet unseen goal are often the most persevering and hopeful people I have met.
ReplyDeleteChild-like faith is something we all need to nurture throughout our lives."
These last two sentences perfectly sum up my thoughts of late.
A good lesson for all.
ReplyDeleteGreat lesson for the kids.
ReplyDeleteAnd so true that sometimes those who face the most difficulties are able to maintain their faith and hope, while those of us with plenty are more cynical.
I don't like sad movies, but Slumdog Millionaire sounds like one I should see.
That's really a commendable lesson for the kids.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen Slumdog yet because I got too busy. Hopefully, next week I'll do that. However, I agree with you that people sometimes get too complacent in the good life and take it for granted. What they do not know or don't what to know is that there are alot of people in the world that have it so difficult that even the most basic needs are not easily met.
the children are often better than we are in believing in the good, when the future looks dim. thanks for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteSince I have lived around much of the 3rd world, I get used to the poverty that is associated with it.
ReplyDeleteMovies like Slumdog are excellent in that they bring that reality to the rest of the world.
The beauty of the story is the perserverance of the human spirit, plus filial love.
I recommend everyone see it twice to catch the full story.
What a fantastic way of teaching faith to a child,for it's such an abstract idea. It's heartbreaking indeed to see how children and especially girls are treated in the " third" world. Thanks for sharing this with us.
ReplyDeleteNow I know I have to see this movie. I've heard so many wonderful reviews from fellow bloggers. We really do not know how to truly appreciate what we have until we see what others endure.
ReplyDeleteWe could all use a little more child-like faith at this time. I haven't seen that movie just for that reason...so much poverty....
ReplyDeleteI almost saw the movie yesterday, ... but I was between showings so I ended up getting caught up in chores around town.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. I do hope those of you who have not seen the movie take the opportunity to do so.
ReplyDelete