May I digress a bit?
In today’s post, I would like to go back memory lane and talk about an issue that is very dear to my heart. It’s the importance of pointing children in the direction of the lord when they are young.
Jesus stated as shown in the bible “suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of God” Luke 18V16. I remember vividly the day I got up and walked up to the altar to give my life to christ. My mum had taken me for a program at church and there had been an altar call by the pastor for anyone that wanted to give their life to christ. For me then, just eleven years old, I was captivated by this lord Jesus that had come and suffered on the cross to bear my sins and all I wanted was to know him. I got up with the older adults and walked up to the altar. This journey, I must say has been the best experience that has ever happened to me.
You want to know why it’s important to point children to Jesus? because when he’s got them, he’s got them for good. It’s so easy for a little child when they put their trust in God to hear him and as they grow older, they are able to discern completely what the lord is saying in each situation. Most importantly he reigns in their life and points them in the direction of their calling, it is so very difficult for them to go wrong as they get older.
I think with all the trials I’ve gone through in this life, my main stay has been Jesus. So many started this race called life with me and are not here anymore to continue, so many much stronger than I have given up. It’s not as a result of my power but because of the mercies of God upon my life and because I gave him the opportunity to reign in my life and in so doing, he’s been fighting my battles ever since.
There’s no turning out wrong for any little child that is pointed to the lord. That’s all you need to do most importantly as a parent. Just point that child in the lord’s direction and he will take over. I hear you say, “Onuoma don’t say that, a child that will be bad will be bad”. I belong to the school of thought that says that’s not true. Yes, they may veer off a little, but the lord disciplines those whom he loves and will definitely draw them back. He knows you cannot do this alone as a parent because only he has the power to turn any life around and not you. If truly a child that will be bad will be bad, how come people change and make a 360 degrees u-turn when they give their lives to Christ? It only goes to show the power of Gods supremacy in the life of men.
In my case, he grew my faith in very little ways and overtime I got to decipher his voice to the extent that it became a daily walk with him. If there is anyone thing I am grateful for in this life, it’s for the day I gave my life to christ.
So please just point them in his direction and let God do the rest…
The second subject I would like to talk about is responding to hostility especially when you have checked yourself and you know you have done nothing wrong. How on earth do you keep moving on without being depressed about it. My answer, is to ignore.
Ignore the people that are being hostile to you, hold your shoulders high and continue to talk with them nonetheless as if you are unaware of their intentions towards you. It took such a long time for me to learn this but now that I have, it helps a great deal. This also helps your peace of mind and removes the root of bitterness from your heart towards them. However in ignoring you should keep such people at arms length because the fact that you say hello and smile, you already know their intentions.
If you take a closer look at the life of our Lord Jesus. He too experienced hostility from men and a lot too even to the point of death. But he ignored, spoke about it and at the same time knew no man after the flesh. This way he overcame them and was able to easily forgive them when they crucified him on the cross. I guess this is the learning point for any trial you may be going through on hostility. Learn this point and you’ll see that as soon as you master it your trial will be over speedily.
I’m going somewhere with all these but you’ll get to find out how in subsequent posts. Until then, it’s bye for now…