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Children
April 1, 2008
Dear Friends,
As many of you know, John & I have recently become
grandparents for the first time, and like all grandparents,
think our grandson is the ‘bees knees’. We have just
returned from a wonderful holiday in South Africa, and
because our little James was only two weeks old, I could
not help comparing the lifestyle which he might anticipate,
with the expected lifestyle of little babies we saw being
carried miles along busy roads from the squatter camps and
townships.
Our James has a lovely pram, nursery furniture, and clean,
readily available running water. The comparison was stark,
and the feelings of sadness overwhelming. One wonders about
the future for each baby. What books might be available,
what kind of schooling each will have, what health
treatments will be available etc. I suspect our little
James will fare better in all these areas.
However, the next question that came to mind is more
difficult to answer: How easy will it be for the babies in
both cultures to find and have faith in Jesus as they grow?
In the case of our grandson, we will of course introduce
him to our Christian faith. But there are so many
distractions in our world. So much commercialism, so much
personal expectation, and pressure of work. It is hard for
a young man to focus on Jesus, when so much around him
demands his attention elsewhere.
In the squatter camps unemployment is about 90% in some
cases. Does this give more time for reflection, or does it
make a breeding ground of dissatisfaction and rebellion to
God?
But one great leveller is that we are all needy people
spiritually.
Children need to hear stories from the Bible that offer
them possibilities for their own lives. Their imaginations
will help them enter into the story, identify with it, and
make it their own. If no-one dares to tell the story of
Christmas and Easter, then how will children know Jesus?
God Bless
Sue Ward
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