John ESENE

     A child is a gift from God to Himself and his parents. So, you have to accept yourself as a special gift and appreciate God’s gesture for giving yourself to you, your parents and humanity. This way, you surely admit that you are okay. There is need for you to look deeply inside of you to know the beauty therein which others see and love in you. You may not be able to see the entire gift you are to you and to others but as events unfold your potentials will gradually come to your consciousness.

     Children know today that God imposed your parents, siblings and neighbors on you as gifts and you have no choice whatsoever to select among these special gifts. God willed them to you so to speak. When you accept these gifts for this purpose, you will live to celebrate them all your life. God is good and His gifts are good likewise. Jesus expects you to love every member of your family very dearly as precious gifts to you. And how faithful are you to this calling?

     “No one is an Island” they say. Hence as you see yourself as a gift to others, others are also gifts to you from God. These gifts are in various shapes and sizes: some small, others big; some tightly wrapped while others are loosely wrapped; some exhibit ugly wraps just as others have beautiful wraps. What matters most is not the outward look of the gift but the very content of it. A beautiful egg may have a rotten yoke which the eyes cannot see until the egg is broken. Know you that the wrapping is not the gift. How willing are you to see the person next to you as a gift to you by God? Do you need to select from among these gifts?

     There are gifts so beautifully wrapped or considered dear to us that we tend to possess them. When you possess them, you destroy their gifts. As you save them for yourself, you are sure to lose them but should you lose them for others, you will save them. Parents should love all their children without publishing the best of their choice. Children too should love both their fathers and mothers: you don’t have to compare them for your own interest!

    The present insecurity has turned the society upside down taking away the joy that unite both parents and their children as it used to be long ago. Now that parents have difficulties meeting the needs of their families financially, there is no room for family happiness; hence the joy we usually experience is replaced with anger. Today we hear of children killing their parents or parents killing their children.

     A child said to his father recently, “Daddy you are welcome!’ and the man responded saying, “Welcome for what?” The reason for the father’s negative response was that the child must be expecting something from him after being away for two days and he brought nothing unlike before and he was ashamed. Before long, the matter turned to transferred aggression and while both parents were shouting at each other, their children were also fighting because some love their father more than their mother. That was how the devil brought sorrow to a well-known happy family.

      When you allow anger to create a gap between you and God, the devil will creep in and occupy the gap! So, be on your guide 1Tim 6:20 says, “Keep safe what has been entrusted to your care. Avoid the profane talk and foolish arguments of what some people wrongly call ‘knowledge.” Parents, do not hurt your children with the intention of correcting them. “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.” Mtt. 12:25.

      Dear parents, we belong to old school while our children belong to new school. For us to counsel our children rightly, we have to know how the new school functions and wholeheartedly device a positive means of interacting with this generation to enable us achieve the desired objective of leading them to where God wants them to be. So, call on God who assigned these children to you. If the Lord does not build the house, its builders will labor in vain.

     Someone has said, “Control your anger because it is just one letter away from danger”. Do not allow anger to overwhelm you to the extent of transferring your aggression on your children.  At a time like this, run to Jesus who has the power to stop your raging storm and he will deliver you from the evil one.

      Anger is a feeling and all feelings are subject to human control. Jesus did not allow anger to ruin him when he was arrested by soldiers for no just reason. He was humiliated and denied justice by the chief priest and scribes but did not revolt; he was denied by Peter and betrayed by Judas; and while on the cross, people made caricature of him, yet he prayed that his Father, our Father should forgive them for they know not what they were doing. If God should get angry with us because of our sins, he will have to destroy and recreate the world every day.

        On 9th April, 2019 at Vatican City, Pope Francis asked his audience, “When mothers get exhausted and they scream at their children, is this wisdom?” They replied, “No!” Instead, when a mother takes the child and scolds him gently and says, “You don’t do this for this reason’ and explains with a lot of patience, is this God’s wisdom?” he asked and they answered, “Yes!” The Pope described the spiritual gift of wisdom as “seeing the world, situations, circumstances and problems with God’s eyes.” He concluded saying, “When we are in communion with the Lord, it’s like the Spirit transfigures our hearts and makes us perceive everything with his warmth and his liking.”

    God may have destined your child to liberate you some day. Obama’s father abandoned him in US and returned to Kenya. He died before Obama became the first African/American to be the President of US. God has a reason for giving you your children: respect and provide for them and lead them to God for their salvation. “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Mt. 19:14.   

      Children, your willingness to develop the potentials in you to assist yourself and others will dictate how fully human and fully alive you can be. So, call on God to open your eyes and ears to see your potential and hear His voice to enable you be what He wants you to be!  Happy Children’s Day!