When we first arrived at Riverside Park in Greenville a few weeks ago, I wasn’t sure it was such a good idea. There were teenagers hanging out there whose language left a lot to be desired. I was just about ready to ask them to watch their language when they moved away, so I let it pass.
A little while later, Sarah said, “Did I hear that kid saying a bad word?”
I hadn’t noticed but I said, “Probably. I heard them saying bad words earlier.”
Sarah shrugged. “Oh well, I guess if they’re teenagers I shouldn’t be surprised.”
I looked at her for a moment, then said bluntly, “Let me just say that I don’t expect to hear you saying bad words when you’re a teenager!”
She looked thoughtful, then said, “Oh, I probably will.”
Her answer took me by surprise, and I was quiet for a moment. “Last Sunday you invited Jesus to come into your heart. Do you think He would want you to use bad language?”
Sarah was quiet.
“Do you remember what happened when Adam and Eve did something they knew was wrong?” We had talked about this before. Sarah shook her head.
“Do you remember they did?”
“Eve ate an apple.”
“And what else did she do?”
“She gave some to Adam, didn’t she?”
“She did,” I agreed. “And then Adam and Eve had to leave the beautiful garden where God had given them everything they needed.”
I took Sarah’s hand and we walked to a shaded part of the playground. “Sarah, do you remember who tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God?”
Squinting her eyes, Sarah thought hard. “It was a snake, wasn’t it?”
“It looked like a snake, but who was it really?”
Recollection dawned in her eyes. “The Devil, Grandma! It was the Devil, wasn’t it?”
“It was the Devil, Sarah. But when the Devil tempts us to say bad words or do bad things, we don’t have to make the same mistake Adam and Eve made. We can choose to obey God.“
Sarah looked thoughtful again.
“When you invited Jesus to come into your heart, His Holy Spirit came in. He’ll help you obey God if you choose to listen to Him.”
I squeezed Sarah’s hand and prayed that she would have lots of practice obeying God so that when she becomes a teenager, she won’t listen to Satan when he tempts her.
***
A few weeks later when Sarah came for a visit, she said, “What can I do to help you? I want to earn $2!”
Deciding it was good that she wanted to earn the money rather than just asking for a hand out, we found things for her to do—more things than she thought she should have to do to earn $2, but finally she reached her goal. She went around waving her two dollars bills saying, “I’m rich! I’m rich!”
How to respond to this? Finally I said, “Sarah, you are rich, but not because of those two flimsy dollar bills you’re waving!”
Sarah stopped waving her dollar bills to listen.
“First of all,” I said, “you’re rich because you have Jesus! That’s the most important reason you’re rich!
“Second, you’re rich because you have a Mama who loves you, takes good care of you, and would never, ever want to hurt you. And besides that, you have a Papa and Grandmas and Aunts and Uncles who love you so much and would do anything to help you.
”Third, you’re rich because you have a house to live in, a bed to sleep in, clothes and shoes to wear and toys to play with.”
Sarah was listening.
“And fourth, you’re rich because when you want a drink of water, you go to the sink and turn on the faucet to get water in a glass. In some countries if children want a drink, they or someone has to walk miles to get water. And it might be water that animals have been walking in and even using like a toilet!”
As I spoke, Sarah’s eyes widened and she gagged.
I stopped to catch my breath and then said emphatically, “So, yes, Sarah, you’re rich, but it’s not because you have two one dollar bills!”
Father, help us to learn from the mistakes that others make when yielding to Satan’s temptations, whether in the Bible or real life. Help us also to know the difference between true riches and what the world believes will make them rich. Amen.
***
HEALTH UPDATE
I requested that a change be made in the pressure on my C-Pap machine before doubling my blood pressure medicine. I will go into the cardiologist’s office on June 13 for a blood pressure check and a check on the blood pressure cuff I use at home to make sure it’s still accurate. I’ve had very few heart palpitations since the change in pressure on my C-pap and my blood pressure has been somewhat better. Please pray with me that my blood pressure would stablize and my palpitations remain minimal or go away! Thank you so much for praying!