Hansini was persecuted, like Paul
she was beaten for her faith. She had dared to violate the traditions of her
family, dared to forsake their gods. Although the family was poor, at least they
weren’t a part of the lowest of the classes in the prevailing caste system. But
her actions had brought shame on her family and the village. And no one was
about to let her forget it.
By becoming a Christian her family
felt that she had shamed them. The neighbors’ actions made it clear that they
blamed Hansini’s parents –they couldn’t control their daughter. And so her
father beat her – mercilessly. The
people in the village were offended that she had brought such a scandal to the
village, and so the family was shunned. Scandal- the stuff that makes the world
go round, especially in small closely connected communities.
And then it’s Christmas. Christians
celebrate Christmas. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews don’t, except perhaps in the
secular sense. In the USA people seem to
like the holiday’s festive atmosphere, most people like getting gifts, and the
concept of peace on earth good will to men is universally accepted, it’s just
that the ideas for achieving peace and good will tend to vary widely. But in some other countries, other cultures, Christmas
is still an anomaly, so when Hansini brought home a Christmas gift from her
church, a sewing machine, people were amazed.
And then there amazement grew.
Hansini learned to sew, and then she started making money from her sewing. After
the way she had been treated by her family and her community, everyone thought
that as soon as she had enough money she would find a way to leave the village
where she had grown up. But her attitude was a little different, and instead of
spending her money on herself, she used to it pay the family’s bills. She
explained to her confused parents that Jesus is the giver of all good gifts, and
because of His grace the family was able to overcome its financial struggles.
Soon her family, amazed by God's grace,
also became Christians, and within a few years many of the people who had
shunned and persecuted Hansini were coming to her with a simple request: please
teach our children to sew. Hansini agreed, and during sewing classes tries to
share Jesus’ love with those who had previously hated her. It’s working, the
persecution has stopped, and people are coming to church, anxious to know more
about Jesus.
You can help spread the Good News
by providing a sewing machine. Find out how
No comments:
Post a Comment