Too Little

By Phyllis DeSmit

Heng is six and lives in a poor part of a city in Cambodia. He is hungry most of the time because his parents only feed him rice and soup broth. This is not because good food is scarce for his family, but because their culture teaches that his body can't handle meat and vegetables. Unfortunately, Heng's parents have no examples of what it means to be a good parent in terms of providing appropriate nutrition as well as creating a nurturing environment. Heng's parents grew up separated from family. They were forced by the Khmer Rouge rulers to live in a camp for kids. Heng's parents live in darkness, not knowing how much God wants to be a loving Father to them.

Habib is a 10-year old, who lives in the Middle East. When asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" he replies, "I want to be a martyr. I will die for Allah. My mother is very proud." The radio and TV programs for children in his country broadcast a constant stream of propaganda, telling children to hate others. Over loud speakers in school, the children hear, "Christians are hate-filled. Jesus never died on the cross. Their Bible is false. Do not listen to them!" The spiritual darkness of not knowing the Truth dominates Habib's thinking. He has very little light, even though he lives in a hot, sunny land.

In a West African country, Paba, 15 years old, of the Suri people, had memorized the Lord's Prayer in a language spoken in his country, but not the language his family used every day. Some translators came to his village and asked if the Suri people would listen to the prayer being read from a Bible translation about to go to the printer. Hearing the words in his native tongue, Paba was one of those who sat quietly with his head bowed. The visitors were concerned about the silence and asked, "Is something wrong?" The response was, "Today is the day we have really learned to pray." God's word is not easily understood if it is hidden in the shadows of a language that is not one's own.

Darbat, a Mosque goer, living in Pakistan, has been told by many people that he should not study another religion, only his own. He learned about Esau (Jesus) in reading the Qur'an. He has been taught that Jesus is a prophet, who died a natural death and that Judas was actually the one who was crucified. Darbat has many misunderstandings regarding Christian teachings, but he has begun to read the Bible, as well as the Qu'ran. He says, "It is a bit like coming out of darkness into the light."

In China, the government is always watching. There are government-approved churches with a government-approved leader who reads a government-approved sermon on Sunday. If you are 18 or younger, it is illegal for you to attend any church. House churches, which want to create their own worship, must keep changing locations in order to hide from officials. At one such service the pastor is teaching that God is a big Buddha and Jesus is a little Buddha. Why does he teach such information? Because he has had no teaching to learn the Truth! His thoughts are mixed-up conclusions, because there is too little light in his country.

God, we pray that your light will shine for all nations to see!

(See also today's sermon: Too Little)