May is Child's Month

“I want to be a doctor”. “I want to be a policeman”. “I want to be like mummy when I grow up”. “Well, I want to be like daddy when I grow up”. These are the words which have been uttered by millions of children around the world. As adults, we once uttered those words too. Yet, there are numerous children who cannot say the same. Their little minds are preoccupied with questions such as: “What will I eat today?”, “Where are my parents?” “Why am I being neglected?” Will mummy hate me if I don’t come home with any money? The entire month of May is being celebrated as Child’s month. Many use this time to emphasize the voices of our young children; yet throughout the other eleven months of the year this emphasis is not highlighted. I believe that our children should be celebrated, heard, and loved 365 days a year. So then, who is a child? What are some of the rights of a child and how can you support a child’s dream?

On Wednesday April 06, 2012, National Child’s Month was launched under the theme “Our World...Their Future...Our Responsibility”. Dr. Pauline Mullings, chairperson of the National Child’s Month Committee explained that the theme was geared towards encouraging parents and caregivers to be more responsible in the care and nurturing of our children. She continued, “we have left the training and guidance of our children to the computer, mainly the Internet; the television, advertisements, print and electronic media, and these influences have turned out to be negative for our children.”(Jamaica Observer) Mrs. Mullings spoke about celebrating our children. The word celebrate is often used when referring to parties and festive occasions. However, its Latin origin means “to honour”. We know that “to honour” means to hold in esteem or to show respect.

Children at a recently held Community Music Programme at NCU - file 

The definition of a child under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) covers all human beings under the age of 18 unless the relevant national law recognises an earlier age of majority. However, the Convention emphasises that the substitution of an earlier age of majority must be in conformity with the spirit of the Convention and its guiding principles and thus should not be used to undermine the rights of a child. In layman terms, a child usually refers to those individuals under the age of ten. Though the CRC (Convention on the Rights of the Child) defines a child as someone under the age of 10, many adolescents’ are child-like in nature. Some teenagers have to “grow up” before time to take care of their younger sibling. This forces them to take on the responsibilities of an adult neglecting the daily pleasures of a child.

All children have the same rights. However, their rights are violated in many countries, and children do not benefit from the same rights. The rights of a child encompass the fundamental principles of all human beings: the right to life, the non-discrimination principle, the right to dignity through the protection of physical and mental integrity (protection against slavery, torture and bad treatments. Children rights are civil and political: such as the right to identity and nationality, economic, social and cultural (the right to education, a decent standard of living, and health), individual rights (the right to live with his parents, the right to education, and the right to benefit from protection). A child’s right may also be collective (rights of a refugee and disabled children, rights of minority children or children from autochthonous groups).

How then can you support the dream of a child? As parents, role models, and caregivers it is very important that we foster the development of our children’s dream. We can do this by providing avenues that will steer them in the right direction. Always seek to provide opportunities (educational, motivational or financial) that can improve their mental, physical, or social ability. Don’t turn a blind eye to a neglected child. Make a difference today; promote, defend and make a child’s rights a reality. 

Mikki Clarke 

Truth among Distorted Facts & Darkess amidst Truth

“To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them.” Isa. 8: 20.

How many demoniacs did Jesus heal at the Gaderenes? One (Mark 5, Luke 8)…two (Matt 8)? Not certain.  And did the sun really stand still?  Well, for the sun to have been made to stand still in the context of Joshua 10: 13, it would have had to be moving, right? It is common knowledge today that the sun doesn’t actually move, but it is the earth that moves (rotating on its axis, while revolving around the sun).  How do we relate to these inconsistencies in Scripture – can it be trusted to supply us with pertinent truth so vital to our eternal salvation?

According to 1 Cor. 13:8 knowledge will become obsolete.  But for the present what we now know is relevant to the time and place of our existence.  When we would have finally transitioned we will no longer need many of the things we now depend on for our survival.  The burden of Scripture is not to provide us with an often unnecessary litany of facts surrounding a story or of a natural phenomenon.  Its purpose is to simply bear witness to the fact that God is, and that He rewards those that earnestly seek Him. Heb. 11: 6.  The real truth then of the sun “standing still” is that God controls nature, and when we have genuine need he will reverse the course of natural occurrences to give us victory.  The healing of the demoniac(s) speaks to the difference that Christ makes when He comes onto the scene of our lives – whether He healed one or two individuals, the point is He has the power over the demons in our lives, be they legions or one. 

Do not then become preoccupied with the accumulation of facts that are going to become of none effect anyway.  Look instead for the truth as it exists in God’s Word.

Note, the preceding discussion in no way relates to the issue addressed in Rev. 22: 18, 19.  Persons who wilfully distort or hold back on the facts surrounding an event will be held accountable for this manipulation of Holy Writ.

While truth has a singular importance to those who would discover God, fall within His divine will and approbation care must be taken to preclude its misrepresentation by being wrest out of the proper context in which be understood and received.  Taken out of its context, or being inappropriately aligned to falsehood truth can become shrouded in darkness, and therefore ineffective to perform its important work of sanctifying its discoverer (John 17: 17). 

Jesus understood the importance of the timeliness of truth being disclosed and so told His disciples, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.”  The Apostles Paul and Peter themselves spoke of the milk (simple nature) of the Word, which should be fed to new converts, who were to later move unto more solid food. 1 Cor. 3: 2; 1Peter 2: 2.  Rev. 22: 18, 19 speak of distortion either by adding or taking away of pertinent aspects of the truth of God’s Word.

So although truth may be covered in the mud of inconsistent facts it does allow for us to handle it in any way that suits us – it must be treated with care and caution, and not in a manner that would not prompt the release of faith in accepting its principles.  Otherwise truth that is intended to be light (Ps. 119: 105), will be nothing but darkness.  God forbid.

Genesis 18: Abraham, the Negotiator

In this chapter we see Abraham being the consummate negotiator; trying to bring God down to the best price possible.  He succeeds in carrying God from 50 to 10 righteous souls to save Sodom and Gomorrah.  The intent of this exchange was not to lecture God in being gracious; it was a test of how much Abraham had learned from God.  Indeed God had been especially gracious to him, so he should know a thing or two about Him.  Here he passed the test with flying colours.

This also shows that our God is very transparent in His governance, and when He says in Isa. 1: 18, "Come let us reason together...." He really means it.  And what an awesome pleasure it is to talk with Him!

During those 1000 years we'll spend in Heaven, we too are going to have a talk with God about the impending judgment to fall upon the wicked.  We're going to want to know why persons we thought would have been there (perhaps persons participating in this project) are not.  And then perhaps there may be persons who are there, whom we thought wouldn't be there - and we may also want to know how or why.  Of course then it would primarily be of academic interest - in terms of the destiny of the wicked.  So out of genuine concern for "the wicked" we should start talking to God now and see how many destinies we may change.

Heavenly Father I pray for all sinners, of whom I am chief.  I confess all my sins to you and pray for a new heart that is filled with the Holy Spirit.  Then use me as you see fit to win many souls for your Kingdom - changing destinies from the dominion of doom, and destruction to the eternal land of liberty and life forevermore. Amen.

Happy Sabbath to all.