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| La`eenis is learning that God can be trusted. |
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By Debbie Burgett - 2009.06.04
Far above the ground, La'eenis inched out on the limb, his bare feet gripping expertly. He gave the honeycomb hanging high above him a good whack with his long stick. But this time, he lost his balance.
The old honey hunter crashed down through the branches and landed broken and battered at the foot of the huge tree.
"Get me home," La'eenis struggled to whisper when his grandson came running. Then overpowering darkness slammed a heavy door.
Being strong and capable is highly valued among the Manjúi people of Paraguay. It's the source of personal pride and self-worth. So if a sick or wounded person thinks there's a chance that he might die or not be able to provide for his family, he resigns himself to his useless fate, stops eating and drinking, and eventually dies.
So even as his concerned family tried to nurse and care for him, the badly injured Manjúi man began to follow his culture.
But La'eenis was also a believer and follower of Jesus. Missionaries had come years earlier and patiently taught the Manjúi people through the Bible. They showed the tribal people how God had worked in both the world and with mankind from the very beginning of time. And they explained how He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to willingly die for every wrong thing they had ever done.
And the message had changed La'eenis' life.
Now, his 21-year-old grandson was going to make sure he didn't forget it. He sat on a mat and gently held his grandfather's head in his lap. Stroking his hair softly, he reminded La'eenis that it was the God of the Bible -- not fate -- that was in charge of both the quality and the quantity of life.
He reminded him of God's provision, His goodness, His sovereignty and His plan -- His perfect plan. But most of all, he reminded his grandfather that the sweetness in life came not from the honey that he found, but from the loving God who made the honey.
And the old weakened honey hunter listened to the truth, remembered the source of his hope -- and lived. |
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