I remember the time when my Mom would let me stay in the corner to penalize me for misbehaving or for my sassy behavior. I resented being made to stay at the corner. But because I knew that there was nothing I could do about her decision, I begrudgingly obeyed. I was bored facing the wall with nothing to see or do. I had to get out of that corner fast. In desperation I would pray asking God to help me. I asked forgiveness for the wrong I have done. In those instances when I thought my Mom was wrong or unfair, I would ask God to enlighten my Mom to make her appreciate the situation in another way. Most of all, I prayed to God to help soften my Momí¢â‚¬â„¢s heart and take her out of her punishing mood. I knew that my prayer would be heard. After a while, my Mom would come and tell me to stand up. She would hug me and give me some ice cream or some pop which was a luxury drink for us at that time.
Psalm 107 was a reading we shared in one of my Confirmation classes. I shared my experience and the rest gave their share of story. Kids no longer receive the kind of punishment we had when the iron-hand was an acceptable form of punishment. We now use the term í¢â‚¬Å“groundedí¢â‚¬ when a parent takes away a privilege from a child for their misbehavior.
One girl shared that she was grounded for a week. No going out to friendí¢â‚¬â„¢s house and no visiting from friends. She was bored. She decided to read her Bible and randomly picked Psalm 107. It spoke to her. I asked her what message she received from that reading. She replied, í¢â‚¬Å“It you pray and ask Godí¢â‚¬â„¢s help, He will answer.í¢â‚¬ I surmised that receiving Godí¢â‚¬â„¢s assurance through the written Word calmed her spirits and assured her that God loved her and was there with her and for her. Through the inspiration and guidance from Holy Spirit, this girl was able to write a poem and an essay. Moreover, she was filled with peace and joy in the Lord. She came out of being grounded a refined vessel.
If this girl was blessed, I was doubly blessed! Godí¢â‚¬â„¢s steadfast love for me was manifested through my confirmation class. God continues to work in us, through us, and with us. Praise God!
If we think that when we are in a crisis or in an unpleasant situation, we think that we are on fire and we want to get out of that situation. We do not realize that our low and disappointing moments are times we can call í¢â‚¬Å“refined by fireí¢â‚¬ moments. When we come out of an unpleasant circumstance and are proactive about it, Godí¢â‚¬â„¢s love manifests in us and we do become better persons. We are í¢â‚¬Å“refinedí¢â‚¬ as fire refines gold.
There are times in our lives when we bear the consequences of our decisions because of our feelings of self-sufficiency. But those whose lives center on God totally depend on His mercy, love and compassion. How can we live without God in our lives? We cannot. If we do not seek God, God seeks us. Godí¢â‚¬â„¢s love for us is constant and steadfast. God is our Deliverer, our Redeemer, our Healer, our Savior and our Guide. Godí¢â‚¬â„¢s steadfast love is manifested to us when we are reminded of the cross where Jesus died for us.
Rose Marie Calderon-Khan
