HIDDEN JEWELS ARE WE!

EVERY CHILD IS SPECIAL!    Yes it is true, and the Indian Film made in 2010 and advertised to the left is a very special case in point.    The film is fiction, but it presents a number of very real challenges, in very clear scenes tracing the life of an 8 year old boy grappling with Dyslexia at home and at school.      I discovered it on You Tube under the title 'Shine Like a Star', but it seems the right rendering would be Like Stars on Earth.    Very well acted.

BUT it is not only Dyslexia that Might a child special.   In the film the child's parents thought their child was a failure and useless because he could not read or write.    But in other ways he was more than bright, and in the end they came to realise this and to be glad for the child.   But, again, it not merely academic cleverness that makes a child, or anyone to be admirable.   ALL children, and indeed every human being, no matter what our outward appraisal may persuade us about their value,  IS individually, SPECIAL!!!   We are special in that each one of us has some hidden talent and ability implanted in us by the Creator.   It may not always be obvious as we look and interact with each other from our own perspective, and may not be noticed till some event brings it to the surface.
When we changed the use of Testimony House from children's home to Hostel for Boys over 18, the children then living in it were transferred, in a day, among our three other Children's Homes.    The over 18 boys were yanked out of their family home and re-located in Testimony House, and the under 18s living in Testimony were moved to fill the gaps made by the older boys in Jacarands, Drakeley and Tyndale Cottages.     This caused a little trauma to some, especially the teenagers under 18.     One such, a girl, was especially upset since she had a special relationship with the Mother of Testimony House, and when the BOYS transferred and SHE left she suddenly found she had another'mother', missing the one she had left behind in Testimony.   - and to compound this she had a close friendship with the daughter of her Testimony Mum.      This really affected her so that she found it difficult to form any happiness in being with them.  She appeared quiet, and morose to her new parents; very antisocial.  One evening she ran off, and no one could find her anywhere.   At 8,30 p.m. the houseparent came to tell us.   He was very upset and anxious for her safety.   He was also annoyed about it, not seeing or understanding her state of heart.     At 10p.m.  the girl arrived at Green Cottage with another girl, a cousin, from another house.     She poured out her heart to us for about an hour as we listened.   Then Esther and I shared what we felt might help her, and we prayed together.    She became a different person, and getting up ran back to her house, and immediately apologised the her houseparents, and in such a manner that the next day they shared how different she was, and that the whole situation had changed.     AND they began to point out to us some good points about her that had seemingly gone unnoticed - or perhaps obscured because of other annoying ways that had hidden her own 'specialness'.

The Director of the Film mentioned above comes from a Muslim family, though there is nothing to tell us how much he or his family adhere to that faith.    One thing is clear though - he sees THROUGH religion to the spirit of us all, and believes in the potential of us all, accepting that we are ALL special.

Aamir Kahn aged 51

What would JESUS say about this?     Well I think He would probably approve of such a mind set in favour of our human relationships.      He would not, as I have often intimated before, have wanted to set up yet another wall or barrier between mankind.     Jesus wanted us to be like HIM, and to go about doing good, and sowing the seeds of goodness wherever we go and whosoever it is we socialise with.       Salt and Light are not different because of the label or provider.  Both are commodities and utilities needed and used by us all.      We might look for salt in the supermarket by the brand label, but what really matters is the SALT; we need the salt not the brand name.      Aamir Khan is a man with deep concerns for children especially - children of all kinds and nations.  This concern motivates much of his other talent as his film reveals.  We need to recognise each others needs AND gifts; we need to be ready and willing to take action to help, and also to encourage and expose each others gifts without any preconceived preferences or ideas, and across all the boundaries of race, colour, religion and politics.     NONE of us are all RIGHT, but we are all HUMAN - we only need to recognised it and work on it in order to see change and improvement all over the world.

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THIS was dropped on my desk during the week!   I had never seen it before, and so far I do not know who wrote it or why - BUT I thought it was good =

THE NEXT TIME YOU FEEL GOD CAN'T USE YOU

JUST REMEMBER

NOAH was a drunk.

ABRAHAM, was too old.

ISAAC was a day-dreamer.

JACOB WAS a liar.

LEAH was ugly.

JOSEPH was abused.

MOSES had a stuttering problem

GIDEON was afraid.

SAMSON, had long hair and was a womaniser

RAHAB was a prostitute.

JEREMIAH AND TIMOTHY were too young.

DAVID had an affair and was a murderer.

ELIJAH was suicidal

JONAH ran away from God.

NAOMI was a widow.

JOB went bankrupt.

PETER, denied Christ.

THE DISCIPLES, fell asleep whilst praying.

MARTHA worried about everything.

THE SAMARITAN WOMAN was divorced, more than once.

ZACCHEUS was too small.

PAUL was too religious.

TIMOTHY suffered from ulcers

AND

LAZERUS WAS DEAD

No more excuses now   God can use you to your full potential.

Besides, you aren't the message, you are the messenger.

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Our love and greetings to you all IN Jesus Name.    If you ever have something you might like to hear from us about please let us know; we would be glad to fill you in, or give you our view.   God Bless

John, Esther, and Daryl