Little Daniel

May 12, 2010

I write with my second cup of coffee at my side at 6:12 in the morning. I have first been assigned to tell you a significant story. I will do that shortly. I have just finished reading James chapter 1 from two translations. The New American Standard and then from The Message. Becky, you might find it interesting that (of all passages) tonight your dad will be speaking on a passage of scripture that today has become the most controversial in all of the Bible. It is 1 Timothy chapter 2 and I need to speak on women and their roll in the church. A subject probably most debated for the past 20 years or so. But you and I are in a dialogue and not a debate so I will begin this little communication by telling a story. It is rather lengthy and Becky, you and I will probably come back to this from time to time over the next few months no doubt. I do consider this a significant conversation between father and daughter and hopefully it can be helpful to anyone else listening in.
Becky, you were just a little girl living in Belo Horizonte, Brazil when you were no doubt listening to a story I was telling from the pulpit. I told this story of Antonio and wife Selma, daughter Rosalva and their youngest son named Daniel. Antonio was a true brother in the Lord through conversion earlier on. His wife Selma was not. Antonio was attending the church in Cristina, where we worked when we first arrived in Belo Horizonte alongside co-workers Lee and Barb Thompson.
I was teaching through the book of Daniel. Antonio invited his wife Selma to this study and I noticed that she was sort of “glued” to her seat and very, very interested yet very quiet. I had no idea what was going on in her life. However, she was “gifted”. I found this out later. Months later.
While in my home office one morning Antonio was deeply distressed about something and asked if he could share something with me concerning a serious family problem. I sat and listened. He said, "Pastor, my wife Selma has been having these premonitions of bad things happening to significant family members. She saw that a relative was going to die in a car accident and then it happened. Then she saw that one of her close relatives would have a baby and it would die, and that also happened.
Antonio was convinced that she had this gift but it became even more disconcerting that day. For that day Selma told him that she had a premonition of their little Daniel being hit with a truck and being killed. Little Daniel was probably about 3 or 4 years old then and full of life and vigor. Not the easiest child to always keep your eyes on. What three year old is—right? Well, being new to the missionary field even though I was about 40 years old, I did what one usually does when faced with something very difficult. I prayed and counseled Antonio to pray for Daniel’s safety and for Selma to keep a close watch over Daniel. "We'll pray, and be responsible as much as possible and leave the rest up to God. Does He not have a hedge around “His”!!!!" (This is something I came by while serving in Viet Nam before ever becoming a missionary, incidentally.)
Well, not too long after that conversation, maybe two or three months later, Antonio’s wife Selma came to our house to have one of those serious conversations with me. She had tears in her eyes as she was distressed and didn’t know what to do next. She related that she was fearful of telling her husband what had happened just that past week. What was she to do? She then told me what had just recently happened as she was grocery shopping with her daughter Rosalva and her little son Daniel. While checking out all her purchases and while getting ready to pay, little Daniel ran out of the store and headed for the street. Selma yelled for her daughter to stop him but was unsuccessful. Selma dropped everything and started running too. Just at that time a light up on the hill turned green and a loaded VW van began its decent as Daniel began crossing the street. Selma screamed. The bus hit its breaks. The VW bus came to a screeching stop. Selma stands momentarily paralyzed watching. Daniel is barely spared. Not a scratch on him. Selma was fearful of telling Antonio what had happened for he would no doubt be angry at her for not looking properly after Daniel. What should she do?
Well, I did counsel Selma. Daniel is a healthy young man now. Selma and Antonio are too the last I heard.
This is the story Becky wanted me to share with you from one of many experiences God has privileged me to have. Yes, they do have theological implications. I am not a master of theology yet James chapter one does give us some help. We are to go to His Word in humility, in the fear of God and with a pure heart (that is not always easy since the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked according to the prophet Jeremiah) and pray, and trust, and believe and have a quiet trust that He will keep that (hedge) “protecting”.
That is it for today. This finishes dad’s first two assignments from my only precious daughter. One day we just might get to the butterflies.
More coming in God’s good time. Maybe even tomorrow or later on in the week.
Love,
Rev. Dad.