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Everybody knows the story of the three pigs.
My story is about three children. Different in so many ways.
My
first family have a daughter named Mary. Mary's mom and dad had very
Important jobs. They make a lot of money. They
are in very powerful positions.
Like most people with those kind of jobs they have very little time for Mary.
They
have a staff to take care of Mary.
Mary had a habit of acting out. It was the only way to get attention from her
Parents.
It seemed that when Mary acted out they just gave her more money.
She never got the attention she really wanted.
For
Mary's birthday her parents were out of town. The care givers were given the
Responsibility for planning Mary's birthday
party.
Mary's parents sent video games. Her party had all Mary's friends over. Every
Kind of food you can
imagine. There was even a live band. Her parents always
Gave Mary a check for 5 thousand dollars to buy new clothes.
When Mary's parents returned home Mary was furious. Mary started complaining
About her party. The food was
no good. She said it made her sick. She said the care
Givers didn't fix any of the food she wanted for the party.
That the video games they
Gave her weren't any good. The check wasn't near enough for what she wanted to buy.
The
band was bad. They were a bunch of old timers who couldn't play any of the new
Songs.
Mary's parents apologized
for getting the wrong video games. Mary's mother called
Order in for the video games from the list Mary gave her.
She told the clerk that she
Wanted them delivered within the hour.
Mean while Mary's father called the person
who had made the plans for the party into
His office. Mary stood next to her father with a smug look on her face.
Mary's father
Told his employee that since she couldn't handle a simple party for Mary she had to pack
Her
bags and leave.
Mary thanked her father and followed the care giver out of the room. Mary told her
That she
warned her when her parents got home she would be fired. Then Mary smiled
And went into the family room.
The
second child in the story comes from a family with much less than Mary's family.
Her name is Jane. Jane has both parents.
Jane's dad hurt his back on the job. He can
No longer work. He draws a small pension.
Jane's mom worked 2
jobs to keep the bills paid and food on the table. She was so
Tired most of the time that things got on her nerves
very quickly.
Jane's mom loved her husband and daughter so much. She was very frustrated
Because she had so
little time with her family.
It would be Jane's birthday soon.. Jane's mom went to the clearance rack at Wal Mart
She found a nice out fit and a jacket. She had enough for a new pair of sandals. Then
She went and got a decorated
cake at the bakery.
When she got home she was in a pretty good mood. She had found everything on sale
So her
money went a lot farther than she expected.
There wasn't enough money for a party. Besides Jane's mom didn't have
the time to
Supervise a party.
Jane's dad certainly wouldn't want to be disturbed by a bunch of kids. He was
So angry because he couldn't work any more. All he did was sit around watching T.V.
With a can of beer in
his hand. His temper had a short fuse.
Jane's mom was making a nice dinner when Jane came in. Jane saw her birthday
Presents on the table and asked if she could open them. Her mom said it would be
Okay.
As soon as
she saw what her mom had bought her Jane was angry. She yelled at her
Mom, why can't I ever get designer cloths? All
my friends have them.
Jane's dad came in the kitchen. He said, so you don't like any of it! He took the
Cloths,
shoes, cake, and the dinner put them in the trash. He took it out to the burn
Barrel and lit it up.
Mom was
crying and angry. So was Jane. Dad grabbed another beer and headed for
The front room to finish watching his program.
Jane was in her room. Mom was trying to get herself together. She had to be at work
In a couple of hours.
Nobody in the house was happy. Only hurtful words were spoken. Hurt feelings and
Anger was normal in this
family.
The third family is in a totally different situation. The child's name is Faith. Faith's
Dad left
home one day and never came back. Nobody knew what happened to him.
Faith and mom prayed everyday for his safe return.
There was no savings. Mom had never worked before. She found a part time job
While Faith was in school. She
did laundry for her neighbors at night for extra money.
She had a hard time keeping the bills paid and food on the
table.
Everyday before Faith went to school they would pray. They prayed for dad and for
Protection for Faith
while she was in school. Faith prayed that her mom would be safe.
At work.
It was Faith's birthday. Mom had
only been able to save 6 dollars. But she had a
She could fix and decorate. Faith loved baked chicken with dressing,
mashed potatoes,
And green beans. So mom fixed everything before Faith got home from school.
When Faith got
home mom told her they were going to the second hand store to get
Her birthday gifts. Faith found 2 outfits for 3
dollars. Then they went and looked at the
Shoes. She found 2 pair of shoes for 1 dollar. Mom told Faith she could
buy a toy for
2 dollars.
Faith liked books so that's where she headed. She was so excited. The books were
Only 25 cents. She could get 8 books. Then she saw a Bible Story book. When she took
It down the price was
3 dollars. Mom had tears in her eyes when she told Faith that they
Didn''t have enough money. Faith said, that's alright
mom I'd rather have 8 books
Anyway. Faith smiled her million dollar smile and gave her mom the biggest hug and
Said,
we have your Bible to read from anyway.
The clerk had heard what Faith had told her mom about the Bible Story book.
It had
Brought tears to her eyes. She couldn't believe this little girl had tried so hard to make
Her mom
feel better because they didn't have enough money. She thought if only more
Children were like her.
When they
got to the check out Faith was so excited. She babbled non stop. The
Clerk wished her a happy birthday. She told Faith
she could pick out anything for
Her birthday. Faith's eyes got big and asked ANYTHING? The clerk nodded.
Faith
ran back to the books and picked up the Bible Story book and brought it to the
Check out. Faith's mom told her that
was too much money. The clerk waved off Faith's
Mom's protest. She said Faith was a good girl and deserved the book.
Faith thanked
The clerk and gave her a big hug.
When they got home they warmed up the supper. They set the
table. Then mom
Showed Faith her birthday cake. They sat down to eat and Faith asked if she could give
The
blessing. They bowed their heads. This is the prayer Faith prayed;
Thank you Jesus for my mom
Watch over my
dad
Thank you for the clerk and bless her
Thank you for my books and Bible Stories
Thank you for my
new cloths and shoes
Thank you for the best meal ever and the yummy cake,
Thank you for loving mom and me
In
Jesus name we pray
Amen
Now you've met the 3 children and their families.
Mary and her parents god
was money and power. Mary learned her lessons well
From her parents.
I'm asking that you pray for families
like Mary's family. Ask God to intercede in
In their lives and show them that it's wrong the way they are living.
Pray they change
Their ways before it's too late.
Jane's family is filled with so much anger. They also have
a problem when it comes
To forgiveness. They can't see how blessed they are. If they can't forgive God will
Not
forgive them either. They live in a nicer house than Faith. They have more money.
And Jane has both her parents.
They
need God in their lives. To stop looking at the negative side of everything.
To be thankful for what they have instead
of complaining about what they don't have.
Pray for families like Jane's family. They're so busy looking for the shoe
to drop
They can't see the light. Pray their eyes and ears will be opened so they will see and
Hear the truths
and ask Jesus into their hearts.
Faith and her mom were the richest of all the families. They had love, joy, hope,
and
Faith in God. By the world's standards they didn't have much. But their treasures are
Not of this world.
God will bless them for being faithful to Him.
Linda © 2008
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