Last saturday we enjoyed the Seek Peace and pursue it Circuit Assembly in Okinawa Japan . My 14 year old daughter shared her witnessing experienced at school. Have you ever stood up to opposition or ridicule in school? -Since I was enrolled in a catholic school, I faced challenges such as going to mass, praying in class, voting for school officers, saluting the flag, answering test papers in relation to religion, and many more. There was even a time in our class when students needed to prepare a school prayer to recite before and after each subject. Considering that Catholic prayers start with making a sign of the cross - and my teacher already knew enough about my religion - when it was time for my turn to pray, she skipped me and proceeded to the next student. When my classmates noticed this, many thought it was unfair for me to be skipped, while some mockingly wondered what kind of religion does not pray. How did you pursue peace in the situations? -I asked permission from my teacher to allow me to lead the prayer. I also requested to not have to make the sign of the cross when starting out. The next day, I was allowed to lead the prayer in a right way – one which approach God would approve of. I prayed the way Jesus taught us to pray. They heard me praying using Jehovah`s name and about His kingdom. During that lunch break, my classmates asked me about my beliefs and asked why I mentioned Jehovah`s name instead of Jesus`. They were also curious why I did not pray the Rosary, the Lord`s prayer (Our Father), and Apostle`s Creed. I showed them from my Bible about Jehovah’s name. I also explained to them that these prayers are not prayers we are to memorize and recite back to God; but rather, these are examples on how we should be praying. I then gave them the February 2009 issue of the Watchtower that contained an article which discussed about what we can learn from Jesus about prayers. What positive outcome resulted from your efforts to pursue peace? -I`m so happy that Jehovah gave me the opportunity and courage to explain about my beliefs. Before, I must confess that I got nervous whenever I explained my beliefs. Prayer itself helped me to maintain integrity. Happily, my classmates showed me even greater respect afterwards. They also became a part of my magazine route! However, most importantly, I was given the privilege to help them show respect to the God I worship.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 02:47:47 +0000