By Mina Podgaisky
A few weeks ago, we had our first picnic for our Hispanic home Bible study group. We were 24 adults and six children. One of the oldest boys who is around 11 years old saw our collection of crosses on the wall going upstairs. He was very surprised I had crosses. He asked me surprised – Are you Catholic? In Latin American homes, usually only Catholics have crosses at home for decoration. He was sure I was a Protestant. I assured him that I was a born-again person. He was very confused. He told me that crosses scared him because they are symbols of instruments of death; that is where Christ was killed.
What a great opportunity, I thought! I agreed with him. Christ did die on a cross; but that is not the end of the story. He resurrected on the third day. That’s where we need to put our focus, not on the tomb but on the resurrection. The young boys were listening very carefully. I continued, Christ died to pay for our sins, to offer us forgiveness. The other young boy, also around 11 years old, added: “Yes, but the bad persons will not go to heaven!” I continued to be happy for such learning/teaching opportunities.
I explained that the Bible says that there in not one person that is good. We are all bad and sin sometimes. Sin is what separates us from God. I asked him: Do you always obey your parents? Your teachers? You never fight with your friends? He lay his head down and said: “no.” If a bad person, a very bad person, searches for God and decides to ask God for forgiveness, accepts that Christ died for his sins and asks Jesus to come into his heart and be the Lord of his heart. God is always ready to forgive him or her even if they were very, very bad or just a little bit bad. Having Christ in your heart means that Jesus will be changing you into his way of thinking and behaving; it is a process. If this person were to die, or when he or she dies, they will go to heaven.
I continued, when you guys grow up and have children, and your children will grow up and get married and have children, you guys will be grandparents, you will get old and will die. Your children will put you in a tomb. The tomb even though is a symbol of death, for us, Christians, the tomb is only the passage into eternal life. That is why, neither the cross, nor the tomb mark the end of Christ nor us. We do not need to be afraid of crosses, tombs or even death. The first boy that started this conversation changed his face expression and a smile appeared. He said, “that’s true! We do not need to be afraid of crosses!”