Generation after Generation
Author: Joeli Grimbos Marques Souza (Parana, Brazil)
I asked my sister if she knew how long our mother had read no Cenaculo (the Portuguese edition of The Upper Room). Her answer was, ‘Always.’ She remembered that when we were children we always had prayers before going to bed. One family member read the Bible passage; the prayer and thought for the day were read by someone else and repeated by all of us together. Then one of us led our prayer time. I miss that time and remember it with joy. Proverbs 22:6 was taken seriously by my parents: ‘Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.’
My mother worked as a distributor for this magazine for many decades. With the struggles of ageing, she handed the responsibility to a niece, who was honoured to take over the task. My family has delivered this devotional guide one generation after another. I have a habit of cutting out some pages and handing them out to people: petrol station attendants, shop assistants and cooks at my school. When I don’t take any pages with me, people ask, ‘Where is that little paper?’
I enjoy sharing my faith and spreading the joy that no Cenaculo has brought my family for many generations.
Prayer: Loving God, we thank you for the opportunity to know you. Bless all those who contribute to The Upper Room and those who will read it. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen
