Number 1. How little Star found the Living God. Part 1.
STAR’s home was in Southern India and her father was a devout worshipper of the God Siva. Every day after the morning bath, all the family rubbed ashes across their foreheads, as a sign that they served this particular god. But as Star grew old enough to think, and reason about things, she began to wonder; she would look at her little, active, brown hands, and wonder who made them, who made her feet, her head, her body. Was it Siva? or was it some other god? She had learned of so many, that she was puzzled when she tried to count them. Surely, she thought, the greatest of all must be the Creator, but who is He? Naturally she questioned her father, but he did not seem to, know, and put her off. This discouraged her, but she would not give up; she would pray to each in turn, and the one who answered her, must be the greatest.
And what do you think she prayed for? A strange thing for a little child! She prayed that her disposition might be changed. Star had a trying temper and she knew it for often when playing ‘with other children, she grew so overbearing, they would not play with her. She had tried to conquer her faults, but it seemed no use; they only grew stronger. So she prayed to Siva, prostrating herself before him, ant crying over and over again, “O heavenly Siva, hear me! Change my disposition that other children may love me, and wish to play with me! O heavenly Siva, hear me! hear me! hear me!”
But, alas! there was none to hear or answer, and the child would wander into the jungle alone, and lay her head on the ground, repeat her prayer, and wonder if no one would come. Then she tried other gods, until she wearied of praying, but still she kept on, wondering, “Who made me, and why was I made?”
Well, one evening she went for water, as usual, to the well from which her people drew, on the outskirts of the town. Her little red water pot was under her arm; she had only one thought—to fill it, bring it home quickly, and run back for another, then she might go and play. But she saw a crowd gathered near the well, and being only a little girl, she forgot about her work, and stood on the wet stones by the well, and looked and listened. Describing what she saw and heard afterwards, she said, “There were three white people, and a talking noise, and a singing noise, and a box which made a noise.”
It was only an unusual noise to her, and she turned to go, but as she turned, she caught some words spoken by the native preacher, “There is a living God, He made me. He turned me, who was like a lion, into a lamb.”
Then, with the suddenness of a new discovery, it flashed upon Star that here, at last, was the answer to her questions. The God who could change a lion-man into a lamb, was the God who could change dispositions, so He must be the greatest God, the Creator. His being described as living, implied that the rest were dead.
“I will not worship a dead god,” she almost spoke aloud in her eagerness, “Siva is a dead god. I will not rub his ashes on my forehead!” Then she went slowly home, pondering those wonderful words, “There is a living God,” and she did not sleep much that night, for she wanted to lie awake and talk to the living God.
ML 02/04/1912