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The Amish Voice 6
Thru the Eyes of Little
Tobias, the Amish
Kid (A True Story)
Little Tobias tried his
best to be a good little
boy, to sit up straight,
and listen to the
sermon. but it was all
to
no
avail.
Eventually,
nature
would take over, and
little Tobias would put
his arms on his knees,
his chin in his hands,
and doze off. It was not humanly possible
to stay awake.
It was during one of those times that little
Tobias had the most embarrassing
experience of his life. At this point, sleep
and nature were in complete control of
little Tobias. He had his head between his
hands, his arms resting on his knees, and
had sailed off to Amish la-la land. In his
happy Amish dreams he was feeding
Amish goats and Amish chickens, and
feeling good about the farm world around
him.
Suddenly, as if the heavens were
speaking to him, one arm slipped off his
knee, which propelled his body forward,
and he stumbled across the aisle and into
Mrs. Detwiler's lap (Mrs. Detwiler was
also known as Mamma Roly-Poly). Gone
were the chickens, gone were the goats,
and Tobias found himself in a house—in
a church house—and in a roly-poly
lady’s lap! It was a soft landing, much
too soft for comfort!
To say that little Tobias was awake at this
point is a complete understatement. In
fact, words cannot describe the
embarrassment little Tobias felt at this
point! There were a few giggles, as some
of the other boys tried to keep from
breaking out into laughter, But for the
most part, all who were involved and on
the scene did a good job of keeping
things serious, as it ought to be in church.
The good old preacher never missed a
beat, and nobody ever talked about it!
Amongst the Amish there are certain
things you just don't talk about! When
things fly out of control as they did that
Sunday, and situations come along that
are out of their control, they let it go!
It’s like wise old Papa Yoder says,
”Many times silence and time is the best
remedy.” The Amish know that
misfortune can strike at any time, to
anyone, at any place, and so they carry
on! The goats must be fed, the cows must
be milked, and little Tobias must be
forgiven for sleeping in church.
Through the Eyes of Tobias
—By Gerald D. Hochstetler, Jr.
Thank you
Jesus for forgiving me.
Thank you
for your redemptive work on
Calvary Cross.
Thank you
for loving me when I couldn’t
love myself.
Thank you
for defeating me in my
rebellion, conquering me in my sin,
winning my heart, and capturing my
mind.
Thank you
for being my hope and my best
friend.
Thank you
for welcoming me into your
presence, working on me, reshaping me,
molding me.
Thank you
for providing for my family,
for shielding and guiding me and all your
people.
Thank you
for my preacher; build him up
where he is torn down, strengthen him
where he is weak.
Thank you
for every church door that
opens up in your name, the name above
all names. I pray have mercy on all your
people.
Thank you
for the privilege of being your
servant. I can’t and I won’t go back.
Continue to allow the message and
gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ to continue to be spread across the
world. You are so deserving of our
praise.
When I thought I was garbage and full of
guilt, and I didn’t want to live, you
thought I was worth saving and worth
fighting for.
When I had a mindset of “I’m going to do
what I want,” you still were right with
me.
When I wasn’t a friend to you and
ashamed, you were still a friend to me,
always right by my side loving me
unconditionally. You encouraged me to
go on and I’m forever grateful. Help me
never to play Church again. Forgive us of
our many sins.
I will never apologize for being serious
about my faith, because Jesus was serious
when he died for all of our sins. Continue
to do what only you can do, King Jesus.
God, we know you are still on the throne,
always have and always will be. Thank
you for the blood of Jesus, our
resurrected King who is going to reign
forever.
—Andricus, A Willing Servant
=========================
James 1:17:
Every good gift and every
perfect gift is from above, and cometh
down from the Father of lights, with
whom is no variableness, neither shadow
of turning.
2 Corinthians 9:15:
Thanks be unto
God for his unspeakable gift.
Thank You, Jesus