The Right Attitude


Photo: Pixabay

I have three siblings, and we all get along really well. Growing up, people would often ask us, “Don’t you guys ever fight?” We were the picture perfect display of healthy, well-rounded, soft-tempered children that all parents dream of having. So many hugs, so little discipline.

Yeah, right. While it’s true that my siblings and I got along very well, we did get into arguments as all children do.

“She took my teddy!” 

“She called me a bad name!”

“He melted all my crayons on my bedside lamp’s light bulb!”

In these kind of situations, though trivial, my parents always made us go through the apology sequence. The offender would rub the toe of his sneaker into the ground, sway back and forth without making eye contact, and say, “I’m sorry I melted all your crayons.” At which point, the offended would cross her arms, huff and sigh, and through gritted teeth roughly reply, “I forgive you.”

As children, both parties went away feeling justified. As adults, the sequence only works with the right kind of attitude.

Ephesians 4:31-32 gives us good advice: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

We can strive to be both loving and forgiving. Uncross the arms, look heavenward, say a prayer, and forgive. Because that’s what Christ has done for us!

While we all learn lessons of forgiveness throughout our lives, there are examples of strong Christian faith and the right attitude that we can learn from. This is what Joseph Hovsepian and his family wish for us as we watch their newly released film, “Closure.” Inspired by their family’s struggle to accept the martyrdom of their father, and forgive the man responsible for it, “Closure” is a riveting story about discovering redemption in the midst of struggle. Join us and learn from this captivating film!

By Bethany

Cameroon News

  • Christians Trapped in the Midst of Conflict
    Boko Haram - Photo: Voice of America
    Boko Haram members

    As the West African nation of Cameroon faces conflict on two fronts, Christians are finding themselves trapped in the middle.

    In northern Cameroon, the government has been fighting to stop the insurgence of Boko Haram terrorists who are moving south from Nigeria. In the process, members of the notorious group were raiding and pillaging villages throughout the area, forcing many Christians to flee for their lives. Numerous reports have been heard of pastors being attacked and killed by the militant Islamic group. Issues with Boko Haram also affect other neighbouring countries, including Chad and Niger.

  • Boko Haram Terrorists Set Buildings Ablaze
    Children in Cameroon
    Internally displaced children in
    Cameroon's Far North Region.
    Photo: World Watch Monitor

    Residents of Roum village, in the Far North Region of Cameroon, were abruptly awoken on the night of January 16th as blazing fires engulfed two churches and numerous homes in their village community. Boko Haram militants, who had stormed the village late that night, has claimed responsibility for the attack, in which four villagers were killed.

  • Boko Haram Attacks Involving Children
    A group of children
    Boko Haram has used children as suicide bombers in northeast Nigeria.
    Photo: World Watch Monitor

    After a period of relative calm, the Far North region of Cameroon, along the Nigerian border, has witnessed an upsurge of attacks by Boko Haram. On August 17th, a church elder was killed in a night raid carried out by the militant Islamic group on Moskota village. Adamu Nguda, formerly a church elder in Mouldougwa, had been previously displaced to live as an "internally displaced person" in Moskota. Adamu's killers also kidnapped his six children -- who are between the ages of three and 15 -- leaving his wife behind in a state of total shock.

  • Increased Violence Against Christians

    Two Christian brothers, Ushahemba and Sughter Kumashenge, were ambushed and killed by Fulani militants on Saturday, August 22nd. The incident occurred on their farm in Taraba state, lending to concerns that militants in Nigeria's middle belt -- consisting of Kaduna, Taraba, Benue and Nasarawa states -- are joining forces with jihadists for the specific purpose of driving out Christians.

    Over the summer, the violent attacks had intensified throughout northern Nigeria and its neighbouring country of Cameroon, causing some Christians in affected areas to refrain from attending church. On Saturday, July 25th, a 12-year-old girl detonated a suicide bomb within a crowded area in Maroua, northern Cameroon, killing 20 people and injuring 79 others. The following Friday, July 31st, six people died and eleven were injured in a massive bomb explosion at a market in Maiduguri, Nigeria -- the traditional heartland of the Nigerian violence.

    Churches in Cameroon are presently struggling to contain the influx of approximately 60,000 Nigerian refugees and thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs). "The level of attendance has also fallen in various churches," explains Rev. Samuel Heteck, President of the Protestant Churches' Council in Northern Cameroon. "We have observed a lack of concentration among some worshippers during recent services as their ears remain attentive to any movement outside."

    Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari visited Cameroon at the end of July in order to bolster collaborative efforts against the notorious Boko Haram terrorist group. Fortunately, the Nigerian military reported on August 2nd that they had rescued 178 people, including 101 children, all of whom had been taken captive by Boko Haram in the Nigerian state of Borno. To learn more about persecution in Nigeria, click here.

    In the aftermath of recent attacks, we ask the Lord to minister healing to all who were injured and provide comfort to those who are now mourning the loss of loved ones. May He also calm the violence in these affected regions and alleviate mounting fears. As religious and political leaders make difficult decisions in their efforts to resolve the country's crisis, pray for God to grant them wisdom and clear direction so that all those whom they govern may be able to live "peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" (1 Timothy 2:2).