Heidi is a story written by Johanna Spyri about a girl named Heidi who lived with her grandfather. Three years later, her aunt, Dete took her to live in her employer, Mr. Sesemann’s house. Heidi accompanied Mr. Sesemann’s daughter, Clara, who sat in a wheelchair because she could not walk. For a few days, Mr. Sesemann’s mother, Mrs. Sesemann, came to stay with Clara. After Mrs. Sesemann left, Heidi started sleepwalking due to her homesickness. Mr. Sesemann and his friend, the doctor, sent her back home. One day, Clara visited Heidi with Mrs. Sesemann, who let Clara stay on the mountain with Heidi and her Grandfather for a few days. Peter, who grazed sheep for Heidi’s grandfather, was jealous of Clara because Heidi spent all her time with Clara, so he pushed Clara’s wheelchair down the mountain, destroying it. When Mrs. Sesemann arrived, Peter admitted his mistake. Mrs. Sesemann said it was okay because it prompted Clara to learn to walk. Peter was to receive one penny per week from Mrs. Sesemann as a reward. Also, the doctor would leave all his property to Heidi after his death to ensure that she would live happily ever after.
When you pray for something and God does not grant you your wish, do not lose faith in Him, for He is preparing something for you greater than you can imagine. God is our creator and father, and He knows what is best for us. In the story, Heidi prays for something that she keeps a secret from everybody for fear that it will make her sound ungrateful. She was not granted her wish, but Mrs. Sesemann told her it was because God was preparing something even greater for her than what she prayed for. The gift God had sent to Heidi was likely the return to her old home in the mountains. Whatever you ask for, God will grant you something even greater because he cares for us.
God finds a way to improve life for each individual despite the sins being committed.. Humans are God’s children, so God finds ways to improve life for humanity. In the story, Peter pushed Clara’s wheelchair down the mountain, and it was shattered. This was a serious sin, but the loss of the wheelchair also left Clara with no choice but to learn to walk. Clara finally defeated the disease that had confined her to a wheelchair for years. Clara gained the benefit of being able to walk, despite the wheelchair being destroyed. Things that appear to be negative can turn out with positive results.
Forgiveness benefits both the sinner and the forgiver. Forgiveness of one’s mistakes offers the sinner a chance to correct his/her mistakes. Plus, you only have to forgive once, but to hate somebody for a mistake he/she has committed, you have to do it all day, every day. Of course, one must repent of his or her sins before being forgiven. For example, Heidi read a story in which a son demanded part of his father’s fortune and wasted it recklessly. He went back to his father with the intention of telling him that he was not worthy of being his son, and asked to be one of his servants, but the father forgave his son. The son apologized for taking away part of his father’s fortune and wasting it, and he was forgiven after his apology. Forgiveness allows a sinner to correct his or her mistakes, while also providing some relief for the forgiver.
The book Heidi teaches us some valuable lessons. One of these is that you should not lose faith in God when He does not grant you what you pray for, because He is preparing something even greater for you than what you ask for. Another is that sometimes, what appears to be negative can have beneficial results. The last is that forgiveness can provide a sinner with an opportunity to correct his/her mistakes while also offering the forgiver some relief. Heidi teaches us some life-changing themes and is a wonderful story.
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