Why God had to come down

It’s just after sunset. I’m standing on a cliff overlooking the Baltic Sea. The hues of twilight are being amplified by reflections from the crystal clear water. Before me, some distance away, stands a solitary island, inhabited only by lush green trees and their inhabitants. The only sound I can hear is birds and insects idly chatting away. A serene summer evening, not uncommon in nature rich Sweden, a country that still remains mostly unspoiled by urban development.

Yet, even though surrounded by such splendor, I am not happy. Because right there, in that moment, I’m not thinking of the beauty of life but rather it’s ugliness. I’m thinking of my friend whose husband repeatedly tells her how marrying her was his biggest mistake, stabbing her heart with his words. I’m thinking of the young woman who’s husband has left her because ‘she’s not pretty anymore’ after she suffers burns in a fire accident. I’m thinking of the woman driven by desperation to the point of selling her body for less than a dollar, just to feed her starving children. The thoughts go on. Why is there so much pain in this world? I whisper a little prayer. God, I say, I cannot enjoy all this beauty when there is so much suffering around me. It’s unbearable to watch all this from the safe distance of my comfortable life. Like sitting on a cozy sofa in front of a television screen. It’s unbearable to not be there, to not be suffering the same pain as someone you love.

A hear God reply. “Yeah it was unbearable for me too. I couldn’t enjoy heaven in all its splendour while on Earth you suffered; the ugliness of a fallen world. I wanted to share your pain. Not as an onlooker full of pity, but a fellow sufferer. And so I did. I came down and suffered. The pain. Of being human. Of being powerless. Of a broken heart. Of betrayal. Of hunger. Of sickness. Of injustice. Of a shattered dream. Of bad choices. Of loneliness. Of hurtful words. Of tragedy. Of false accusations. Of selfishness. Of pride. Of death". All implications of man’s separation from God.  

“Everything you feel in a lifetime, I felt.” 

I wonder if we sometimes forget this important aspect of the good news: God in flesh, actually dwelt among us, he felt our pains. Jesus suffered like us in every way, he's familiar with our afflictions, the letter to the Hebrews (4:15) tells us. And therefore, he understands how I feel. I think that's the only reason this life is bearable. 

How to save a life

On July 4, 2014, Police Constable David Rathband was shot at close range by a 37-year-old mentally disturbed man in Northumberland, England. This incident resulted in him becoming permanently blind and thus unable to continue his career in the police force, a job he greatly loved. Nineteen months later, Rathband committed suicide by hanging himself. Investigators later found out Rathband had been suffering from depression due to his blindness. He feared becoming a burden to those around him and eventually, unable to cope with his feelings of despair and hopeless, he decided he didn’t want to go on living.
 
In that same year, there were an average of 27.3 suicides per 100,000 people in South Korea.  Among the most common causes of death in the country, about 40 South Koreans take their own lives every day. These harrowing statistics are not news to most of us, we have heard or read about them before. But I wonder how many of us realise that, behind each number, lies a person with a story. And in many instances, it's a story very similar to David Rathband’s. 
 
There are people suffering from despair and suicidal feelings all around us as we go about our daily lives, who, more often than not, appear completely normal to us. The old man sitting next to you on the subway might be pondering going home and ending his life by taking some tablets. His wife has passed away, the children have their own families to tend to, he doesn’t have any money left, nobody needs him around anymore; he feels. Or perhaps on a late night bus ride across the river, you see a bespectacled teenager slowing walking alone along the bridge footpath. Unknown to you, he is contemplating jumping off the bridge. He has failed to get the exam results needed for getting into the SKY universities. I’m a disappointment to my parents, I’ll never get a well-paid job and a beautiful wife, I don’t have a future, he thinks. In South Korea, social isolation, stressful jobs, financial problems, depression and the highly competitive education system are among the common factors putting people at risk of suicide.
 
It’s often hard to tell how someone is feeling on the inside, so how can we help those around us who might be thinking of ending their life? How do we know if a family member, a friend or colleague or even a stranger maybe suffering from despair and suicidal feelings? According to the Samaritans, a UK based charity that provides listening support to people suffering from suicidal feelings, some of the following signs may indicate someone is in poor emotional health:

• lacking energy or appearing particularly tired 
• appearing more tearful 
• not wanting to talk to or be with people 
• not wanting to do things they usually enjoy 
• a change in routine, such as sleeping or eating more or less than normal 

• using alcohol or drugs to cope with feelings 
• finding it hard to cope with everyday things 
• appearing restless and agitated 
• not liking or taking care of themselves or feeling they don't matter 
• being un-typically clumsy or accident prone 
• becoming withdrawn or losing touch with friends and family 

 
People who are struggling to cope with life often feel negative about themselves and suffer from feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness and isolation. They might make statements like ‘I can't take this anymore, I want to give up’, ’Nobody loves me’ or ‘I hate myself’. Sometimes they might express these feelings through mobile messaging and social media (tweets, Facebook posts etc.). Even if said jokingly, these remarks should be taken seriously.   
 
If you recognise these signs in someone you know, you can offer support by trying to get them to talk to you. Numerous studies have shown that when given the opportunity to talk about their thoughts and feeling, people are able to think more clearly. Ask open questions to help explore how they feel. Suicidal feelings are often momentary and talking to someone about your emotions is often a huge relief. It may result in the suicidal person choosing to take a different course of action than ending his or her life.
 
Secondly, be an active listener. Active listening involves giving your full attention to the speaker and from time to time giving responses which encourage the other person to continue talking. When listening to someone sharing their problems, it is often very tempting to offer your own advice and opinions. However, this often causes more harm than help. It is important to respect what other person is telling you and let them make their own decisions. You can suggest sources of professional help like counselling or government run services but don't pressure them to follow through on your advice. 
 
On the day he took his own life, Rathband tweeted, “Some people look like pencils after trauma and loss - on the exterior functioning well, on the inside broken. Do you know any pencils?? “If so please visit one and make sure they are coping, even if they don’t answer your calls.. That pencil may just snap and be lost 4ever ;-(“. 
 
And finally, if you are going through a tough time in life, not necessarily thinking about suicide, please take courage to talk to someone about how you feel.  Talking about your emotions can help you think more clearly about what your options are and make you feel better. You can talk to a friend or family member you trust, or, if you prefer to talk to a stranger, you can talk to a professional counsellor. Further information on where to find help if you are feeling suicidal or on how to support a friend who might be struggling is available on the following websites: Befrienders Worldwide (www.befrienders.org), Suicide.org (www.suicide.org), the Samaritans UK (www.samaritans.org). 

This present darkness

There's a lot of suffering in the world we live in. Take the last month's news: a dead child lying on a beach, people desperate for a better future away from a war torn Syria, more than seven hundred people getting crushed to death while performing a religious ritual in Mecca, children dying of sickness and disease...it goes on and on. Closer to home, I have my own sufferings,  Accidents, death of loved ones, long term illnesses, plane crashes, lost jobs, lost spouses, failed exams, betrayal by people I love, loneliness, each year comes with its own set of sorrows. God doesn't seem to solve all of my problems. I have a growing list of unanswered prayers. Yet this belief in God, gives me hope. I believe that even in the midst of the chaos of everyday life, there is a God, who is in control, who I can trust. Like trusting the pilot of an airplane. I can't navigate the skies by looking out the small window by my seat, and even if no digital screen told me where I was, I trust the pilot to take me where I want to go. I'll sit back and let him do what only he is capable of doing. I don't know why life happens the way it does, but God has promised a destination. I need to trust him to take me there. It's often too easy to forget that.

What difference does it make?

Philip Yancey, while writing his book Reaching for the invisible God, asked his friends this question: If a seeking person came to you and asked how your life as a Christian differs from his or hers as a moral non-Christian, what would you say? I've been thinking about what my answer would be.
I wonder if people see anything more to me than a decent guy who goes to church on Sundays. Shouldn't there be be more to a follower of Christ than that, I ask myself. And if there is, shouldn't it be apparent to everybody?

If I understand my faith correctly, I think the biggest difference being a Christian makes in my life is how I love others. Jesus said to his disciples, Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognise that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” (John 13:34-35). 

Christian love is radically different from any other love. Our natural love is always dependant on who the recipient is. We love people either because they are related to us or because they poses the qualities we admire; beauty, intelligence, courage, friendliness, integrity, social status etc. Christian love is unconditional. The message of the gospel is pretty simple, we had no desirable qualities that God should love us and yet he did. Go and do likewise, Jesus said, while explaining the parable of the Good Samaritan. 

Loving people who have nothing to offer in return is hard. It means caring for people who might not appreciate the time, effort, money or self sacrifice you made for them. It means loving the unlovables. Followers of Christ love like that. But sadly, most people do not find the 'church people' that loving these days. In conversations with my non-Christians friends, I often hear about how judgemental, unforgiving and hypocritical the church is. Most also claim to be living more 'moral' lives than the alleged 'Christians'. It grieves my heart to admit they are right to some extent. Often, the church does not seem to follow it's central teaching; love God and love others. 

However, there are plenty to Christians, that live out that message everyday. Consider the guy I heard about last week. One of South Korea's top surgeons, he leaves his six figure salary and comfortable life and goes to a remote village in northern China, where he's been running a hospital for the poor for the last 15 years. It takes more than a sense of philanthropy to do that. He could have sent money for a hospital and doctors if he wanted to. But somehow Christian love demands sacrifice, it's a giving of your life to others that makes love so powerful. 

I recently watched a little know film titled 'Noble' based on the life of Christina Noble, a children's rights campaigner and charity worker who has changed the lives of thousands of street children in Vietnam through her work. Christina had a difficult life herself. Born in Ireland in the mid 40s, Christina was sent to live in an orphanage at age ten, gang-raped while living on the streets, her son forcibly adopted, and a victim of domestic abuse. Yet despite all these hardships, this woman went on to fulfil her vision of caring for the abused street children of Vietnam. 

What compels these people to do what they do? I believe it's the message of the gospel. Loved people, love people. And most importantly, they love the people that ordinary 'moral' people don't love. The ones that have nothing to offer. That's called grace. That's what Christianity is all about. And that is what makes all the difference.  

New beginnings

As those of you who read or used to read my blog would know, it's been a few years since I last posted here. A lot has gone on in life during this time. I don't even remember it all. Sometimes periods of intense busyness at work and sometimes plain laziness has kept me from writing. At other times, it's been personal problems. Anyways, no point in boring you with details. The important bit is I've decided to take a fresh start at this blog this year. I'll resume sharing on this blog, some of the things I think about; mainly because I'm still a staunch believer in the power of words. And also because I hope that some of my thoughts others also, might find, worth thinking about.

As a side note, my uncle Joe once said, 'life can keep you so busy that you don't even get the time to dream dreams, much less act on them'. He had a point. You can never do anything about something that you have never really thought about. Busyness often robs us of the most important things in life. Things worth looking at. Things worth thinking about. Things worth doing. Things worth appreciating. And most importantly, people worth loving.

Let's not await until it's too late.  

Overcoming Lust and Pornography Addiction

One of the best teaching I've ever listened to, this is a must watch guys:


"Man School: Porn and Lust vs. Pursuit of a Wife", by Matt Popovits, Campus Pastor, CrossPoint Westgreen. 1/23/2011 from crosspt media on Vimeo.

The Lost Art of Gratitude

There's is a pretty big debate over positive thinking. I do not agree with the whole philosophy, but there are surely some biblical principles to learn here. One of these is gratitude. I really like Shawn Achor's idea of writing down three things we are thankful for in one day (see video below).

Homeless Boy Steals The Talent Show

She did everything she could…

 

There’s an interesting incident recorded in the gospels. Jesus is having dinner at someone’s house. A woman comes in, uninvited, and pours very expensive perfume on Jesus’ head. She isn’t named, so I suspect she wasn’t very famous, even among the group of people who followed Jesus. Nobody really knows her, yet they are quick to criticise. What a waste, they say; if she really wanted to do some good charitable deed, surely she should have sold that perfume (it was worth over a whole years wage they’d figured out) and distributed the money among the poor. That would have made her feel good about herself, the crowd would have applauded, and she would have been crowned a philanthropist. And perhaps, her name would have been worth mentioning, her nobility would have demanded recognition. But none of that, what a waste they say, while shaking their heads in disapproval. “But Jesus said, “Let her alone, why must you make her feel uncomfortable? She has done a beautiful thing for me. You have the poor with you always and you can do good to them whenever you like, but you will not always have me. She has done all she could—for she has anointed my body in preparation for burial. I assure you that wherever the Gospel is preached throughout the whole world, this deed of hers will also be recounted, as her memorial to me.””(Mark 14:6-9, PHILLIPS emphasis mine).

I find this incident strikingly similar to another event mentioned in Mark's gospel, just a few chapters before this one. Jesus is sitting right next to the temple’s collection box, watching people give money for godly causes. ‘ A great many rich people put in large sums. Then a poor widow came up and dropped in two little coins, worth together about a halfpenny. Jesus called his disciples to his side and said to them, “Believe me, this poor widow has put in more than all the others. For they have all put in what they can easily afford, but she in her poverty who needs so much, has given away everything, her whole living!” (Mark 12:41-44, PHILLIPS emphasis mine).

The point Jesus was making is pretty obvious: numbers don’t impress God at all, but proportions do. By His standards, a lot of good things that people do and receive recognition for are totally insignificant, in His kingdom, they wont be worth mentioning. But people, who give God their all, a 100% of what they've been given, come under heaven’s spotlight. Their deeds will be recounted, the Bible tells us, I think there will be an awards ceremony in heaven for these people. 

Here’s the bottom line, God has blessed each one of us with talents and abilities, it may be a position of influence, a good job, money, or it may be skills, everyone is good at something. Lets make the most of it. Let’s give God a 100% effort, lets do all we could, lets give it our everything. Let’s not be content with the little things we do every once in a while in the name of pleasing God. They might have some value, but why settle for less when God’s best awaits. God’s principles are simple: the more you sow, the more you reap. The choice is ours. Not everyone who runs a race gets to stand on the podium, only winners do. I can’t fully imagine what it would be like when God calls your name to receive an award, but I think it might go something like this : ‘…this is my son (or daughter) _________, I’m very pleased with Him/Her. He/She has done a beautiful thing for me’. 

On my wall I have a little wooden cross. On it, is written this quote by Erma Bombeck: “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'. Lets aim for that.

The Holstee Manifesto: Lifecycle Video

A little known promise

Another year has come to pass.
Isn't it amazing to be still breathing?
The waves of time have crests and troughs,
Last year had its own joys and its sorrows,
smiles and tears, hopes and fears,
dreams and wishes, pain and comfort,
victories and defeats, failures and success,
mountains and valleys, darkness and light,
and through it all,
God's still on His throne,
'My child, don't fear! I've got it all under control' ...

The Bible is full of God's promises to his people. When there are around 3573 of them (according to bibleinfo.com), some become more popular than others.And then, there are those we like for personal reasons, these are the ones we tend to remember the most. I've been thinking about one of the lesser known,often neglected and rather unappreciated of God's promises.
Found in the first book of the Bible, it is also one of the first promises God made to man, sadly many we fail to notice its importance. There are no conditions attached to this one. Free for all.

In Genesis 8:22, God promised all mankind,

“While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Winter and summer,
And day and night
Shall not cease.” (NKJV)

As long as the earth remains.....wow! Read that again. Let it sink in for a moment. You see what God has promised? For as long as you're alive,the earth will complete its orbit around the sun every year, it will spin around its axis everyday, the moon will remain in its place, and seasons will change.
No matter what on earth the global warming scientists tell us, we will have winters and summers,autumns and springs. God's promised that. He has given his word; there will always be harvest time. A time to reap, whatever we've sown. And if you have been busy planting the right seeds, there will always be a time of rejoice and enjoy the fruit. Always. Isn't that something.
What amazing hope we have, no matter what happens, no matter how long and harsh the winter, springtime will come. Always does, always has and always will, until the earth remains, now that's a promise.
As we enter into another year, this promise should fill us with hope, especially if last year has been a winter for you, a long, dark, cold, winter. If life's been tough, if hope deferred has made the heart weary, if shattered dreams have made you bleed, if your wounded spirit has scars to show, if all that darkness has robbed you of vision, if disease has crippled the body, if strong winds have swept you off your feet...
Rest assured dear friend, no night can last forever. No winter will last a lifetime. The sun might rise above the horizon any minute now, spring might just be around the bend. You might not see it yet, the waiting might seem forever, but one thing is for sure, its definitely coming! God's given you his word on this one.

It ain't over...

Watch.Stop.Think.Pray.Repent.Thank.Rejoice.Live.Faith.Hope.Love.

It ain't over.Yet.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky on God's Love

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881) is among the greatest men of letters Russia has ever produced and arguably, one of the greatest novelists of all time. He was also a devout Christian. He regarded the parable of the Prodigal Son as 'the most perfect gem in any literature' and wove it into most of his own novels, reminding the world of what the Gospel of Grace is all about.

I have recently started reading his final novel, The Brothers Karamazov regarded by many as his greatest work. Right in the beginning of the book, is this little scene that really moved me.

As the story goes, three brothers and their father go to see a renowned priest, who is the head of the monastery near their town, to seek his advice about a family matter. The holy man, Father Zossima, is regarded as a saint by the people and they come from all over the country to seek his advice and blessing. As the old man is very sick and ill, he does not have the strength to minister everyday, and pilgrims wait days for him to come out and bless them. The story describes one such eventful day when the Father goes out to listen to and pray for the people that have been eagerly waiting to see him. Among the crowd, is this woman. I'll let Dostoyevsky tell the rest:

'But the elder had already noticed in the crowd two glowing eyes fixed upon him. An exhausted, consumptive-looking, though young peasant woman was gazing at him in silence. Her eyes besought him, but she seemed afraid to approach.

“What is it, my child?”

“Absolve my soul, Father,” she articulated softly, and slowly sank on her knees and bowed down at his feet. “I have sinned, Father. I am afraid of my sin.”

The elder sat down on the lower step. The woman crept closer to him, still on her knees.

“I am a widow these three years,” she began in a half-whisper, with a sort of shudder. “I had a hard life with my husband. He was an old man. He used to beat me cruelly. He lay ill; I thought looking at him, if he were to get well, if he were to get up again, what then? And then the thought came to me—”

“Stay!” said the elder, and he put his ear close to her lips.

The woman went on in a low whisper, so that it was almost impossible to catch anything. She had soon done.

“Three years ago?” asked the elder.

“Three years. At first I didn't think about it, but now I've begun to be ill, and the thought never leaves me.”

“Have you come from far?”

“Over three hundred miles away.”

“Have you told it in confession?”

“I have confessed it. Twice I have confessed it.”

“Have you been admitted to Communion?”

“Yes. I am afraid. I am afraid to die.”

“Fear nothing and never be afraid; and don't fret. If only your penitence fail not, God will forgive all. There is no sin, and there [pg 051] can be no sin on all the earth, which the Lord will not forgive to the truly repentant! Man cannot commit a sin so great as to exhaust the infinite love of God. Can there be a sin which could exceed the love of God? Think only of repentance, continual repentance, but dismiss fear altogether. Believe that God loves you as you cannot conceive; that He loves you with your sin, in your sin. It has been said of old that over one repentant sinner there is more joy in heaven than over ten righteous men. Go, and fear not. Be not bitter against men. Be not angry if you are wronged. Forgive the dead man in your heart what wrong he did you. Be reconciled with him in truth. If you are penitent, you love. And if you love you are of God. All things are atoned for, all things are saved by love. If I, a sinner, even as you are, am tender with you and have pity on you, how much more will God. Love is such a priceless treasure that you can redeem the whole world by it, and expiate not only your own sins but the sins of others.”

He signed her three times with the cross, took from his own neck a little ikon and put it upon her. She bowed down to the earth without speaking. '

What a powerful illustration of God's Love.

The Bus Driver's Sermon

Dear bus driver,
I've been travelling up and down this country long enough to know the rules; you can't go wrong with time. If you are late for anything here i.e bus, train, or even an event, 99% of the time, you'll probably miss it. Today I missed my train; then when I finally caught the next one, I knew I was going to miss the coach I had booked a ticket on for the second leg to of my journey.So as soon as I got off the train, I ran and walked as fast as my legs could carry me to get to the bus station.I still missed the bus, I was devastated. Catching the next one would cost time and money, and a lot of it. I had a non-refundable ticket.
Then I had an idea. I decided to muster the courage to request you to let me board the next coach on my now invalid ticket. You were right when you replied I didn't deserve to go anywhere. I had lost my chance and I had booked a cheap ticket. I don't know what compelled you to let me on that bus.
I dont know what you call it, but for me, that was grace; an undeserved favour.
Maybe you do this everyday, but your little act of kindness today has had a great impact on me. I have been reminded what God's grace is all about.
We all try to follow the rules. We try hard to be good. And yet, even at our best we fall short, we fall, we sin and buses and trains leave without us. Opportunities are lost, we disrupt God's great plans for our lives. Our failures keep mounting. The law condemns us. We don't deserve second chances, especially when God knows all too well that he might have to give a million more before we even begin to get the point.
That's where His grace comes in and his love shines through. It didn't cost us anything, yet it cost him his son. We can't earn it, we can't pay it back. All we can do is to accept it with gratitude.If God had struck me dead the moment I sinned against him, I should have been dead long ago, many times over, in fact. I
thank God everyday for his seemingly endless shower of grace upon me. And dear sir, I want to thank you for dispensing grace today and reminding me of God's great love. Thank you for that sermon,its one of the best I've ever heard. Its impossible to bless others without being blessed yourself in the process; I have been showered by grace, I wish I could learn to shower it on others.

Our just so stories...

I love reading stories. They fascinate me, some are entertaining, some are thought provoking, some inspire and encourage, some challenge me, some just make me feel good, some disturb, some disgust and some I have regretted reading. Such is the nature of stories. They have certain powers attached to them...

The Bible is full of stories. At it's center is the greatest story ever told, it tells of how much God loves us humans; imperfect, stubborn, rebellious, sinful people, who never quite manage to even return a fraction of His love back,even at our greatest. Who let Him down over and over again, who never seem to get the point, and yet He never seems of stop showering us with grace...

And then there are sub-plots in this grand story. One of my favorite ones is how God changes a person's life. You read about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. You read about extraordinary people doing ordinary things and then you get to know some people who discover that God loved them in spite of what they did...The amazing stories of these people make the Bible believable. If the Bible depicted it's heroes like myths do, it would have been nothing more than a fairy tale. some fantasy world to aspire to. Just a mere good story.

But no; Bible heroes are ordinary, imperfect and flawed people like us. They show amazing faith and courage, but the times when they messed it all up is also recorded for us, lest we doubt them being real. You read about Abraham, father of nations, doubting the God he chose to follow, you see Moses, God's friend, take matters into his own hands, a man after God's heart, David, commits adultery and murder.. Fast forward to the New Testament and you read of the disciples full of doubt and scared to death even with Jesus at their side, then there's the Apostle Paul stoning Christians to death... the list goes on and on. It's amazing how God changes lives, and how he can use any of us, all of us,in fact. He doesn't look for the perfect ones, the clean record ones or the strongest ones, he only looks for the willing ones. Those that hunger and thirst for Him....

It always fascinates me when I come to know the story of someone I know whose life got transformed by God. You cannot help being amazed when you come to know that the pastor of your church had spent most of his youth in sex, drugs, alcohol and rock n roll; the really friendly lady at the welcome desk was sexually abused as a kid and had grown up in all sorts of pain and bitterness, that guy on the stage who confessed to having lost count of how many women he had slept with, the worship leader who used to be a drug addict; though some are more dramatic then others, every person has a story.

These people are proof of what God can do with a life. When I met them, I could never have looked at them and imagined the things they say they have done. Too many people think you have to be good to be accepted by God, that somehow Christians are a bunch of clean people, who have it all together. Here's a revelation for you all, if that were the case none of us would qualify, saints would have to be dethroned. We've all messed up at one time or the other. Our stories have dark corners. That's what God's love is all about, that's why these men and women go around calling him the Saviour, that's why they all have a story to tell.

Max Lucado wrote, in one of his books, that the best place to make important decisions in life is at a cemetary. I think he had a point there.
I've been wondering, I have been alive for a while now;lived, learned, loved, been places I could never have dreamed of, seen things, some good, some bad, and some I thought were just ordinary. Have meet a lot of people, loved some, did not love some, noticed some, ignored some, and many others were just faces in the crowd. And I've been asking myself the question: what difference does it make? What difference does me being here make? Have I made a difference in anybody's life? Or have I lived for myself all along?
I recently had the priveledge to listen to an amazing man. Travels all over Africa, preaching the gospel in villages, feeding the poor, caring for the sick, building houses and schools. He made a remarkable statement in a talk he gave. He said someone once asked him what he wanted written on his grave when he died. As in if the answer had been rehearsed many times before, he calmly and immediately replied,'Just write, HE DID IT'. I admire such people. I was awestruck. What an epitaph, No fancy words, no poetry, no praises for a virtuous life. Simple words. Not far off from what Jesus would have said. Infact, He did say something similar before he died on the cross. He said, 'It is finished'. I'm done. I did what I was here to do.
What about you dear readers? What about me, I ask myself? Time and tide wait for no one. Some people are busy finishing their assignment. Others have just gotten started. Majority spend their entire lifetime simply trying to figure out what it was that they were here for;when they do figure it out, it's just too late. Worst are the people, who can't be bothered. What purpose? I don't have one, they proudly proclaim. They have it coming. Where do I stand? I ask myself, dreading the answer. I don't want 'Lost the plot' written on my grave.....

Winter chills and snow storms

We go through life in a rush, always busy, sticking to routine, out of breath, running around from one thing to another. And then sometimes, God disrupts the schedule. He changes the lights to red, and causes us to come to a halt. The stop signs come in a variety of shapes and sizes, sometimes it's a lost job, sometimes it's sickness, sometimes it's the loss of a loved one, sometimes it's people, sometimes it's friends and family, and many a times, it's just a bad day. And occasionally God brings in nature. For me, it was Snow. And lots of it. It disrupts our daily life, brings cars and planes and people to a crippling stop. But it also changes our vision. Snow makes black things look white, the ordinary becomes beautiful, and the beautiful comes ordinary. We no longer admire the snow-covered car as beautiful, but we surely admire the trees in the back garden, that were there all along, but had never gotten our attention. The streets we cross everyday,the roads, the houses, the people, everything looks beautiful. Majestic. Sacred. Why? it's a change of lens, a different filtering of light, another perspective. Some coloured pictures look more elegant in black and white. And all stop signs are there for a purpose. They keep us safe. I thank God for the red lights He's placed in my life, (I might have ran over a lot of people without them; provided I didn't kill myself first), but sometimes I wonder wouldn't it be better if God didn't have to use a megaphone to get my attention? What if a gentle whisper was enough?

It's Christmas Eve, Dave

I have confession to make. One of my favourite Christmas songs, is a song that has nothing to do with Christmas. It also boasts some bad language and plays endlessly on the radio during December. Released in the year I was born, it's called 'Fairy tale of New York' by the Irish band Pogues. Songs have different meanings for different people. Good songs, like all great works of art, allow you to come up with your own interpretations. I found a life lesson in the otherwise ordinary lyrics of this song.
The song starts off with a drunk man recalling memories of a relationship that started at Christmas and then goes on like a conversation between two lovers. The last part of the song goes like this. The woman says 'You took my dreams from me, When I first found you'. Then the man replies 'I kept them with me babe, I put them with my own, Can't make it all alone, I've built my dreams around you'. Beautiful. Romantic. Comedy. That's why this song is an all time favorite.





But I like this song for a different reason. These last lines remind of God every time I hear the song. Because many times, like the woman in the song, I complain, "God, you took my dreams from me, things I had always wanted to have, the things I have always wanted to see and do, the places I wanted to go, the people I would have liked to be part of my life, the way I had wanted life to turn out. My hopes and dreams. You took them from me". And then, a voice inside seems to tell me, No son, I kept them with me, I put them with my own and my dreams for you are higher than yours. What a promise. I like fairy tales and I like happy endings, I don't know how my story would go but I do know how it will end, because I know, the author. He's written yours as well, and it starts with the Christmas story.

Merry Christmas my dear readers!

Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Storms and Giants

The last six months have been the most difficult time of my life so far. Disappointments one after the other have been hitting me like waves at high tide. If I had never been in a storm in my life before, I am in one right now, and an awfully long one. I think the most terrible thing about storms is the absolute uncertainty of time, I can't tell if this is the beginning, the middle or the end of it....

Its been six months since I graduated for university, still can't find a job, don't have the money to study any further, the economic crisis forecasts a dark picture. Refused applications are piling up. Disappointment. Only a single friend left who seems a little interested in my life when called upon. Loneliness. What's gonna happen next? How long is this gonna last? Will my life get any better? Will I survive this? Fear. And the biggest question, where is the God who promised so many things to those who believe in him? Who said 'I'll never leave or forsake you', who speaks to a storm and it becomes still waters? Is He watching, is He listening to all the prayers I've been offering, the tears I've shed, just a little show of force from Him could do wonders for me. But silence. Doubt creeps in, faith starts becoming shaky. Maybe I need a plan B now. Some other way to get me out of here. I don't ever doubt the existence of God, or His love for me. But sometimes I, like Job in the bible, do wonder what's going on in the heavens. Have I done something wrong, is God teaching me a lesson or is this just my share of universal human suffering?

What do you do in a storm like this? You do what you would do in any storm. You sit back and trust God that on His watch, you'll always make it through. You wait with hope that no dark night lasts a lifetime, dawn might be just around the corner. Is it difficult to trust God with your future at a time like this? Ofcourse, otherwise it won't be a storm in the first place. Could it be done? That's totally up to you, how you look at things, 'perspective' as it's called.

Take the famous story of David and Goliath from the Bible. The whole army is scared of a giant warrior. Passing by is a sheperd boy delivering a meal. He sees the giant, is furious at his insults, decides he's gonna take him out himself. What made the difference, what gave him such absolute courage? It's called perspective. While everyone else saw the mighty giant, this guy saw the mighty God. And that was enough to change everything.

Is my storm over? Not at all, I have no idea what's yet to come. Have I learned to trust God with my life and totally depend on Him to get me through all this? I'm still getting there. And my perspective? Its changing slowly. The giants of fear, discouragement, doubt..... are getting smaller and smaller everyday, and my God's getting bigger all the time.

Unconditional Love

Arundhati Roy's Booker prize-winning novel, The God of Small Things, begins with the preamble '..it really began in the days when the love laws were made. The laws that lay down who should be loved, and how. And how much.' What sort of love has laws attached to it, I ask myself. Answer: the humanly kind. Mostly the love we have for someone else has conditions attached to it, just like the laws of nature. We love a person only if he satisfies those conditions. If you do this I'll do that. We are nice to the people that are nice to us, we like people that like us, we greet, visit and talk to people that do likewise, and we love people that love us, or more rightly, appear to do so. And what happens when we don't get what we expected in return? We get hurt and we draw away from the person. We begin to love them less until hate replaces love. Popular culture, tv shows and books have us believe that this is what love is, and for it to be bounded by conditions is perfectly normal, positive and healthy even.
Yet, the Bible paints a very different picture of what love is and what it means to love. This is the other kind of love, the divine kind. Christian Love. Christian, because it is the only way you could ever have it. Divine, because it all starts with God; you cannot love like God if you have never experienced what it means to be loved by God.
1 Corinthians 13 is a very popular passage that gives one of the most eloquent and profound definitions of love ever written '..And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.'
Love never fails. Divine love, Christian love never fails. Why? Simply because it is unconditional. It is not bounded by your performance; how well you fulfil the requirements. God loves us not because of who we are or what we've done, but because of who He is. There is absolutely nothing we can do to make him love us more, or less, His love is steadfast, never ceasing. Unconditional.
Most Christians fully realise and appreciate all this. But here's the thing: if we believe God lives in us, how often do we show God's love, which is also in us, towards the people He created? How often have I done something without expecting anything in return? Very seldom, I have to confess. Most of the time my love for someone depends on how they treat me or what they have done/will do for me. Jesus told his disciples "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35). Not by what you teach and preach, not by how you worship and pray, not by your good works, but simply by your love. I ask myself, when people see me love, do they see who's disciple I am, do they see Jesus, can anyone distinguish my Christian love or unconditional love from the ordinary one? If not, then I need to be worried, very worried about what sort of Christ I claim to be following.
Could it be done? There are countless known (and countless more unknown) Christians throughout the world who make sure the world sees how their love is different, who are truly ‘shinning lights’ in a very dark world. Mother Teresa is very well known. Once a teacher to children of the dignitaries of India, she chose spend her life on the streets, showing God’s love to millions of poor, sick, homeless, and orphaned. And then there is Uncle John M., a missionary to Pakistan, who is not so well known. Had we wanted, he could have earned himself the Nobel Prize in physics by now. Yet, compelled by God's love, he has been on the dusty streets of Pakistan for more than forty years, telling people how much God loves them. I don't think he's ever expected anything in return.
If they can do it, so can I. So can anyone who claims to be a follower of Christ. Love shines through, love never fails, but only when its unconditional. I want to be showing that.