What Do You See?

There are times when we are so prejudiced that we fail to see miracles in front of our own eyes. And yet we look elsewhere and try to find encouragement. I know of many who would wax eloquent about a movie or personality that is distant from you or your surroundings and yet if you look at the Bible it is replete with examples of the "here and now."

If only we could be like that and instead of talking of someone or some event - which could probably be obscure - be aware of the people and miracles around us it would be beautiful.

I have seen many a person do great exploits because someone believed in him. The Bible tells us to encourage one another and if only we could do that we could encourage one another into great exploits.

There have been times when I listened to people and let my focus wander. Oh! what a waste. I do not hold those folks responsible because it is my fault that I let people dictate terms.

The wise men of the east too lost their focus and the resulting thing was the massacre of hundreds of infants. They had been waiting patiently for ages to see the star in the sky and when they did see it they followed the star for many days to reach Jerusalem. When they entered Jerusalem, they lost focus and thinking that a king should be born in a palace went to Herod ans asked him for the new-born king. Herod who did not have a new baby was naturally curious and even fearful of the future. Using deceit he tried to find the time of the baby's birth and what resulted was the killing of dozens of young children in Bethlehem.

Fact of the matter is that the wise men had to turn to the star again to continue their journey. The road map was right there before their eyes but they lost focus and inadvertently became responsible for the deaths of so many innocents.

Peter too had a similar experience. When he saw Jesus walk on water he asked Jesus to command him (Peter) to come to himself. Jesus said, "Come." And Peter walked on the water. However, the moment he looked at the waves and saw the raging sea he lost focus and the next thing he found was that he could sink. He asked Jesus to help him get into the boat.

When the focus is lost, circumstances kick in. Faith begins to waver and then is a good time to measure the Christianity quotient in a person. It is he who persists in the darkest hour that will live to see the light.

Signs and miracles are happening all around us. In fact they are happening so fast that if you stop to blink you might miss it. Let us focus on things eternal and we will always be able to witness the splendour and majesty of the soon-coming King of kings.

Maranatha!

A Lesson In Humility

I think I must be a very arrogant person. Every time I think I have beaten the demons that trouble me, I realize that I am in danger of being a hypocrite.
During the Christmas week of 2008, I got invited to visit folks in Vizag and Aruku. We packed our bags and boarded the train to Vizag (our first as a family together). The night was fairly uneventful except for my son falling off the berth. Fortunately, he was on the lowest berth and didn't really hurt himself except for a rude awakening.
The morning saw us in Vizag waiting for some friends to arrive and escort us to where we would camp for a couple of days. Later that night I was sharing in the church in Vizag. The kids made us feel great with their singing and natural enthusiasm. The kids belonged to a school run by New Life Fellowship, Vizag for those who could not afford schooling.
As I took the microphone to share a message, I remember thinking what I could possibly say to the people gathered there. A special stage was set in anticipation and I just could not bring myself to teach from the Bible. Instead I shared about God's love to me and my family. Being a thinking man myself I was wondering if I had wasted the evening but to my surprise a few people came by and told me that they were indeed filled with hope with my testimony. I felt really small that day.
The next day was a free day to look around Vizag and we checked out the beaches and the submarine museum.
The following day we left for Aruku to go minister to the tribals of that area. We arrived amidst great anticipation by the locals who were celebrating Christmas. My family stopped celebrating Christmas a long time ago and we usually use the opportunity it presents to preach the Gospel.
But that day seeing the enthusiasm of the crowd, I could not help but think of the many Christmases I had enjoyed with my family as a kid. It was more of family time than remembering God and His greatness. I felt nostalgic to see a cake sponsored by a brother especially for Christmas and the "visiting" women had the honor to cut it.
I also met three New Zealanders who had spent a few days at the hamlet (for that is what it was) in a little ram shackled hut. Having shared my personal experience of Christmas and a word of caution we wrapped up the event with great gusto. Clothes were distributed and people had beautiful smiles on their faces. What struck me was the use of bright and cheerful (gay?) colors by the tribal women folk. It really was a riot of colors.
We then got promptly invited for lunch and were led gently to the house of the local pastor. His wife was the perfect hostess courteously piling food on the plate. Rice and chicken curry was the fare. Scrumptious smelling but also spiced up dangerously but then that is another story.
Well fed we departed from there and I remember thinking to myself that here were simple folks who had welcomed us into their homes and treated us like kings and in return all we were doing is bringing them some used clothes and knick-knacks.
If the truth be told they gave me a lot more than I could scrounge up. I gave from my abundance the things I did not want. They gave to me and my family all they had - hospitality and food that I do believe would have come at a high price for them.
The simple villagers made me feel like a king for a day. Leaving behind the people I almost felt a pang of regret. My world is so different. It entails a lot of thing that we sophisticated city dwellers need to do to keep our standing in society. The simple villagers had none of those constraints. They welcomed us and the joy was genuine. They felt honored to have guests at their homes and they did everything possible to make us feel at home.
As I ate lunch that day I also bit into a lesson of humble pie. It tasted like ashes then but now I can feel the sweetness of that lovely experience.
I was blessed that afternoon and I thank God for it. I realized that sometimes it is not what you can do but rather what others do for you that can make you feel complete. It is a humbing experience!
Isn't that what God did for us? In receiving His gift we are made whole and are complete...

I was an arrogant man!