Crossing over

Two people I know crossed over from life to death. Among all the positions they held in life, their relationships defined them as a son, brother, uncle, husband and father. The other was a daughter, sister, wife, mother and aunt. Their absence leaves a void in the lives of all loved ones. Death seemed to have caught them by surprise. They didn't plan or intend to die. Their moment of 'passing on' crept on them, unannounced.

Life takes on more meaning when considered with its end in mind. Death has an astonishing impact on 'Life' perspective ! The death knell awakens the living. Ponder with me, what life's last thoughts would be.

 Will my mind be preparing a balance sheet of assets and liabilities or Will I long to have lived more fully and loved more dearly ? In view of the inevitable, I thought of Life in two terms.

Life defined by Time and Destination :
 My body will surely 'expire', but soul lives forever ! Am I Heaven bound or Hell ? Of all the choices I make in life, this is the most important one. Death cannot catch a prepared person unawares. The only preparation you really need is the simplest of all. Believe and Receive Jesus. John 3 v 16 and John 1v 12

Life in terms of Investments and Possessions :
What possesses me, matters more than what I possess ! Does bitterness and unforgiveness possess me or am I driven by love and compassion ?  Am I obsessed with possessing? Does it really matter what I do or do not possess when I am bound to leave it all behind? Will my possessions last the test of time ? Am I investing in what will survive the onslaught of moth, rust and thieves ? Mathew 6 :19-21

When it is time to say 'Goodbye' will you and I feel 'Good to say Bye' ? 
Lord may our last moments on earth be filled with the Hope of Heaven and the Joy of meeting Jesus and all our loved ones again. May we live lives in keeping with that Joy and Hope.

Words that Hurt ?



At the outset, let me acknowledge that there may be,the possibility that Harsh words 'never' Hurt you. If you are thus special, please skip this post and read another one :-) Let me be honest with you, I am an extremely poor recipient of verbal assault. I just cannot take hurtful words in my stride. For that matter, when I am exposed to injustice of any kind, I have to search whether I have at least one 'peacemaker' bone in me. And of course, the tongue gets skipped in that search ! Injustice is inversely proportional to the boiling point of my blood. The report of injustice may have no relevance to me, yet I struggle to stomach it.
 I have listed a couple of standard responses when I am barraged with hot or cold verbal litter.

1. I turn into a iceberg, confusingly cool on the outside but unbelievably unsettled underneath the surface. If the words are cold and harsh, there is every possibility of a Titanic collision unless there is change of course. If served on a hot platter, it can trigger a pressure cooker response.
2. I forget the proverbial 'Bell and Brake' and let loose a tirade of my own choicest 'lawyer' vocabulary. Lawyer vocabulary basically comprises of sarcastic insensibility's. 
3. Volcanic eruption ! I am sure this needs no explanation.The target does not usually survive to tell the tale! :-) That was too graphic an exaggeration. Basically, the survivors wont know what hit them. A vial of venom may spill as well.

There are another two response that are evolving ever since I agreed to be refined by the Refiner's Fire.

1. Zipped lip - rhymes doesn't it ? zip-lip (that's what happens when you have a 5 yr old !). In this particular response, a divine providence restrains the tongue and causes it to remain inside the mouth. During this phase, it is possible that the brain is spewing out exquisite arguments, yet there is a temporary 'Speechlessness'. I say divine providence because that's what it is - an answer to prayer from some prior period of deep Communion with God. It is also highly probable that 'Somebody's praying for me'.
2. Sweet words - this is still a rare and very precious response to me. I find some foreign words on my tongue like 'I forgive you', 'Its alright' etc.. I am usually convinced then, that somebody else is using my mouth to speak - At the end of it, I feel drained.. as though from extreme exhaustion. Yet, an indescribable peace overtakes me assuring me that God will take care of everything. And believe me, God does !

How do you respond when something or someone blows your head away ? Do you pretend like you are not hurt and avoid the situation ? Maybe you bottle it up ? Believe me, A pressure cooker that is cooking for years together is not a pleasant place to be. The key is to 'Let Go' and 'Let God'. God can calm any storm ! God can reverse any situation. Allow him to work his way in your response !

Work in Progress



Have you seen this 'Sign' that says 'Work in Progress' ? Maybe, you feel glad they are finally doing something about that pothole or you are mad they are taking forever to finish it. How do you feel when you see a similar sign board outside the toilet ? I for one, am glad 'Cleaning is in progress' while I can't wait for them to finish !

In case you haven't noticed, I have a 'WORK in PROGRESS' sign hanging on me too. God has been working on me for some years now..I heard you saying, 'It seems like forever'. :-) Yeah, I agree ! While I'm glad, I'm cleaned up some, there are some other bits (rather chunks) that are taking forever ! I am extremely grateful for your patience with me while I get fixed.

Funny though, I get mad at some other 'Work in Progress' homo sapiens! I am definitely not talking about you. You, my reader are perfect :-) In this journey of life, have you ever felt like 'No-Pause-Honking' at some 'Work in Progress' people around you? The people who never seem to get 'fixed'. They never seem to learn !

Today let us attempt to remember that God is working on us and others around us as well ! Let us be patient with one another. Give that benefit of doubt today. Forgive as you would like to be forgiven. God doesn't love us because we are perfect rather perfects us in his love. He's still working on me.....and you !

The Jonah mission

These days I am a bit terrified to do bible reading with Joanna. The words seem to come right off the page and deal with me.

Recently, we did the story of Jonah. God asked Jonah to tell the People of Nineveh that he was going to punish them for their great wickedness. Jonah thought to himself of all the better things he could do ! He boarded a ship to Tarshish and promptly went to sleep in the belly of the ship. In case you didn't know, Tarshish lies in the diametrically opposite direction of Nineveh. God sends a storm, the sailors cast lots and Jonah is cornered. He accepts responsibility. A big fish swallows Jonah (whole) and he remains in its Belly for 3 days. Finally, the fish vomits Jonah onto Nineveh's shores. The bible records only a one liner sermon that Jonah preached,'Nineveh will be overthrown in 40days'. Yet, I don't know of a more effective sermon! The whole city felt convicted. Man and beast fasted and repented, right from the throne room to the stable. God relents, forgives and spares them. Jonah is upset that God forgave the Ninevehites.

Here comes me now -

Jonah expected God to act in a particular manner and is upset when he doesn't !
--- That's me alright ! Too often I think the controls of life lie in my hand ! I have been in Jonah's shoes more often than Jonah himself ! I am forever guilty of trying to tell God what to do and how to do it, when to act and even how to react !

Jonah thought he could ignore what God was asking him to do.
--- I do this when God asks me to do something that I don't want to do. Especially if that means to forgive someone whom, I feel doesn't deserve it. I pretend I didn't hear him and walk off in the opposite direction. As with Jonah, my story too doesn't end there. I get swallowed by a whale of separation from God. After a few days in the acid of my feelings and the stench of my attitude, 'i' am able to appreciate God's viewpoint far more than otherwise !

Jonah could not forgive the wickedness of the Ninevehites.Jonah wanted judgement not mercy.
--- Talk about forgiving the 'Wickedness' of today's world !  Reminds me of when I think I own the copyright to Gods love and compassion. Its like a sermon I often give the world (in my mind of course) "Hey people GOD is WATCHING you !!" while I sing to myself " For the Father up above watches me with love"!I heard recently, "You can't stand under the cross and point fingers at someone else".Here was Jonah deserving punishment for disobeying God and yet he was crying down hell fire on Nineveh. Sin is sin whether big or small.

God was working on Jonah while Jonah worked for God !
--- Phew ! that was inspiration! While we go about doing what God wants us to do, God works behind the scenes weeding out the garden of our life(our thoughts and attitudes). God sees the anger, bitterness, unforgiveness and everything else that is seething beneath our cool exteriors. He doesn't call us to live for him because we are perfect, rather he perfects us in his love. This is especially hard for the perfectionist portions in me.

If you are out there, waiting and wondering how God could ever use someone as imperfect as Jonah or yourself to accomplish his plans and purposes, give yourself a hug right now! He is God. He loves you far more than you can imagine ! As you obey him, his love will perfect you.