My Roots, my identity

India is known for its rich diversity evident in its culture and customs within and across states. These differences spread over its traditional dress, food habits and language among many others. Off late, I have gotten thinking about my roots. I was born in Kerala the south western state of India but spent the most part of my childhood and all of schooling years in Muscat, Oman in the Middle East. Living in the Middle East and attending an Indian school adds its own unique blend to my life story. I did my college education in Tamil Nadu the south eastern state of India and worked in Delhi, North India for a while. After marriage, we have set up temporary base in the 'Gulf', working and raising family. For the most part of my life, I have been out of my home state.  Being a Syrian Christian weaves its own thread of influence into the fabric of my life, which in some ways I was fortunately unaware of till marriage.

Were I to base the roots of my identity on food habits and preparation, I would for the most part be a Syrian Christian Malayalee. If my permanent residence address, husband's ease of conversational language and choice of diet 😉determines my roots, then I would be a Tamilian. Though Malayalam is my mother tongue, it is unfortunate that I cannot read or write the language despite sporadic attempts to learn the alphabets. I fit the definition of a 'third culture kid' in many ways. I know there are far more complicated cases of third culture kids, nevertheless I have said enough about confusing identities.

In the midst of these thoughts swirling on my mind, I was reminded that my identity lies beyond earthly roots and the sifting sands of time. As a Christian, Jesus is my root and I remain in him. He is the solid foundation of my faith. Though many denominations and variations in expressions of faith have crossed my path, I am glad that the Jesus is the Vine and I am his branch. When my heart is disheartened with relationships that dole out conditional love, I rejoice and am eternally grateful to be rooted and grounded in God's unconditional love. Jesus is the root of my life that holds fast through every storm and heartbreaking upheaval of life. It is indeed fortunate that I need to fear no drought with his streams of living water that nourish my roots fixed in him.

Where does your identity connect to your roots?  Will it hold fast through the storms of life?

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Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” 

 Colossians 2:6-7 says Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Ephesians 3:16-19 That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God

Romans 11:17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree

Baggage Scan

Baggage screening is a mandate at the airport. The Luggage Scanner is a machine that can construct an image showing not just the position of objects, but also roughly what they’re made of and their density. 'Current airport X-ray scanners produce images in orange, blue and green. Each color corresponds to a material category—orange means organic material (food, paper, marijuana), green is for medium-dense non-organic materials like plastic soda bottles, and blue means metals or hard plastics'. Security personnel scrutinize the image to detect weapons and dangerous explosives as well as other prohibited items. The offenders could be willfully carrying such baggage with evil intent or they could be unaware of their dangerous content. The intended outcome of the whole exercise is safety and security.

My heart and mind undertake a similar, yet more sophisticated scan when it passes through the scanner of God's word. This hi-tech scan judges the thoughts and motives of my heart -Hebrews 4v12 (b). The explosives within are exposed. Those concealed and dangerous thought patterns and deceitful darkness of anger and bitterness are revealed. This scanner reveals the contaminated and corrupt content within - all moral filth (James 1v21), bitter envy and selfish ambition (James 3v 16), malice and deceit, hypocrisy and slander (1 Peter 2v1). I must confess that some of these contents have been willfully packed while others I have carried about ignorantly. At the end of this process, I am asked to make every effort to be spotless and blameless ( 2 Peter 3v 14). The intended outcome is safety and security, both mine and those around me :-)

Yet, unlike the latest security scanners at the airport, God and his word replaces the explosive luggage of my heart with a deposit of eternal value that blesses me and others in my life. His divine power gives me everything I need for life and godliness through my knowledge of him and mine to possess are his very great and precious promises enabling me to escape the corruption of the world and allowing me to participate in his divine nature. I am urged to add to faith, goodness and to goodness, knowledge and to knowledge, self control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. (2 Peter 1 v 3-7). That was a long paragraph of deposits but worth a 'repeat-read'

His anointing is the 'icing on my cake' for it remains in me to help me discern the the truth of every input to my heart and mind. It is my prerogative though as a child of God to cooperate with the Holy Spirit by remaining in him. ( 1 John 2v 27)

If God's word were to scan your heart and mind, what would it reveal ?

01 Jan 2017 - A new year , A new day !

I herald every year
with loaded resolutions
and great expectations.
A new day always beckons
my lofty dreams and
scheduled goals.

In the midst of my reverie,
I could barely hear
the gentle whisper so dear.
Yet the still small voice rang clear,
speaking into the silence
at break of day.

In the Psalmist words,
the reminder revived aloud..
'My times are in His hands'.
Ah, I am not the master of time !
In that moment, my vain timeline
held no promise anymore.

I see God at work, hence diligent I must be,
being his heart, his hands, his feet,
wherever he will have me.
Then and there, in his will and purpose
laid before the dawn of time,
my life shall find its meaning!