It was wonderful watching the way India bat and chase the decent total put on board by the South Africa Team, in the T20 World Cup match yesterday. Though not a big die-hard fan of Cricket, I could not resist the urge to write about that one moment. Yes, that moment when in the very last Over, not choosing to strike the winning shot, the Indian Captain MS Dhoni consciously gave away that moment of glory to his teammate Virat Kohli. “Ah! What a man!” was my only expression. Dhoni had scored NO runs (in this match) but had won ALL hearts. What a beautiful quality and value that Dhoni was emulating! To the interviewer Harsha Bhogle who commented on this act of Dhoni he replied, “He (Kohli) deserved it”.
As I was pondering upon this I recalled to memory an incident in the life of Sir Isaac Newton. I was watching NatGeo’s program ‘Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey’ a few days back where host Neil was presenting some portions of Newton’s life. What inspired me was the part played by Edmund Halley in Isaac Newton’s life. Halley, Sir Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke were trying to find out the scientific explanation for planetary motion – what kept the planets, revolving around the Sun from not falling into the Sun or flying into space.
At this juncture Halley remembers Isaac Newton and goes to meet him at his home. Only there he discovers that Newton has confined himself to his home, avoiding all public appearances for 15 long years owing to the embarrassment that he went through because of the false allegations of Hooke that Newton had copied the concepts involving light and gravity from him.
And to Halley’s surprise, Newton had discovered the explanation of planetary motion five years earlier! Halley encourages Newton to publish all his works into a book, but it were as though that they fell into deaf ears. Halley approaches the Royal Society on this matter only to know that it is in heavy debts due to the poor sale of a previous publication, ‘History of Fish’. So much so that even Halley was paid his salary not in money but in-kind, copies of that book! He persuades the Royal Society, subdues the rivalry between Hooke & Newton, encourages Newton to work on the book, edits it and publishes it by his own efforts, but in Newton’s name. If not for Halley this world would not have had the greatest scientific discoveries through The Principia and much of Newton’s major discoveries would have largely remained unknown. In the Scientific world when academic publications are considered the pinnacle of one’s success, here is a man, a Scientist who not caring about his name or fame, takes all the pain, to publish another person’s works!
Unfortunately, these are only exceptions and not the norm of any society or time. Reading from the book ‘Bonhoeffer-Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy’ this morning I found in one of the pages the author writes about this incident in Bonhoeffer’s life when as a 22-year-old young man he goes to Barcelona to take up his first ministry assignment as Assistant Pastor. As incharge of the Sunday School his first class had only one girl! Hardworking Bonhoeffer could turn that into thirty within two weeks time. In the absence of the Pastor Olbricht, Bonhoeffer was scheduled to preach on Sundays. The author Eric Metaxas writes, “On Easter, with Olbricht away, Bonhoeffer preached again and the next week too. Each time he challenged his hearers and somehow won them over, It soon happened that whenever Bonhoeffer was scheduled to preach, the congregation grew noticeably. Olbricht noticed and promptly discontinued announcing the preaching schedule!”
On the contrary, reading this I remember Barnabas of the Bible who brought the persecutor-turned-preacher Saul to the apostles, to the limelight. So much so that after a few chapters Barnabas’ name disappears and Paul’s dominates!
“Back in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. They didn’t trust him one bit. Then Barnabas took him under his wing. He introduced him to the apostles and stood up for him, told them how Saul had seen and spoken to the Master on the Damascus Road and how in Damascus itself he had laid his life on the line with his bold preaching in Jesus’ name. After that he was accepted as one of them, going in and out of Jerusalem with no questions asked, uninhibited as he preached in the Master’s name.” (Acts 9:26-29a MSG)
Naturally, everyone seeks his or her own success. But Jesus says,
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” (John 14:12 NKJV)
Imploring the reader to have this same mind as that of Jesus (Philip 2:5), Paul exhorts,
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3,4 NKJV)
Someone needs encouragement more than me
Someone needs help more than I do
Someone needs to taste success more than me
Let me put smile on someone’s face and not sadness
Let me strive to make someone succeed & not stumble
Let me rejoice & not recoil at the regard of someone else
You know what’s the secret behind these to become our lifestyle? LOVE. Paul sums it beautifully in his letter to the Corinthians,
“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.” (1 Cor 13:4-7 NKJV)
Let love of God increase in us and let us strive to see someone smile & succeed!
As a child and school boy I have enjoyed playing pranks at school and at home on this day, the April Fool’s day. As all do, I wanted to fool as many as possible on this day and to be cautious to not be fooled by anyone! Is it that with the growth of my wisdom teeth went away the pranks? Hmmm.. Can’t say! They did eventually go away, but what shall I credit that too??