The Amusing Child at the Airport

“He is such an entertainment” were the only words that came out of my mind as I sat looking at this little boy who was self-amused and served as an amusement to the onlookers and the passengers at the Varanasi Airport.

Fair cute little boy was he, may be three years of age, who was with his mother. He would roll on the smooth shining floor in the lounge; run around and go into the open ‘Annapurna’ shop, to receive a welcoming gesture from the shopkeeper. He would not stop at that. He takes the products arranged in the shelves and his mother comes running behind chiding him for “stealing” from the shop!

He goes behind the woman that mops the floor and tries to hold the stick that is held in her hand, only to be stopped by her who dreads that he would “dirty” himself.

When anyone walking through the lounge would stretch out his or her hand towards him, he would go and hold onto their finger, willing to be led by that stranger!

Fearing that he would hurt himself or bump against someone or something, every now and then his mother comes after him, picks him and takes him to her place. When he resists, she puts him inside the luggage trolley, from which he finds no way of escape. There he goes – he tries all means to appease his mother so that he could be put down on the floor.

Loving mother she is, who after lecturing him puts him down, only to find her boy getting back to the same old amusements. There is a sudden turn of events.

After a little while of being amused the little boy lifts up his head only to find his mother missing. He cranes his neck to the left and to the right, but he couldn’t find her. His eyes widen with anxiety and fear. He gets up from the floor and with the words “mummy… mummy” he runs to the sofa, crying and there she peeps out from behind the luggage-loaded trolley! His cry turns to a laughter the very moment.

Ah! If only I could have recorded it!

How much we all resemble that child in our relationship with God! We try to run away from Him; to be amused with other things; willing to be led by strangers; going behind everything that seems to give us pleasure. And we “think” that’s the best way to enjoy and to “feel” the freedom.

It would be terrible if God hides from us; if we are to be forgotten by Him. At times like that do we cry like David?

“How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?” (Psalms 13:1)

Let the realization of David come to us -

“Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:7-10)

And let us pray like David to become close with God once again,

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23, 24)

Taking my sin, my cross, my shame
Rising up again, I bless Your name
You are my all in all

When I fall down You pick me up
When I am dry You fill my cup
You are my all in all

Jesus, Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name
Jesus, Lamb of God
Worthy is Your name

You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all

---

You will like reading this story from the life of a little girl – Yearning like Miraclin?

---

Technorati Tags: hiding,hiding from God,loneliness,lonely,seeking God,restoration

What gives True JOY?

Dominos Pizza promises, "Kushion Ki Home Delivery". Disney Land boasts, "The happiest place on earth!". "A thing of beauty is a joy forever", says John Keats. Does all this give true and permanent joy & happiness?

---

Technorati Tags: True Joy,Happiness,Christmas Message,Christmas Thought,Mariyosh,Entertainment,Enjoy,I am empty inside,I am lonely

January to December: A Poem

Started January with a lot of worry?

That prolonged through February?

Marched through March with weary?

And at the end of April do you feel sad and sorry?

 

I pray this May may bring gaiety,

As June may soon take away your problems weighty;

And you may fly as July comes by and you become lively,

Then comes August and it’s time to rest so that you may not become sickly.

 

But in September if you wonder at the set in weariness and heaviness,

You don’t need to waver until October to know the reason for your sadness;

Now is better than never and of course November, the reason is sinfulness,

But remember before December that Jesus Christ died for your sins and He offers forgiveness.

---

Technorati Tags: Poem,Christian Poem,January to December,Worry,Anxiety,Worried,Depressed,Anxious

வாலிபனின் ஜெபம்–7 (Youth Prayer)

அழைத்த தேவனையும் உன் அழைப்பையும் மறந்து போனாயோ?

ஆழத்தில் கிடந்த உன்னை தூக்கி எடுத்தாரே நினைவில்லையோ?

 

இருளாய் இருந்த உன் வாழ்வை வெளிச்சமாய் மாற்றினாரே மறந்து போனாயோ?

ஈவாய் புது வாழ்வு கொடுத்தாரே தொழைத்து விட்டாயோ?

உன் பாவத்தை சுமந்து உனக்காய் மரித்தாரே மறந்து போனாயோ?

ஊதாரியாய் இருந்த உன்னை உலகத்திற்கு உப்பாய் மாற்றினாரே உணர்வில்லையோ?

எத்தனை நாட்கள் தான் இப்படி இரு வாழ்வு வாழ்ந்து கொண்டிருப்பாய்?

ஏற்று கொண்ட தேவனை எத்தனை நாட்கள் தான் ஏமாற்றிக் கொண்டிருப்பாய்?

 

ஐயத்தோடும் வெட்கத்தோடும் வாழவா உன்னை மீட்டெடுத்தார்?

ஒப்புக்கொடுத்திடு ஒருவிசை உன் வாழ்வை கர்த்தர் சீர்படுத்திட

ஓர் வளமான வாழ்வாய் கனிதரும் மரமாய் மாற்றி ஸ்திரப்படுத்திடுவார்

 

ஔஷதமாம் தேவ வார்த்தை உன் வாயை உன் மனதை உன் வாழ்வை நிறைத்து நடத்திட தீர்மானித்திடு

---

Technorati Tags: Tamil Christian Poem,Youth Prayer,Youth Poem,Christian Poem,Sin,Backslider,Repentance,Holiness,Revival

வாலிபனின் ஜெபம்–6 (Youth Prayer)

 

தேவனுக்குக் காத்திருப்பதை விட்டு விட்டு

தேவையில்லாத போனுக்காகவும் எஸ்.எம்.எஸ்.-காகவும் காத்திருக்கிறாயோ?

 

தேடி வந்து மீட்டவரை மறந்து விட்டு

தேடிப் போய் பாவத்தினால் வீணாய் போவதை நாடுகிறாயோ?

 

தேவையுள்ள தேசம் உன் முன் திறந்து கிடக்கையில்

தேங்கி போன நிலையில் உன் அறைக்குள் பூட்டிக் கிடக்கிறாயோ?

 

தேற்றறவாளனை தேவன் உனக்கு உனக்குள் தந்திருக்க

தேற்றிடுவார் உண்டோ என்று ஏங்கி நிற்கிறாயோ?

 

தேசமே பாவத்தினால் பாழாய் போய்க் கொண்டிருக்கையில்

தேகத்தின் சுகத்தை இன்பத்தை நாடிக் கொண்டிருக்கிறாயோ?

 

 

 

தேவனுக்காய் காத்திருந்து புது பெலன் பெற்றிடு

தேவையற்ற உறவுகளை தேவப் பெலத்தால் விட்டிடு

 

தேடி வந்தவரை தள்ளி விடாதே - நீ

தேடிப் போன பாவத்தினின்று உன்னை மீட்டெடுத்தவரை மறந்திடாதே

 

தேவையுள்ள தேசத்தில் உனக்கு திறந்த வாசல் உண்டு

தேங்கி போன உன் ஆவிக்குரிய வாழ்வில் எழுச்சி உண்டு

 

தேற்றறவாளனின் உதவியை எப்பொழுதும் நாடிடு - உன்னை

தேற்றி தேசத்துக்காய் பயன்படுத்துவார் என்ற நம்பிக்கை உண்டு

 

தேசத்தின் பாவத்தை தேவனின் பாரத்தை சிலுவையின் வெற்றியை சிந்திய இரத்தத்தினை பார்த்திடு

தேகத்தை பரிசுத்தத்திற்காகவும் பரமனின் சேவைக்காகவும் ஒப்புக்கொடுத்திடு

---

Technorati Tags: Tamil Christian Poem,Youth Prayer,Youth Poem,Christian Poem,Sin,Backslider,Repentance,Holiness,Revival

Something Beautiful

“Something beautiful happened this morning” said my wife as she came down from the terrace into the house, the other day. She had gone up to dry the clothes and here is what she said, “As I was drying the clothes I saw a group of Parrots on the tree. To my amazement one of the Parrots flew and sat on the string on which I was drying the clothes. You know that I love Parrots! I was so thrilled to see this Parrot, which was not at all afraid of my presence. It hopped on the string and as it came up on one of the clothes that I had dried, it bent its head and tried sucking the water from the cloth. After it could find no more water it hopped to the next drying garment and tried the same.

Fearing that I might scare it away, I stepped away a little and as if understanding my gesture, the Parrot hopped very close to me and tried sucking the water from the hanging cloth. I wanted it to stay there. I understood that it was thirsty. Since our clothes are machine dried, water was not dripping from them. I felt so bad.

After looking at this Parrot for a while, I took a heavy cloth to dry on the string. Though I tried not to scare away the Parrot and tried placing it softly on the string, the Parrot flew away. I was so sorry for what had happened and wished that the Parrot would come back again.” After I listened intently to my wife as she narrated this episode with the Parrot I responded, “Since Summer has started all birds will be looking for water. May be we should keep some water in our terrace for the birds.”

The same day sometime in the evening as we were sitting on our cot, we could hear the sound of flapping of wings on our closed window. My wife tried slowly lifting the curtain to try and see what was that, sighing, “I wish it’s the same Parrot”. But it was a Pigeon instead. Only then this thought dawned in my heart that either we provide or not, the birds of the air are provided by God!

As I began recollecting this incident, trail of thoughts flooded my mind. All the people in this world suffer with some need or the other and we in the search to fulfil our needs, come close to God. We start frantically searching for ways to be satisfied, to feed our hungers and to quench our thirsts. Though we realize the presence of the Almighty, because we search at the wrong places, His presence becomes fearful to us.

We take His silent seemingly inactive presence as to being ignored; not realizing that He is working His way in our lives to provide us with divinely legitimate answers. His gestures to make us feel comfortable in His presence scare us because of the guilt and evil  and prejudices that is inside of us.

If only we would realize and understand His love for us, our lives will change. We will go to Him for every need of our life rather than seeking for the fulfilment elsewhere. Even if our needs and search are legitimate we need to wait for God, knowing that He is concerned of us and is actively working His ways in our life.

We cannot gather grapes from thorns and figs from thistles! (Matthew 7:16) Stop searching for fulfilment and satisfaction from the wrong source. Began your search in Jesus Christ.

“because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:19-21 NKJV)

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26 NKJV)

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 NKJV)

---

Technorati Tags: Parrot Story,Seeking Fulfilment,Seeking Satisfaction,Unmet Needs

Yearning like Miraclin?

“Ammaaa…” were the familiar cries that I heard this morning coming from my neighbour’s house who live opposite to ours. Immediately I recognized the voice to be that of the sweet little girl whose life resounds her name – Miraclin!

Her mother was leaving for school, leaving little Miraclin home with her father and brother and that was the reason for her cry. From my home I could see her, standing behind the mesh door, her hands on the door, occasionally tapping it and crying for her mother. As her father calls her, she would go back, only to return in a moment to stand at the door trying to see if her mother was back.

In a while I could hear her cry again and I could hear her father leaving the house with instructions to his son to take care of Miraclin. As in every home, offering of different toys and amusement could only satisfy her for sometime. Though her cries subdued in a while, her occasional cries stopped only when her parents returned back.

As I came back and sat in my room I was thinking about every man’s inner cry like that of Miraclin. Even as nothing could satisfy Miraclin except being with her parents and being loved by them, nothing else can satisfy us, except from being in a relationship with God. All that we seek to satisfy us – movies, relationships, books, travelling places, nothing can give us complete satisfaction. We would still be living with that vacuum in our hearts.

Often we try to pacify those “cries” by offering it with variety of things to get pleasure, some legitimate and others illegitimate. Ironically, when I check the virtual dictionary in my computer, WordWeb, for the definition of ‘pleasure’ it says, “A fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience”! Only a relationship with God can satisfy our inner yearnings and give meaning and purpose to our life.

After I think about this I return to continue reading Ravi Zacharias’ book “Has Christianity Failed You?” and I turn to the Authors Interview at the end of the book and amazingly I find Ravi talking in these lines answering a question,

You’re speaking of religion in terms of an inviting and intimate relationship with God rather than a performance. The relationship is essential in this question, is it not?

Ravi: ….The older I get, the more I learn by observing children—and they don’t even have to be your own children in order to make these observations. I may be sitting in a restaurant watching a parent-child interaction and notice the child taking advantage of the parent. Or I may go to a graduation ceremony. When a student is speaking, you can easily identify the parents. They are wearing the biggest smiles in the room. We see ourselves in children and in observing parent-child relationships. When I was struggling with my studies as a boy, my mother’s delight when I did well was part of my own reward. The thrill of doing well was not just in receiving a good mark but in going home and showing my grade to my mom. Her pleasure in my achievement was the affirmation I needed. So I think my relationship with God is not by any stretch of the imagination a performance for him. (Courtesy: HAS CHRISTIANITY FAILED YOU?)

It is not only that only a relationship with the living God matters, it is not a call to perform, but to please. It is a relationship of love that we enjoy with God.

“We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19 NKJV)

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NKJV)

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!

---

Technorati Tags: Inner Cry,Heart Cry,Inner Vaccuum,Emptiness,Relationship with God

When I am Alone

Apart from our time with our friends and families, at our schools and workplaces, in professional and social circles, we have our times alone. I remember a few of them which I am going to narrate here and I am sure you would have had such similar experiences.

I was very new to the campus where I was working as a teacher at the English School and as a warden at the school’s boys hostel. That was my first summer in Bihar and since it had been only a few months of my joining at the organization, I did not have the provision for annual vacation and so had to spend the vacation at the campus. Those were days, to my surprise, when the campus had become empty and I was the sole soul at one end of the campus and was all alone in that big hostel surrounded by empty rooms and deserted floors.

Being alone brought with it this very strange fear within me that I barely slept through the entire vacation, peacefully. The strange stories and rumours of demons strangling the staff and the students, added fuel to the fire of my fear, that I startled at every slight sound that came from the creaking doors and the croaking frogs. I became more prayerful that summer than ever before! If you would ask me to describe this whole episode of being alone I would sum it up as “fearsome”.

This happened when I was very small, when I was in 4th or 5th std. I had gone with my parents and younger sister to a pilgrimage centre and were returning back. We alighted from the bus at the Trichy bus stand and we had to take an auto to go home. It had crossed midnight. I was very sleepy. We all went to answer the nature’s call in the bus terminus’ wash room. I had come out before others and came to the spot where we alighted from the bus and to my surprise found no one. Until now I do not know how this thought had come into my mind; I felt either I had missed the spot or that my parents & sister had left! I felt so lonely in that bus terminus. Not wanting to stay there, immediately I started finding my way to home, which was around 10 kms away. In the middle of the night tracing the path in my mind, I started walking out of the terminus, came to the junction near Hotel Aristo, took the road to the bridge-over-railway line and crossing Railway Colony, Crawford and the railway crossing, I reached my home in Bharathipuram.

Though I was fearful walking alone in the middle of the night, all the more I was haunted by the thoughts of why would my parents leave me and go! Only after I reached home, did I find it locked and came to know later that my parents had searched for me everywhere, informed the bus terminus police, announced over the P.A. System and came back fearing that I might have been kidnapped!

I would call the experience that night walking all alone finding my way home as “dubious”.

I had gone to my hometown owing to my sickness. I was discharged from the hospital after four months and I was back home. Though still I had occasional bouts of pain in my abdomen, the pain that that night caused was unbearable. The peace-treaty between my parents had come to an end and they quarrelled with each other and all my efforts to pacify them fell into deaf ears and unheeding hearts. And I was left heart-broken. I started the motorcycle and left the house and drove through the city’s highway in that late night and as it was raining parked the bike outside a closed shop and sat on the pavement. Though the rain waters were concealing my tears, the pain in my heart could neither be concealed nor consoled. I sat through that entire night, alone, in the rain, thinking that all my efforts and prayers to bring peace in my family, between my parents had come to a hopeless end.

If I were asked to brief this incident of being alone in one word I would call it “painful”.

Let me share an interesting moment that I spent alone. I still remember the day when I as a kid I was alone at home and I started experimenting making mixed fruit juice in the mixer grinder. Except for a few drops of juice nothing came out of the nozzle, as the bananas that I dropped first jammed the mixer! It was “alone & experimenting”.

At certain situations, being alone brings in along with it shame, guilt, cornered and lot more negatives too.

Though I have also had a few other happier, interesting, intriguing, moments alone, the best of all my lone times, were and are when I am with God, in prayer. The time that I spend in worshipping my Creator, Comforter, the Christ. It is through these times that I spend alone with God that strengthens me to face my fears, to live happily through seemingly hopeless situations, gaining strength from His grace.

Being alone with God, in prayer and in reading & meditating the Bible, gives the strength to stand strong in the storms of life, the grace to go ahead in life, the confidence to cheer up amidst collapses, to hope in spite of hopelessness, to come out of causeless concerns, and produces Christ-like character in us!

I remembering someone saying this, “You are who you are when you are alone”. If we want our times alone to be meaningful, purposeful, grace-full, we need to be alone with God! And when you are alone with God you know that you are never alone!!

“The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned.” (Isaiah 50:4 NKJV)

No, never alone,
No, never alone,
He promised never to leave me,
  Never to leave me alone;

The world’s fierce winds are blowing,
  Temptations are sharp and keen;
I feel a peace in knowing
  My Savior stands between;
He stands to shield me from danger,
  When earthly friends are gone,
He promised never to leave me,
  Never to leave me alone.

(Source: No Never Alone)

---

Technorati Tags: alone,lonely,fearful,solitary,solitude,memoirs,prayer,alone with God

Counting the least as Crucial

This morning one of my colleagues gave me a booklet which contained the story of a church.

This booklet beautifully tells the history of that church and its current condition. As a writer and editor I was fascinated at its presentation styles, choice of words, the paper, the print quality... I got so much absorbed into it.

I was turning over and pouring over the pages with the intent to know about the church and as well to learn from its presentation styles. But God had intended something more beautiful and a needed truth for me to learn.

I was surprised to find a few ministries listed in its various ministries list – Security, Ushers, etc.!

Though I have browsed through many brochures and information booklets of worldwide ministries, this is the first time that I find “security” “ushers” being mentioned in the ministerial list. Though everywhere the help of the security people, the ushers are taken, seldom or never they are counted as part of the “main ministerial team”.

I started pondering upon the reason in the Indian context.

One, the caste system has played a major role in segregating works for different caste people; wherein one is to do only the job that which is prescribed for his caste members. This is enforced much upon menial labours. Only a particular caste people were meant to sweep and clean the toilets and so on.

Second, when someone belonging to a higher caste would sweep or do some menial work, even occasionally, he is considered as a mahan (great person)!

This influence is seen in the Indian Christianity and ministries too. Either it be recognition in a ministry or classification of ministries, they are based only upon those works that are considered “big”. We only write, propagate, publicize and acknowledge those who “preach”, “lead worship”, “play music”, “write books”, “direct films”, “administrate” and the like.  There is a need for a paradigm shift in our thinking and approach to ministries in this regard. We need to start acknowledging, accepting and accrediting the works of menial labourers and everyone as crucial and integral part of ministry. People working in the Kitchens, Construction sites, Cleaning, Electrical jobs, Driving vehicles, etc. all are important.

After I read that information booklet and was pondering upon it, I receive a PPT from a friend with these beautiful words -

“... after some months at the faculty of medicine, the professor gave us a test. Being a good student, I quickly answered all the questions… all, but the last: “What is the baptism name of the maid of our institute?

I handed over my test paper, leaving the last question unanswered. Just before the lesson ended, another student inquired if the last question would be marked. “Certainly!", the professor replied. “You will meet many people in your life. All of them will have some degree of importance.

They will deserve your attention, even if it is a simple smile or a simple hello".
I never forgot this lesson… and went on to learn that the baptism name of our maid was Marianna.”

We need to count the least as crucial. Count everyone as Crucial!

“man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV)

And when we start valuing people for who they are, we will see the real revival. This revolution has the potential for revival – a bottom up, though! Because everyone will be valued and this in turn will make them feel very much part and parcel of the ministry – its success and failure. They will wholeheartedly involve and will play their part well, realizing that their contribution counts! For People Count!

“those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honourable, on these we bestow greater honour… And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:22,23,26 NKJV)

---

Technorati Tags: Least is important,People Count,All are important,Valuing everyone

வாலிபனின் ஜெபம்–5 (Youth Prayer)

மென்மையானவரே உம் மெல்லிய சத்தத்திற்கு செவிக் கொடுக்கவில்லையே

பரிசுத்தமானவரே உம் பரிசுத்த அழைப்பில் பங்கு கொள்ளவில்லையே

 

மகிமையின் தேவனே என் இருதயத்தை மாசுப் படுத்தி விட்டேனே

பரிசுத்த ஆவியே உம்மை நான் துக்கப்படுத்தி விட்டேனே

 

மன்னவனே என் மனதை தீய பாவ ஆளுகைக்கு உட்படுத்தினேனே

பலியானவரே என் பாவச் செயலால் உம் பலியை வீணாக்கினேனே

 

மரித்துயிர்த்தெழுந்தவரே என் மனதை சாவானவைகளில் செலுத்திவிட்டேனே

பாதாளாமிரங்கினவரே என் மனதை கீழானவைகளுக்கு விட்டுக்கொடுத்துவிட்டேனே 

 

மக்களுக்காய் கண்ணீர் சிந்த வேண்டிய நான் எனக்காய் அழுகிறேனே

பரிசுத்தத்திற்காக அழைக்க வேண்டிய நான் பரிசுத்தம் கெஞ்சுகிறேனே

 

 

மாசில்லாதவரே என் பாவத்தை அறிக்கையிட்டு மன்னிப்பு வேண்டுகிறேன்

பின்மாறிப் போய்விட்டேன் பின்மாரிக்காய் வேண்டுகிறேன்

 

 

மோசமாக்கப்பட்ட பூமியின் மீது அசைவாடின ஆவியானவரே

பாவ மோசத்தால் கெட்டுப்போன என் இருதயத்தின் ஆழத்தை ஆட்கொண்டுவிடும்

 

மனுக்குலமும் ஜீவன்களும் வாழ மீண்டும் இப் பூமியை மாற்றினவரே

பாழாய்ப் போன என் இருதயத்தை மறுரூபப்படுத்திவிடும்

 

முற்றிலும் இருளாயிருந்த பூமியில் வெளிச்சம் உண்டாகக்கடவது என்றவரே

பலவித சோதனைகளால் இருளாய் போன என் வாழ்வில் வெளிச்சத்தை கட்டளையிட்டுவிடும்

 

மாற்றப்பட்டு ஒழுங்கின்மையும் வெறுமையுமாய் காணப்பட்ட பூமியை சீர்ப்படுத்தினவரே

பரிசுத்த வாழ்வில் நிலைத்திட கனித் தந்திட நீர் நல்லது என கண்டிட சீர்ப்படுத்திவிடும்

 

---

Technorati Tags: Tamil Christian Poem,Youth Prayer,Youth Poem,Christian Poem,Sin,Backslider,Repentance,Holiness