Expectations!

To my orkut profile's "Inspite of everything, I still believe people are good at heart", a dear friend scraped, saying, 'You are bound for great disappointments then'. I had replied saying 'Expectations results in disappoinment, I don't expect them to be good, I know they are good'.

But at times, I do expect my family to be more understanding, my friends to be more caring, my team to be more responsible. I have an imaginary standard set, and when people fall short of it, I get all upset!

And as I was walking from home this morning, I realised how wonderful our God is! He is the only one who accepts as we are. Without any expectation. Then it struck me that the opposite of 'expecting' is not 'not expecting' but 'accepting' as they are.

Accepting them as they are, with tantrums, with disagreements, with mistakes and all shortcomings.We are called to be like Him, in loving, caring, understanding and helping each other. We are called to be as 'true friend' to people around us as He's to us.

Oh, this is difficult, if the first step, of seeing the good in them-as God's image is not achieved.

Eph5:1 Be imitators of God.

I hate walking!

Read that as "I used to hate walking". Not that I LOVE walking now. Just that I don't mind walking!
Since childhood, due to weak legs or what ever, I have excused myself from long walks. I declined to go to shops nearby, even in emergency. There have been times, when my bicycle had no air, or my 2 wheeler had no petrol, and the entire plans were cancelled. I just wouldn't budge.
It all changed. ONE-In Mcity, its mandatory you walk between buildings. TWO-Our road to home is being laid for the past 8 mths and has been impregnable. So I walk.As I am forced to.

But it all changed. I got a friend who loves walking. She doesn't hype about it. No air about it. But I've seen her enjoy it. Being friend, you imbibe some qualities. I guess, I am absorbing it slowly. I learnt an important lesson as well. You need not tell anyone about the Good news, the good things, or advices. You just live it. As they get close to you, they just read and imbibe the news. Just as I learn from my friend.

"Your walk talks and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks. So walk not in darkness as children of the night. Walk EVEN as Jesus walked. Walk as children of Light. "

Black or White

I've loved this song, from school days.
"I only see things black and white, Never shades of gray...." Everytime I humm this song, it reminds me of the gray areas in my life. There can be Black or White. No gray. I am not always good. Neither am I bad. Neither the best, nor the worst. I am inbetween. Sometimes. Attimes. Oscillating.

But I am called to be 'Perfect', to be 'Excellent', to imitate Christ. Huh. Practicaly impossible in this world. My entire life will be spent in 'trying'. But what it actualy conveys is, 'not to settle for mediocrity'. To strive and be focussed. TCS induction has a video of Tata, saying 'No growth without learning'. When learning stops, growth stops too. I must learn, I would fall, get muddy all over. But what if I settle and get comfortable being muddy. That's mediocrity. The challenge is to shake off the dust, get up and move towards my goal. That's excellence.

So, here I am, trying to be more loving, forgiving, more understanding, caring, praying, in humility and servanthood. I can't remain in gray shade. I've made a choice, and am pressing on. With His help.

' More of you in my life...' . 'My heavenly father, wants me to be like Him...' 'Be Excellent in what is good' Matthew 5:48 '...be perfect..' Phil 3:12 "..but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."
http://www.lyricsdownload.com/robbie-mcauley-teach-me-how-to-dream-lyrics.html - me n my bro changed lyrics and sing it in a diff way.. it is a lovely song :)

Walls or Bridges

Bricks. We all have that in our hands. Our words, our intonation, our facial expressions, gestures, the attitude, the mood, the way we carry ourselves.

Bricks can be used for building walls, or bridges, between us and people. To build someone, or break them/shut them up.

Like it or not, we do build something daily, everyday. Walls or bridges. Our deepest desire, to love, care, understand, respect, trust another person, to treat another person with dignity and put ourself in their shoes, to empathize, feel and love, ALL people we meet in our daily life is challenging.

Be it a driver, our house maid, yr mom, a friend, a colleague, a stranger, a security, a housekeeper, or just anyone.
What do I build? Walls or Bridges?

The love triangle...

I learnt this years ago, and its a simple truth. Any relationship on earth, is bound to have hiccups down the road. Be it a misunderstanding, a grudge, hurt or a disappoinment. It happens between mom-son, husband-wife, mom-daughter, friends. Reason being, our love is limited and expecting. To put yourself in others shoes all the time is difficult. To give 100% to someone, and receive lesser or none, is sure discouraging.

But when we see a person in God's image, and see God in him and love, not because of that person, because of your love to God, its a different experience. If you love the person directly, it has its own defects. Too much love/passion on a person, is bound to break up sometime as we see only the good in him/her initialy and then when we get to see the other side of the person, it stinks and hard to get by!. But when you love that person with God's love, it makes it possible. So even when there is mistake, or disappointment, we have a bigger love that can cover up everything.

Its important, that we bring God into ALL our relationship to make it strong and secure. We love the person not because of their character or goodness, but because of God's love for that person. I draw closer to Him and He draws closer to you. Thereby we draw closer to eachother and in Him we stand complete. It becomes easy to forgive, forget, understand, care, and love unconditionally. The triangular love becomes beautiful and unshakeable.

I Corinthians 13 only then becomes possible.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Ecclesiastes 4:12" ..A rope made of 3 cords is hard to break.. "

Taking a dip..

Difficult people. We have them everywhere. Be it neighbours, shops, buses, office, friends, relatives, or even family! Its just difficult to adjust and we are commanded to love them. Just as we love God.

Difficult. But taking a dip helps. Yes, another visualisation. I imagine God's love as a water pool. When I encounter an irritating person, I close my nose and take a dip. Let the water cover all of me. Water wets instantly. Fills all gap. Even minute hairline gaps. Getting drowned in His love helps. And as I come out of the water as if in baptism, my outlook changes, I could see as Christ sees. With love.

"Love your enemies.. " Luke 6:27
"Do unto others what you want them to do to you " Lke 6:31.

Ghosts!

The past at times, is difficult to forget. Especialy when it is painful. But it is important to move on. So what do we do? We put the incident behind, and think, we are nicely placed. But what happens is, it comes back, strong as ever. Imagine, burying a person alive. He'll be pounding his casket, to come back. Even if he dies eventualy, he'll come back as ghost! That is what happens.

We need to kill and bury the past. How? Just a simple visualisation, is what I do,and it works everytime, whenever I remember any bad past. I simply nail that issue to the cross. I remember the scenes from Passion of Christ, the pain He underwent. I think of the resurrection, the victory of the grave. He did it all. For everything. Any hurt is minor, when I compare His sacrifice and love. And so I forgive. and let God bury it. Forever. Its dead. There's no sting now! :D and it can't haunt me.

Lesson from the Gideons

"Who stays awake all night in a prison? " Gideon asked. He is a dear friend from TCS. I blinked, thought and said, "The guards". Its the same, when we have a hurt, anger, bitterness or resentment over someone in our life. The other might have no idea about it, while we brood over it constantly. Best way, is to get reconciled, before the sun goes down! Lesson for life!

And sarcasm, he challenged us to say one joke that doesn't hurt anyone. ONE joke. We were around 8 of us, and we couldn't! Surely there should be atleast 1. But he said, a joke always is targeted at someone. It sure hurts, no matter how funny it sounds to all around. I resented, said, I am the butt of most jokes, but I don't take it heart.. But he made me realise, that though I don't have a grudge, I do feel hurt and let it subside.. The more I am pulled, I get used to it, and become hard inside. It just aint healthy!

"Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath" Ephesians 4:26-27:
"Turn away from godless chatter.." 2Tim 6:20
"..if you make fun of someone you’re ruining someone’s life.." Nick Vujicic, lifewithoutlimbs.com

Interim...

Only when it is full, does it overflow. I emptied myself, inorder to get full again... and it has taken sometime to get filled. :) Just wanted to get away from advices, messages, sermons, and all the goody goody stuff for awhile. and now that I am refilled and charged up, I am back. :)