Lifted up!

'Lord, I lift your name on high.... '
'We wanna see Jesus lifted high... '
Cast your burdens... Higher higher... lift Jesus higher..'

Lifting hands, and standing on toes for these action songs at Sunday school, may be got me the idea, that lifting was lifting up high above. So 'lift your name on high..' is that lifting up in sky? or 'We wanna see Jesus lifted up!' was it up the cross?? What did really mean?

Last Sunday when we were singing some lifting up songs, i kinda stopped abruptly. Here was a God, who created the heavens ( including all galaxies, stars, nebeulas, the powerful sun, the cooling moon) the earth, powerful volcanoes, the lightning, the thunder, the awesome waterfalls, the animals, from tall giraffes, teeny ant, huge whales and tiny tadpoles, the lil sparrows and the huge eagles, the pretty rose bush, to the giant oak trees, the lil womb, to huge heavy weight champions, the complex innovative brain, the complex nervous system, whew how great, how great is thou art!

An awesome, amazing God, and he says, he lives in you and me! Inside me! How crazy is that.

Now that being the case, as I get up snoozing my alarm dozen times, fix my hair, breakfast, and rush to work, and check my mails more than a dozen time( or more)in 5 mins, eat n do my own mundane stuff, where is the power of Him inside me? Half the time I am oblivious of the fact, that he is within me. Oh yes, I go to him for any hue and cry at work, family, or my health ( say as silly as seeing a bunch of white hairs!) How funny?!

You won't believe, how many people know that my dad is coming here. They say it is written all over my face, as I am beeming and oh yes downright excited!

But how much of excitement, should I really have in having the all powerful God WITHIN me? Talk about limiting him! I hardly do a thing to lift him up above my daily chores. Ofcourse I pray, read my bible, but that's still limiting him. Imagine, I have him, who has the power to heal, to forgive, to care and love unconditionaly. And ofcourse I have my stupid self, that ALWAYS thinks abt me, me and me alone all the time. As I say, I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection. How much do I really know?? or the fellowship of the sufferings, becoming like him in his death! Hardly. The sacrifice he did, denying his power, or the humility he wore and the life he lived.

Well, back to lifting up, I think its high time I put him above all things in my daily life. Boy, he says its a holy temple! Wuf! I need to give him the due. Lifting him up above me. Above my self, my decisions, my finances, my desires, my thoughts, my expectations, my past, my present and my future. He is the all, my all in all, let me stop singing, and start living.

phil 3:8

Staying up late?

Ever stayed up late? Not at the movies, partying with friends, or working, or chatting. Worried about the wrinkles on your face, dark circles under your eyes, flabs on your hips, and tummies?

Well, am talking about staying up late because your child is sick or/and in the emergency room, worried because your baby in your womb may be missing a beat, and that you eat for your baby, you are worried about every single cell in your womb growing into an organ, into a baby!

Yes, am talking about mothers, who seem to have unconditional love swelling in them ALWAYS for their kids. Be it a baby in the womb, a terrible two, a teen or a grown up! As my friend said, you can't get rid of your kids, they just keep growing. You first wait for them to turn over, then crawl, then few baby steps, walk, potty train, talk, run, dress up, ride a tricyle, a bicycle, read, sing, study, make friends, btw, fix breakfast, lunch and dinner, snacks, morph into a doctor, teacher, coach, friend, well the list seems endless. I can't believe how my mom raised us FOUR kids!

Gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love. Ps 145:8. God wanted us to see the impossible, yet practical, logical, sample of him face to face. He gave us all, 1 per person, to absorb, relish the love, forgiveness, patience, care that He has and gives; through MOTHERS. Hats off to them!

As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you. Isaiah 66:13
..As a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.. Luke 13:34
Staying up late? Next time, think about them :)

Mirror mirror on the wall,

IF you had known me personally, you would know by now, my 2 great weaknesses.
1. Memory.- I can't remember what I had for breakfast, few minutes back.
2. getting up early- Being a nite owl, it has always been a struggle.

This was such a Monday morning, when I had snoozed the alarm for an hour, got up late, and hastily getting ready. I was combing by long hair HURRIEDLY, that I stopped short seeing the image in the mirror in front of me. I peered into my image in the mirror. I felt like seeing my mom. I don't have her lips, was it the cheek? eyes perhaps? brows? may be forehead? I am not sure.

I also catch myself doing things that my mom used to. The way she used the knife for mixing food, the dosa, the salt, sambar. I knew what she would say, on any situation. She wasn't around, she wasn't seeing, but I knew, and I do, even though she aint looking! Strange.

Remember looking at any baby and saying, she resembles her dad/mom? Well,I guess, that's what God expects too. To be in his image. To do what he would want us to.

Magnolia!

Near our balcony ( Am on the 3rd floor), we have this huge tree, that is blooming with flowers. The flowers are pure white, and are as big as the size of my palm.

There are hundreds of buds on that tree and nearly every morning, I come to the balcony with the hope of seeing a white tree, full of the pretty white flowers. It's been few weeks, but no. I get to see one or may be 2 white flowers, the rest are happy to remain as buds. Why don't they bloom quickly! I am running out of patience!

Oh yes, they die as quickly as they bloom too, the petal dry sticking to the flower, and get brown like brownies :( It looks sad, but I know, they can't live forever, just as how we can't. And just as each flower blooms at its own time, we all have our own time to bloom in our life! But whenever they do, they are the prettiest bunch ever! Oh am so blessed to see this Magnolia everyday, to remind me!

Seeds along the path

I cross a huge church everyday to work. It has interesting marquee signboards that they keep changing. The latest one read 'Healing the family'. Hundreds of cars go past. It is a busy street. How many people see it. Does that mean anything at all?

Only the sick need the healing. Only those who seek find it. Only those who thirst, need water. For others, it makes no sense as we are Stable, Settled, Satisfied? Insensitive. Sublime? Indifferent? I don't know. Plastic?

Only an empty glass, gets refilled. Only a softened heart, a good soil is ready for seeds to produce crop 30,60,100 folds. Makes me realise, that I need to empty every day, make my heart tender, humble towards God and men. Realise the need of the El Salvador.

Spring!

Rightly named. Looking around, I see everything fresh, the grass, the leaves on the trees. The bare cold winter melting away and life springing forth out of every thing that was brown.

I pass through lot of trees on the way to office, and all I see now is fresh green, bottle green, so bright and clean.. Such beautiful leaves springing up from all trees, that were once so very barren, brown and dead.

The flowers are so wonderful. Red, blue, yellow, orange, the colors seem to be splashed all over the place, as if from an artist's paint brush. Where were these flowers for so long? An overnight miracle? The dead grass, springing forth with fresh bright green grass, now spotted with hundreds of wild flowers all over the place.

Change is beautiful. Yes, I do agree now. Things might look barren, but I know deep inside I have a living Spring. And as long as I draw from it and let it touch all my being, I know I will spring forth with green grass and bright flowers!

I never knew

Well, I've never seen popcorns being made so far. I have seen the Popcorn guy handing it out. I have seen it magically change in the microwave. But today, I got to see it firsthand.

I never knew the kernels were so small. I never knew the heat could bring out so much good out out of them. I never knew they taste awful, without salt!

I have been muling over for sometime.I never know, why I ended up here. I probably would not. But just because I never knew, it dint exist! ..Lesson learnt 1.I may not know the big picture. I may not understand why. But there are things you may not understand at all 'RIGHT NOW' 2. The heat may be painful enough.. But its good.. Popcorns are good. aren't they? And I know my maker wont let it burn..

PS: I made some chappati today for the church potluck. Not just that, I taught how to make them in my pastor's home. The funny side is, I never knew how to make them 2 months back. I learnt it for dad.. I never knew, the big picture!

zib?wqz6

Well, that was the pwd given to me at work in Nov 2007. I was told, I can't change it the first two days. I had to use this pwd for accessing ALL my stuff. I had to write it down, memorise it so that I dint lock my account.

Well, at the end of two days, I had used it for nearly for 50-60 times, that it was imprinted on my memory. Believe it or not, I dint change it for the next 4 months! :D

Now after 2 years, I still remember it.. Knowing my capacity for memory, you know that it is an achievement. Its funny, that certain things stick with us.

Certain things/people look complex and difficult at first.. but then, you get around it.....

Love language

I am with a bunch of friends, who speak different languages. Gujarati, Hindi, Telugu, Haryana. I try to make out what they are trying to say, and end up having no clue. Today, I laughed when everyone laughed, and even ventured to interpret what they said. Everyone had a good ribtickling laughter, as they heard my interpretation. I was badly, madly, entirely wrong!

Talking of different language, Mike said about 'Love Language'. This is unique for every one in the planet. How you show your love,to the one you love. One may show love by buying a gift, or doing some chores, or hugging, or spending time, a caring, understanding or encouraging word, or cooking.

And here comes the tough part. To show love, you need to speak the love language of the other person you love. Else it will be like Greek to the other person, and Hindi to the other.

What language do u speak to your mom, dad, brothers, sisters, loved ones, friends? Yours or theirs??

Chaos

Apart from the shock of seeing a well planned cold blooded murder, by a known very ' righteous' man , it was amazing to see it recorded blatantly in the Bible. Uriah and David. Though being a king, who has right to kill anyone, anytime, the incident was not hidden, not justified. Not excused.

Well, reading it I felt bad for Uriah. Here was a dedicated guy, who says he wont go home, when the army and the tabernacle is out in the battle. One who obeys immediately and even carries his own death sentence!! Wuf... David repented, that's true, but Uriah dint know that. What if David meets Uriah(In heaven). How would he explain himself?

It will be utter chaos in heaven, if one is not reconciled, even if he repents. Reconciliation to the one, to whom we had done wrong. Apologising, accepting and setting our relationships right is as important as repenting to God. David dint get a chance. Do you?

2 Samuel 11