What's your point in life?

What's your point in life? What are you doing? Life is brief. Too brief that we may be here today and gone tomorrow. So, what's your point in life? A question directed to those gathered at church on Sunday evening.

Is our life pointing at our job, our bank account? None of it is worth it, when you lay still at your funeral.

It is worth it, only if my life is pointing to Christ. Just like John the Baptist. He must increase and I must decrease in all that I do.

Huh, where am I pointing!

Ironic

Looking at the fish pond we cleaned last week, a friend asked if I had ever cleaned a fish pond at home. We have a 'fish tank' home, and yes I was the one who cleaned it, but it hit me real hard, if I had ever cleaned it that eagerly.

I remember my mom whenever I am in the yard. She loved plants. Flowers. Did I share her interests? I never watered the plants. I hardly took time to even look at them. She was the one planting them, watering them, re-planting them, admiring them, talking to them. My mom fed the street dogs. She saved all the leftovers for them.

She was the one who locked the gate at night, opened it in the morning. Got us coffee to our beds. Breakfast, lunch, dinner to the table. Kept the house tidy. Washed the clothes, got it ironed and neatly stored in the cupboard. She was the 'finder' of our house. Keys, purse, Id cards, shirts, bags, books, pens, letters. She could find all the lost items. She called twice daily to ensure I reached safely and left office on time. Waited eagerly till I get home. Checked if I ate properly. Forced to take any medicines.

Alrite, all the above just makes me more guilty and miss mom. Why I started writing this? Well, she had been tirelessly cooking, cleaning, working hard all her life for us. I wonder if I ever did help her out without 'hurry', without 'irritation', without 'exasperation', or 'anger'. Did I ever appreciate her for being for us. May be am doing restitution now. Cleaning the fish pond. In another country!! yuck. Cherish your mom or dad. I don't think there's anyone on earth who can love you as they do.

Ex 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

A What?

On my first day, of my first job, I was leaving the building to go home (at 6 PM), when I bumped into my new Manager in the elevator. She asked,"What new thing did you learn today?". I sure had lot of things to say, as it was my first day. She smiled and told me to ask myself this question every evening before leaving work. Growth requires, you learn something new everyday.

Whenever we meet, my Pastor has this question. 'What has God been doing in your life today/this week?'

This week, he asked a bigger one. When we die, and we meet God f2f, he's definitely going to ask, 'What have you done in your life to glorify me'? What is your answer? He also cautioned, that if we had done something for our feel good factor, we have just glorified ourself and not Him.

Luke 19:13So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.'
15b ..Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out WHAT they had gained with it.

Why sleep?

When we are always racing against time, lining up tasks to do, chores at home, deadlines to meet, complaining we have no time to finish work or spend with family and friends, inspite of so much to do, why do we sleep? When lay our body still, hands and legs doing nothing, mind (as well) absolutely doing nothing, for atleast a minimum of 5-6 hrs?

Sounds silly? It sure does, but why do we sleep? We have no control over eyes shutting close and our body pushing itself to lay down. Neither do we have control over the hunger, when the stomach clocks strikes, there is no way of shutting it up. Try not drinking the whole day, or holding your bladder or keep from batting your eyelid. We just can't.

There are rules, we just can't neglect. Rules of the body. There are rules of life too. We reap, what we sow. No matter how much we try or prove or imagine, 'all's well', what goes around comes around. Big or small. Its horrifying to know that sin demands punishment. The wrath of God is true. There is no escape.

John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.

Chocolate wisdom!

I was watering the plants today, and noticed as the water hit the soil the color changed. The dirt, black and well, dirty dirt, mixed with the water was creamy and I don't know why, but it reminded me of CHOCOLATE. Yes, the creamy, yummy chocolate.

And I wondered, how chocolate became so famous, and favorite. Inspite of its dirty color. The yucky color is more a yummy color now!

And this dawned, what God was trying to teach me: It doesn't matter how you look. It only matters how you taste! To people around you. :)

Col 4:6 'Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt...'

Outlive your life

What can you do with your life? Max Lucado, puts forth a challenge, that prompts you to look into the book of Acts, at the ordinary lives of disciples, who were empowered by God, to do the extrordinary. We are no exceptions.

It starts, with exploring, to discover who we are, as God 'unshells' you. The way God has designed you to feel compassion, and longing for people. Is it the homeless, sick or the elderly? Find it out.

Then team up with people, look for avenues where God can use you. As simple as opening homes for dinner and being hospitable. Seeing people, the way Jesus saw. Into their eyes, and giving the touch that people need(Peter healing crippled beggar.)

Preparing for persecution ahead, saturating in His presence to be strong( Peter before priests). Being careful not to be a hypocrite and doing good with no one seeing you( Ananias & Sapphira).

The book focuses on Jesus target audience. The poor, the blind, broken hearted, captives and the opressed. Do we have them in this century? Don't we all around us?

It also reminds you not to forget the bread of heaven. Jesus. And not to forget who is holding you life. But to move ahead, and identify the walls we have boxed ourselves in. ( Philip ministering to Ethiopian Eunuch).

Not to write-off people like Saul! (Ananias and Paul.) How to treat discarded people.( Peter & Gentiles). Treat them right! Prayer, the praying first and most (Peter in the jail.)

Max closes with Jesus on the Judgement day separating the sheep and the goats. The question asked was not salvation.But consequence of salvation - Compassion. Did/Do we feed the hungry and the thirsty? clothe the needy? care for the sick? invite a stranger? visit a prisoner?

It is a challenge to listen to the inner voice and be obedient to take one little step at a time. It throws open a whole wide view of opportunity that is all around us. Are we ready to obey?

I am thankful for booksneeze to send me this free copy of Outlive your life. I am really overjoyed, and humbled to be 'considered' a blogger! I have greatly been blessed by this book.

Plastic smile

I guess this is my third blog on smile. And I wonder if I will ever stop. A person with a beautiful smiling face inspired me to write this. The problem is, it always has 'fake' written all over it.Always! How does he do that? yickes. I hate it.

Thinking of which, do I fake a smile? Obviously yes. Sometimes. Many a times. When I am sad, angry, frustrated, someone comes with a hi, hello, howdoudo? A wry forced smile. Can you spot it. Oh yes, you can easily spot a plastic smile.

Plastic smile is no good. For the giver nor the taker. A smile from the heart, enriches, encourages, and strengthens. A plastic smile, dries you up and who would want a fake smile!

How do we smile from the heart? At any, and every situation? Knowing that Jesus has the whole universe spinning under his control, and that I am his apple of His eye, and that he has drawn me in his palm of his hands, gives me the trust and strength to face, come what may. As I learn to throw my burdens as quickly as I get, onto him, I can. Don't I now, have a reason to smile? To smile from the heart?

Love at last sight!

Yes, you read it right. Love at LAST sight. Not the head over heels, butterfly effect and pretty rainbows. Way past that, till death do us part. Through thick and thin. Through awkwardness, differences, silence, frustration, discouragement, arguments, disappointments. A love with all your heart, mind and soul.

In their book, Love at Last sight, Kerry and Chris Shook share the Word of God about relationship, in a down to earth practical way. Walking through the relationship puzzle with all its complexities, twists, turns, failure and challenge. Relationship is hard work. Intentional than convenient. Commitment rather than feelings. Action Adventure. Risking awkwardness, to move to the danger zone from a complacent comfort zone, giving up control and giving over to God. Pleasing God and not men. Accepting and not expecting. Learning to ask, listen and not assume. Accepting change as growth. Serving with humility and not selfishness. Treating people as priceless and not as perfect. Appreciating and not discouraging. Taking conscious effort to work togethar.

We hardly ever think seriously about it. Things that we take granted for, gets the special limelight on this book, as we learn to pause(STOP), challenge ourself into growing the kind of person God wants us to be. Nothing else matters. The insights on 'relationship lessons' from Jesus when he walked on earth, is amazing. I never realised there were so many.

"The next time you're face to face with someone you love, ask yourself, If this were the last time we were togethar on earth, what would I say, what would I do? " check out www.lastsightchallenge.com, you can read the first sample chapter under Books.

Show off

My mom/ bro called it the Red Sea Event. When you face a huge Sea in front, towering mountains on the sides, and an enemy army behind, you are frozen in your thoughts, and your foot is unsure of where to step into. Confused, perplexed and fear struck.

Frozen. Big time. I was into one such stuck inbetween period, when a friend of mine at lunch, just smiled and said, 'Well, that's the show off time'. I said,'a what?' He beamed, and said, well 'It can't be better than this'. Better??? I am all stuck on all 4 sides, and its better? He went on. 'This is the time for God to show off. You can't do anything, but he's gonna display his power and majesty so beautiful as you hold on to Him.'

Show off, He did. Many a times. When I've hit the dead end, he shows off with a way, as long as I trust him and walk in faith. Next time as I hit the Red Sea Event, I am all eager like my friend, ready to see His awesomeness. Knowing, he will show off his Mighty power and display his love as he has already done. Yes, there is confusion,and fear and anxiety so overwhelming in every decision, step I am to take, but I know that my God has been faithfull so far, and he is forever. I can walk with faith trusting him to take me through.

All I need.

Even when men abandon me, when my flesh stinks as its rotten
When all my wealth is lost , and I am pushed over saying I am no good.
Jesus is all I need.

They sang this beautiful song in tamil ( Yesu podhumae)in a prayer meeting last evening. Last time, I sang it, was in a hospital room. We had just got mom admitted coz she had difficulty breathing. Me, dad, Praveen were there, and just before they( dad n bro) left for the night, we had the family prayer. Mom loved this song, it became her favorite after she heard it being sung by a blind leper on a cold winter morning on the streets on her way to work. The peace in the face of this hungry begger, had left a mark on her heart.

That night mom was coughing blood, and I for one, had no idea that her lung nodules, were what was coming out nor that she had just 4 more days to live. May be my brother did. He choked at the verse above. Mom gave him a hug, she had her oxygen mask on,seated (she couldn't lie down her last 4 days.)

I don't think I can ever sing this song again. But I know for sure, that Jesus is all I need. I saw it in my mom's face.