A Walk with God…..

An unspoiled beach…… blue-green breakers weaving their way to the shore ……….dolphins prancing around in the water….. …..palm fronds swaying gently in the light breeze…..golden sunshine dappling the shadows………a pleasant salty smell in the air …….seagulls squawking in the distance…….little bits of shell glinting in the warm golden sands…..all creation at peace and in harmony………..

Sounds like paradise huh? Such must have been the scene when Adam walked with God in the freshly created, lush and beautiful Garden of Eden.

The Word of God says the Creator God actually walked in Eden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). Imagine that! God Himself came all the way down here to enjoy a garden that must have been nothing compared to the marvellous architecture of heaven. I suspect that what the Lord came to enjoy was not so much Eden as Man himself!

The loving Father God who had created so many intricate designs, wonders of engineering, physics, chemistry and biology, living marvels in flora and fauna, had set his heart fully on only one of all His creations – Man……he that was born of clay …the spitting image of God and breathing within him, the breath of God……..Adam – the only one of his kind, born without a bellybutton!

God must have been very absorbed in the first human being, Much like a proud parent who points to a picture and asks the child to name it, the Lord brought to him all the animals that he had created and left it to Man to give them whatever name he wished….and it pleased the Lord to do this. He taught Adam to work the land and contribute in a positive way to the earth’s flora and natural resources. I like to think of the scene where God and Adam went fly fishing the very first time. They must have had fun!

God gave Adam the freedom to eat from all trees in the garden but one. He who gave his precious baby the whole earth, withheld this one thing from him because He knew Adam wasn’t equipped in any way to handle the consequences of discerning good and evil. Like most parents, He wanted His child to be innocent forever – a kind ambition that was not to be.

He gave Adam a wife for a helpmate and friend and the holy union of man and wife did not change the sweet communion that He shared with them in any way. If anything, I only believe it must have been strengthened even more. Now God had two people to love - a fragile human Man and his even more fragile wife! God must felt the protective, fierce rush of love that parents feel (watching their children at times) everytime he saw Adam and Eve frolicking with the innocence and naivety of children. In His heart, He must have had great dreams for them….dreams of perpetual happiness that would follow them all their immortal lives!

But then again, Man had free will and he had to spoil it all. One act of disobedience, one moment of betrayal and all was lost. God’s heart must have been wracked with pain when He saw what His children had done – they had destroyed themselves. Their walk with God was over.

But despair not reader, the story doesn’t end there…….because Christ died for us on the cross, today, we have a renewed opportunity to resurrect that deep and loving fellowship with God. In each of us, He sees Adam His firstborn and his love for Man is as passionate and committed as ever. He’s willing to let mankind take a U-turn from the road to destruction and extends to us that same friendship and companionship that made Eden such a blessed place. He’s reaching out today hoping you’ll respond….will you accept the invitation, to walk one more time with the King of Kings?

Showers of Blessing…..

Monsoon season is all set to start in India and every year around this time, I remember the many monsoons of my childhood…..

Rain was so exciting ….a torrential downpour was a Godsend….it meant no school! I loved sunny days, but I loved rainy days more because they set the mood, mellowed my tomboy spirit and allowed me to dream….of faraway lands and flooded pixie homes!

As the sky turned gray and the rain lashed down unforgiving on a parched earth, I remember clambering up onto the bed, pressing my nose against the window bars, relishing the cold air with its spray of droplets that bounced off our sunshade. I would watch the rain for hours sometimes while my mom boiled or fried (in sand) salted groundnuts for me.

I watched untiringly as the ditches and holes filled up with clear rain water, the open playground near my house flooded and overflowed, plants, flowers and creepers smiled – bright green and fresh, relieved of their dusty coating, umbrellas mushroomed on deserted streets, coconut tree leaves swayed dangerously in cyclonic weather, raindrops glinted on the guavas, oranges and mangoes in our garden and everything acquired a scrubbed and renewed look……even the sky, once the downpour was over. I would only turn away from this fascinating scene when I was certain I had caught a cold!

There wasn’t much I didn’t like about the rainy season (except maybe the yucky worms that seemed to populate the roads the minute it started raining). I loved running barefoot into the puddles once the rain stopped, fishing for tadpoles, picking newly grown mushrooms to paint and decorate the house with (much to my mom’s despair), shaking droplet-laden tree boughs onto unsuspecting friends, breathing in deeply the fresh smell of the earth and even trying to figure out what the frog choir was singing while curled up in bed with an Enid Blyton, a warm blanket and some hot milk! But it was the sky I liked best of all….the sky right after a shower…..so washed out, such a light, powdery blue…..as if a baby angel had spilt water on God's bright-blue oil painting....…..I loved it!

It occurs to me now to thank God for such magical moments, such beautiful memories, apart from the practical and functional aspects of rain….….what would man have been without rain? The word of God says that before the time of Noah, the earth was only watered by springs from below and the inhabitants had no clue what this ‘rain’ was, till one day the heavens opened and the wrath of God came crashing down as mighty sheets of water, destroying the entire world population at one go! How frightening rain must have been to them, cascades of water pouring from the heavens, accompanied by unearthly rumbles of thunder and blinding flashes of lightning ….so fearsome to those seeing it for the first (and the last) time in their lives! I’m so sorry for them…..

But Ezekiel 35:26 says, “I will bless them…..I will send them showers in season; there will be showers of blessing”. Rain is not the only blessing referred to here…..the fruits of the spirit and every spiritual joy is the Lord’s personal shower on souls that seek Him relentlessly. My heart rejoices for the showers of blessings, both of the liquid and the spiritual kind that the Lord God enriched me with all these years….….does yours too?

A New song in my mouth….

I think the earliest noises I made that could be termed as anything close to ‘pleasant’ apart from my baby gurgles, were the little ditties my mom taught me. ‘Row, row, row your boat’ I think, was the first song I ever sang, strumming my little red toy guitar and I remember having trouble with the number of ‘merrily’s in it! After that came ‘Jesus loves me this I know’ and ‘Santosham pongudhae’ obediently performed to an audience of bored relatives and proud parents year after year at my birthday parties. Then, when I started school, it was time for the films to take over and I went through a string of songs (having mostly embarrassing lyrics mouthed with my baby lisp) from the hit Kamalhassan and Rajnikanth starrers of that time. Don’t think my parents were particularly pleased with that though. They heaved a sigh of relief when I finally switched over to Sunday school songs. In any case, the point I’m trying to make (if I haven’t made it already) is that music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.

My dad is a renowned pianist and musician and my mom has one of the sweetest soprano voices I’ve ever heard and therefore it was naturally assumed that I would have a lovely voice too. My home reverberates with music at all times of the day, sometimes even at night. We’re a strange family, see? We burst into song whenever we feel like it….and God save the neighbours if they’re not fans of Western Classical church music! But things weren’t always like this. There was a time when music made me miserable.

It happened when I was 14 years old. I’d been dragged away from my beloved Sunday School and made to attend boring, b-o-r-i-n-g sermons inside church (not fair! Kids today can attend Sunday school till age 18!!) and I hated it. Then my dad decided to make my life worse. “Join the choir”, he said. "That way you’ll be more involved in the services". I was consoled. I was this talented man’s very talented daughter wasn’t I? I was going to be wonderful. People were going to swoon left, right and centre at my renditions and those left standing would be gazing at me with mouths open! Oh I had great plans for myself!

I was placed in the first row of the choir along with the Sopranos and thus began my illustrious career as a diva! The first month, things were ok. Then I noticed something. My neck was permanently slanted way, way up whenever we sang……because the notes were too high for me! I couldn’t believe it. How could this happen? I was the best, the best ever…how come the others could sing notes I couldn’t? Maybe I just wasn’t trying hard enough. I was sure nobody could match up to me if I did. So I did. All that happened was that my dad noticed his darling daughter squeaking in the front row looking like a frog with a neck sprain!

What happened next was horrendous for me. He very promptly dismissed me to the second row – the Alto row! I was crushed! What? Sing with these women with the voices like men? My dignity was hurt….my feminity offended….so I couldn’t sing a few silly high notes……what was the big deal? Didn’t they know I was going to be the greatest Soprano in the world? My dad hated me…...he’d killed budding talent and would probably regret it in his old age! Such were the morose thoughts that darkened my mind as I spent the first two weeks sulking in a corner, crying tears of humiliation, feeling very sorry for myself indeed.

And then, one of the Altos decided enough was enough. She pulled me close to her and sang to me the Alto part for a song in her clear, deep voice. Then she taught me how to sing like her, beautifully, strongly, clearly……and in time, I realized I actually liked this! This voice range was very comfortable and as I learnt to read notes, my happiness was soon complete. I realized I was actually a part that added the beauty to a plain melody…and those silly sopranos could only sing a plain melody….Ha!

It’s been 14 memorable years since then and I lead the Alto row in the choir today making my dad one proud man. My voice is deeper, clearer, rounder and stronger than ever and if I can give the basses a run for their money today, I have only my God to thank! Besides, everytime we sing a Bach chorale and the Sopranos struggle with the sky-high notes, I smile a secret smile of satisfaction and know I could never have been happy doing that!

What I'm really trying to say is that we all have niches in life and if we're surrendered to God, try as we might, we can never force-fit ourselves anywhere else. Like a piece in a jigsaw puzzle, our God fits us where He knows we’ll do best and it’s in our best interests to listen and obey……so as Psalm 57:7 says, “I will sing and make music…….” to the Lord, all my life long!

Footprints in the sea....

One of my favourite verses from the Bible is from the Book of Psalms, Chapter 77, verse 19. The NIV version reads thus: ‘Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen’.

At first glance it seems an ordinary verse, nothing wonderful about it - a prayer for help, midway through which, the psalmist changes his tune. “I will remember the deeds of the Lord”, he says, “Yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago”. He derives strength and confidence from the Lord’s mighty works in the past while he waits for his prayer to be heard.

What follows is an account of the crossing of the Red Sea by the Hebrews in a terrible situation from which no doubt originated the expression, ‘between the devil and the deep sea’. The children of Israel under the leadership of Moses and the command of God, chose the deep, deep sea. And what happened next was history.

Imagine this: Quaking, trembling Israelites dragging their horses and carts and donkeys and fowls, children wailing, women wondering if Moses was mad, old people wishing they could die peacefully back in Egypt rather than drown in the sea, Moses trembling himself for he knew he could trust God and yet……command his people to walk into the sea? What was he doing? They stall, push each other, cry, steel themselves, place gingery feet into the water and then slowly trudge into what they are sure is their doom. A few feet into the water, a miracle, a miracle…..as they move deeper, the sea parts in two!

Two fearsome walls of liquid hem them in on either side, defying all rules of physics and gravity! No creatures of the deep get to them, no rush of water strangles their oxygen supply. An awesome silence must have prevailed. Even as they crossed, they must have doubted….especially when they were right in the middle. What if the waters came crashing down now? There would be no escape….more crushing fear….a little hope maybe. Then suddenly the shore comes into view…now they’re all in a hurry to get out…pushing, treading on each other's feet, bumping into each other, rushing to be first to set foot on dry land. They’d made it.....they’d made it!

What joy and singing must have started….but wait….the Egyptians were following them…now what? Did they come all the way only to be slaughtered? They watch, silent, fearful….and then the murmering starts…someone’s noticed the air’s changing…something’s wrong…and then, the great crash! The waters come together in a mighty show of nature’s power and Egypt’s greatest warriors are drowned like rats in a river! Cymbals, harps, music, Hallelujahs! Imagine this!

In the midst of this all, they must have thought Moses a very powerful leader, a great man with magical powers maybe. They must have considered themselves very special people indeed if God had parted the seas for them breaking all rules of Nature…how proud they must have been!

Now return with me to Psalm 77: 19. Israel never stopped for a moment to consider this. The watery grave that gave them way, they had not walked alone. Verse 16 of the same chapter says: ‘The waters saw you O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed!’

The Lord Himself had walked ahead, his footsteps invisible to their eyes! But all creation recognized Him. The Lord, the Lord Almighty Himself had condescended to walk in their midst!! What an honour, what privilege! And so, the way a crowd of people part before a VIP, the sea bowed low before our God….bowed and gave way…keeping his feet dry as long as He walked its depths……and that my friends, is the only reason the Israelites got to the other side in one piece!

Today, in our lives we see situations like these everyday. Doors open to opportunities we never dreamed of, problems solve themselves even before we attempt to sort them out, success comes looking for you of its own accord. Each time this happens, know this: His invisible footprints walk ahead, His awesome presence leads the way. And when this happens, nothing will be denied to you……NOTHING!

This thing called ‘Love’……

Human beings are a plethora of emotions…..happiness, sorrow, anger, peacefulness, jealousy, frustration, ecstasy, hate, love and many more….and everyone feels most of these sometime or the other. But the one emotion that has for ages hogged the limelight on the world’s stage is ‘Love’……

What is this ‘Love’? A little girl experiences it while skipping along in the park - an ice-cream cone in one hand and her dad’s protective hand in the other. A little boy feels it when his puppy yawns, rolls over and licks him on the nose. A teenager goes through it when he reads a mushy love note that his crush left in his locker. A mother understands it when her baby’s tiny fist closes over her little finger. A young couple acknowledge it when they look into each other eyes at the altar and say “I do” and old couples know it when they look back at a life of togetherness and memories on their 60th wedding anniversary…..

What is this ‘Love’? How can it apply to so many different people, mean so many different things and yet be the same thing? Is love a feeling, an emotion only? Or is it something more? In my opinion, love is more than just a feeling. It is a commitment. Feelings change…they pass. Commitments are forever. When you make up your mind to ‘love’ someone, you’re essentially making a commitment to care about that person regardless of what they do, where they go or who they become. Easier said than done. If all of us could do this, there would be so much less heartache in the world.

It must be borne in mind that people, being inherently imperfect, WILL let you down, hurt you, abandon you, forget you, and sometimes even turn against you. Nevertheless, true love still loves. I Corinthians 13 says “Love is patient, kind, not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love is slow to anger and keeps no grudges, hates evil, rejoices in truth, always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres”. From a human viewpoint, these qualities may be visible in your love relationship with others now and then. But to consistently love this way seems impossible. Correction: Difficult indeed but not impossible.

Our Lord Himself is our role model here. Despite the many ways we turn away or turn against Him, He remains the faithful lover, the Hound of Heaven that chases us to the farthest corners of the earth in order to win us back. Frankly, we ought to be flattered. I mean, the Creator of the Universe actually sets apart time from his packed schedule of running the place to chase you!!! How amazing can this be? Thrilled? Delighted? Great! Now think….if God who has absolutely no need for human company can love us so much, how much more must we, who depend on relationships for emotional survival, love each other? Chew on it……..

Jesus on your Doorstep...

One book of the Bible that I sneaked looks at frequently in my teens, but never studied seriously, was King Solomon's Song of Songs. Long, idyllic Sunday afternoons while the whole neighbourhood took a siesta was the appropriate time for me to read love poetry. The stillness of the afternoon, the baby blue clouds, the very slight breeze sighing through the trees in the backyard and the chirps and coos of the birds in them will forever remain associated with the Book of Songs in my mind.

What a romantic book it seemed to me...better than even the thousands of slim Mills and Boon volumes that teenage girls my age devoured for breakfast, lunch and dinner! A handsome king, rich and mighty falls in love with a shepherdess, a dark but comely lass, who toils with her hands and is no match for the refined, smooth-skinned ladies of the king's court. And yet it she that the King loves and pines to make His own.

It was much later that I discovered why such sensual romance was part of the Holy Bible....that this was more than just a human love story.....that the Song of songs is an exquisite allegory for the love relationship we share with Christ.

In one memorable chapter, the maiden demurs to open the door for her lover who comes seeking her at night because she's half-asleep and can't be bothered to arise and dress again. The hesitation passes as the clouds of sleep clear and she realises that he is gone. Frantic, she runs around a darkened city, seeking him, calling him by name, only to be beaten and harassed by the night watchmen........in her own words, "she is faint with love" and yearns to be reunited with her royal lover.

Lovely setting....and to me, very remniscent of Revelations 3:20 - Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock.If any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him and he with me".....does the similarity strike you?

The Lord stands at the door of our hearts today, a passionate lover, waiting for us to let Him in.....do we hesitate to seize the chance to entertain the most honourable of guests? Does He turn around and walk away slowly, full of disappointment? Do we seek Him then, maybe way too late?

Reader, be advised: Jesus knocks today at the door of you heart......will you let Him in and enjoy His love in the midst of great rejoicing, or will you turn Him away unanswered? The choice is yours.....

Mirror mirror on the wall....

What did u see first when you woke up today (apart from the ceiling fan that is)? The dawn sky blushing silver and gold? Green trees, grass, flowers? Your dog wagging his tail for all he's worth because he's so happy you're stirring again? Or maybe (if you're the typical young person), it was just your TV set tuned to your favourite channel. But there's one important thing we rarely observe everyday......ourselves.

How many of us actually stand in front of the bathroom mirror and take time to gaze at ourselves....sure, we all do that in the prime of youth (or when we've just had a facial!). Sometimes, we take hard, critical looks at our features..."if only my nose were smaller, my lips poutier, my pimples gone and my stomach flat....." we moan....People in good shape go, "Mmmm...you handsome devil you...ur in great shape for your age!"

But how many of us actually stop and wonder at the creation that is 'us'. The wrinkles on your forehead, the crow's feet near your eyes, the leathery quality of old/sunburnt skin, the cracks in chapped lips, even the gray in your hair...how many of us take closer looks at these. We turn away hastily...we don't like visual cues that reminded us of ageing. The next time you turn away like this, STOP! And think...

The Word of God says we are wonderfully and fearfully made and that includes not just clear youthful skin, jet black hair or a firm body, but also gnarled rheumatic fingers, a toothless mouth and a face hidden in wrinkles....no matter how old we are or how ungarciously we age, we are still God's wonderful creations...every cell in your body speaks of His wonderous handiwork......every nerve, and the tiniest bone cries out praises to His name...every blood corpuscle, lymph node and the thinnest of veins marvels at His master design.

So the next time you pass a mirror, wait up, take a deeply appreciative look and say, "Praise the Lord!"

Gonna 'Bug' Ya Today!

Isaiah Ch:40 says "The Lord sits enthroned above the circle of the earth and its people are like grasshoppers"....Grasshoppers! Imagine that.....this is one verse that always struck me as terribly funny and intensely serious at the same time. I am as inconsequential as a grasshopper? On light summer days I remember sprawling on the grass of my garden, idly watching dragonflies, grasshoppers, ants and other little critters busily running, jumping and generally hurrying around on some pre-set busy schedule. I wondered wherever they could be going in such a hurry, but that was that. Not being an entomologist, I rarely gave them a second glance.....and now the Word of God likens me to one of these teensy things I could have stepped on if I'd wanted to!! Amazing!

So this is how I look to Almighty God from His throne in heaven? An inconsequential bug that runs around aimlessly, trying to achieve purposeless things, win meaningless victories, chases money, fame and fortune to no eternal end and finally one day, drops dead? Humbling thought! So I'm not really as wonderful as I or the world make me out to be? I'm just as important as a bug? Very Humbling! And nothing I do that doesn't have God at the centre of it matters? Food for thought huh?

If truth be told, we're not that inconsequential, atleast not to God. In our swollen-up self-important states of mind, it's easy to think that it's natural for God to love us. I mean, we're wonderful aren't we? We're beautiful, rich, successful, talented, popular...why wouldn't God love us? I've got news for you people...Hang on to your seats, but the truth is, God doesn't HAVE to love us....how many grasshoppers in your garden do YOU love???? And yet, God SO loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son....that's the amazing part!

He looks down at us grasshoppers, shakes his head in wonder at our misplaced priorities, weeps over the sinfulness, hate and violence that runs rampant among us, reaches out to rescue, redeem and repair our fallen hearts and through it all, continues to madly love us with an unquenchable passion. There's nothing we could have done or can do now to buy such priceless love....the single unchallenged beauty of Christ is that His love comes free...........yes, even to grasshoppers!