So Simple!

I’ve started listening to an audio version of the Bible on my car’s CD player these days and I find it very relaxing to have someone read out the life-giving Word of God while I wrestle with traffic, pollution and time-management issues, not to mention fighting the urge to flip my finger at fellow-commuters who insist of getting in my way!
It was during one of these sessions that I came across the healing of the invalid man by Jesus near the pool called Bethesda (John 5:1-15). I have read this passage innumerable times before and have always dismissed it as one more of Jesus’ many kindnesses to pathetic mankind. Somehow though, that particular day, I was blessed to see the entire episode in a totally different light.
Picture this reader – here is this invalid sick man, lying among thousands like him, hoping like all of them to be healed someday. And that hope had lasted 38 years!! That’s half the man’s life gone. Every morning hope would blossom anew in his tired heart that perhaps, just perhaps today would be the day he would be the first to enter the pool as soon as the angel had stirred it. And every morning for 38 years, he was disappointed.
Yet he hoped and persevered……you’ve gotta hand it to this guy for his patience and spunk what say? Maybe it was this that set him apart from the other sick multitudes there. Maybe it was this patience and forbearance that singled him out in Jesus’ eyes for we are told that He enquires and learns of this man’s pathetically chronic sickness.
Now note this - In all these 38 years, the invalid could see only one way out of his problems – that someone would someday show mercy on him and help him get into the pool first. He had lived 38 years for that one day. And that memorable day did arrive, when Jesus came to the feast in Jerusalem, but not in a way this man could have ever imagined.
Jesus did not attempt to race others to the pool carrying the invalid. He didn’t even attempt to advocate that someone do the same. All He did was to look the man in the eye and say "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." And he did! What amazement must have coursed through his body that moment, that every cell of his being snapped to attention at this stranger’s bidding! What joy must have filled his soul at his freedom, his reinstation among the rest of mankind, his restoration to normalcy. What gratefulness he must have experienced that he now had a chance to resume and fully live out the rest of his life! Thrilling!
I wonder though if he every reflected later, that his deliverance came as expected, but in the most unexpected way. He never in a million years would have imagined that the Son of God would be incarnated and choose to heal him out of the thousands who lay near the pool. And yet it happened. In God’s Time. In God’s way – such a simple way.
We are like the invalid sometimes. Our problems engulf us, take all our attention and demand all our problem-resolving resources. So much so, that sometimes we forget that our answers are not the only ones. Turning to God simplifies our lives, solves our issues and enriches our living in unimaginable ways. So what are you waiting for today? Look up (to God), give up (your problems), live up (your life)!!

Philippians 4:6 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

WHY?

Questions are forerunners of mankind's progress. The 'How?' question led to unimaginable scientific advancement while the 'Who?', 'Where?' and When?' questions contributed to the enrichment of today's treasury of historical and geographical knowledge. But for the life of me, I find it very difficult to understand why anyone in their right senses would invent the 'Why?' question.

In my opinion, the 'Why?' question must have been the original fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil! Original sin stemmed from a thought that ran along these lines: "Why can't I disobey God?". And here we are today with the world in one big mess!
Think about it. The 'Why?' question - "Why do people die?", "Why do relationships break?", "Why do bad things happen to good people?" "Why is life so unfair?", "Why is there so much poverty, war and violence in the world?" "Why am I here?" and most importantly, "Why is this happening to me?"
The dreaded 'Why?' - root of all discontent....the springboard for man's eternal quest for spiritual answers. Have you noticed how easy it is to come up with an obvious answer to someone else's 'Why?' question? In Biblical times (and sometimes even today), a man's sickness or misfortune were often blamed on his sins and the sins of his fathers AND the sins of his forefathers to boot! Remember Job? Or the blind man from Jesus' time? I wonder though, if every head that nodded agreement at the derivation of this comfortable solution, would have continued to nod affirmation if the illness or despair had been their own.
Life often whirls us into situations of trial, temptation, life-threatening disease, dignity-threatening issues, financial disasters and moral failings and it must be a very hardened heart or a completely hopeless one that doesn't sweep it's eyes heavenwards and cry, "WHY????". But heaven is strangely silent. There is no answer. God seems a million miles away....sometimes, even imaginary....
And yet, the Word of God is firm in it's assurance....."And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). Frustrating huh? It's very clear that nothing can happen to a believer that God is not in control of. But then, doesn't that mean He knows and allows what we're going throught? What could possibly be 'good' about a handicapped newborn or a dead wife or a devastated family or a failed career? What 'good' could God see in the heart-rending pain that He allows us to sometimes suffer?
He dismisses our reasoning of pain being the consequences of 'past sins' with a careless wave of His hand and assures us that present crises are exactly that - of the present and not of the past. Then Why, Why, Oh Why do these things happen? Isn't believing in His holy name supposed to render us immune to the fiery darts of the Evil One? Isn't Almighty God the big kid on the block who's supposed to fight for us? Why then, do failures, disappointments and disasters happen?
The answer is actually rather simple. God never promised us immunity, prosperity or freedom from problems. He freely gives us instead, the gifts of salvation, eternal life and and freedom from sin. But are these intangible gifts worth the very real pain we go through? Yes they are. Why? (see, the incorrigible 'Why' strikes again!) Simply because He thought we were worth the tremendous physical and spiritual pain that He suffered on the cross....
Life will never cease throwing painful situations at you....but the next time you're in one of them, instead of clutching your hair, staggering about and groaning "Why?", you would do well to remember you've got a dad up there with an excellent aerial view of the maze you're struggling to navigate.....and He paves your roads with experiences and situations that draw you closer into fellowship with Him and serve to glorify His holy name some distant day in the future.
”‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11-13). Now if that ain't a guarantee, I don't know what is! So with eyes turned hopefully towards an unknown future and our groping fingers firmly gripped in His omniscient ones, may we gratefully head towards the horizon of a new and completely fresh year.

Blessings, prayers and best wishes for a Christ-centred and radically fulfilling New Year 2007! God bless!

Hair Care

How attached are you to your hair? Whoa, wait, hang on now....before you start discussing your hair loss problems with me, here’s a spot of clarification.....what I meant was, just how much do you love your hair? If I should hazard a guess, I’d say a whole lot! Well, atleast I do.
I’m blessed with thick dark hair and even as a child, I have loved my hair with all my heart. While all the princesses in my fairy tale books (including the very memorable Rapunzel) had looooooooooong, flowy locks, it was the bane of my young life that my mom didn’t seem to see things the same way. No long hair for princes to climb over for her. As far as she was concerned, long hair meant more washing, scrubbing and combing. So every month (with monotonous regularity because my hair grew like the dickens), I’d be dragged off, heels digging into the dust.......to the barber’s saloon.

No, don't re-read that....it was the barber's saloon alright, not a beauty parlour, but the barber’s saloon! My parents are a very practical couple and they didn’t see why a 7-year old had to be dragged all the way to a beauty parlour in the city when the chopping can happen just as efficiently in the friendly barber’s parlour just next door. Ok, so I wasn’t grooming to win any local beauty competitions, but still, a barber’s parlour? You guys may not think it’s such a big deal….but I’m the one that had to sit on a hard wooden seat every month and watch my lovely locks getting pruned off me like a lamb before the shearers!

And inevitably, I would return after every haircut with a jubilant father, visibly relaxed at escorting back a quiet and withdrawn child who on the way to the torture chambers had been a tornado of teeth and feet, biting, dragging and kicking all the way! And beside this victorious man would walk a solitary tearful little figure – me, drooping, wilted, staring watery-eyed at a tiny fist clutching little clumps of my massacred hair that I’d surreptitiously managed to salvage from the barber’s chair!! Yeah people, I loved my hair that much! Don’t feel too sorry for me though, ‘cos I invariably got my revenge. Now my mom wants me to have long, plaited braided hair like a traditional Tamil girl and what do I have? Shoulder-length layered cut! Hee hee!

By this time, you probably have a lifted eyebrow and a “And your point is?” look on your face. Ok then, here’s my point. Sure, I loved my hair enough to take home the remnants, but my grief lasted only a few fleeting minutes. An enticing lollipop from my mom’s mysterious candy cupboard would have had me forgetting my barber shop woes in seconds….after all, it was only hair (Tamil readers, you’ll probably get my gist!) and mine grew like someone fed it Super-Gro anyways! But the Word of God says that the Lord considers even this most superficial part of me, something precious. He cares so much about my hair that He keeps daily count - knows just how many new hairs grow and how many we lose on a daily basis! Now isn’t that awesome? I mean, like why would anyone really bother? But He does bother! Anything that has anything to do with me is His concern, however unimportant it may seem to the rest of the world.

Mothers are known for being hawk-eyed and fiercely protective. They know exactly when baby has popped a stone into his mouth and they know exactly where to hunt for the lost pacifier, stuffed animal or shoe. But even they couldn’t stand up to the attention you and I get from God! He’s constantly watching us as we trudge through life trying to do things our way (consequently messing them up), ever ready to come to our rescue even when we push Him away, planning out a future that we usually toss in the bin and simply seeking our hearts with a yearning to feel His love reciprocated!

Look at it this way people. Here we are worrying about everything from dandruff to death while God’s working quietly, calmly, unruffled and at His own pace. From the top of your head to the tip of your toes, He’s got it ALL covered! So let your hair loose (pun intended) and know that you’re loved….more than you can ever comprehend….yeah, even those of you going bald right now….it’s ok…atleast you’re making it easier for the Lord to keep count!

Matthew 10:30 - And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Sex: God's Gift Or Mankind's Curse?

For those of you who scrambled down here in a tearing hurry because you saw the word ‘sex’ in the title, terribly sorry, but I’ve got nothing titillating to say. This is a rather preachy piece and I’m not apologizing for any lusty sentiments I may be treading underfoot because I believe that (1) my opinions are based on the Word of God (2) the Word of God is always right and (3) this is my blog and I’m darn well gonna say whatever I want to, on it! Don’t fret reader. You can always go back to your own blog and crib about the injustice of it all….

From ages past, sex has been a fascinating topic to discuss, debate, opine and generally just roll around the tongue. It was a mysterious act, shrouded in intrigue, taboo and darkness. Granted that open discussions on sex have blossomed in the 21st century, but that I would think is more out of fear – fear of STD, VD and the dreaded HIV. Over the centuries, culture, fashion, lifestyle and popular opinion have tossed their opinions of sexuality around, swinging from one extreme to the other. While upto the 20th century sex was frowned upon as a healthy topic of discussion, the 1960’s saw the era of the flower children and free love became cheaper than a lemon.

What is sex really? A gift from God or a curse on mankind? Diplomatic people would say a little bit of both. I say it depends on how you use it. While some people completely dedicate their entire lives to the exploration and celebration of the same, there are others who shush you and frown at the mere mention of the word. After all wasn’t it this dirty thing that brought AIDS into the world? I beg to disagree here. It is WE dirty things that brought AIDS into the world!

The Word of God at first glance seems to indicate that God primarily meant sex for procreation and not recreation. But then, think about it. If that was true, he might have just had us all laying eggs or something. I mean, there is no doubt that sex is an activity that is pleasing and acceptable to human beings. The human body is engineered in myriad exquisite ways to enhance sexual pleasure and sweep the participants to heights of ecstasy. How could it be then that God didn’t mean man to enjoy it? Of course He did.

But God, being the model for all earthly fathers, also laid down a few rules here. “Play by my rules”, He said “and all will be well with you”. Pretty simple rules really. Here’s my idea of how God would put it:

• "You’ve got one body, one heart, one soul….whaddya need more than one partner for, you greedy pig?"
• "Look human, I can’t make this clearer- same sex intercourse is disgusting…so get that'straight'!" (pun intended)
• "And no, you can’t do it with your family members either…why do you insist on making me puke?"
• "If you use my gift as a tool of violence or power one more time, I’m coming down there and then it won’t be pleasant!"
• "Just what is your problem with waiting till you’re married? Afraid every single member of the opposite sex will be raptured before that?
• "You need your neighbour’s partner like you need a bullet in the head…. what’s wrong with you people?"

I often imagine just how frustrated God must have felt at the way mankind hearkened to the Prince of the World and twisted and perverted what ought to have been a glorious gift to be indulged in with joyous abandon within the confines of holy matrimony, into a base instinct, a dirty thing to be done in the dark and sniggered at in daylight. Love, quickly replaced by lust.

Take pre-marital sex for instance. In today’s world it’s a done thing. If you’re still a virgin, it signals that you’re probably a dork with stunted social skills! The secular world sees sexual promiscuity as freedom…God sees it as sin. Yeah, some people condemn it too…for all the wrong reasons. Unwanted pregnancies, danger of STD, breakdown of sexual and emotional health – all very real undesirables, but there’s a bigger reason to wait. It’s called GOD.

If Christ is truly Lord of your life, then wait. Wait for the one He’s appointed for you. Wait for God to okay when and how you become sexually active. Wait for Him to bless the union and the experience will be positive and uplifting. Without Christ at the centre, sexual experiences can become frightening, perverted, repulsive, painful and even traumatic….all leading to guilt, fear, sickness of mind and body, obsession, psychological damage and more importantly the foundation for a barrier between you and your heavenly Father.

God gave us the amazing gift of sexuality to use wisely and relish, the way it was originally meant to be relished. A pure mind turned to Him, a consciousness submitted completely to His control, a heart that yearns to please Him will all help you say “no” at the right time. Look to Him for understanding and He will not refuse it to you (James 1:5) and be careful reader…tread soft ....do not awaken love before it so desires (Song of Solomon 2:7)....

God has a funny bone too!

An explorer in the deepest Amazon suddenly finds himself surrounded by a blood-thirsty group of natives. Upon surveying the situation, he says quietly to himself "Oh God, I'm screwed!!!" Suddenly, there is a ray of light from heaven and a voice booms out: "No, you are NOT screwed. Pick up that stone at your feet and bash in the head of the chief standing in front of you." So the explorer picks up the stone and proceeds to bash the living heck out of the chief. As he stands above the lifeless body, breathing heavily and surrounded by 100 natives with a look of shock on their faces, God’s voice booms out again: "Okay… NOW you're screwed."

Had a healthy laugh? Good. Its difficult to imagine God giving such instructions, but that sure was funny wasn’t it? In my opinion, humour is one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind. I don’t think he wanted a man who frowned or deadpanned all the time. He animated our features by teaching us to smile and delighted our souls with the sound of laughter. But He also understood that smiles and laughter would be become mechanical activities unless we had a reason for them…I think that’s when he decided to give us His divine gift of a sense of humour!

Humour is certainly divine, there’s no doubt about it. The Word of God itself is filled with subtle humour. It may not have you rolling in the aisles, but look hard and it’ll certainly tickle your funny bone. Take Jonah for instance. Has there ever been a funnier prophet? I mean the way he scrambles in one direction when God beckons to the other is worthy of being classified as slapstick comedy! He finally decides to play along and goes ahead and makes all these dramatic predictions of brimstone and fire raining down in divine judgement on the city of Niniveh. And then those silly people go and repent and our just and fair God forgives them! What an ass Jonah must have felt! And imagine the comical look on his face when his precious creeper wilted, leaving him frying in the hot Mediterranean sun!! Oh man, God’s a funny guy alright!

Clean humour never hurt anybody and can be used as an instrument of adoration and worship when directed well. I mean, who doesn’t like a strong sermon peppered with funny but meaningful anecdotes? Jesus Himself told parables…most of them satirical or even funny pertaining to the standard of humour in those days. Remember the time when the Pharisees tried to trap Him with the taxation controversy? Jesus deftly sides-steps them with a ‘Render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God, what belongs to God’. Then there was this other time when He gently explains how difficult it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven – “Like a camel passing through the eye of a needle” – a ridiculous picture if you actually imagined it! Sharp-witted guy, Jesus had to be!

John 11.35 is something people dwell on over and over again – ‘Jesus wept’. But consider this. This was a gentle man, who played with children, spent lots of time with friends and common people in pastures, mountainsides and lakesides, made merry with the poor, the sick and the shunned, inviting the displeasure of the rich, the religious and the powerful…..surely, he must have laughed too….sometimes in derision, sometimes in scorn and sometimes, in pure, unbridled mirth. My take is that the Bible didn’t record His laughter because with Jesus, mirth and rejoicing were an everyday occurrence while His tears were highlighted because that’s the only time it ever happened with Him! The best argument of all however that drives home to me that God has a sense of humour for sure, is from life itself – how else do you explain Murphy’s Laws people???

In Philippians, Paul exhorts us to ‘Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice!’. Why not through humour then? A well-told joke, sharp and ready wit, a gentle satirical nip can chase the gloom away and rejuvenate us to keep living the kind of joyous Christian existence that our Lord expects from us. So what are you waiting for? Let the miracle of humour be born in you again and may silver peals of laughter ring out the birth tidings!

Come like little children…..

When I was a little girl (and that was some time ago!), I was constantly told that Jesus loved little children, that He honoured their prayers and that it didn’t matter to Him what colour or shape or size they were….with Jesus, all little children were welcome!

I never questioned this…to me, it was a fact of life. Jesus loved little children because little children were special weren’t they? They were cute and endearing and funny and just….special! Everybody loved little children. So what was the big deal about Jesus loving them too? The only tangible benefit I could see in this whole ‘Jesus loves you’ business was that my prayers for a Raggedy-Ann doll at Christmas were much likelier to be answered than a grown-up’s!

At that age, Jesus to me was not an awesome, powerful God….He was my playmate, my brother…..the friend who always hung around with me. I spoke to Him at all odd times of the day and each time I could hear Him reply! His voice I remember was soft and low and sometimes we even laughed together. I took maximum advantage of His attention and would often ask for small favours - like finding a lost textbook the day before a big test or for weather changes depending on whether I had a picnic or a test the next…..and more often than not, He obliged!! Trust me, He did. And I took it all for granted.

As I grew up however, in a strange inexplicable way, this interaction came to a grinding halt. I woke up one day and suddenly realized that I couldn’t hear His voice anymore. It didn’t bother me much at first. I sort of thought He was taking a sabbatical or something…..but slowly, a kind of panic overtook me….a panic that slowly faded into regret when I realized the process was irreversible….a regret I still haven’t overcome today. Somewhere along my journey from childhood to adulthood, I’d lost the ability to converse with the Lord unselfconsciously and with nonchalant ease. Even today, though I have a satisfyingly deep relationship with Him, it is nowhere close to my experience as a child.

In Matthew 19:14, Jesus said “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it”. The NIV study Bible says Jesus was referring to the merits of a child’s nature where natural openness and receptivity at the acceptance of gifts abound. I however like to think differently….

In my view, this one little statement whisks us back to the beginning of time, to the book of Genesis where Adam and Eve frolicked in Eden, unaware of nakedness or shame. These were feelings alien to them until that fatal bite into the taboo fruit from the ‘No-No’ Tree. In effect, Adam and Eve were like children – innocent, unbiased, free of hate, prejudice, fear or anxiety. Their interaction with the Lord was personal and face-to-face …….until Adam fell.

That very moment mankind’s innocence was shattered. Since then, I believe the only time we humans glimpse that primal gift of blissful naiveté and artless, guileless state of mind, is in the genuinely simple nature of children.

In my understanding, Jesus demands that we let go of our prejudices that discern between colour, caste, race, religion and creed and learn to love each other the way children do. Children care not if their friends are poor or ugly or fat or even dirty! They do not shy away from another small grubby hand offered in friendship because the owner of that hand has AIDS. They don’t stop to think that they’ve draped their arms around another small body wearing shabby clothes. They don’t see people in terms of black and white, just a world full of colours merging in harmony. In effect, children reflect primal innocence…they remind God of His first human relationships and I think, that’s why Jesus loves them more.

When Adam fell, his eyes of discernment were opened wide. Today, Jesus demands we close them again and walk in faith in His Light instead…….that we give up our view of the world and revert to the innocence of our childhood……are we up to the challenge?

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?