It wasn’t USELESS after all…

Last Wednesday started with a sinking, depressing feeling… though it shouldn’t have come as a surprise after the lack of peace and joy since the last couple of weeks - at home, in relations, and within me…

Mind was reeling with conflicting questions… and heart with hope (though a little faint) that something comes my way to renew my energies…

Everything I did was taking more effort than usual - from getting ready to sitting in the cab, to dragging myself in the office… Would it be any better later in the day?

Anyways… had to get on with the day so I started my routine with a cup of coffee… On my way back from the pantry, I just stopped over at a colleague’s desk to have a little chit chat we usually do to catch up on what’s happening in other’s life… Few minutes in the conversation, he opened his desk drawer and took out something to give me…
Boy…Was I Surprised? YES of course, what else do you expect?

Moments later after finishing the conversation, I walked away from his desk looking at the gift that I now held in my left palm. And I paid no heed at all :) to his comment “it’s kinda useless.”

I was more interested in the range of emotions I was experiencing all of a sudden… from the childlike excitement and curiosity on getting something new… to the pleasant feeling on being surprised… to the emotion of being cared… to the burst of new energy that I suddenly felt…

Let me tell you the small shiny thing was not just an unexpected gift… it seemed it was a reminder…

But before I share what it reminded me of, let me actually share what it was – A shiny silver key chain shaped like a book encasing a miniature bible... brought a :) to your face just like it did to mine.

It may sound strange, but it is really true. The few seconds I took to reach my desk, all the while looking at the gift held in my palm, left me with a renewed experience… as if something got re-activated :)

What I got reminded of was who I always have i.e. Christ, my eternal friend, my Savior and what He has given i.e. His Word for me to keep forever and gain strength from every time I am in need.

Suddenly, the day didn’t look dull, dead, or depressing. Suddenly I was looking forward to all the work, and travel planned in the evening that would otherwise tire me physically. Suddenly my spirits were lifted to a completely new level, a renewed confidence that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:3… my all time favorite verse from Bible).

To the one (hope he will get time to read this post) who gave me the “kinda useless” gift, I want to say: “Bless you buddy… Trust me when I say you contributed in my life. And it wasn’t useless after all :)”

The Light of the Body…

The fog hitting the cab’s windscreen & side windows in the morning was so HEAVY & THICK… probably reflecting the state of my mind?

The words were floating before my eyes and nothing that I read registered… my vision was impaired because of the wetness in my eyes. I continued making an effort to read from the Word of God, not just because I didn’t want to dishonor what I held in my hands but also because somewhere I had faith that His message will get through my muddled head and wavering thoughts.

And it did with this verse that caught my eye… :)

The eyes are like a lamp for the body. If your eyes are sound, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eyes are no good, your body will be in darkness. So if the light in you is darkness, how terribly dark it will be!

Suddenly something dawned and I asked myself - what am I doing with the most precious part of my body literally? Did He give me these eyes to waste with tears? NO. And the minute I said that in my head, my tears stopped instantly. Though the mental debate continued as I tried to understand and interpret what I read.

As soon as I could, I asked my best friend Google, and here came a whole lot of interesting and detailed interpretations of the verse. With various points of view in front of me - from the metaphorical to literal and moral to spiritual, a question cropped its head in my head :)

Which sight would be WORTHY enough for me to set my eyes on FOREVER?

Not the sight that shows evidences of my unworthiness at every step of the way. Not the sight that shows me how unloved I am by this world. Not even the sight that shows what all is lacking in my life. And definitely not the sight that focuses on why a future full of hope is not possible for me.

DARKNESS… I hereby shun you away from my sight forever….

My eyes have found a vision in the ONE who is worth a lot - my reverence, my obedience, my faith, my surrender, and above all my love… because He loved me even before I was born or loved Him.