What is Christmas to me?

For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John3:16
This is a true saying, to be completely accepted and believed: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I am the worst of them, but God was merciful to me in order that Christ Jesus might show his full patience in dealing with me, the worst of sinners, as an example for all those who would later believe in him and receive eternal life. To the eternal King, immortal and invisible, the only God---to him be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen. 1Timothy1:15-17
It gives me a tremendous joy to know that He was patient in dealing with me even when I rejected His existence and He saved me by His grace.

....become like children, ....enter the Kingdom of heaven

In the morning while I was riding to office I was thinking about a friend and praying for him. Something incredible came to my mind. It’s here:

One evening I was sitting with a family and we got this news that a small boy is in a hospital struggling for life. Everyone was on their knees, praying for this child. All of sudden in the middle of the prayers I heard a shout, “Please Papa; heal him, Papa. You are the healer”. I couldn’t wait and opened my eyes and saw a little girl praying to God, calling him Papa because she was taught that He was her father. I was so moved by that prayer. What compassion! What zeal! What confidence! What purity! And what faith!

It is written, “I assure you that unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven”.

I wanted to cry aloud and scream as I said, “Lord, give me such heart; Oh, Lord!”

That day, once again I was convinced that God even hears simplest of the prayers and answers in His greatness.

Needless to mention, the boy was home the next day.

We have understood how created things work.

As I entered my teen years I found myself surrounded with multitude of questions about life that troubled me day after day and in search of the answers to those questions, I, an atheist came to a conclusion that “I” can rule my life if I make myself rise to a certain level of power within me. Only a fool can think that. Pro 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes.

Having lot of questions about living things in mind I tried to study what people have to say on the life of man. And I learnt that we have knowledge about every creeping thing on the face of this earth. We have studied their behavior. We have studied their anatomy. We tried to trace their origins. We have all these philosophies of life but we don’t have the life giver. We have understood how created things work but we failed to understand their creator.

Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Sadhu Sundar Singh once said, supposing there is a tree full of fruits -- you will have to go and buy or beg the fruits from the owner of the tree. Every day you would have to go for one or two fruits. But if you can make the tree your own property, then all the fruits will be your own.

We spend time thinking about all the things He made; we have no time to give Him. We ask for all the fruits that He has for us; we do not ask for His very presence which is a tree that gives us those fruits.
Phillip Britts quotes Silesius’ writing, in his book ‘The Force Behind Nature’, "It is good to be busy and better to pray, but far better to stand mute and still before your God."
Standing mute and still before God is to tell God, “O God, here I withdraw, you take over.”

Dear Friend, I appreciate you!

I remember something great about a couple I knew few years back. In their conversations the man used tell the woman almost every day, “You are so good!” and the woman religiously answered, “You are better!”

Isn't that a wonderful way to express your love and appreciation?

Many times we find it so hard to say something good about others. An American businesswoman Mary Kay Ash says, “Everyone wants to be appreciated, so if you appreciate someone, don't keep it a secret.”

I learnt two things from Mary Kay’s statement.
1. I need to appreciate people openly
2. I want to be appreciated

I have so many people around me and so many of them have outstanding qualities that need appreciation. But instead of appreciating them I keep pointing to their mistakes which in turn bring blemish on me manifolds, everyday.

So I thought, I will avoid pointing out your mistakes and do not miss a single chance to say something good about you, that you really deserve.

I may sound selfish even here, but that’s ok for it is to help us. Read again the point numbered 2, above.

Do for others what you want them to do for you.

When was the last time you appreciated somebody? You did it today, that’s great. You didn’t? Don’t worry. It’s not late to start it right away.

The fear of the H1N1 is the beginning of Swine-Flu

It's been a long time I last wrote here. I had a busy weekend in Pune as the first week of the month of August-2009 got over. I happened to sit with different groups of people, almost from all the levels of the society. I don’t remember a single group that did not touch the issue of the pandemic that hit the world and created waves in the city that has left the people in panic.

Pune saw the highest sell of masks in the city ever. They even fell short of the supply at one point. Many people are deeply concerned about their health while youngsters at some places are just seen making fun with those masks in the groups and the little ones are too eager to put them on in their natural curiosity even as they don’t understand the fact that many of the masks sold in the city are good for nothing. Without even knowing that those masks are unable to save you from the virus because of their poor quality they are thriving to buy masks for their families.

I was wondering why people are so scared. Did it never happen to you that you were filled with fear for something and at the end you come to know that it was just the fear that encircled you? and Noting happened as you feared to. So why panic?

Media apart from giving the knowledge of the disease gave enough lift to the issue than required. Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Sunday that around one-third of the Indian population was likely to get infected with the virus over the next two years, in accordance with WHO predictions. And we immediately put ourselves in the said 33%

What are the safety measures and what is the remedy for the situation? Let us look at the issue as God would see from above. It is written that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”

We are so used to fear the situation around us and fall prey to it. Here it says something about fearing God and the reward of that fear. This is the only fear in the world I have ever experienced that always rewards me positively.

So let us not fear anything else because every other fear creates negative impact on us but the fear of the LORD gives us wisdom to fight all odds. That’s the precaution against all the diseases of any form.

And the remedy is here in Proverbs 3:7-8 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Here it says if you fear the Lord and depart from evil then you will stay away from the diseases.

Dear friends, according to WHO, 168 countries of the world are sufferring from the global pandemic, we cant afford to just wait and see, its time that we repent on behalf of our cities and nations that the Lord makes his promise come true around us by healing our Land. Let us make the path straight and see Him walk in our lives.
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Luke 3:4

How hard it is to keep myself me!

Early morning one Sunday when I traveled in the city visiting churches in different parts of the town regarding some promotional activity for a meeting we had planned a week ahead. It has been an opener in one of the churches I entered.

As I entered the building I saw a girl sitting inside the front lobby right opposite the door. I walked by the counter and started talking to a friend about the upcoming event. While I was discussing with the people I noticed that the girl was staring at me with a strange look. I thought I have met her somewhere before. Ignoring her I went on talking with the friends there, as it was important for me for that moment.
On the way back from there I remembered that it was the same girl with whom I fought on a petty issue of the services provided by her telecom company on one of my phones.
Today I was in front of her like a nice, socially responsible person and not the same crazy fellow she met the other day.
I learnt a lesson, this is how we are? Why can’t we see ourselves behave masked off rather than showing our masks which has different colors every single moment…?
It’s hard to just be yourself………every day, isn’t it?

What's Wrong with the WORLD around me?

Last couple of months I have come across few of my friends discussing about the destiny of the life. Some are very positive about it and others have a negative perspective on the subject. But, even when those who think positively about the destiny in life fail to understand what exactly life is asking from them.

Robert Kiyosaki in his best seller “Rich Dad Poor Dad” quotes his Rich Dad saying this:
"If you learn life's lessons, you will do well. If not, life will just continue to push you around. People do two things. Some just let life push them around. Others get angry and push back. But they push back against their boss, or their job, or their husband or wife. They do not know it's life that's pushing."

They do not know it's life that's pushing. The reason we fail to understand life’s push is because we have been already pushing on the objects around is and ignoring what life wants to teach us.

In the present scenario of the busy world around us a child is born, goes to school, gets a job, gets married and brings children in the world to repeat the cycle with an only difference that the newer generation has lesser time to spend with others compared to the previous generation. In all our business we often forget to ask ourselves what am I ultimately living for?

One of my friends asked me a simple, common question the other day, ‘What did we bring and what are we going to take with us?’ –NOTHING
I wasn’t surprised because he asked it but I was surprised to realize that the person he was pointing to when he said that was someone whom he once respected and adored.

I remember talking to a young boy in a small counseling meeting. I asked the boy, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” He quickly answered, “I want to make people feel happy in whatever way I could”. I was impressed but it only gave me a sting of how much this lad was craving for happiness in life. After studying his case I learnt that he was abused in the family.

We changed the basics of living and sharing our lives, We give away costly things burgers, beer, meet and everything but we forget to serve a little love, care and hope with it.

If you know the real goal of your life and you are on the right path you will never stumble anyone because it is then you will have left all your insecurities and worries far behind on the way and that they never come to you again.

We deal with people every day. You gain some and lose many in the process, that’s our business today. We keep an account of wealth gained and spent. We give a very little time to take an account on what we have won and lost in the most important game called Life.

What’s wrong with the world around me? I think I need to change. I will be glad to heal the wounds that I have ever given and take heed not to make the mistake again.