Defining Failure [48/365]

Hebrews 11 is widely known as the role-call of the faithful.
It talks about how faith guided and saved people. One of my favorite chapters in the Bible, I've enjoyed reading about how ordinary people became extraordinary by mere faith.

Are you confident that your name will find a place in such a roll-call in Heaven?
While we shirk away from a straight answer on this, I think it is also important to realize that many of these may never have realized that they were destined for greatness, let alone a place in the Bible.
Abraham was a deceiver (Genesis 12:10-20), Moses was disobedient (Numbers 20:1-13) and David was a murderer (2 Samuel 11). Despite their sins, the men and women of the Bible are remembered for their persevering faith and trust in God.
These are the men and women 'who through faith... out of weakness were made strong'.

I've seen too many people who've given up hope of salvation only because they refused to believe that God could forgive and cleanse them of their sins. 

I've seen too many people commit a sin only to believe that God will forgive us, because He said so. How skewed we are! 

While God can never accept a sin of commission, he still gives us a chance to turn back. Whenever we are ready.

We forget that only God can cleanse us and still want to use us for His purpose.

Are you ready to be cleansed?

That's credible! [14/365]

I hate credit cards and don't keep any.
But many years ago, I had up to seven cards for myself. And I kept myself clean. I knew that I shouldn't max it out and I rarely did.
Using it occasionally so that I could keep the banks happy while making sure I made the payments on time. I'd never spent more than a tenth of what I earned a month.

I knew my credit was clean when my bank gave me a per-approved platinum card. I couldn't even buy platinum jewelry but I already had a platinum credit card! I was ecstatic.
Gradually as the excitement died down, the card started leaving an imprint in my wallet. I was barely using it.

Then came my ex. Coming from a small town that had just one ATM, meeting a guy with a platinum card (capable of buying platinum jewelry) and three gold cards was like hitting a gold mine. In under a year, she had me max out all my cards and I owed money to the banks. It shattered my credit rating and I wondered how I could let something like this happen to me.

Sin has the same MO.
It allows you think that you are in control. Allows you to play safe for a while and just when you think you could make no mistake, bam! you are out of the ring. Ding Ding Ding!

In 1 Peter 2:11-21, we see how God cautions us, warning us that we will need to restrain ourselves lest we forget our roots. It is often said that a good name is hard to keep, a bad name is easy to get, and I subscribe to this.
In the pursuit of money and lust, I've known men and women who have fallen for the wrong partners and have slid down the wrong paths. They do realize that they have come down a path that have mutated themselves beyond recognition, but they are too naive to understand that our God is ever-forgiving. Their shame and pride stops them from ever repenting or asking for forgiveness.

At the other end of the spectrum, we see fair weather believers who give up their beliefs just because they suffer persecution.
Again, God have never promised you a bed of roses that have it's thorns removed. He has cautioned us, several times, in the form of parables and as documented evidences of staunch believers like Paul, Peter, Abraham, Joseph and Job who have held firm to their faith inspite of the huge challenges that they went through.

Finally, fight the good fight. End your race with your head held high. Keep the belief.

Always with you [11/365]

Learning how to ride a cycle is an integral part of a boy's growing up years much like how learning how to cook or apply make-up is in a girl's life.
I remember how I learned how to ride my BMX when I was a little boy.
My dad would always be behind me. I'd doubt if he's really holding the cycle steady but I was always sure that he was just a few steps behind me to hold me in case I was unsteady. Pompous as it sounds, I never fell off a bike learning. Many years later, despite his busy life, he'd always make sure that he attended every sport I played. A fond memory of how he rushed to the football field when an opponent tripped me, is still fresh.

My earthly father. He was always with me. Though he left me with a vacuum that can never be filled and I may not be able to hear him anymore and I may not be able to see him as much as I want to, but I still know that he is just a few steps behind me.

I'm reminded of Psalm 25:4-10 where the Psalmist describes the infinite love of God: Our heavenly Father. He's never left us. Immune to death but fully knowing the pain and tribulation that we as his children go through, He comforts us when we are unsettled. Heals us when we are ill, and leads us when we go astray.
We confess and He is eager to wipe clean all our transgressions and misadventures.

I quote a bumper sticker that I saw:
'If you feel God is far from you, guess who moved.'

Full of compassion, He wants a closer union with you. Always.

Blame Game

The Bible is treasure trove of stories, morals and good News. Of the thousands of stories in the Bible, my favorite story is that of Adam and Eve.

 

Genesis 3: 9-19 takes us to the critical moments before being thrown out of the Garden of Eden.

We see Adam and Eve hiding, out of fear and suddenly conscious that they are naked.

God, during one of His strolls in the Garden, call out for Adam, His favorite creation.

In the sequence of events, we witness God in a state of shock that His creation has disobeyed Him. God asks: "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" instead of accusing Adam, gives him a chance to explain himself and perhaps take responsibility for his actions.

Adam, blames his act on Eve, who in turn places the blame squarely on the serpent.

Inspite of being told by God not to eat out of the Tree, they did.

Instead of taking onus for their actions, they pass the blame along. 

Nice Try!

What God did afterward changed the course of history.

The man and the wife was banished from the Garden, which is a metaphor of all things good and virtuous.

The serpent gets to eat dust. Forever.

In the 21st Century, amidst tough times and rough living, if there is one thing we need to stop doing, it is stop the blame game. We need to resist the temptation to say "I just don't feel convicted about it" and "It is not really my gift"

With all the How to's and etiquette training that we have, it is surprising to see how people don't know how to take a blame and apologise graciously.

We find it easier to blurt out "It's not my fault" rather than give a sincere heart rendered apology.

We need to learn to accept criticism gracefully. Though, it is unreasonable to expect to be God-like, we know that we are His creations. A Creator who made His creations in His own image. He gave us the right to make decisions, even if they are completely against Him.
A God who gave us 'Free Will'.
And what do we do? We divide and rule. We split humans based on color, caste, creed, sex, wealth, and social status.
We must learn to stand up for our actions; good or bad.

When will we realise that we are all eligible to be His Family?
There was a sermon that I once heard.
Christians, are often told they are the Children of God. A statement of divine proportions. However, what we never realise is that, there is a disclaimer. We must earn the right to be called His Children.
As parents, would you call a random child on the street your child? Exactly.
You will need to do His Will. Obey Him, Love Him. Don't tempt sin.

God gave His creations Free Will for a reason.
So that we have enough time to stop whining, be responsible and do the right thing.

If this weren't so, nearly all of us would have been 'recalled' by The Manufacturer.

Emotional Atyachar: The flip side

I didn't catch the movie (Dev D) and was too turned off by the song but when I first heard about Emotional Atyachar, a show on UTV Bindaas, piqued my interest.

This show bears a lot of resemblance with 'Cheaters', a show that used to come on 'Reality TV'.

'Emotional Atyachar' (which means Emotional Trauma, in Hindi) though a very new show, has managed to grab much attention. EA is right up there with 'X Files' on my list of must watch TV shows.

Voyeurism is such a carnal passion. Sensationalized, packaged with a good name and catchy tune you've got a Super hit series.

The concept though similar to 'Cheaters' in the US, is specially adapted for the Indian audiences. It involves one of the person in a active relationship wanting the EA team do a 'Loyalty test' on their significant other. The 'Suspect' is baited with an attractive model/actor ('Undercover Agent') who will test the loyalty of the suspect by feigning physical intimacy.In almost all the shows, the suspect falls for the bait and is finally confronted by the 'Lead'. All hell normally breaks loose. Though the level of violence is not as much as in 'Cheaters', the consequence is pretty much the same.

Sin has the charms of a seductress. This is as true now as it was a billion years ago as it will be in a million years from now. I have been cheated upon a couple of times, but what really lingers are the thoughts "Why is this happening to me?" and 'What went wrong?"

You figure out the answers to these and you've cracked an age old code for a joyful relationship.

Infidelity in relationships are so common yet, you never think this could happen to you. It is like one of those diseases (like AIDS) where you feel it would happen only to people of a certain demography or lifestyle. You could not be more wrong than a chimpanzee in an Alaskan ice berg. All it takes is one wrong step, one misplaced act, one thoughtless word and one ruthless lie. And if this happens in a marriage, then you are heading towards a divorce unless you overhaul your lives in a massive way. 

My Dad, as I was growing up, used to ask me to cut the grass when we were visiting our home in India so that I could go out and play with my friends. How I used to curse all the grass and weeds and wish I could just vacuum them up like the dust on the carpet. How I used to envy the other kids who didn't have to do all this to earn some play time. Now, I was clever (or I thought I was). I used to just cut the tall blades of the grass just till its roots. This was quicker. 'Man, I am a genius!!'

But come next morning, the damn grass has grown up again. 'Darn! What are they eating?'

Dad's play time condition stood. Unwavering, I went about 'pruning' it again. Day 3, same thing. I decided enough is enough and admitted defeat to my Dad. With all the loving and patient hug that only a Dad can give, he told me that every time I cut the grass, I am leaving the roots in there. 'As long as the roots are in there, you are not getting rid of the problem. Take the roots away, and you won't have a problem.' Why didn't he just say this before?, I thought. I haven't had a problem with the grass since.

Sin is very similar. In a fit of realization, we often cut the visible part of the sinful habit or behavior but leave the roots in us. Over time, we let it grow, eventually realizing that we are back in square one. Whatever be our sin of choice, over time we give up and resign to the thought that we are no good for God and that we might as well, enjoy the sin. Wrong again. God does love us. And He is giving us a chance to admit defeat to Him and ask him for guidance. I can hear Him tell me exactly what my Dad told me, 'Pull the sin by its roots and you will not have a problem again'.

I had my sin and I am sure all of you have yours. I had mine for over a decade and a half. I tried every possible method known to man to overcome it, but it was pointless. In a world which teaches you, 'If you can't fight it, join it', I joined forces with my sin and reveled in it. Contrary to the joy that I thought I would enjoy, I was raked by relentless thoughts of guilt, anger, frustration and utter hopelessness.

My latest relationship was an eye opener. I realized that I had to uproot my sins. A pilgrimage to the Divine Retreat Centre, Challakudy helped me exorcise my demons. 

As any addict would testify, you cannot change what you do not accept. The relief and the joy that I have to know that I am free from addictions is incredible. 

Every morning is a joy. Every hour away from the addiction is another hour spent in His Grace.

Unfortunately, I had to wade through a lot of emotional atyachar myself to get through to the other end. I lost several years of my life trying to grapple with the addiction and the many relationships that failed. All is not lost. The old age adage 'Better late than never..' ironically stands tested here. 

Been there, done that, worn the T Shirt.