I Believe in God

“Congratulations!”, “What are you saying?”, “Finally!”, “This is a big mistake.”, “This came as a shock!”, “Think again.”, “Why? Why now?”, “You are kidding, right?”........ These were some of the reactions I received when I resigned from my first job on 14^th August 2012 without having any job in hand! Yes without a job in hand!! What made me do that? Well, thought of sharing that here.

I had actually been thinking about looking out for a better opportunity for some months now. The reasons for the same were many - both professional and personal. However, I was in dilemma and didn’t know what to do and how to proceed? I wanted to resign, but how could I without getting another job! I consulted a few close friends and family members and they gave me different advice, which confused me further. It had become difficult for me to continue with such ambiguity and I had to decide what to do with my life sooner than later.

Finally, I decided to consult someone who had helped me take many of the major decisions in my life – God, my Heavenly Father! I decided to spend a weekend praying and trying to listen to what He had to tell me. And what I heard surprised me!!

11^th August, 2012: After spending some time in prayer and asking God’s advice I came across the Bible passage - Jeremiah 21:1-10. Some of the verses through which God clearly spoke to me were: “Those who remain within the confines of the city will meet their death....; those who go out ... will live.” After reading it, I was sure God was asking me to leave. I shared the passage with one of my friends who also got the same insight!

12^th August 2012:  After spending some time before the Blessed Sacrament, God spoke to me through the passage – Zechariah 2:10-17. And this is what He had to tell me: “Come, Come! Flee from the land..... Come, Escape O Zion!” ..... “Whoever touches you, touches the apple of my eye.”

I was stunned, shocked, amazed on how precisely, how clearly God spoke to me through my friend and through two unrelated passages from the Bible. The message was loud and clear to me – it was time for me to leave, time for me to resign. I also received assurance that everything will work out well – it may not be in terms of a better job or higher salary, but it surely would be according to the plans God has for me. That night I decided to let go of my worries regarding the bleak job market, the chances of making the biggest blunder early in my career. I decided to let go of the logical and rational person that I am and instead decided to trust God’s plan, decided to trust God’s words! I decided to resign.

13^th  August 2012: I wanted to speak to my superior regarding the same, however wasn’t able to.

14^th August 2012: God spoke again, confirming what I was about to do was correct. 1 Thes 2:13 – “...on receiving our message, you accepted it, not as a human teaching, but as the word of God. This is what it really is.” He asked me to trust in Him as well through the verse Psalm 32:10 – “...the Lord’s mercy unfolds those who trust in Him.” The same day I took the blind leap of faith. I resigned and started serving three months of my notice period absolutely unsure of what was in store for me.

In the following days and weeks, God spoke to me in so many instances, through the Bible, through people, through the mails I read, through signs I saw on the road..... It was just crazy! Every day I used to be amazed how God would speak to me, guide me, comfort me. He was like a loving father, walking by my side, showing me the way when I was lost!

With His grace, things started working out for me.  My resume was shortlisted in a reputed organization, with the help of one of my friends and I was clearing rounds after rounds of interview. However, I wasn’t prepared for what was coming my way. After attending the final round of interview, there was a delay in receiving any communication. When I contacted them, I was told it might take some time and that they were still discussing. Even though I knew I had to trust God, I became anxious and worried that this offer may not materialize at all. The next day (Saturday), during my daily time with God, I shared everything with Him and in return, He showed me a glimpse of a big fish. The first thing that came into my mind was the story of Jonah, how he was swallowed by a big fish and then spat out on the third day. Was this an indication from God, that I would receive some good news on the third day?? I just hoped. On Sunday, while attending a prayer meeting, the priest mention Jonah’s story to me without having a clue of what was going on in my life! This was a confirmation from God that something was going to happen on the third day.  On Monday evening – the third day from Saturday – I received a call confirming that I was selected, that I was being offered a job!! My joy knew no bounds!! I couldn’t thank God enough for being by my side all through these days.

11^th November 2012: My last working day at my first organization. Many times during my notice period, many asked me to reconsider my decision and revoke my resignation. There were times when even I wondered if I should do the same. However, the decision to resign was not mine, it was God’s. The decision to revoke, couldn’t also be mine.

14^th November 2012: Exactly three months after my resignation, I joined the new organization.

Many a times in our lives while taking a decision, we depend on ourselves and on others, when what is needed is to trust God and to listen to Him – the one who created us, who gave us this life, who knows every second of our life. We don’t have to be a saint to be able to listen to Him. We just need to be a child looking up to our loving Father, willing to trust Him completely.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5,6)

God Bless!

My Chains are Gone

A classroom with amphitheatre style seating arrangement, almost 100 final year B School students, a team of five who just finished their presentation, a very renowned and well loved Professor and one of the students singing a song to all of them. Well, this was the scene during one of our lectures a few years back when I was doing my final year MBA. And the guy singing the song was me!!!

During MBA, power point presentations had become a part of life – you make, talk, copy, discuss, eat, sleep, walk, dream PPTs! And this was supposed to be one of them. A regular group presentation on some random topic given by our professor. I don’t even remember what the topic was and what we presented. But I surely do remember how it ended. Soon after the presentation, the professor asked me a few questions and then to my surprise asked me to sing! I had no idea what was happening, but I guess he thought that I was someone who was living a very sad life and needed to smile. I was like that some years ago, but definitely not at that point of time. A lot of things had changed since I found God. Now, after hearing his rather unexpected request, I sang the first song that came into my mind - “Amazing Grace – My chains are gone”. Irrespective of how good the song is, the outcome of my singing was as expected - pathetic. I guess, the professor would have realized that he should have never asked me to sing in the first place. Till date, that's one of the weirdest moments in my life.

Well, about the song, I actually heard it for the first time during my college days and it soon became one of my favourites. It still is. Its words were an inspiration for the earlier name of my blog – Unfailing Love Abounding Grace.  And earlier this year, I was inspired to make a video for the song. Thought of sharing the same with you all (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6gSU1Y0XGM) 

The video starts with a scene from the Gospel regarding the adulteress woman whom Jesus forgave (read here), followed by the song with scenes from the Passion of Christ and ends with what I find, one of the most powerful verses from the Bible – one which assures of God’s inseparable love for us, words which changed my life and how I look at it.

God Bless!

Mother Shows the Way

In everyone’s life there comes a stage when almost every time they log into their FB account they would see their friends inviting them for their wedding, uploading their wedding pics or updating their status to either “Engaged” or “Married”. For me, that stage has arrived! And last week, I attended a much awaited wedding of two of my very close friends. I met them during my MBA course and since day-one we have been friends. After all these years, it was amazing to see them share their wedding vows, promising to be with each other in good times and bad, for better or worse, through sickness and health.... 

After the wedding service, we headed for the reception where everyone was waiting to wish the newlyweds and get their photo clicked with the stars of the day. The MC asked everyone to come in a line, enter the stage from the left and leave from the right. In no time a long queue formed. My friends and I decided to wait and go after some time when the mad rush to wish the bride and groom simmered down. So almost after an hour, we decided to finally join the queue. We were waiting for our turn to enter the stage from the left, when I saw the groom’s mother entering the stage from the right. With her were a few people whom she introduced to the couple. They wished them, got a snap with the bride and groom and left – all that without waiting in the queue!! And that’s when I realized that mothers always know the short cut to reach their son.

Isn’t our Mother Mary like that? Isn’t she the “the safest, easiest, shortest and most perfect way of approaching Jesus” (St Louis de Montfort)? The wedding reception reminded me of the wedding feast at Cana where Jesus performed his first miracle. (Click here to read more) And what led to that miracle? Mother Mary’s words – “Do whatever He tells you.”  (John2:5) Till that day no one had seen the divinity of Jesus. No one knew Jesus had the power to help those in distress. No one knew He could perform miracles. No one except His Mother. Mother Mary understood the anxiety of the family of the newlywed, the worry of impending shame of not being able to serve the guests with the ceremonial wine, the helplessness of the ones arranging the feast. When she saw them running out of wine, she approached Jesus and with confidence in her Son, she asked others to obey Him. Jesus performed his first miracle and changed water into wine. The guests received the choicest wine of the day and the family was saved from a lifelong embarrassment.  All this, just because Mother showed them the way to Jesus!

Over the last few years since I came to know God’s love for me, I was always grappling to answer the questions - why should I respect Mary, why should I show my devotion to her, why should I ask her to pray for me. But that day, during the wedding reception of my friends, I got the answer! Many years back a reporter asked Mother Teresa a similar question and she replied, “It’s really quite simple: Mary is the mother of Jesus; without her He wouldn’t have been born. No Mary, No Jesus.”

So, this month as we celebrate the devotion of Holy Rosary, let’s take time to recite this powerful prayer and ask our Mother Mary to lead us to Jesus his loving Son!

God Bless!

Lesson from an Interview

Usually people take lessons before appearing for an interview, but this one time I got a lesson from an interview.

A few months back I was sitting in an interview panel, but thankfully on the other side of the table. I had known the panellist sitting along with me for quite some time, but hadn’t got an opportunity to interact with him closely till that day. He was fairly senior and a much respected member of the organization. As we started interviewing candidates, I realized that the interview was getting over way faster than it should otherwise have been! After a couple of interviews, I had to intervene and tell that we needed to spend more time with the candidates to understand them better before taking a decision. To my surprise, my colleague’s opinion differed.  He mentioned that he needed only two minutes and three questions to find out whether a candidate should be selected or not. He had done courses in face reading, body language etc etc etc and hence he was able to judge the candidate’s ability instantly. Thankfully, I hadn’t done any of those courses and hence depended on the traditional way of talking to the candidates to know more about them and their competencies. What followed next was a long discussion between both of us at the end of which we decided to spend more time with the candidates and so we did.

That evening I thought how judgemental we are! How quick we are to make our opinions about others and how difficult it is for us to change it! Thankfully my God was not judgemental. He said, “I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” (John 12:47) Because, if He did, I would have been condemned straightaway. My name would never have had a chance to enter the good Book and I wouldn’t have had a chance to experience His love and mercy; I wouldn’t have had this life to live, I wouldn’t be here writing this blog right now!

In the time that Jesus spent here on Earth, he made it very clear that he didn’t go by what the others or society thought about individuals, he didn’t go by their judgement. He, in fact, spent time with people whom the society shunned and saved those who were being judged. He walked with illiterate fishermen whom others gave no respect, He ate with tax collectors whom others considered to be greedy extortionists, He helped prostitutes whom others wanted to be killed publicly, He touched and healed lepers whom others cast out as untouchables. In the eyes of many, these people were not worthy to be with God. But, God chose to be with them, to walk with them, to touch them, to heal them, to forgive them, to love them, to save them.

How easy it is for us to form an opinion and judge others just by a simple glance, just by the way they dress, just by the caste, creed, region, religion they belong, just by a mistake they would have committed, just by our limited interactions about them, just by what somebody else has told us about them. In many case we judge, form negative opinions which can’t be changed and condemn ones with whom we study, with whom we work, with whom we live, and in some cases even our own family members, If God doesn’t choose to judge them, who are we?

“Who are you to pass judgement on the servant of another? Whether he stands or falls, the one concerned is his master. But he will not fall, for his master is able to keep him standing.”  (Romans 14:4)

God Bless!

Lessons at the Police Station

In the last week I had quite a few adventurous days. Believe it or not, but I’ve been in and out of the police station! Thankfully, not as a convict, but as a complainant.

The week before that, I got an SMS which threatened me saying, “……You will see your end soon.” This was the first time that I got an anonymous threat to my life, but somehow I wasn’t disturbed. Nevertheless as a procedure and a precautionary measure I had to register a complaint with the local Police and that’s how the frequent visit to the cops began. After a few days, they finally nabbed the guy who did this. He was someone I knew. When I first saw him at the Police Station, I felt nothing, may be because I suspected him from the very beginning. But when he was questioned by the cops in front of me, there was such a surge of emotions within me. The lame excuses that he was giving and the way he was justifying his act made me furious. I felt disgusted and I could feel anger and hatred building up within me. I had initially decided to forgive him and ignore the incident but every time he spoke, the reasons and excuses that he gave were so irrational and argumentative that it became more and more difficult for me to forgive him.

And that’s when I heard something. The verses of Bible which I read sometime back and about which I wrote in my last post came back to me. “Love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who persecute you.” I felt a chill run down my spine and that moment I realized what exactly I was supposed to do. I had to forgive him, pray for him and bless him. It was easier said than done, but finally with His grace I was able to. At the end, before leaving the police station, I wished him all the best for his future.

This incident was such an eye opener! Such a small incident and it was so difficult for me to forgive him. Think about Jesus on the Cross. Stretched out on the cross, hanging by three nails between sky and Earth, he was surrounded by people who made fun of him, who mocked him, who ridiculed him, who accused him for things he never did, who chastised him, who crowned him with thorns, who made him go through the most painful torture, who crucified him, who were challenging him to come down from the Cross, who killed Him without knowing that it was for them that He was dying. Instead of hating them, cursing them, praying for their doom, He prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke23:34)  Woah!! Truly Awesome. I was left speechless when I pictured it.

I guess that’s why He is the Sign of Contradiction, He is the Messiah, He is my Lord and my God  and that’s why I follow Him.

Our God is an awesome God!

God Bless!

The GOOD Earth

Did you notice the moon on 5^th May? Well, I missed it due to my back breaking travel. But many across the globe did and they saw a Supermoon which was 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the average full moon.  You must be wondering why am I talking about the moon suddenly. Well, I saw a documentary some weeks ago and now it’s been coming back to me again and again. The documentary was about the Lunar Mission. In one section, it described in details the Apollo 8 Mission. Apollo 8, launched on 21^st Dec 1968, was the first manned mission to the Moon, the first time any spaceship left the Earth’s orbit and carried humans towards another celestial body, the first time any human would have travelled so far, the first time anyone saw moon from such close quarters and the first time anyone saw Earth as a whole planet. The privileged ones were the crew of Apollo 8 – Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders. During the 6 day mission, they orbited the moon ten times and sent live images and pictures to the people on earth. On 24^th Dec, Christmas Eve, the crew did something which surprised everyone. They sent a message back to the people on Earth. It was a live broadcast and, at that time, it was the most watched TV programme ever.

Before you read further, watch the video below about what they had to say. (If the audio isn’t clear please watch the video on YouTube and read the text in the description box http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkJEFs0XrrQ)

When I heard it for the first time I was awestruck, had goosebumps all over me. I was stunned to hear the words from the Book of Genesis, about how appropriate the moment was to read it, about how three men who were separated from the rest of mankind could see the beauty of God’s creation and share the same with them. But what struck me most were the last three words of the message – “ the GOOD Earth.”

God created the Earth and everything in it and said, "It was good." But right now, how many us feel that way. God created us humans in His own image and likeness.How many of us feel that way. How many of us fail to see goodness in others. How many of us fail to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, bless those who curse us, pray for those who treat us badly. (Luke 6:27, 28). I know, I fail to.

When Mother Teresa started her mission, she had very limited resources. On one occasion she went to a bakery owner and requested him to give her some bread for the orphan children. He was enraged and spat on her outstretched hand. Then Mother Teresa said, “I will keep this for myself, but give me some bread for my children” and stretched out the other hand. That man was touched; he immediately gave her bread and later became one of the main bread donors for her orphanage.  Mother Teresa was able to look beyond his arrogance and was not only able to see but also bring out the goodness in him.

In our lives, we may not go through such an extreme incident, but I’m sure there are many times when it becomes impossible for us to see goodness in others, in our colleagues, in our friends, in our family members and sometimes even in ourselves. And that’s when we need to realize that we all are God’s creation and God found us good. There is not even a single person in the whole world who is completely devoid of  goodness. We need to understand that we don’t know what the other person has gone through or is going through, we don’t know how his/her life has been, we don’t know what he is experiencing.  But what we know is that God created him and God found him good. In such situations let’s look beyond the obvious and try to see goodness in others. It might sound foolish, but let’s be illogical and like those three men let’s look at the big picture and see the goodness in each one of us.

“ If you love only the people who love you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners do that! ..... Love your enemies and do good to them... You will then have a great reward, and you will be the sons and daughters of the Most High God.” (Luke 6:32-35)

God Bless!

99 Balloons

My mom’s come over to stay with me. And since she is alone at home most of time, I had to get a TV before she came. So now when I get back home from work I get to watch TV with her.  From watching How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory alone, now I’m watching good old soap operas which have been going on for years, where in every episode some fight or the other erupts, someone dies, someone looses his/her memory power, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law take their camaraderie to a new level, someone starts plotting against someone else..... Whether it is these soap operas or the sitcoms, the stories just keep going on and on, seasons after seasons, years after years.

Well, today I would like to share with you another story. This is a real life story and unlike our favourite soap operas or sitcoms it doesn’t extend for years. This is the story of Eliot Hartman Mooney. His story lasts for a little more than three months, 99 days to be precise. Before he was born, doctors diagnosed him with Trisomy 18 also known as Edward's syndrome. It occurs roughly in 1 in 6000 births. Majority of the foetus die before birth and the ones who are born live only for a few weeks. His life is chronicled in the video below. Pls have a look.

He lived for 99 days. For those who study, thats a little more than a trimester at University, for those who work, a little more than a financial quarter. Its something that passes by so soon, but for him it was his entire lifetime. I really appreciate his parents who took the decision to have him in the world. Many others in their place would have decided not to. They did, and it changed their lives forever. Though they would have gone through a lot of pain and trouble, I believe they enjoyed and cherish each of those 99 days.

For many, having a foetus with ailment or deformity is a definite reason to abort. For many it is the future burden which makes the choice so obvious, while others may argue why should we let the child suffer his lifetime. Instead of that can’t we just put an end to it before it starts. Well, I guess Eliot’s parents gave them the answer.

Each one of our lives has its ups and downs, high and lows, good times and bad, moments when we feel we are the King of the world as well as the ones where everything seems to fall apart, moments to celebrate and cherish as well as the ones we don’t want to remember. But lets realize that no matter how long or short, how happy or sad, how easy or difficult, how convenient or troublesome, how successful or unsuccessful, it may be, our life is beautiful! And we should do everything to stand for it, to protect it, to nurture it, to save it.

Lets also take a moment to thank our parents who gave us this life, who made a conscious decision to bring us to this world. Had they decided otherwise, we would not have got a chance to see this world. We might have thanked them many times before or might not have done it ever, but today lets thank them for giving us this life. Right now as you read this, many parents around the world are making the other choice.

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

God Bless!

Stand for Life!

This Christmas vacation I had a great time at home.  Spent most of the time with my family talking and catching up on a lot of things. During one such chats, my mom told me something about her youngest brother’s family which made me admire them. Since I was born and bought up in Jharkhand, I was away from my extended family and there is very little I know about my cousins, uncles, aunts etc.  I’ve been to this particular uncle’s place only once in my life and don’t think have met them more than four times and hence knew very little about them. They live in a very small village in north Kerala. They have an elder daughter and a younger son.  When my aunt was carrying the boy in her womb, she fell sick. The doctor she consulted prescribed her medicines without considering the fact that she had a growing foetus within her. She was cured, but due to side effects of the medicine, the child inside suffered. It was found that the child would have serious physical deformation. This was a shock to the family which was surviving with limited means and was struggling to make their ends meet.  Everyone suggested that the child be aborted.  Considering the hardship that would follow, my uncle also was of the same opinion. But my aunt didn’t want to take the easy way out. She wanted to bring her son into this world and she did. Now he is in school, studying in standard tenth. Yes, he was born with many deformities. Yes, the family had to go through many difficulties, but the family is so much happier. And guess what, now he is the apple of his father’s eyes who can’t imagine living without his son. All this because his mother didn’t choose the more convenient option.

But that’s not always the case. On 25^th Nov 2011, tragedy struck a family in Melbourne. A mother was carrying twin boys in her womb. Towards the later stage of pregnancy it was found that one of her baby boys had congenital heart defect that would require years of operation, if he survived at all. She took the decision of putting an end to the life of the sick foetus which was 32 weeks into his life, just six weeks before he could see the world. This decision in itself was unfortunate, and was made even worse when in a terrible mistake, instead of injecting the sick foetus, the healthy one was injected who died in the womb. The sick twin was also terminated in an emergency operation.  In a span of three hours, the two lives which were growing silently and protected within their mother’s womb for 32 weeks came to an end. Her friend said, “She went to the hospital with two babies and now she has none.” The mother, who had already named her boys, lost both of them. Her womb which was thriving with life, now lay barren.  A decision and a human error brought the dreams of the entire family crashing down.

For many, abortion is pro- choice, it’s a right for them to chose. But for me it is the most heinous crime possible, it’s killing a being who, leave aside defend, can’t even cry for help. It killing a child in the place he is most secure- the mother’s womb.  It’s turning the cradle of life into a graveyard. It surprises me that for many, the foetus within the mother’s womb is just a lump of tissues which has no life, which feels nothing. Many are of the opinion that life begins only after the child is born.  How wrong they are was proved by an incident and a photograph taken way back in 1999. Julie Armas, after suffering from two miscarriages, conceived for the third time and was desperate to bring forth a life into this world. During the 14^th week, an ultrasound scan left the parents devastated. The baby boy inside was suffering from Spina Bifida – a condition which left the spinal cord exposed after the backbone failed to develop. His parents could have decided to abort him, but they didn’t. They decided to go for a surgery. The surgery took place when the child was 21 weeks old. At one point of time during the surgery, the child’s hand came out of the womb and when the doctor touched it, he squeezed the doctor’s finger as if thanking him for the help. This moment was captured by a photographer who was documenting the surgery. 

Though there are different versions of what happened that day, but since then this photograph has been a sign showing the world that life exists inside mother’s womb, that life exists from the moment of conception, that inside a mother’s womb is not a lump of tissues but a life waiting to be born - a living being just like you and me. “You created every part of me; you put me together in my mother’s womb....When my bones were being formed, carefully put together in my mother’s womb , when I was growing there in secret, you knew that I was there – you saw me before I was born. The days allotted to me had all been recorded in your book, before any of them ever began.” (Psalm 139:13-16)

The reason why one has to make this choice of whether to allow the child to be born or not can be many: from the fear of taking care of a deformed child all through their lives to a way to cover up a ‘mistake’; from the feeling that the family may not have the resources to raise the child to the thought that ‘we aren’t prepared for a child yet’; from the fact that the child might be a girl to the feeling that it would be a stumbling block to the parents’ career. Whatever be the reason, if ever we come across such crossroads in our lives, let’s not suggest/support/take the convenient decision, an easy option to choose to end an innocent life so as to make ours better. Let’s decide to stand for life. No matter how difficult it is, it would be overcome by the joy of bringing forth a life into this world, by the sight of seeing him smile, yawning when he is about to sleep, trying to fix his gaze on you; by the sound of hearing him cry, making noises which don’t mean anything, speaking his first words; by the feeling of hugging him when he cries, holding his tiny little fingers; by the chance of getting to know a completely new person;  by the blessing of giving an opportunity for God’s creation to see His beautiful world.

“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me.” – Jesus (Mark 9:37)

Stand for Life! God Bless!

Sign of Contradiction

A couple of months back, KFC opened its first outlet in Vijayawada, right opposite to my office. Great news! I actually came to know about it even months before it opened. How? I was just walking in front of the building under renovation and saw Colonel Sanders framed picture hidden in a corner. One look at it and I knew what was coming. In any ordinary day we come across so many signs, symbols, logos which say it all – bitten apple, leaping panther, golden arches, Colonel Sanders, the tick mark etc, etc ,etc. They all stand for something. A look at them and we associate in an instant what they stand for. One of the most common sign that I come across is the Cross.  Do you know what it stood for? It stood for death by crucifixion – the most painful and also the most shameful death. It was a sign of death, of torture, of pain, of agony, of humiliation, of abandonment. But Jesus forever changed what it stood for. This very sign of shame changed into a sign of sacrifice, of obedience, of redemption, of courage, of forgiveness, of peace, of grace, of hope, of love. 

Everything that Jesus did was in contradiction to the normal practices, social settings, religious rituals, human logic. When He was an infant Simeon prophesised about Jesus saying, "He shall stand as a Sign of Contradiction." (Luke:2:34) And He did. Christ has been a Sign of Contradiction throughout.

When any king would have been born in a palace, Jesus - the King of Kings was born in a dirty manger;

When others would have chosen the most luxurious houses to stay, he didn’t have any place of his own;

When others taught eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth, He taught “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44);

When others would shun outcasts, He accepted them; when others stayed away from lepers, He touched them, hugged them, healed them;

When others didn’t want to be associated with tax collectors, prostitutes, sinners, He spent time with them, walked with them, helped them, forgave them and showed them the right path;

When others wanted to stone a sinful woman to death, He stood by her and gave her a new life;

When others would select the most qualified people to be their followers, He called the outcasts, the illiterates, the powerless to be His first twelve disciples;

When others would command their disciples to respect them, He washed their feet;

When others looked for power, riches, wealth, He said “Seek first the kingdom of God and everything else shall be given to you.” (Matthew 6:33);

When others would hold grudge against others and would not forgive even once, He said forgive seven time seventy;

When others would become furious if they are accused for anybody else’s slightest mistakes, He, who committed no sin, took upon Himself the sins and wrongdoings of everyone who ever lived or will live on earth;

When others would want their desires, wishes, will to be done, He said “Father, not mine, but let your will be done.”(Matthew  26:39) ;

When others would curse those who hurt them even in the slightest possible manner, He prayed for forgiveness for those who tortured Him, chastised Him, killed Him;

When others, in order to be victorious, would want to kill their enemies and defeat them, He became victorious by sacrificing Himself and facing the most painful death;

When others would die and perish, He rose up the third day and said “I will be with you always, till the end of ages.” (Matthew 28:20);

When others would talk about love, He showed what true love is.

He truly was a sign of contradiction. In my life also, He stood as a sign of contradiction. He still does. When I was running away from Him, He came all the more closer to me; When I felt all alone, He was there with me; When I kept on hurting Him through my sinful life, He forgave and hugged me; When I was drowning deep in addictions, He lifted me up; When I denied His love, He loved me more and more; When I was leading a wretched, meaningless, miserable life, He came and changed my life for the good; When I was afraid to open my mouth in front of a few people, He made me speak in front of hundreds; When I had no one besides me, He stood by me every second of my life and He still does; When I’m surrounded by troubles and worries, He gives me courage; When things go wrong and I’m restless, He fills my heart with a peace that is beyond my understanding,  When I’m filled with anxiety and tension, He puts a smile on my face; When I think that nothing is going the right way, He says, “Don’t worry it will all be fine.”; When I forget Him, go away from Him, He still remembers me and brings me ever close to Him; When I lead an ordinary life, He inspires me to lead a meaningful one and asks me to be a sign of contradiction.

Lets know this Sign of Contradiction personally and lets, through our lives, try to be a sign of contradiction.

“Let no one reproach you, because you are young. Be a model ... in the way you speak, act, in your love, your faith and purity of life.” (1Timothy4:12)

God Bless!