A Desire to Kill.

Samantha wanted a teddy. There was this small brown one that she had been eyeing for days! She asked her parents but they didn’t give her a response. A few more days went by before she placed this request again. This time also, her parents were busy. In her restless waiting and her relentless desire, she decided that she was done. It was time to take matter into her own hands! She went to the store and enquired about the price. “$15”, the shopkeeper said. Hopeful, she went back home to open her piggy bank. “1…2…3.. That’s a total of $1 and 24 cents!”, she declared. Determined, she started helping out around the house and even opened a lemonade stand to help her get the money. The only thought that was running through her mind was, ‘I want that brown teddy’.

A few days went by and she still didn’t have the money for the toy. Over a week, she managed to make two extra bucks and a few cents. She even gave up on ice cream to save some quarters. She had collected $5 and 12 cents. Hopeful, she went into the store to buy her teddy. The shopkeeper who had seen this girl before, politely told her that she could not afford the bear she came in for, however, there were other toys she could get for $5. Upset, she went back home. The little thing cried herself to sleep.

Soon she woke up to a gentle, yet familiar nudge. As she opened her eyes, she saw the teddy she had been longing for. ‘Surely this must be a dream’, she thought. But she saw then, her parents handing her a big, brown tear with beady eyes, a shiny nose and a big, red bow! Suddenly, her efforts didn’t seem futile and her joy knew no bounds. Seeing her constant and persistent efforts, her parents bought her the best teddy bear that the store had to offer! Although it was expensive, they knew that their daughter deserved every bit of it.

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We all have a wonderful, provident Heavenly Father who know our every need before we ask Him. He knows the perfect gift, the perfect time, the perfect place and the perfect situation to present it to us. Very often, we get caught up in our desires for what we believe is the best, that we fail to wait on the Father. The Father, who knows best, waits for us to kill our desires to be able to prepare ourselves better for His present. He never gives us anything unless we are ready to accept His will first. But first, we need to be be dead to our desires and patiently wait on Him.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us..

-Ephesians 3:20

Treasure Hunt!

1 Chronicles 16:11 – Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!

Tommy loves adventure. Name a sport and he’s a pro in it. Name a game and he’s already played it. He’s so full of life, that even a trip to the dumpster is an adventure with him! He fills life into those around him, and kindness and gentleness follow his every word.

Tommy is autistic.

Now read the previous paragraph once again.
Not everyday is easy for him. Not everyday is easy for the ones around him. Although he maybe excellent at sport, it takes him some time to understand the logic behind the game. It requires a lot of patience and practice. He takes medicines to help him understand the world around him and to live a normal life. Yes, everyday is an adventure with Tommy because the ones around him told him so, because the ones around experience it so.

Life is always what you make and what you seek. If you seek joy, then most of your days are filled with laughter. If you seek excitement, then everything becomes an adventure. If you seek sorrow (yes, depressed people seek sorrow), then even the smallest of actions will fill you with gloom. You always find what you seek. Have you tried seeking God? You can find Him everywhere! He’s in the love of a mother, in the hug of a friend, in the words of a brother and the smile of a stranger. Yes, God is everywhere. He is hard to look for but easy to find. He is always near, never out of sight. He is beside you when you sleep, ahead of you when you’re lost; surrounding you when you need strength and within you when need Him the most!

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

-Matthew 13:45-46

My Lord is that one pearl of great value. He’s worth leaving the world behind for. Go find Him and seek Him continually!

If You Love it, Set it Free..

There is a very famous and overly-used statement in the English language, “If you love it, set it free. If it comes back, then it is meant to be“. The reason I call it over-used is because we seem to use that when it comes to our earthly relationships, but we tend to abuse it when it comes to our divine relationship with God. How often do we let go of God and then come back to Him? How often do to we fall back in the same pattern of getting hurt and hurting, arriving and leaving? Through the various ups and downs, through all the going and coming, there is one thing that is certain – it is easier to let go than to hold on, but we tend to let go of the right ones and hold on to the wrong.

Letting go is a divine act of  Man. Acceptance is a divine act of  God. 

No matter how many times we fall astray or let go of God, He still sets us free, relying that one day we will realise the quality of His love for us and come running back to Him. He lets us leave every time we decide to, but He doesn’t let go of us. He gives us the freedom of making our own choices when we decide to go, He tries to stop us but never forces us. His love is so abundant, so gracious that it accepts every single one of our flaws and loves us the same – as if nothing happened.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and love your neighbour as yourself.”

-Luke 10:27

Let us consider the story of the good Samaritan here. The priest and the Levite saw the wounded man and simply let go of him and moved on, going about their business. But the Samaritan looked at this man with pity and accepted him as one of his own. Nursed his wounds, took him to the closest inn where he paid the innkeeper to look after the man. He even agreed to bare the additional expense of this man’s recovery.
Here is a fine example of letting go and accepting. If the Samaritan didn’t let go of his pride and accept this man as his own brother, he would’ve surely perished!

Like St. Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless unless they find their rest in you.” That is the state we, as humans, are constantly battling. Our restless hearts are always looking for attachments, looking for connections but none of them last. Simply because we were not meant for this world. Even if this world tells you a million times that you belong, just one whisper from the Lord will make you realise that you don’t. You were made for something greater, nothing short of extravagant. So every time you find yourself out in the world losing a battle, and straying far away from home, fear not! We have a God who doesn’t let go of us even when we think we are too far gone. Just remember to look for Him and you will find Him holding on to you as if His life depended on it!

What a friend we have in Jesus!

The God-Dependence!

God is faithful in the little things; provident in the big. But how often do we fall back to rely on this abundant providence? 

Sean and Lynette have been together for as long as anyone can remember. They met as kids when the lived in the same neighbourhood, went to school together. Even the long distance at college couldn’t separate them! Soon enough they got engaged but that is when things slowly started to change. They got jobs in different cities. God knows how much they needed it, so they decided to put off their wedding for a year. It began with missing calls, then missing their weekend dates and even their Skype dates. But they were committed to their relationship. Their dates always began with a prayer and they continued to pray for each other even when their relationship was on the rocks. They were faithful in the little things. Soon enough Lynette got a transfer and moved to the same city as Sean and they got married.

Today, as they look back at all their trials, they can only see God’s faithfulness through the years.

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Ashley was a bright little girl. Always first in her class, regular to church and even spent her time helping out the lesser fortunate. Every time she had a problem, she looked to God. Sometimes her patience would get the better of her but that didn’t mean she gave up on God. After she graduated from college, she was without a job for a year. During that time, her grandmother passed away and her father fell seriously ill. She could barely support herself when she was expected to support her younger siblings. The God she trusted suddenly went missing, but she never gave up on her prayers. Even when the situation got bad, she trusted and followed God. Even when her heart was not in it, she prayed. Even when the pain and struggle got worse, she prayed.

In due time, God acted and her troubles vanished as quickly as they appeared. Her life was a vineyard of blessings and everyday she witnessed a new miracle. Her faithfulness was the blueprint of God’s providence in her life!

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“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

-Philippians 4:19

I love the confidence with which St. Paul states that verse. It is true that God is a multi billion-billion-gazillionaire! He can give us anything and everything we ask for, if it falls in line with His plan for us. God’s providence is directly proportional to the amount of dependence you have on Him. If you rely on the Maker for just the big things, you miss the opportunity to practice your faith in the little things. Like the little drops of water make the mighty ocean, you dependence on the little things is going to increase your faith in the mighty ones. So before you decide to walk on water, learn to jump in the boat with Him so He was lead you in the way He has prepared. The destination is waiting for you, the choice of the journey is yours to make. Be dependent, choose God.

Through Trial and Errors!

We sometimes go through seasons of trials in our life. We introspect trying to understand what we did to deserve it. The truth is, God takes us through certain trials, to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). He shakes up our world when he sees us getting complacent with our lives.

Getting a job in a Hollywood-based animation company was a dream come true for me. When I had completed 3 years in the industry, this dream-company filed for bankruptcy. Although a new management took over the company, I wasn’t very hopeful. I decided to step out and start a company of my own.

With just three years worth of savings and a dream to make it big, I set out on an entrepreneurial adventure with a friend of mine. But things did not go the way we planned. I used most of my savings and my health took a hit because of the crazy hours I was putting in. The business did not work out for me; it left me broke and sick. I had to exit the company that I helped build. I felt like a monumental failure at the age of 28.

Now that I had lost everything, I decided to try something different with life. I changed my field of work. Through three years of freelancing I finally found my real calling in life. What I considered as a failure God used it to direct me to my purpose (Romans 8:28).

As I look back, I’ve realised that my greatest gain during this season of trial when I learned to surrender my life to God. I realised how badly I needed Him, and how badly I still need Him every step of my way. As you read this, you too may be going through a rough patch in your life. Do not give up. Pray to God to give you His strength to carry on, so that His purpose may be fulfilled in your life. Keep Him at the center of every aspect of your life and He will not let you down.

Written by Avish John Thomas, a freelance graphic designer and an illustrator from Hyderabad.