The shepherds were minding their own business in the cool of the night when the angel announced to them, “don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. Luke 2:10 NLT The birth of the Messiah and the Savior will cause joy for all people. “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Luke 2:14 NLT
The angels announced joy and peace to them and to us today. Joy that is not circumstantial because it’s source isn’t earthly, peace that is not dependent on external calmness or serenity rather it depends on the presence of Jesus.
This Christmas season may we find our joy and peace as we put our faith in Jesus. Let me pray this verse over you, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NLT
The author is Dr Susan John, currently working in Baptist Christian Hospital, Tezpur, Assam.
The following is her narration of the story – from fighting Covid as a doctor to battling it as a patient and the lessons learnt in the journey.
Over the past few months, our world has gone through much turmoil, unlike never before. Entire countries shut down, economies collapsed, schools and business were closed, travel restrictions were enforced and everyone was forced to stay home. Fear and uncertainty became prevalent, physical distancing and social isolation became the norm. We couldn’t move outside our homes without a mask, all because of a 0.1 um sized particle of protein (to get some perspective, that would be 1/1000th the size of a strand of your hair), talk about small.
We couldn’t thank Joseph Lister enough for teaching us about handwashing, even as we started adjusting to the new normal way of doing life. The entire scientific community grappled with understanding this stealthy little virus. All the health systems braced to rise up to fight this global pandemic.
I am also part of such a team, at a remote mission hospital in Tezpur, Assam. It initially began just as something that had originated from bats in China, and we were told to be prepared, and we did that. Over the next few months as the virus swept through the entire world, wearing PPE became second nature to us, even as now we had to triage all our patients. Strategies changed often. The senior doctors had to attend multiple seminars and webinars and pore through numerous guidelines, day in and day out. Finally, predictions came true as the peak hit India in July- August and cases started to surge.
We weren’t admitting COVID patients but we had to refer any suspected patients to the nearby government center. It broke our hearts every time we had to take tough decisions of referring sick patients. We had to say no, to desperate, sometimes angry relatives. We had to wear PPE through the heat of summer. The hospital was also struggling due to dwindling patient numbers and added to that the struggles of our patients who were not able to access care due to multiple reasons. We were trying our best, but life was tough and challenging, and we just needed a break…
Masked smiles
That’s when it struck, the virus had invaded…me!!
I badly wanted it to be just a normal cold, but the rapid test came positive, and strongly positive at it, and I had to be isolated, in my hostel room, for the next 17 days. There were a few questions at the back of my mind, like why was this happening? Did I do something wrong? But then there was also this calm assurance that God had allowed this and that He would carry me through. His reassurance was that, “In all things God works together for good, for them that love God, for them that have been called according to His purpose”. I could trust Him.
It was tough the initial few days, with the fever and blocked nose, and my parents back home who were concerned for my well-being. But that settled soon.
It was a bit lonely so I tried to keep myself busy reading and leaning in more to God in my desperate situation.
I never realized I was so dependent on others in my life, in the form of the constant help that my friends provided during this period. Getting me the essential things that I needed.
And I did eventually have a quick recovery from the sickness, without having very bad symptoms. All glory to God and because of the prayers of my loved ones and special thanks to my mother who kept doctoring me from so far away..
But if there is one important lesson that I have learnt from this whole exercise, is that I was too self- sufficient, self- reliant, self- confident, in my work, and relationships and even the things I thought I was doing for God.
All of a sudden all the plans that I had made for the next two weeks had come to fail. Even my efforts to be productive during the break were failing. Not because my intentions were bad, but because I had to realise I couldn’t do it in my own strength. I was infact feeling burdened, frustrated and burnt out.
Much like Moses who had to run away and hide after taking things into His own hands, by trying to kill the Egyptian, we want to do great things for God, but before God uses us He has to break us, till we learn to rely on Him completely, despising our every effort, saying like Jesus, “ I do nothing of my own accord, but only what I see the Father doing.”
He wants us to rest and abide in Him and seek our direction and purpose from Him. Jesus says, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” ( John 15)
We can spend our whole lives doing the ‘works’ of God, but in the end God will have to say, “ I don’t know you, away from me you evildoers” , if it was not done according to His will, and how do we know His will ? Only through spending time with God and His word and He will reveal it to us through His Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
In the parable of the ten virgins, all ten were waiting for the bridegroom, carrying their lamps with them, five of them who were foolish, ran out of oil, the other five of them who were wise, made sure they had extra oil for the whole duration of the wait, and that is the oil of intimacy, that Jesus, is asking us to cultivate in these last days, if we are to be ready for Him.
So as the world is going through this pandemic, God is reminding us to be still and know that He is God, He is asking us to cease from our striving. He doesn’t want servants, He wants friends, intimate friends that is, with whom He can share His heart and His secrets.
Daniel 11:32 says, ‘ But the people that know their God, shall be strong and do exploits’.
Will we be set apart and Holy? Will we be that priestly generation that will dedicate themselves to draw close to God and to stand in the gap for our people and represent Him to the world? Will we be the prophets calling down the reign of heaven on earth, by praying prayers that are after His own heart?
Will we say like Samuel, or Abraham, or Moses, “Here I am, I am available, you can have it all, you can use me God”?
I am a work in progress (WIP). I am a sinner saved by grace who still needs saving everyday when I fall under my cross. I am far from perfect but the One who has made me and is still making me is perfect and so I strive for perfection. I am adopted into His family to be called His son, chosen because He chose the foolish things of the world to put to naught the wise. God is not finished with me yet.
Work in progress is a painful and painstaking experience. It involves being broken in order to be made, being chipped at continuously in order to be smoothened. Work in progress is a life-long project, when a part of me is done and ready, he starts with something else. He is always at work. As my favorite author, Max Lucado said, “God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus. ”
Like all WIPs, I’m ugly at times, not a pretty sight, probably even an eye sore at times. Like all WIPs I can be an obstacle for someone or something, so much so that they have to take a detour to avoid me.
WIP call for perseverance and patience to wait for the finished work.
God loves me with my flaws and follies and idiosyncrasies. He sees the beauty in my ashes, the fragrance in my swamp, the design and pattern in my chaos and He will have the final say. To love a work in progress it requires an agape-unconditional love, which my Abba epitomizes. His lovefinds the way when everyone else gives excuses; it sees the gold in the garbage.
He is the grand Weaver, the Architect, and the Director who calls the shots, the potter at the wheel, and the Maker, He has the blueprint. He is not limited by time so He has seen the finished work and He assures that it’s beautiful. Of this I am confident that He who began a good work will bring it to conclusion. God wrote the best-seller on my life even before I was born, now it’s up to me to live that life and leave my mark. So I am up and about my task.
He wrote your story too, what are you doing about it?
With my God-sent angel to remind me of His agape love
Sentenced to death by the worst form of ancient Roman execution on the hill called Kranion in Greek, a punishment he justly deserved for the life misspent in depravity, he paused just moments before his final breath to take a decision probably one of the handful good ones he ever took. He responded to a silent altar call on the cross, while his comrade on the other side mocked at the One, He saw more than just a dying savior.
While the disciples sorrowed over their broken dreams which according to them was an unforeseen end of their Messiah the elated Pharisees planned on their victory celebrations and the Roman soldiers prepared to clear the mess this thief hanging next to Jesus had a moment of introspection followed by the conclusion that he needed a Savior. He saw something which all of them missed and he responded to his conviction. It might force some to think that isn’t it too late for this enlightenment but Jesus clears every doubt when He accepts His dying prayer. He probably never even heard the Lord’s Prayer let alone praying it, but this unconventional sinner’s prayer in his final moments changed the course of his eternity.
Wonder if he heard the angels singing this in the background as He took this eternity changing decision:
“At the cross x 2
I surrender my life I’m in awe of you
Where Your love ran red where my sin washed white
I owe all to you x 2…”
Love ran Red by Chris Tomlin
When Jesus accepted him, He snatched the thief from the throes of Hades and brought him to His kingdom of Heaven. “O death, where is your sting?” cause the dying thief did not perish because he believed in Jesus but entered eternal life with the Father. The thief never saw or celebrated the Easter or Pascha but he never needed to because he entered heaven with Jesus and he probably did singing, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me…”
And herein lies the lesson for us all that, “All have sinned and fallen short the glory”, we all need a Savior; the sooner the conviction hits us the better it is. If you are just one prayer away from that life changing decision then don’t wait till your final moments because there’s no guarantee that you’ll be offered a similar moment of introspection like this thief. It is never too late; you’re never too far because “Calvary covers it all”.
It is not the gospel written on tablets of stone or on ancient manuscripts of papyrus or sheepskins or the contemporary inked ones sold leather bound, but it is the Christ of the Christ-ian that is read the most!
“Ah, friends of the Christ, in the world today
Are many who watch you upon your way,
And look to the things you say and do
To measure the Christian standard true:
Men read and admire the Gospel of Christ
With its love so unfailing and true,
But what do they say and what do they think
Of the gospel according to you?
You are writing each day a letter to men
Take care that the writing is true;
‘Tis the only gospel that some men will read,
That gospel according to you”
-The gospel according to you
Anonymous
We are God’s workmanship created in Christ to do great works! And He is a master Craftsman who makes no mistakes and His creations come with a life time validity!
We are meant to be light bringing out the God-colors into the world (Mat 5 The Message). Doesn’t matter if you’re a candle or a torch or just a flickering spark cause in the end all the 3 strive to dispel the darkness around them!
The torch was not meant to light up the tiny cellar nor was the candle meant for the regal hallways! Each has its place and destiny!
And a thing to remember is that we reflect His light, just like the moon, we light up and shine to reflect God’s glory.
Can we say like Lecrae, ” I’m just a trail of star dust leading to the Superstar “?
Does your cave seem dark? Think you need to shine brighter!
At the outset let me absolve myself and set the record straight (for non-cat lovers): I’m not a cat-lover/fanatic myself, but we need to take care of what God gives us! These feline friends, 3 in number spend the better and the greater part of the day in our backyard.
Whenever they sense any human presence in the kitchen they start meowing. Though it feels annoying at times but it’s their perseverance and persistence that took me by surprise. Even though we don’t feed them regularly or give them milk daily but they’ve become a part of our backyard as much as the 2 coconut trees in the backyard. It’s as if the cats are there by default whenever we walk out into backyard and those beautiful expectant-staring eyes trying their best to make us guilt conscious when we venture empty handed. And every once in a while moved by their persistence we give them the left over fishes etc to enjoy. All the 3 don’t have the same level of resolution to hang around but in the end only the one which is present at the moment is awarded with a meal (leftovers to be precise)! But it’s not just the food, because it’s as if they have made a home here, they hang around not only to satiate their appetite but also play and sleep here because that’s what you do at home.
How many times we lose out because we give up, here these kittens seem to have perseverance on a wholesale and are excellent teachers when it come to diligence. Our case unlike these cats is different in the sense we don’t have to meow our way to our blessing and our Giver (Father above) loves to listen to our voice. Do we just hang around a bit just for the blessing? Are we just content with the bits? Do we just seek His hand and not His face? As His children we are meant for more, if He cares for the sparrows, He all the more cares for us. The next time can we hold on a little bit longer?
I think I’m hungry! Guess I’ll hang around my Father, not only to seek His hand but also His face.
We live in an age where we are constantly surrounded by ambient music, especially in an ethnically diverse country like India; there is always music if you choose to hear above the perpetual drone of traffic. Music genres have become brands and we tend to associate with those who have similar tastes. Music both lyrically and instrumentally is constantly undergoing metamorphosis to suit tastes of the generation X. Some might even argue that popular music has been reduced to loud noise along with lyrical degradation.
Now here is a generation ordained by Yahweh as a chosen generation and a royal priesthood allowing itself to be victimized by the enemy’s ultimate weapon:- Music. Taking a cue from the Punjabi pop music culture which is currently the hottest fad of Bollywood movies; the lyrics in these beloved songs mainly concern with booze, heartbreaks, girls (in an obnoxiously derogatory sense) and more booze. The mystery here is to understand how a generation so educated and sophisticated chooses to enjoy such music.
Continuing further, we’ll take another illustration of one of another beloved song by Bruno Mars, the lyrics go like this: “I could hold a grenade for you…”. So much for super-exaggeration and what about the One who actually took the nails and the cross for you!
It is disheartening to see most of our Gen X hooked on to such senseless music. What is seen as a harmless relaxation means soon distorts our reality and perception about the most important things in life and when this delusion is extrapolated into our daily lives it wreaks disorder. Not only do the lyrics create delusions about love but it also celebrates careless lifestyle, persuades revenge and rebellion. And as one keeps on listening to it day and night totally oblivious to its side-effects we allow the Satan to bombard us with lies.
It’s high time we believers stood up to take our stand to say “No” to the senseless music and be extremely careful to what we listen. God has blessed us with immense talent much more than what we realise, so the onus is now upon the worship leaders, song writers to come up with anthems of praise which will glorify the Creator, spiritually awaken and uplift the church and at the same time engage our generation and satiate their needs. It’s time to experiment and improvise, push our limits, strive for excellence and with God’s help we shall prevail. We’re meant to be light. Let’s shine His light and bring His hope to a despaired and disillusioned generation. The distorted world-view of love needs to give place to the Unconditional-Agape love that Jesus ushered, hopelessness that the media preaches needs to resign to the hope that Jesus brings.
joyancejames 