Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Promises you've made to others



point-alaligne.com
Do you keep your promises? Or, in other words, can you remember any promise that you haven’t kept?
Who can’t?
We all have broken our word at one time or another. Perhaps we may have forgotten, but be assured that the person to whom you made the promise has not. That person will probably be hesitant to remind you of your promise; you might even convince yourself that he has forgotten. Though it might never be spoken of, that promise will remain.
I stare into space, not really looking at anything — I’m going backward in time, in my catalog of memories. I can see them all before me — the place where we were, the exact position we were in, the words he said. Many of them were not really promises, either. They were just small, seemingly insignificant things.
But still, I remember. When I think of that person — separated by oceans and continents — his words come back to me and make me wonder if he has forgotten.
Today, my uncle came to our “new” house for the first time; and he had lunch with us. Nine years ago (it seems like yesterday!), he had come to our village house in the mountains. I was just ten years old, then. I was helping mother with small tasks around the kitchen during mealtime when he said with a laugh, “The next time I come, I want to eat the meal that you have prepared yourself!”
I can remember my consternation with a smile today. Countless times did I remembered that little joke with fear and apprehension. I wouldn’t mind (much) if five uncles dropped in around mealtime today; but I truly worried about it when I was little. . . And, today, I wondered if he remembered.
Go back today. Remember the little promise you made to that child and make the plans to fulfill it. Don’t fool yourself. Don’t lie. Be true!
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Through the Fog



phamilynews.net
Fog. I wonder if there is any traveler who likes fog. Artists and poets might find something good in it, but I doubt that any pilgrim could appreciate it.
As for me, I hate fog — especially when we are traveling. The grayish-white cloak of monotony is wearisome: it shrouds the scenery with gloom and an all-encomassing despondency. It is a veil that conceals every mountain, tree, and rock. Even the edge of the road is barely perceptible, sometimes!
Some time ago, we were traveling through fog. It was not the thickest fog we had seen, nor was it nighttime. Still, the bleak surroundings seemed overwhelm me. I was tired — tired of the fog, tired of the tortuous roads, tired of traveling. My soul seemed to be as dreary as the fog outside the misted window-glass.
Then I remembered a song I’d learned years ago:
Why should I care if the sun doesn’t shine?
Jesus is mine, all of the time.
Why should I care if the storm clouds are low?
Jesus is with me I know.
He will never forsake me, I am under His wing,
Tho’ trials o’ertake me,
I will praise Him and sing.
I am ever so happy,
So why should I care if the sun doesn’t shine?
Jesus is mine all the time.
Then, the remembrance that Jesus is mine aroused me, invigorated me, and fired me with zeal for my Lord. . .
Or . . . that is what . . . should have happened, right?
Well. It didn’t. It was good to remember; but still, my heart was weary. I was still tired of staring at the fog. You see, simply knowing God’s truth isn’t enough for victory.
Until I decided that I was going to trust God that He was with me although I couldn’t see Him through all the weariness of my mind and obey Philippians 4:4 in spite of the fog, that song was just an ideality to wish for.
But when I did trust, He blessed. Sure, the fog was all around and the U-turns were as bad as ever, but I had the peace that passeth all understanding. Faith as a grain of mustard seed, and He accepted it.
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
How amazing He is! And He is the ever-faithful one that always rewards even our feeblest footsteps to draw near to Him (James 4:4).
We climbed higher and higher up the mountain. Reaching the summit, we broke through the fog. Behind, I could see the impenetrable gloom. Ahead, the mountains and valleys were spread out in majestic grandeur. And I remembered the sweet promise in Isaiah 44:22:
“I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist.”
nothing-between

Monday, October 6, 2014

Brother, a Boeing 747-8, and a Believer

boeing 747-8
flyflytravel.com
Trees, trees, and more trees. Rolling hills and valleys. We are flying through the Nepal East-West Highway at 100 kph. I stare out the window, and my mind wanders.
“Baba?” my brother’s voice breaks through my thoughts.
“What?” my father answers him.
“I think —” he says ponderously, “I think the pilot of the Boeing 747-8 must be like God.”
Hearing his awed voice, I stifle a giggle. Sumpurna has fallen in love with that airliner this month because of the video Baba downloaded for him.
My father is wiser. “Why?” he prompts him.
“Because there are all those dials and things,” my brother replies, enthusiastically. “There are so many things that he must be like God to know everything all at once!”
“Well . . . I think he is more like a believer more than being like God.”
Now it’s my brothers turn to ask, “Why?”
“The pilot cannot use his eyes to pilot the plane — I mean, he has to, but not by looking out the windshield. He has to look at the dials to guide him to the airport. He has to pilot by faith. It is like the believer looking at God’s Word and walking through life by faith, not by sight.”
Anyone would think that my brother would be satisfied with the answer; but, no, he has more questions: “Don’t the dials ever go wrong? What happens if it does? Doesn’t the pilot look out of his windshield to look at the lights when he is landing? What do the people on top of the tower do?”
“The people on the towers direct the pilot as the Holy Spirit directs the believer. If he doesn’t hear them, the pilot will not be safe.”
The conversation goes on and on. We have crossed the jungle and reached the suburb areas. I stare out the window, and the houses flash by.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Board games?


int-business  “Didi, what shall I do?” my seven-year-old brother whimpers for the twenty-seventh time. I look up from the Human Resource Management flashcards on Quizlet. “Want to play with me?” “What?” “International Business.” His face lights up. Since he forgot his chess board in the other house, this board game has become his favorite. “But,” I say, “We have to set the time first.” “Okay,” he agrees, happy with anything he can get. “How long?” I ask, in a warning voice, “Don’t say too much or complain or else I won’t play.” “Five minutes?” he asks, hopefully turning up his face to look at me. I can’t resist the eyes. Feeling guilty, I reply, “I’ll play for 15 minutes if you arrange the money while I go get a drink.” When I return, he is ready and waiting for me.IMG_0183“I’m yellow, and you’re blue,” he grins. “Let’s roll only one dice today.” “Why?” “I don’t want to count,” he reasons philosophically. “It will take forever for us to get one round done that way! We’ll roll both, and I’ll add up your numbers for you.” “All right,” he replies. “Let’s start then.” “Three, five, eight,” I say. “Pay 500 Rupees to get out of jail.”

Then, losing all sense of time, I play with my brother until I have to go and prepare tea. Wasted? No, invested. Such an half hour makes up for the all the three e‘s in the past (embarrassments, exasperations, and exhaustions). True!
. . . and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother (Prov. 18:24).
Praise be to God.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Getting trained in Bible training


bible
That was rigorous. Still, I do not regret it — rather, I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to take part in it!
We studied the Tabernacle the children of Israel made in the wilderness according to God’s directions to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Mr. David Cloud taught and my father translated the message into Nepali. Because I heard everything twice, it really helped to cement things into my memory! However, the more I learn, the more I find how little I know. Though I learned a host of new material (much of which I have probably not retained very well!), there is one particular thing from this series of lessons that I most treasure.
Before, I usually saw the Israelites as being always rebellious, ever ungrateful, and completely faithless. But I had been totally missing out on their obedience and faithfulness in building the tabernacle. Though I remember noticing the verses that mention this, I had not focused on them.
“. . . as the LORD commanded Moses”
“. . . according to all that the Lord commanded him, so did he.”
They did exactly as He had commanded: they did not change anything. This is pleasing to God, and is truly acceptable to Him. May we follow their good example in everything we do — big or little!
“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).

The schedule?
5 A.M. — Wake up, but do not disturb the guests!
6 – 10 A.M. — Prepare three meals for about one hundred people. Arrange the bedding after the guests get up. Serve (and eat, if we have not run out of time or the food supply) morning tea and breakfast. Clean up the kitchen, rooms, gathering hall, and grounds. Get dressed (and comb your hair!) for classes! RUN!!! The keyboard is already calling for assembly!
11 A.M. – 1:30 P.M. — Attend classes. Run if you don’t want to queue up outside the restrooms!
1:30 – 2 P.M. — Serve (and hopefully eat) lunch.
2 – 5 P.M. — Attend classes.
5 – 7:30 P.M. — Cook, serve, and eat dinner (if we have run out of rice, you’ll have to wait until more is cooked). If there happens to be too much, then you’ll have a proper feast!
7:30 – 8:30 P.M. — Attend the last class for the day. Tickle the roof of your mouth with your tongue if you’re feeling drowsy. For shame! Take a gulp of water if you are drifing off!
8:30 – 10:00 P.M. — Arrange bedding to accommodate everyone.  Lights out at 10 for the guests! Too bad if you happen to be one of the singers: be prepared to sing your vocal chords off to practice the special songs for the next day (and hope you don’t choke yourself by laughing too much; also hope that the rehearsal ends by 11 pm! If you happen to be hungry, you can dine on the leftovers again).
By the way, you can whisper under the covers until 1 A.M. if you want to — but you’ll pay for it next morning!

We are found pleasing to God not because of our service, but because of our position in Christ. Because the Father sees us in His Son, our service to Him is acceptable in His sight. Praise Him for the blessed opportunity we had to serve Him in those days!
Have you ever realized that you can give things to God that are of value to Him? Or are you just sitting around daydreaming about the greatness of His redemption, while neglecting all the things you could be doing for Him? I’m not referring to works which could be regarded as divine and miraculous, but ordinary, simple human things – things which would be evidence to God that you are totally surrendered to Him.
— Oswald Chambers

Sunday, August 10, 2014

An unexpected turn



paradoxicator

Tuesday, August the fifth. The year 2014. All the clothes tightly rolled and shoved inside “jebra” bags, all the schoolbooks packed in sturdy boxes, all the indispensable cellphone and laptop rechargers safely (but rather unkindly) thrown into bags, all the dishes washed, the kitchen spick-and-span — we were all set to go! Tomorrow, we’d start on our trip to the mountains at 6AM!
Packing is always tiring, but the anticipation of returning to our beloved village-home spurred our tired hands and feet to further tasks.
“Baba? Let’s go! When are we going to Palung?” my little brother Sumpurna is ever the impatient one to start! Kicking up his heels and lying placidly on the couch, he is a big motivator, indeed — a good cheerleader, though not exactly a helper. But now, at last, the packing was all done.
Too bad my sister Upasana was feeling a bit unwell. But she would probably get over that fever overnight. . .


abcnewsradioonline.com
Wednesday, August the sixth. The year 2014. Morning dawned, we hit the road. Not all of us went, though. Only Baba and Upa went to the hospital. Examinations, prescriptions, and an order to rest — we resigned ourselves to a normal day, hoping to travel in several days. She had caught the circulating virus.

Thursday, August the seventh. The year 2014.Sumpurna got sick, too. A raging fever of 105, an 11-cm spleen (it should have been 4), tonsillitis, mouth sores, and what not. A praise: it was not malaria!

bobreyes.com
Some highlights:
My brother was assigned in a second story room. My father heard a beeping horn. Looking outside, he saw the pediatrician honking his motorcycle horn and waving at Sumpurna.
“Blowing the horn is not allowed in the hospital area. Isn’t it, Baba?” he said.
Another time, the pediatrician asked my brother who his best friend was.
“Didi,” he replied.
I approve.

Friday, August the eighth. The year 2014. Brother came home from the hospital — not sent — came. He still had the needle-whatchamacallit in his wrist, poor boy! He wanted me to post the pictures here, so here they are, for “all the world to see” (according to him).
sick_1sick_3

Saturday, August the ninth. The year 2014. There was no way of going to the village 2 hours away for the church meeting, so Saturday was not really a Saturday that day. Watched youtube videos “How to Teach Your Child to Swim,” “Three Little Pigs,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” and the Berenstain Bears. I had to watch ever single one with him — content check, music check,  etc., etc.

Sunday, August the tenth. The year 2014. Upa is better. Sumpurna finished all 7 doses of his intravenous medicine this evening. Tomorrow, we are planning to go to Palung. This week was an unexpected bend for us all. But, our Father worked it all out according to His perfect plan that He had established before the foundations of the earth were laid!
The special verses God used to speak to me this week:
Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies” (Ps. 60:11-12).
“From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Ps. 61:2).

Friday, August 1, 2014

Mazes, dead-ends, and the Way to Success


maze1
freehdw.com

And Theseus . . . returned to the entrance of the Labyrinth. . . with a pelekis, a ball of red fleece thread, and great intuition . . . he had prevailed over the fearful Minotaur. . . 
If you happen to have a puzzled look on your face, go read Greek mythology to find out  . . .


Is life a maze?
Sometimes I feel that way — especially when I see the same dead end before me again and again. Finding myself at the same place I had hoped to never see again is quite disheartening.
How did I get there? Obviously, I arrived there because I went through the same entrance, followed the same path, and made the same turns.
How was that possible? Probably, I forgot. Most certainly, I did not realize it was the wrong path. If I had, I wouldn’t have come all the way there!
For me, the most grievous part being deflected in such a way is the knowledge that it did not have to happen. As a child of God and redeemed by His infinite grace, I know that it is not my Father’s will for me to waste my life by “going in circles” and ending up in cul-de-sacs.
What light, direction, and guidance I need, He has already provided. It is when I step into the darkness, depart from the way, and leave my guide, that I get lost. The Psalmist has said,
“Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:103).
He has not promised to light up the whole maze, but He has promised to be our guide, even unto death (Psalm 48:14 ). The light we need to take one step ahead of us, He has promised to give. But when I step away from the Light of Life, how can I possibly expect to walk in the same path as He is, in Whom is no darkness at all?
He is the Way, the Truth, the Life. He is the Light, the Lamp, the Guide. Dear reader, do you have Him with you? He has given His promise that those who put their trust in Him shall not be ashamed. The flip side of it is: if we do not, we shall be.
I wonder how I could have lived 13 years of my life without that Light. I wonder how I can still turn my back to Him and step aside, into the darkness. It is possible — it is easy. The old one within me loves that. But the end of it are the ways of death.
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” (Deut 30:19).
Choose life, choose life! That is the beautiful command of our soul’s greatest Lover.