Everyone sees what works best for their family. For us, home schooling was the best option. Here is our girl testifying that she actually wanted to be home-schooled from day one and made sure that her dream came true! We were all blessed following God's lead through her in this area!
To God be the glory! Thanking God and thanking our sweet little one, Stuti!!
I have been thinking and praying about whom I want to honor on my blog for this Mothering Sunday.
I keep getting my maternal aunt Shanta-mami's name in my thoughts. (Mami is maternal auntie, the wife of mom's brother in Indian language). So, lets talk about Shanta mami. (Shanti means peace)
My mom had only one brother, Uncle John, and Shanta-mami was his wife. She was born in India, and she lived and died in India as well. All her sisters' names started with S. Shanta mami was the oldest of all and so more of a motherly figure. She is survived by 4 kids of her own. She was a very pretty, good looking and a gracious, kind woman. A Sister Nurse-in-charge by profession, dedicated to her work; she had a passion for cooking yummy-licious Indian food and loved her God, her work, her husband, her children, her family, her nieces and nephews; and people in general.
Shanta-mami was one of the best cooks, and her dishes were famous among the family and friends. Her mango pickles used to be the best. Back home in India, during my childhood, I remember every year in summer vacation she would come home and make mango pickles for us to last us a whole entire year. Her Christmas sweets were the best and her Chapatis - what can I say! She knew and taught me many kinds of Indian flat breads (Chapati) and their sub-divisions: What is Kori Rolti, Fulka, Bhakhri, Chopda, Paratha, Thepla, Puri, Dhebera, Vedhmi (sweet chapati) etc.. Despite her full-time job as a full-trained midwife, she would try every new recipe. She made scrumptious Handva (an Indian version of spicy corn bread), ice-cream, etc. I have fond memories of big feasts held in her home on Resurrection Day and Christmas Day celebrations, and then we would be taken out for a picnic or outings in general.
Together with my two older siblings, I was privileged to be housed by her for a couple of years when my parents were away in Nairobi, Kenya. Even though she had 4 kids of her own she took my sister, brother, and me in and looked after us, loved us, and trained us. I remember the good times we have shared with her in Pij. I was the youngest of all the kids, so she showered extra love on me. My Mom and Shanta-mami had a good understanding between them. Early in life, during her sickness, my mom breastfed one of her kids and during the time my parents were away, Shanta mami looked after us. My uncle and aunt would play games with us kids in the backyard after meals during summer's bright late evenings.
My special memory of her is when she used to occasionally take me with her on her public health visits to the people in the village. Everyone in Pij town knew Shanta mami and respected her as "Bahen" the only Nurse back then who loved and cared for them, not only while they were sick, but otherwise, as she was a friendly person. She was called "Ben," endearing term meaning "Sister." And every one knew I was her youngest bhaani (niece). On those visits while passing through the market place, I would be pampered by these dear lovely people, the market place businessmen and women, i.e. the fruit sellers, the grocers, the vegetable vendors; they handed me seasonal goodies and candies! Mami was kind and sweet to me and taught me many good things.
I admired curly hair more as I have very straight hair, so after washing my hair, she would plait 7 chotlis (braids) for me and let it dry for sometime; when it was opened, it was all curly like Goldilocks. During the drying time of those braids,(ah! you know what waiting means to a kid)! So to keep me calm and forget about it for a while, she would let me to go and play with other kids on the slide and swings in the play plot near the bus station that was a stone-throw away from the hospital premise where we lived. In Biblical terminology, it would be almost like at the entrance of the city gate!
She introduced me to the little library that the hospital had and allowed me to read almost all the kids' books, the biographies of the Indian freedom fighters, and other famous diligent and good people. It helped build character in me. Mami would cover her head while praying, and, at night, reading the Bible and praying in my uncle and her household was a must - something I am thankful to God for helping me learn.
Regardless of what the elders in the extended families argued about or even as cousin brothers and sisters, we had our own games and arguments, my uncle and aunt did not treated us differently. They loved us and showered affection on all of us. During afternoon naps or sleeping at night, she would gently stroke my hair with her fingers. Yes, that was my dear aunt (Shanta-mami)
On this Mothering Sunday, I want to honor and remember that I am thankful to God for my Shanta mami and her sister youngest sister Sunanda. Sunanda masi (ma-si means ma-like) was like an elder sister to me in my early teen years, talking to me, listening to me, and helping me cope with teen age life. I am thankful for both of these dear ladies and their presence in my life when I needed it most.
A few years ago, Shanta-mami died due to illness; medical condition of fighting cancer in her body. On this mothering Sunday, I miss her, and I am sure her children and grandchildren miss her too. The world is a better place because there are godly aunties present who are truly mothers to all. They fulfill a high calling of the sacred role of motherhood.
She is resting in peace for now and I hope to see her on the Resurrection Day at the feet of Jesus and hear God say "Well done! my faithful servant" to her for looking after us, loving me and for doing His will for her life well. Here is Shanti-mami:
This year the Resurrection Sunday celebration came rather early even though it fell on March the 31st! March seemed packed with many things like Daylight Saving Time, Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and also Resurrection Sunday happened to be the last day of March. This year I was reflecting on Resoluteness of Jesus from Palm Sunday right through to the Resurrection Sunday. Somethings that came to mind as I read the Scriptures: It was amazing to see "Jesus in full control of himself" as one pastor put it. No one forced him and he did not feel like a victim, He willingly gave his life and was obedient till death on a cross! ( a very shameful death) Only after Lord Jesus was crucified that Cross got a lot of reverence and holiness attached to it. Jesus takes what is shameful and makes it sacred. Do not be afraid to come to Jesus as you are. As you come, Jesus cleanses you and makes you holy. I also saw that there were different scenes of his anointing before death! One was 6 days before in the home of Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus as per John 12: "Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.3 Then Mary took about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume." The second dinner was given 2 days before Passover in the home of Simon the Leper, and this is done by an unknown woman and what she had done will be told in her memory wherever the gospel will be preached. Both Mathew 26: and Mark 14th chapter narrate the story of the unknown woman! Mathew 26: 6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper,7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked.9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.11 The poor you will always have with you,[a] but you will not always have me.12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
So many people make mistakes on these two anointing and also on the ladies who anointed. Let us read and be sure what we present.
It was interesting to note that these two women gave their most expensive possessions, and how it is contrasted by John that Judas Iscariot took what was put into the bag. He took what was not his and he betrayed for mere 30 pieces of silver, while these women gave the best they could!
Even when Judas Iscariot is mentioning the poor, he has misplaced humanistic values, he did not really care for the poor; and you can also see that his remorse too was not deep enough to go to Jesus and ask for forgiveness. His remorse was more of a self pity; it did not drive him to the foot of the cross, it led him to a rope to hang himself. The Bible says, Godly sorrows bring repentance; it brings life. Sadly Judas did not have that kind of remorse.
I also noted that next day after the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus went to the temple and cleared it. And for few days he preached so empowering messages. We can ask the Lord to cleanse us as we are the living temples of the Holy God. Like Jesus told Peter, he who has had a bath does not need to shower again but only clean his hands and feet. Spiritually speaking we need to do daily cleansing as well. Many things compete with the number one position of our Lord and we must be the living sacrifices, not dead but living sacrifices as Apostle Paul reminds us.
It is with deep concern that we note,next day he commanded the fig tree that did not give him fruit when he needed, to never bear fruit and it withered. We need to be ever ready for the Lord to use us when He needs us. We cannot only have the outward show and not real fruit!
The feast of unleavened bread: The unleavened bread is supposed to be the pure, holy body of our Lord Jesus, a lamb without blemish that He sacrificed for us. The bitter herbs are the remembrance of the bondage of slavery in Egypt for Israelite people but also spiritually speaking, for us its a bondage of sin that Jesus gets us out of. The wine is his blood poured out for us. The fine wine is made out of crushed grapes. His life was 'a broken bread and a poured out wine'(as E Stanley Jones and Mrs C Cowman rightly puts it).
I think in physical terms the Resurrection meals that would be great to remember these events would be more of a fish, lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs and wine, or to add to it, bean sprouts, (as Jesus said, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground, it cannot produce, but if it dies, it produces a harvest.) I do not see 'easter eggs, or easter bunnies. These do not seem to be Biblical and we must be careful what we associate Resurrection with.This day is not about easter - the goddess of fertility, nor about bunnies, nor about eggs,) it is about Lord Jesus rising from the dead and showing there is life and hope beyond earth!! Pascha is more fitting as a Passover. Jesus is our Passover lamb in spiritual terms. Fish in the meal is to remember Jesus saying about Jonah: as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for 3 days and 3 nights, the Son of man be too.
From Thursday morning through out the night when he was arrested, then trial after trial, mocked, beaten, insulted, abused, and then into the Friday morning without any rest: Friday morning: Jesus was crucified at 9 A M in the morning, at 12 noon the darkness fell over all the earth and at 3 pm he gave up the spirit declaring "IT IS FINISHED". The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs were open (as Mathew reports). So we see even the sun refused to shine. Jesus hung on a cross for 6 hours and suffered shame and agony. After he died, Joseph a righteous man and a member of the council and Nicodemus asked Pilate for Jesus' body and embalmed it and put it in a new tomb in which no one had been buried. Next day was the Sabbath. Things are quiet somehow in general but the Pharisees did not seem to be at peace though. Early in the morning they went to Pilate and asked for assistance to make the grave of Jesus secure. (Mathew 27:62) on a Sabbath!!! but on the flip side, I thought about the Genesis 1, the creation week; after completing his creation, God rested on the seventh day from all his work. And then the Resurrection!!!!! Resurrection day changes the gloominess and gives us time to rejoice over the victory; Early morning on the day after Sabbath, when the women went to the tomb there was another earthquake.(Mathew 28) Jesus rose from dead. The empty tomb has no bones!!! Because He lives, we can too IF we believe in Him. He gives us a hope to look forward to. And now on that hope - now and beyond now! I love the way Apostle Paul says that "as Christians if we have hope for only this life then we are to be pitied of all men." Thank God, Resurrection gives us hope beyond this life.
So dear reader, as I said it on my Facebook, I say it here, whoever you are, a nominal christian, Hindu, Muslim, atheist, Buddhist, Jain, agnostic, or Sikh, by definition of being a human being, you are a sinner under God's judgment and the only payment you can make to reconcile to GOD is the pure Blood of Jesus!!! take advantage of this offer in the grace period, admit that you are a sinner and need JESUS, believe in His death and sacrifice and be born again and HE will give you the power to live holy life. He took the gruesome, cruel, brutal punishment for you and me!!!! His back was shredded, so we can be healed, He was like a sheep before the shearers so we can be confident, His holy and pure blood pouring down like rain that we might be cleansed and He died so we might be born again and live eternally!!!
OK, Days are flying and i just see that its been over two months that i wrote on my blog. This is the year 2013, yes! Christmas came and went, so did the New Year's first day, the Valentine's Day and now we are anticipating other special days coming each month as we live each day, either busy, or not, good or bad.
In the daily routine of life it is good to take a break and see what does God have to say about our days. I am reminded what the Ecclesiastes 7:14 says "Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life." (NLT)
i also remember someone shared with me few years ago that their favorite 'phrase' in the Bible is "And it came to pass..." many times when the days are long and nights are dreary, let us remember that they have come to pass and not to say...Some say, "If good days do not stay, neither will the bad ones" its just the duration. But we can sail thru with worshiping God, singing hymns, encouraging someone, spending time talking to and listening to GOD and others. It in itself is therapeutic, try it! Was it Jessie Dixon who sang "when we praise God, we get lifted up"?
We are studying and reading a book on Hole in our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung. I recommend it highly as he asks us a question, I throw it to you! So have you wondered, "Why is there a hole in our holiness?" good question!
The God of the Bible calls us to be holy for HE is holy. Holy = set apart, or separated to sum it. So what is it that pulls us into the crowd when we are to be set apart and be unique and holy? It is a privilege to be called by God to be holy.
I am also reminded in the Tuesday nights Bible Study we have engaged ourselves into this season. It is on Philippians and the verse that shouts at you from the 1st chapter is Phil 1:6 NIV "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
So we do have confidence and assurance that we do not have to do it alone, this journey is God ordained and God established, and Jesus also told us, that "One who loves me will obey my commands" So we are called to obedience. How would these verses encourage/change your thoughts for holy calling personally?
Well, regardless of good days or bad days that we face ahead, Have a Holy season, wont you?
By Kalpana C Sharma (Mrs.)
Dec 6th, The St. Nick's day! (some gathered truth behind Mr. Nicholas, the gift giver) - "The Father Christmas", or "Santa Claus"
I don't know about you, but I was and am still fascinated by the REAL St. Nicholas' (the Santa Claus) - story of generosity, goodness, kindness, and hope and trust that God continues to work in us and in our children through us! I also had to learn to undo a lot of things that did not make sense! So, we are in this learning together. Yes, we do not want to teach lies. When you speak the truth and tell the true facts, it is telling the real story against the lies and misrepresentations, and even commercialism that this character has been used to spread out. As I write this I want to make it clear that I am not advocating the 'in culture' Santa that charges money to take pictures with him, or is often seen drunk in some countries, or someone paid to perform and does not truly reflect the good man that St Nick was!
But we did tell our children when they were growing about an innocent fascination; the magic is a part that we all love to read, live, hope for, just like Disney or any animation characters, we all know the reality. If we teach the children the real story then the character does not become idol but seems a worker who worked for God! "At times putting a smile on a child's face is worth a great act of kindness" - as I heard it in a song. Our children who love the Lord Jesus have told us that they were never mistaken between Lord Jesus and Santa! They knew very well that Santa is NOT God! Thank God, they had the clear understanding of who God is and who Santa is. Be blessed as you read this and may you bless others this season!
I am quoting a very good explanation here by this gentleman who drives the truth home!
"The name Santa Claus comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, which is a derivation of the Greek name Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas was a real person who lived in what is modern day Turkey between the years AD 270 and 343. Among the many stories and legends attributed to this holy man was his habit of giving gifts, especially leaving coins in peoples’ shoes. Anyone of Dutch heritage knows that shoes left out for Sinterklaas on the evening of December 5 will be found full of candy, toys, and coins the next morning.
Our culture has warped this into extremes of greed and consumption that Saint Nicholas would be horrified to have his name associated with. But as for the idea of giving gifts, Nicholas was just following a good example. That was what God did. A Christmas pop song by the Christian musician Randy Stonehill includes a line, “I know that if Saint Nicholas were here he would agree that Jesus was the greatest gift of all for you and me.” Let’s reclaim the real “Jolly Old Saint Nick.” -Jeff Munroe (Words of Hope Devotional)
Matthew 7:7-11 English Standard Version (ESV)
Ask, and It Will Be Given: 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"-
Hope and Confidence: So personally speaking, even as a parent I write that it was a joyous feeling for me to read the list that my young children presented at Christmas, few years ago and even now that they know the story. The confidence and hope that they have, need not be taken away. God, the great giver, encourages us to ask Him, and God can make anyone a messenger to bring a blessing in your life. That is the hope and trust we need to continue to instill. The world needs hope.
I must say that we must, repeat must teach our children NOT to pray to Santa or to make a list for Santa but to pray to the Gracious God, who uses people in our lives to bless us. These days many want to exclude prayers and God all together, because we live a world that believes in 'self made' stuff, would it not be ok to teach children, that there is God up there and He cares for you, your needs and is willing to give you, whatever you need!
Teaching Generosity: We also encourage them to become givers. Jesus said in John's gospel that, "We will always have poor among us." So, instead of being so skeptical, we can humble and be messengers of God."Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke6:38 NIV
When we display goodness of God, God remains at the center and gets glorified and His power working through us and in us is seen, whether we are ordinary being or great givers. Our children have never thought of Santa as GOD, but a messenger of God, because that is what we taught them.
Even Santa bows down to worship Jesus, the true Gift giver, and the Gift himself from Heaven's all-gracious King!
May we not get too carried away in either side though, but live humble lives and display God's goodness as did St. Nick did!
A very clear teaching on this subject and a very good resource is in this article that I read and am pasting it here, please take time to read: https://answersingenesis.org/jesus-christ/birth/wintertime-worship-santa-claus-or-jesus-christ/
Here is our daughter, Narita Sharma, speaking on: Benefits of Christian Education on her graduation celebration day on July 1st 2012. We thank God for allowing us to home school our daughters on Accelerated Christian Education system, that is profoundly Biblical, a highly academic and structured program instilling not only goodness but godliness in the lives of our children so they are able to live each day in the good, acceptable and perfect will of our Heavenly Father and also are ready to face each tomorrow with the wisdom, strength and courage of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Isaiah 54:13 says: "And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD: and great shall be the peace of thy children." I have continued to claim this verse for our children.
Be blessed as you hear it. This video and speech is copyrighted - Please note that prior permission from the author must be obtained prior to using any part of this speech in any form.
Because of the poor recording quality, below is a word for word:
Prarthna Narita Sharma’s High School graduation Day
speech on:
Benefits of Christian Education – July 1st, 2012
at Swahili Chapel, Chicago: (10 minutes)
Bwana Asifiwe! (In
Swahili) Praise the LORD. Thank you for coming for
celebrating my graduation with me. I’m very privileged to stand before you and
I am glad that God has enabled me - just to share with you—I’ll be sharing with
you, the benefits of a Christian education - found on a Christian foundation.
And I’ll only be a few minutes—I know we’re also hungry for the food; it looks
really nice. I have two passages that I’ll be reading that will pertain to this
speech.
The first is Matthew 7:24-25 King James Version (KJV) “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and
doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a
rock:”And the
rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that
house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.”
And
the second passage is Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go:
and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Now,
there are five things that I have learned very much from having a Christian
education. I was home-schooled from my mom.
1.
And the first thing is the fear of the Lord.
Can we all say that together? (Congregation’s
response) : “The Fear of the Lord.”
And
the fear of the Lord, Proverbs22:4 say: “By humilityandthe
fear of the LORDareriches,
and honour, and life.”
Why this is so
important? Because God is at the center of our life, as opposed to some secular
education, where we are the center of our life or who our friends are - are at
the center of our lives. Basically, Humanism is at the center. By having a fear
of the Lord, we are taught by the Lord, making him—(centre of our lives) that
we’re in His hands. And we are taught by the Lord, which will bring, as it
says, riches, and honor, and life, which true riches that I’ll define later.
2. The second
thing that I had is our Identity in Christ.
Can we say that
together? (Congregation responds): “Our Identity in Christ”
So the first thing
was the fear of the Lord and the second thing is our identity in Christ.
So many times we have
examples of identity crises today because people today—what do they find their
identity in? In clothes, in what you wear, you’re what kind of car you drive,
you’re what kind of house you live in, and you’re - what kind of money you
earn, what kind of degree you get…. But our identity as Christians as believers
in Christ… is-- it’s in Christ- so it’s not about using God for ourselves - rather,
it’s being used by God and for God.
In Galatians 2: 20
it says, “I am crucified with Christ. It is no longer I that live, but Christ
that lives in me. The life that I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son
of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” This [something] these two first
points, why they’re so crucial in Christian education, is that they put God
first. There are so many artists and actors, and you see so many of them who,
they are first, their own [life] is first, and of course, that’s a pitfall
because they’re like the man who built his house on the sand. IT will wither
away in the storm.
3. The third
thing that I’ve learnt is - the 60 character traits of Christ. You can search
them - you can look them up on Google if you want. They’re things like honesty,
truthfulness, diligence, trust, love, and faith. The books that we have in our
Christian Education are called PACES and they have two little characters, a boy
and a girl, who we grew up with, so to say. And all those Paces, they have 60
characteristics individually in all of them. It is really helpful to children.
The ones that I remember were very self-sacrificing such as doing something for
someone else, even though you’d like to do something yourself - giving that up;and Thriftiness; That if you don’t have
something, or if it’s too expensive - use what God has given you at that time.
The big thing
about this is that in secular education, they teach you that you don’t have to
go by character or principles; you have to go by, “Desperate times call for
desperate measures.” If bad things happen, you have to do what you can. But the
Bible teaches, and Christian education founded on the Bible teaches, that there
is no other option but obeying God. To use an example of Daniel and his friends:
They were about to be burned to death for not bowing down to idols: because the
Bible has the first commandment, “You shall not have any other gods before me,”
they didn’t have any other option. They would either be delivered by God in the
furnace or they would die in the furnace a martyr’s death - to the glory of
God.
4. The fourth
thing that I have learned is -- learn to love of memorization of the Bible.
Our PACEs that we had - each of them had about 12 PACES and there are 5
subjects, so each of them had a verse for all these years. Additionally, my mom
would also have us (memorize)—we’d sit down every morning and read chapters or
books. It’s not about competition that you memorize big chapters of the Bible
or something. It’s about getting the Bible rooted in your heart.
This morning a
pastor at our church, he had said that when the devil tempted Jesus in the
desert, Jesus did not - He didn’t bring a Bible from His pocket and start
flipping through the pages. “Let me find a verse I have to tell you!” No! What
did He do? He recited it from His mind. It was [only/truly/really] because He
loved the Bible so much, that he kept it in His heart. And similarly, we
should, too.
5. And,
finally, what I have learned is getting true success. The world’s
definition of success is defined by how rich are you? What kind of degree did you get in school? What kind of school are you going to? Or, like in my situation
as a student, it would be “How many A’s do you have?” which is not necessarily
a bad thing, but with God - definition of true success is in Proverbs. (Proverbs
8:10-12) It says, “Receive my instructions and not silver, knowledge rather
than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things that
[make you desire?] are not even compared to it.”
So, while the
world goes for things like silver and gold and rubies and money, and you know,
like, jewels, God instructs us to go for things like wisdom, and to follow His
words and to follow Him. The definition of wisdom is described as: We look at -
we can look at ourselves and say ‘If Jesus was living as myself - as Narita
Sharma, what would He do with my limitations, abilities, and talents? If Jesus
was living as you, what would He do? If Jesus was living as you, what would He
do? And in thinking that, we find – that- What Would Jesus Do, and find that in
our life by following Him, by making choices that you know He would make.
So it comes to
this: what is our foundation? Is it temporary things, such as money, or fame,
or goods, (for) which we will have the same consequences like the man who built
his house on the sand? Or is our foundation on Christ? A theologian by the name
of Dietrich Bonheoffer - he has a quote that goes along the lines of “When you
are a believer in Christ, you are--it’s a death to yourself.” He says, “I have
been crucified with Christ” You are crucifying your old self onto the cross and
He gives you His new self and the Holy Spirit. There is a song that says, “All
of my ambitions, hopes, and plans, I surrender these into your hands” – into
God’s hands. Right now, in my life, I can say that I don’t know where God is
going to take me. He has not – He’s chosen not to reveal that to me. In His
time, he will reveal to me. But the main thing is that all of them are in His
hands. And the key word is obedience. Whatever He tells me to do, wherever He tells me to go, it will be in obedience to Him. That is the Christian life:
building your foundation on Christ. And I’d just want to invite anybody who does
not know Jesus as their personal Savior, if you would take this time to receive
His invitation and accept Him in your heart; will you make the choice to build
your foundation on the sand, which will wither away when the storm comes, or on
Christ? Another difference that comes between Christian education and secular
education is: If you’re doing a math test, and you forget the problem, in
secular education, it’s “Oh my gosh, I forgot the problem! Let me see if he
(the person sitting next to you) has the answer, I can write that down.” or you
can look it up on Google. But when you’re a Christian, you bow your head and
say in true humility, “God, I don’t know the answer’ and later on in life He
carries you through tough trials that you may have to face and you’ll say,
“God, I can not go through this. Give me your strength so that I can go through
this. And thank-you that you’re able to be with me through this.” And so you
make the choice for what foundation you have built. If you have already built
your foundation on the Rock, whatever time you’re in, whether it’s a joyous
time where God has really blessed you or where you’re in a trial where God’s
refining you, you can trust that you are on the Rock and come rain, come stormy
days, come sunny days, or cloudy days, you are on the Rock and that will not
fail.
My thoughts on 17th June, 2012: Father’s Day: on
my dear Uncle John (John-mama) (Mama means 'maternal uncle' - mother's brother' in Indian language)
God is the best example of the perfect father - a loving,
nurturing, and admonishing Father; he never abandons his children. What is that
dads can learn on a day like Fathers’ Day?
Every child needs Dad around; it is just not enough to bring
the child into the world. The phone call once a year or in a while is not enough. The
visit here and there and toys every now and then is not enough. Children are
given on a loan to us and we need to be careful to service the loans. We will
stand before a Holy GOD one day who will demand an answer from all that He has
placed in our hands, including raising our children.
Hearts cry out when we see many children and many homes that
are fatherless these days and what is shocking is that number is on the rise. Kids
are just encouraged to adapt to a “new normal” that they did not ask for. Both
parents need to commit to working it out and stick together to give security,
future, and a home.
Together with my siblings, I happened to be a child who has
lived a few years away from our parents and therefore, know the value of home,
security and protection! I remember, as a small child, thinking and seeing my Dad as a
giant daddy, someone who stood by me to protect me and hug me, to guide and
lead me. For a number of years of my childhood, Daddy and Mommie both were away in
Africa and for sometime we were raised by a dear Uncle John (John-mama) back
home in India!
Uncle John too was like a lion yet soft hearted and loving. If I categorize my Dad as a lion, John-mama would be a tiger. I do not ever
remember him showing any partiality between his own children and us; he and his dear loving wife both treated all of us alike. My two siblings and I were raised by him and
his dear wife for a few years of our lives.
I have good memories of Uncle John (John-mama) providing
security, guidance, and protection to us. He would not leave us alone to
ourselves or to the neighbors. We feared Uncle John out of good reverence. He
was a civil servant working as an Income Tax officer and also enjoyed driving and hunting; he had cars that we traveled in (which was,
in those days, a rare commodity); he was a hard working man who provided well for his
family and was a great investor. He served the community well and was well respected by all both inside and outside the church. Every Christmas and Easter time he would go
hunting and bring a great game and cook and feed us. I was the youngest of all
the children so he would always joke with me and treat me extra kindly. After
dinner, he would play simple games with us outside in the open yard in wonderful weather and he made us laugh. There was strict discipline in his
household that I appreciated much. At his house, reading the Bible and praying at
night together as a family before bedtime was mandatory. He also taught us the value of Fasting. He believed in discipline and ascertained that
we attended church weekly. One of the remarkable set traditions of his household was a consistent, peculiar parting greeting: Anyone who stepped out of the house said, "Isu ni Jai" (meaning "Praise be to Jesus" - in Gujarati.) Almost similar to saying, "Ok, bye, God bless" and so no one stepped out of home before saying "Isu ni Jai." Those are beautiful memories.
I recall a hilarious incident: During one of those large family feasts in my childhood, I (the tiny, tiny, little one) was seated at the far end of the row; the food was being served by my dad, while the Grace before meal time was prayed by my Uncle John at that time, so the food serving stopped in the middle. As soon as he finished saying 'Amen', I jumped right in to continue praying loudly, "And Lord Jesus, the Okra vegetable dish has not yet reached me, please help hasten it to reach me as soon as possible. Amen." and everyone burst into roars of laughter. (hey, Okra was and is still my favorite dish, I still remember thinking in my little mind that it won't reach me and that I will be forgotten! So the best thing was to plead to the Lord Jesus - the higher authority! hahahaha) (smile)
Uncle John was the only brother my mom had; he was younger than my mom just by a year and a half or so. Both my mom and
he loved each other as the only siblings they were. He respectfully addressed my mom as "motiben" (literally, "elder sister.") I also remember he and my Dad hugging and crying like David and Jonathan before Dad left for Africa. My mom and uncle both were raised by a widowed
mom; when he was barely born, his dad passed away. So, a lovely nurse by
profession, my grandmother dedicated her life to raising both her kids alone
with God’s help. I can say that she raised a fine son and a hardworking man of
principles and one who loved Jesus. My mom used to tell us that John-mama was very hard working even as a youth and learnt driving at a young age and would go to the big, huge city of Mumbai on work prior to his full time job. I am thankful to God for John-mama. I am thankful that God softened his heart
to provide for us the security, protection and love we needed when our own
parents were away from us due to their own duties out side the country.
One thing I am personally grateful for is his parental
wisdom over my life: In my teen years before I made a huge mess, John-mama sensed the urgency
of the matter and before things got out of hand, he arranged for me to travel
to and be with my Mom and Dad in Africa. I am grateful to him and his family for that
superb decision that they made on my behalf. That decision changed my life
totally and entirely and made me closer to God more than ever and made me a person of worth. As a young woman, I learnt the biblical principle and obedience to stay pure till I got married
and saved myself for Bharat, my husband. I learnt to value Bible reading,
praying, and family togetherness. I learnt that caring relatives pick up God-given roles and assume parental authority with love and genuine
care without expecting anything in return. When Dad passed away in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1984, Uncle John was thousands of miles away in India; after the funeral ceremonies and mourning days were over, he suggested to my mom that I, being the youngest in the family now, need to marry and settle down. I really appreciated his concern for me even at that time when Dad was gone; Uncle John, sitting far away, still felt responsible for me and wished for my good. When he learnt that I am waiting on God and His timings, he did not pressurize me but let me wait. When God sent Bharat in my life, both John-mama and Shanta-mami (my aunt) approved of him and blessed us.
God used Uncle John in my life in a
great way. This blog post page is dedicated to my dear uncle John (John
Mama), who is close to my heart and who stepped in to play a fatherly role to me and my siblings
while Dad was away.
Uncle John went to be with the Lord few years back but I
know I will see him in heaven at the feet of Jesus! Jesus, thank you for kind
uncle like Johnmama who took us (his sister’s kids) and treated them as his own to guide, protect and care for, but mostly for teaching the fear of God, the importance of daily Bible reading as a family, praying and honoring Christ in our lives!
Bwana Asifiwe! (In
Swahili) Praise the LORD. Thank you for coming 