Part- 2 Encounter vs Excuses

God’s Encounter

Moses had an encounter with God at the burning bush. Moses was set aside from birth. He was saved from the Pharaoh’s sword, flourished at the Palace and then driven to the wilderness. It was here where he was at his lowest that God encountered him. It’s strange that God waited this long for somebody who was chose beforehand. Ideally, it would seem appropriate to commission a man in the prime of his life not when he is going through a mid-life crisis.

But we know time and again from God’s word in Isiah 55:8 that God’s ways are different from our ways. His encounters happens maybe when we least expect it. He calls us when we deem ourselves retired, incapable and lost. The word does say, He chose the weak and foolish things (1 Corinthians 1:27). God knew what He was doing even though Moses would not see it immediately.

Moses’ Excuses & Questions

Who am I ?- Why me? I am not capable, I am scared, I can’t do this, I am not cut out for this.

What is His name? What shall I tell them?- What will people think, sounds crazy , hard to explain

What if they do not believe or listen to me?-

Moses had so many questions and doesn’t seem like he was just curious. Although God patiently answers each of his questions and reassures him that he is right guy, Moses comes up with a set of excuses (Exodus 4:10-13). With all the signs and promises and ideas God shared with Moses, he concludes that he is not capable.

Have you ever found yourself in similar situations?

Have you felt vulnerable, weak and equipped for the responsibility given to you?

Despite all the reassurances, do you feel like you can’t do it?

Moses felt that way but God wasn’t done with him, He listened to all Moses had to say and provided answers. Just becasue we are weak and vulnerable, God does not give up on us. If He has called us for a purpose, He will see it through. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns”(NLT). God can use us at our lowest or weakest points and He does it for His glory.

Happy Reading

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflections from the life of Moses- 1 The Egyptian Prince Vs The Shepherd

The Egyptian Prince Vs The Shepherd

Amidst the chaos and pain faced by the Israelites in ancient Egypt, was born Moses who was special since his birth. This is evident from the fact that a lot of people risked their lives to keep him safe. Jocobed, Moses’ mom took an enormous risk in protecting him, only to lose him to the Egyptian palace. So while their family and many others struggled in bonded labor, their son and brother grew up in a palace not far away but in a different reality. Maybe they were content with the fact that one of them got away or that one day he might be instrumental in saving them.

They weren’t totally wrong, Moses although grew up as an Egyptian Prince, definitely knew his roots and did more than just casual inquiries. We read in Exodus 2 :11, ” Moses went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor”. He knew who his people were, he knew they were unjustly treated and he was not happy about it. His patience was tested when he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew.

This was his chance to be a superhero, he had the training, he was powerful and here was the opportunity. Taking matter into his own hands, he killed the Egyptian and hid him. We see a powerful, instinct driven, maybe brave vigilante unwilling to tolerate injustice.

Fast forward to Moses in the Wilderness, a fugitive, a stranger at the mercy of others. Again he is saved but unlike the Palace, he had to work to survive. And that’s how the Prince became a Shepherd. Moses is said to have worked as a shepherd for Jethro for 40 years, had a family, settled down with probably no thoughts of return. At the mercy of his father-in-law, a mellowed, shepherd minding his own business and family.

But then, one day, he came across this weird sight, a burning bush, we read about it in Chapter 3, where God sought out Moses. Well, He got his attention for sure. God makes a declaration that enough was enough (verses 9,10) and that he had heard the cry of the Israelites and was about to do something and He wanted Moses to be the guy to do that something.

This was his moment to shine, all the hopes of family and his people were pinned on him and God chose him and was asking him to go. He should have been ecstatic, this was his way of repaying all the people who risked their lives to keep him safe. Unfortunately, Moses doesn’t seem very excited (verse 11) but God is not done, in fact he insists and adds a promise but it doesn’t seem to work. Maybe he just wanted to take his herd back safely and go on with his life undisturbed so unlike the person he was.

He had left all that behind. Would he go back? Would he actually listen to God? (To be continued…)

Questions and Points to ponder

• What differences do we see between the Prince and the Shepherd?
• Why did God choose Moses? A fugitive, a murderer and a shepherd
• Why now? After all these years..
• Why not when he was younger and could have yielded much more influence?

Do share if you have any thoughts in the comments or questions

Happy Reading

 

Love is … I am not…

 

Love is patient, I thought I was but then adulthood happened                   Love is kind, I rarely am                                                                                                     It does not envy, guilty of the opposite                It does not boast, In my defense, I am subtle It does not dishonor others, I haven’t bothered to ask It is not self-seeking, (What… I can’t hear you, hellooo) It is not easily angered, does not yelling count It keeps no record of wrongs, ur kidding right Does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, “evil laugh” Always protects, just when I don’t get hurt              Always hopes, pessimism is my middle name               Always perseveres, ummm too much work            Never fails, Everybody hurts , sometimes….

Do we really have to love this way? Why is it so hard to love this way?Is it only my responsibility? Can I expect to be loved this way? I hope you are struggling with these questions as well. I don’t want to be the only evil one around.

Happy Thinking

Listening: The Chinese Way

Recently, I was involved in a project which works to promote Mental Health and works alongside people with Psycho Social Disabilities. It was an interesting experience.

There is an increasing awareness globally on Mental Health, it has been included in the Sustainable Development Goals and there have been some portrayals of the real problems in movies and social media. This is a positive step toward dealing with stigma and Mental Health. But the number of people affected with Psycho social disability is still alarming high and a significant percentage of people are denied care either due to inaccessibility or unavailability of care. Along with this is , there is a even higher percentage of people who are at risk everyday and who need urgent attention as well.

Often we are shocked by the numbers and reports but are unsure what to do or we become immune or indifferent. With this alarming increase, pro activeness is required on all our parts since every number has a face, a story and when we sit down to listen we might be actually able to help someone and make a difference. This is just to remind us all on the importance of stopping and listening in this fast paced world.

Listening does not happen automatically, we hear but we might not be listening. It is a skill which has to be developed and consciously practiced. I came cross an interesting reminder on listening, in a book I was reading and thought I’ll share it , so read on to find out

The Chinese symbol of listening has several components

Ear – What you use to listen   (hear)
King = Pay attention as if the other person were king
Ten and Eye = Be observant as if you had ten eyes
One = Listen with individual attention
Heart = Listen also with your heart (in addition to ear and eye)

This captures the essence of active listening, the crucial step to help someone.

People might not always use their words to convey what they are feeling, if we care about somebody, we might have to use more than our ears to listen.

So listen the Chinese way, make a difference, save a life.

The not so easy life…

Life is a journey

It is not always easy

There are thorns and bumps

And unexpected storms

But as long as you are moving

As long as you are learning

Life gets interesting

Don’t always wish for easy

It might get messy

Coz it’s rough seas that make good sailors

Difficult road lead to beautiful destinations

keep walking

Live , live , laugh,learn

Take the road less taken

It might be worth after all

If you have chosen a difficult path, be it a career you are passionate about, a relationship you want to see through, sacrifices you make time and again, investment in lives that seem hopeless and various other things,  keep going, you will come out stronger.  Just remember to live, love,laugh and learn along the way.

Happy Reading …