Lift up your eyes

This job sucks. The manager is the worst one I have ever come across. Man, this process is so monotonous. All my friends have changed job, I want some excitement. To top it all, I am sick of working at nights. I want to have some life.

I am putting on weight and can't fit in my clothes, do not feel like going to work, every conversation lands up in a fight with my boyfriend and am not getting any good jobs around. I am sick of all and do not know what to do.

I was bugged. I was sick and shattered till I met Mrs. Harris.

Mrs. Harris was a retired teacher, a mother of three sons. All her children are well settled in the capital city of India. Eldest is a Doctor working with All India Institute of Medical Sciences, second one is a trainer with an international BPO and the youngest of all is a social worker who work for women grievances with a famous NGO.

I met Mrs. Harris in a dilapidated old age home 'maintained' by Delhi Government. It was a cold evening and I had gone to write about the 'famous' founder of the old age home. Mrs. Harris was the one who helped me reach the founder’s office. Though the living place for old people was in tatters, cold and falling down, the founder’s office was very comfortable. I guess it had the heating system up!

On my way back, I saw Mrs. Harris seated near the veranda, with her back leaning on the cold wall, legs covering her chest and week arms thrown around them. She was feeling very cold. She was trying to cover the candle flame with her old yet beautiful hands.
As it was very dark and the place was lit up only by that candle, I hastily asked her, "Why does she want to put off the light?"
To this she said, “daughter, I am trying to keep myself warm, isn't it cold here?"

I suddenly realized that it was very cold and I was freezing to bones.

However, she was smiling and trying to keep herself warm with that tiny candle light. A strange expression of contentment spread over her face.

I could not hold it any more and began fuming about government not managing this place well. I wanted them to keep the place warm as only old people lived there. It was glacial cold, hurting right in bones.

I wondered, why don’t they speak up, why do they have to stand all this? This place should be warm else they’ll catch cold.

To this, Mrs. Harris said with same content spread across her face, "Child, I thank God that he has given me shelter and some people to talk to. My kids abandoned me at the age of 93."

I was shocked; she could thank God in that difficult condition.

That day on, I stopped decided to stop murmer about things that were not going right.

I opted to thank for those which were good. I learnt to lift up my eyes and see all that I missed looking at petty things around me.

Lift up your eyes the world is worth appreciating!

Jehovah Jireh - God Our Provider

Setback and tears drooling down my cheeks, I sat in Esther Brown's house. Sad and broke.
As I had lost my job.

I worked as a trainee reported for one of the leading magazines in India. I was a trainee and they barely paid me. The bylines were not sufficient for living. I was looking for other jobs and a low grade news channel hired me, just to fire the next day. They had got a hopeless guy ready to work for half the salary I demanded.

Extremely excited about the new job (in news channel), I declared to the world and everybody on team about this. One of the stingy colleagues told the editor about this. This resulted in, me loosing both the good and the bad jobs. Nothing could have been worst than this.

I had no money at all. The list of payees was huge, newspaper seller, grocery store, library membership, house rent and many more. I didn’t know how was this to be done? All I wanted was to escape the situation.

Esther advised that I pray and ask Jesus to bless me with a job. It seemed she had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. She suggested that I pray and ask Jesus to PROVIDE. As she called him ' Jehovah Jireh’ which means—‘God our provider.’ To me, this had no reason at all and was the last thing I could have done being a through Hindu.

I tried calling a couple of my best friends however; none was able to help. I had to pay the bills just after a day.

I prayed -" Jesus if you are actually a living God, get my job back right now." I cried and looked towards his picture neatly kept on Esther's Alter.

The phone rang.

It was the editor calling. I was not able to react or think much about it, just took the call.
She was streaming angry and wanted me to report to work immediately.

I did.

She had read one of the stories that I had left on her desk the other day and wanted to hire me as a reporter on team. She passed the papers and effective that moment I was hired!

I learnt.

God is the provider and he provides when we really need.

Esther and I still sing, “Jehovah Jireh, My provider His grace is sufficient for me.”

Born not by chance!

For seventeen years of my age I thought I am a result of an accident and have landed on the planet by chance. My mom and dad made love like everybody do and to there surprise, I arrived. My mom was really young and I guess they didn’t want me. Life was more exciting for the young couple before a cry baby arrived.

Soon after that, I was sent to another address as an adopted child, (mom and dad were really young and their elder brother had suffered a death of their little kid. So, they adopted me)
This truth was disclosed while I was still in early teenage years. I missed my parents.
Though my foster parents loved me a lot, I was never satisfied and had a much messed up rash childhood. Foster parents were affluent and made me go to a good school, gave me the best of all and yet I was not happy. I always wanted more; I wanted the special love of my own parents.

At seventeen, I turned into a true rebel and wanted to question almost everything. I went back home and asked my own parents for the reason that they decided to give me away to their brother. The answer I got was not worth buying.
Both the sets of parents had a fight and I landed up all alone. I went to college but now I had to earn, live and go to college. It was very difficult.

All these days I felt that I was never needed in this world. I was never needed by my own or foster parents. I lost friends. I lost almost all that I had back at home. My Parents- foster parents, my books, my clothes, my paints, shoes, scrap books and my home.
I lost all that I always wanted.

I had to look for shelter in a hostile city.
The feeling persisted- that nobody wants me, I belong to none and that I am just by a chance.

During this time I met a lady who is an undertaker; she told me about Jesus. Since that day things started changing in my life. I do not want to narrate all the miracles that God worked in my life. However, I realized the plan that God had for me.

Bible says, God's plans are always successful and we are a part of a mighty plan that he has made.

Today I am leading a church and am a transformed person. A blessing for many.

However, What if I were not adopted, not abandoned and not refused? I guess I would have been a usual girl who gets married, has kids, grows old and finally dies one day.

I am so thankful that god gave me a tuff life. The best was that I came to know this Jesus and today I preach the Gospel. Bless those who prosecute you! God loves you he has a great plan for your life. You are not by chance!

STOP - LOOK - CHANGE - GO

Make a choice about what you want to see?

Bible says “Find the positive in all"

This shows that good is not easily visible and we need to make an effort to seek it! Naa.. Don’t think I am teaching you kindergarten basics... all I mean is that over a long period of time (that is our age!) we have practiced hard to focus only on things - not good. I did a research and figured out that we learn it via experience ... people focused only on things which were not so good about us, and so we too started doing so.
We'll be doing a favor for self and others by making a choice to look at good!

Why not do it right away?

wordseller

1/26/2010

Powerful words.

I love you sweetheart and want to get married to you...

Mom you are the best...

San you are hired...

You are very pretty...

These are some words that can change you. I bet, the day you earn a complement you are more self-assured and ready to face the world.

Words are powerful and have the power to shape or break a life. Words are what you gift people... did you think you'll make up for the ranting argument by gifting a shirt to your husband?
Sorry, but nothing in this world can make people forget the words they earn.

Did you ever realize that your words have the power to cage a person? Your words can actually Jail a person who looks free otherwise.

If you want someone to excel, start saying – “guy, you are excellent and I know you are going to make it. I am sure he will.”

I know of a couple who loved each other a lot. The husband was a sweet and caring guy always on toes for the girl he loved and married. They had a beautiful house a pleasant life. They'll freak out together, chat long hours and watch movies. However, while little quarrels they always said we will separate, I don’t want to stat with you, you are sick.

And the worst truth I had come across till date is: they separated.
Both are really sorry and they think they cannot find a person like their ex- spouse. They are sad and left with wide lacunae. I felt pathetically said and questioned God why did this have to happen to two of my best friends? They loved each other!

Next morning happened to be Sunday and as usual go ready to get to the church.

Will you believe? I got the answer!

Bible says, 'Words have power, things that we say come out of the abundance of our heart and they do come to pass--Good or Bad'

If you are looking for a good and satisfying life... start saying that you will have one. Start saying positive things about your life. When was the last time, you complemented your spouse that he is the best guy for you? Did you tell him you love him, today?

Common hold your life, fix it. Say positive things about things and people around and see positive coming along.