Where is God when it hurts?

A couple of months ago, our daughter had to go in for a couple of shots. The nurse asked me to hold her in my arms as she injected my baby on her arms and thighs. The little one sat trustingly on my lap and then she suddenly felt the needle prick. I saw a momentary look of horror pass through her face before she let out a cry that reached into the deepest recesses of my heart. I imagined her question was how I could let someone cause her pain. I had no words to explain to her the importance of vaccinations as I hugged her close.

And then a piercing thought struck me – that’s how God takes us through the trials and tribulations of life. On his lap, hugging us close to him. He’s right there!

I came away from that vaccination session moist-eyed but richer at having understood my Heavenly Father a little more.

Picture credit: citris-uc.org

Little hands in mine

One of the great thrills of being a parent has been when my little daughter sticks out her tiny hand and says “Hold” with her monosyllabic conversations skills. (It sounds like ‘ol’, though.)

It happens when she wants to step out of the house or negotiate a stairway or an escalator.

That one word is sufficient - for me to understand her need and she knows that I’ll hold her hands no matter what. It’s a statement of simple trust. A trust that seems to be ingrained into her being.

It makes me wonder: does God feel the same way? Does He feel delighted when we hold out our hands to him and say, “Father, hold my hands, please?”

Picture credit: thesimplicityelegance.blogspot.com

How do we see ourselves?

While repeating some of our memory verses to our little daughter, I was struck by one verse:

And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 

Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? Genesis 18: 17-18

God looked beyond what Abraham was at his current state – an up-and-coming nomadic chieftain of sorts. Some one without an heir, well into his latter years.

What state are we in today? Does life constantly seek to remind us of how small and insignificant we are? Rejoice, for God has a great plan for us, a shining destiny.

When our eyes can only see our present smallness, we can take heart knowing that God sees our future greatness.

Picture credit: gardenpublisher.com

It's been 14 months!??!

I finally woke up to Blogger again and was pretty surprised that it had been more than a year since my last entry! Well, time has flown by but it's been one of those happy times - learning, discovering and enjoying God, life, my lil angel, my husband, friends, relatives and so much more. I'm so thankful!

We've also moved from India to Malaysia - another blog-worthy, happy, thankful story! :-)

Coming soon ...

Picture credit: lendingcentral.com

The miracle of life

For many of us, the miracle of life and birth can breakdown into a milestone of life, a normal process in the circle of life.

But if you were to ever stop and think, you’d see that it’s more than just a duty or primal instinct or milestone to be achieved. It is a miracle that we are invited to participate in.

A miracle that finds its fulfillment in love. A love that’s born in the hearts of two who believe in the miracle of life.

It is God’s way of sharing a glimpse of eternity with you.

It is God inviting you to join him in the creation process – as He breathes his life into a new individual who will be born 40 weeks later with a unique identity and a destiny of his/her own.

May those among us who are parents, never forget this and those who are parents-to-be, enjoy this time.

Smile, you are a miracle worker!

Picture credit: choosetomoveblog.com

The right perspective – Don’t lose it!

A change of plans resulted in my husband and I having to consult a new doctor in my parent’s place. (That’s where we decided to have our baby.)

On our first visit, a junior doc was to take down our medical history before we met the person who was to help bring our baby into this world.

My husband and I had just sat down when this lady turned around and asked me, “So what’s the problem?”

The words popped out: “Oh no, I don’t have a problem!”

She looked at me, puzzled.

I quickly followed it up: “I’m going to have a baby.”

I saw a smile break over her face.

I felt sorry for her. As a doctor who had probably seen too many people who came to her with only problems, this young lady was beginning to lose perspective of the wonder of the human body.

It was a warning sign for me too – In how many areas of my life had I begun to lose perspective? In my relationships, in the family, at work, at home, at church.

Picture credit: mindyourmind.ca

Real life heroes

Lately, I’ve found myself meeting men and women who, though very ordinary in every visible way, appear as heroes when you scrape just beneath the surface. I’ll try to bring to fore some of these people who make the world a better place in so many different but quiet ways.

Meet SR. He’s as ordinary as they come. But chat with him awhile and you’ll notice that his eyes twinkle with intelligence and that he emanates a rare brand of boldness. At first, it was difficult to place my finger on what was so special.

I tagged him as someone who was very courageous, bold in his decisions and unswerving in his commitment. In a nutshell, a great guy!

That was until he mysteriously disappeared for a week from work. When he did turn up, he was married. He showed me a few photographs and introduced me to ‘our daughter’. I was mystified for just a moment. He looked at my face and said, “It’s okay. You can make assumptions.”

Knowing the man, I simply said, “You’ve married someone who’s lost her husband.”

It was bang on. It was his first marriage. In a culture like ours where widows are amply pitied and sympathized over, emancipation is a far cry.

No, he did not take pity on her. He fell in love with her!

God bless you, SR. There are few like you and may your tribe increase.

Picture credit: pearls.com