Blurred

In the part of the country I live in, torrential rains lash out their furry for almost four months at a stretch. You hardly get to see the sun during these days. But people here are so used to this kind of weather that in-spite of the heavy rains, normal life still goes on as usual.

The monsoon has just set in and the weather is quite pleasant though it keeps raining the whole day. I commute by bus to office very morning. I am a creature of habit – I take the same bus every day, at the same time and occupy the same seat, on the left aisle, right in the front. Something, though not unusual, caught my attention this morning!

I was not able to clearly see anything through the windshield of the bus as it was raining heavily and the water hitting the glass made it impossible for me to see the oncoming traffic. But the driver’s side of the same windshield was clear and he was able to drive the bus through traffic safely. The windshield of the bus had just one wiper unlike that of a car, which has two. This wiper made sure that the water hitting the glass did not block the vision for the driver.

It was the same windshield, but my side of the glass showed me a very blurred image of what was in front but the driver’s portion of the glass was wiped clean and he could see clearly! It did not matter whether I could see or not, ‘cause the person who was at the wheel could see what was coming on to us and it was he, who was navigating. I reach office safely.

As I was pondering over this, I realized how even in our lives, we don’t get to see what is in store ahead of us.

Will I get through that interview ? How am I going to complete this work ? Will I be able to provide for my family this month ? Will that promotion come through ?

We don’t see the future. We don’t know what might happen the very next minute ! We get anxious and worried. We fail to enjoy each new day the Lord graciously adds to our lives by fretting about things beyond our control.

Let us rest assured because the one who is at the wheel can clearly see through all that seems so blurred to us. He will navigate us through the stormy seas and bring us ashore !

We need to be wrapped by the calm assurance and faith that made the shepherd king say, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want”.

Each time the dark clouds of doubt seem to overshadow you and the fetters of fear seem to grip you, sing along boldly with Gaither, “Because He lives I can face tomorrow, because He lives all fear is gone. Because I know, yes I know, He hold my future; And life is worth a living, just because He lives !  

Azariah Jerry Manuel

The Unchanging...

It was a pleasant evening , and I chose to be at the beach... I was enjoying the cool and gentle breeze on the west coast. The sun had finished its routine for the day and was setting, another few minutes and it would go back to its resting place. They say it shines very bright once again just before it disappears into the horizon…The sky was reflecting the beautiful colors of the rays of the sun, I was amazed at the different shapes of the clouds.  To me each resembled the shape of some real life object or the other…some were like animals , some like ships while others like trees and so on…and all of a sudden one thing struck me – these were changing their shapes constantly though slowly !

The clouds were slowly moving and in course their shapes were changing. Once that which was a beautiful bird turned into some unrecognizable abstract structure, while still others resembled other objects, which weren’t as beautiful as the previous shapes.

Disappointment crept in, for a moment’s time I was rejoicing at the beauty of these cute clouds against the colorful sunset and the gentle ocean below reflecting it, but soon things so drastically changed, the clouds disintegrated, the sun was dimming down and the tides grew stronger causing the once gentle waves to roar…

Aren’t things in our life sometimes so similar to this…situations change, maybe for good or maybe for bad. Relationships that once gave us hope and love, may have now come to the brink of breaking up or maybe it isn’t there at all anymore! People whom we trusted changed like the shadows and moved on in life, leaving us behind. Or is it something dear that you held on to and it has let you down…

The world around us is a rapidly changing one. Nothing in it remains the same. And people of this world are like chameleons. They adapt to situations and change their stance to suit their comfort. Friends- they come and go. They are here today and there tomorrow and might very well not be there at all the day after.

On the contrary, there are things in life which we so desperately want to be changed and lo - they just don’t seem to! You try everything you can, you run, scream, fight, stand upside down, and yet they remain the same…Phew !!! Can we survive in a world like this? Is there any hope for us in situations like these ? a depressing job...a broken relationship...a deteriorating lifestyle…a crumbling financial base…emotional turmoil…a betrayed soul ???  

In an ever changing world there is one who is never changing !

He is the same yesterday today and forever. Heaven and earth may pass away but His words will remain! He is not man to lie nor the son of man to change His mind. His promises never fail. In Him there is strength for today and hope for tomorrow.

If you are tossed to and fro by this ever changing world, hold on to the never changing one – Jesus, the unchanging!

Azariah Jerry Manuel