Being On Fire For God

I've always been a dreamer. As a Post-Graduate, my biggest dream was to be a news anchor. When I stepped out of St Joseph's College in 2012, I chased my dreams of changing the world by becoming a journalist. I grabbed all the opportunities that came my way and worked for some of the best employers in the country but God had a vision for my life, and I realized that He still called me to change the world in His own way.

Today, I complete one year as a full-time pastoral worker with Couples For Christ India. My life as a missionary has been so amazing, that I've not realized how time has gone by. It just feels like everything happened just over a cup of coffee. One year? Maybe the clock has cheated me by running too quickly!

In this great pursuit of becoming His true disciple, I've been loaded with memories that will never fade. I had the oppurtunity to travel to some of the best places where CFCI is present and interact with some of the most awesome people and learn valuable lessons for life.

My first mission to CFCI Assam taught me the joy of giving others even in my dearth, while CFCI Gujarat taught me to open doors for strangers and feed them. When elders in CFCI Jharkand washed our stinking feet (after all the travel) before welcoming us into their house, taught me humility, and to one destination that I travelled the most, CFCI Goa, taught me to love and be love to others, and last but not least, CFCI Bangalore, from where I come from, constantly teach me to be on fire for God.

Undoubtedly, the last twelve months have been the best in my life. Was it easy to give up my career and work as a missionary? No, it wasn't. It was obviously difficult. I have my own struggles in life, which requires me to hold on to a good paying job, but I gave it all up for the love of God and Him alone. St Paul, the great apostle, in his first letter tells young Timothy that when one is single, they could devote more time for the work of God as they wouldn't get distracted by any responsibility. While my entire life belongs to God, I wanted to serve Him with my everything, before I get loaded with responsibilities.

The scenes of how Jesus went through the most horrific and torturous death in the world would repeatedly play in my mind. How can Jesus be so insanely in love with us? If He, the king of kings, could be so foolish by giving up His life for people who are made out of dirt, giving up a thriving career for Him was not a huge thing for me. It honestly didn't look foolish as I knew it would please God. Well, the world had a million things to say but only God remained my priority and I will continue to serve Him full-time until He allows me.

All of us in this blessed community are called to serve God is some way. Have you ever asked yourself how is God calling you to serve? I agree, not everyone are called to serve as full-time missionaries, but you can still choose to become a 'Missionary' in the spare time God has provided you.

I repeat the words of St Paul, 'The youth can do magnificent things for the master's cause'. While still there are heaps of work pending and the community is looking for youngsters to go on missions, how many of us are eager to serve God? Our household servants, formators and chapter servants are looking for various mission volunteers. Speak to them and take up something that interests you and serve God through that. If you and I are part of this community, enjoying our walk with God and fellowship with each other, it is only because a brother/sister went out of his/her way to preach the good news to us. They had a heart for God and eagerness to win souls for Him. Do we have the same fire in our hearts?

No one can ever force their opinions on us, at the same time, let us be mindful that we owe our lives to God. After all, what is life, if it isn't used for His glory? St. Catherine of Sienna puts it beautifully, "If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!"

The Gift of ‘Youth’

“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them” – Ecclesiastes 12:1

Sometimes you might feel unworthy; you might not feel ‘good enough’ for God. You might be battling inside your heart, asking whether you are perfect to serve God. Our strong misconceptions would have shown us the way that it’s great to be young and now is the time to squander irresponsibly and take pleasure in the worldly things. Some tend to believe that it’s only after their wedding bells, or probably when their hair turns gray, is the ideal time to serve God and some consider that ‘serving the Lord’ is not their calling at all.

Well, it’s wonderful to be young. We certainly should enjoy every minute of our youth. After all, we are young just once. Isn’t it? But don’t let the excitement of your youth cause you to forget your Creator. Have you read the Scripture? There are many verses in the Holy Bible that confirm where God asks us to remember Him in the days of our youth, before the difficult days come.

Are you young and single?

St. Paul tells us that every life circumstance is a gift. If you are in adolescence, single or married, everything is a gift and it comes from God. The Bible encourages us to be godly in any relationship we are in.

You will definitely be pressurized by your peers at school, college and work, to go out with a guy/girl or would get teased for not doing the worldly things which your friends might be indulging in. These are some real struggles which all of us are bearing with but make sure to not let others run your life. Having a girl/guy will definitely not solve all your problems. You be in charge of you, don’t let those things be in charge of you.

You were created not just to eat and breathe but were created to make a difference. You were created to serve God. He has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do.

Paul wrote his first letter to young Timothy urging the youngster to be aware of his influence to others: I Timothy 4:12 says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”

Paul also says when one is single; he/she can devote more time and energy to the Lord and his affairs because as/she will not get distracted by any responsibility to another person.  So go forth and be active in the Church. Take help from your parish priest and look for a Catholic community where you can grow in faith. It will not just help you to grow spiritually but also keep you away from negative thoughts.

But if you fall under the category where people say, ‘I don’t think this is my calling’, the Bible tells you that you were saved to serve God. “It is He who saved us and chose us for His holy work, not because we deserved it but because that was His plan” (2 Tim. 1:9). God redeemed you so you could do His ‘Holy work.’ You are not saved by service, but you are saved for service.

If you see, the Bible is replete with examples of how God has used younger people in some of the most vital roles in the unfolding of his marvelous plan of redemption.

In God’s Kingdom you have a place, a purpose, a role, and a function to fulfill. This gives your life great significance and value. But do we always recognize that we can accomplish magnificent things for the Master’s cause?

Are you imperfect or unworthy?

If you are breaking your head over whether you are imperfect or unworthy for God, know that you are certainly, ‘Not’. God isn’t looking for us to be perfect; He is only looking for us to receive His perfect love. He looks at our heart but not at our imperfections. He wants our love. He wants us to have a close relationship with him more than anything else. We are called for a holy and noble purpose and to accomplish that God is more than happy if we just heed to his calling.

First and foremost, you have to get away with all your misconceptions about being unworthy for God. We all know where this hissing voice comes from. It is the Satan himself. He is the one who keeps you swayed that you are a sinner and God will never accept you to serve Him. Satan keeps bringing up your sins in order to get your eyes off your savior. When we become depressed of our unworthiness, just remember two things; you are ignoring his mercy and grace of God, and our unbelief in his love for us. You are imprudently living in unruly ignorance of your father’s full acceptance of you.

If we only understood how great our father’s mercy is toward us, we would realize he loves us even when we fail. Then you might probably repent all your life for doing so.

Probably, I’m not worthy to write this article and you may not be worthy to raise your hands in praise to God. No one is worthy. But Jesus has told us, “I have made you worthy.” Thus, we can stand and say in His name, “I am worthy — by the blood of the lamb!”

I want you to always remember that we are our mighty Creator’s master piece. The opportunity to serve God is a wonderful honor and privilege for every follower of Jesus. Make the most of it while you are young!

My Perfect Dadda

As a child, I remember lying in my bed with tears in my eyes pondering over how a perfect father had looked like. I often asked myself whether a perfect father is someone who will hug me tight and tell me he loves me every day? Or is he someone who will lift me on his knee to talk? Or is he someone who will put his arms around me or hold my hands tightly that I would be lost somewhere?

When our earthly fathers fail to give us the love and attention that we seek, our spirits yearn for a father who is not just ordinary but perfect. I was one such poor soul who’d imagined that everyone had a perfect dad in their lives but me. So, the only person who I could look up to and throw my babyish tantrums was at our great God. Irrespective of all my crankiness and resentment, my amazing God kept pouring out His choicest blessings on me. He helped me complete my Post-Graduation; He blessed me with an excellent job, so on and so forth. But ‘I’ was never ready to understand His mighty love.

As I continued to doubt his handiwork, God kept waiting with his arms wide open to help me experience His fatherly love. On June 14, 2013, I got introduced to a very beautiful community called, Couples for Christ India. While I sat in one of the first rows at Snehadaan (where the Christian Life Seminar was held), I heard the first session on “God’s Love”. I wept. I wept. I wept like a child. My tears were falling uncontrollably. I asked myself, “Don’t you already know that you don’t have a father? So, why are you crying then?” I soon realized that I cried because I had failed all these days to acknowledge that I had ‘A Father’.

A Father who is the king of kings, A Father who is ready to lavish His love on me, A Father who will give me whatever I ask, A Father who is ready to own me as his child, A Father who will carry me in His heart like a shepherd holding his lamb, A Father who is waiting to call me as His little princess, A Father who will walk with me when I’m distressed, A Father who is just perfect, and A Father whom I dreamt of!

Even when I let God down, even when I fouled things up, I pictured the proudest father the world had ever seen. Just like how the baby screams, dribbles and dirties himself, yet dad still glows with pride…Somewhat like that.  I imagined if an earthly father could be so patient and glow with pride, how much more my heavenly father would have been. How did I ignore His lavish love? How did I turn deaf to Him when He was screaming his lungs out calling me as his daughter? How did I???

I was tired of being sad. I was tired of crying. I was tired of being lonely. Only by His grace, I experienced the intimacy of a father and daughter relationship. I started to talk to Him, He gave me the privilege to call Him ‘Dadda’ (which I secretly longed for), and now it has been precisely eight months and 22 days, after I gave my heart to Him. The more I began to know Him, the deeper I wanted to know Him. The more I began to love Him, the greater I wanted to love Him. The more I trusted Him, the more I wanted to trust Him.

Now I call out to Him each day. I’m His little princess. I close my eyes and hug Him tight and continue to be cranky at times. He is my awesome Dadda. He changed my life and if you give Him an opportunity, He will change yours too because He is a Perfect Father.

“I will be a Father to you and you will be my sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:18 & 2 Samuel 7:14)