Dear Family,
Inch by inch as we approach we can feel it. Its not about days anymore but hours or even minutes, such frequent is the touch & inspiration's for Jubilee. Last weekend I was dazzled by a particular feeling that had gripped me & bit confusing as it was one of the feeling never felt before. Though we all may agree that the 'inner struggle' & 'challenges' in family life & day to day life is something that is part & parcel of following Jesus. For quite few month's I did thought its nothing new & just equivalent to any other "phase" and a cross that we all are supposed to carry happily.
But, this Saturday it did crossed each limit and I was not prepared to bear it. Something that happened which effected my whole family and we did sink deep into sadness. The matter got 'worse' when I read a small simple article of St. Martin from angels army book that had recently arrived in our region. The verse of the luke's gospel "If somebody takes your coat, then give him your shirt too..." was quite touching, I was just not able to give the "measure" it is recommended in the gospel. After reading the text, I was not able to bear the emotional hurt that our family bore and my incapability of raising my standard's as mentioned in the gospel, eventually I did broke down into tears. I did not know that I was literally in tears and it was un-controllable as if it was something 'automatic'. My manly nature did forced me to hold it back, but the inspiration to let it go was also powerful and I did cried for almost half hour in HIS presence. Thanks for all the comfort that I received through my wife & kid.
Whats interesting, is what followed. As we were emotionally 'sinking' there was a thought to be still, to spend time alone at home, but there was something not that soothing to that inspiration. The time on Saturday was showing that we were fast approaching our family gathering event which was just an hour away. There were two choice we could have made, to stay back home, pray for the gathering & send an SMS to our leaders that we won't be able to come as we were not feeling well & to make the reason very genuine & authentic the weather God were also in our favor as it was raining heavily too. Normally, I would have chosen to stay back & shun myself from the Jesus youth gathering as my heart was not in tune at all & more so I wanted to avoid other JY's in this state of mine. But, the inspiration to reject what you 'feel' or how low you are or what your heart is going through was strong enough. At the same time the need of community life & going for the gathering was pushing us so much that we just couldn't resist. Thanks for the family's intercession support as we were able to make it & indeed the gathering did helped us to leverage our 'low lying' spirit. (Later, the problem that was keeping us down was solved quite miraculaously.)
Ironically, the next day (Sunday) I met a person in the evening & to my surprise when we shared, it was as if automatically tears came running down from his eyes too. We didn't shared anything personal but the tears that flowed in his eyes were for others & the pain that person carried for the movement was so evident. It did touched me a lot... though still clueless by the whole two days 'tear' episode.
Sunday evening as we winded up the "Lord's day" with praises & thanksgiving with few leaders it was an amazing time of grace & blessings. The sharing did lead to another episode of 'tears' from few. I just simply couldn't understand the whole deal of why am I along with others crying, until when one of the leaders shared the amazing mail that he had got from the elders of the movement, that the whole theme of "Refined, Renewed & Radiant" is not just a fancy rhyming theme which soothes your ears when we hear it, but much more that many Jesus youth across the world are experiencing this "refining" process... It was indeed a blessed message. This refining that is happening quite spontaneously is an affirmation that being renewed & radiant is something that is to be followed for each one of us.
So my dear brothers & sisters, together as one united family second by second as we inch towards Jubilee and if you feel the 'pressure', an earnest burden, an earnest pain, a heaviness in heart, a sinking experience & many other similar experience, one thing we can be sure is that 'refining' is do happening...
Note: Pls. it doesn't & in no way mean's that 'refining' is happening just by tears or 'sadness' and not happening for those who are not 'experiencing' this. Definitely in different forms & in different ways God's refinement is happening. Through miracles, through joyful events, through never dying spirit, the Jubilee refinement is moving..... HIS ways are mysterious.
Happy Jubilee!
Love,
Shibbs
PRAISE GOD
BLESSED BE THE ONE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD
Inch by inch as we approach we can feel it. Its not about days anymore but hours or even minutes, such frequent is the touch & inspiration's for Jubilee. Last weekend I was dazzled by a particular feeling that had gripped me & bit confusing as it was one of the feeling never felt before. Though we all may agree that the 'inner struggle' & 'challenges' in family life & day to day life is something that is part & parcel of following Jesus. For quite few month's I did thought its nothing new & just equivalent to any other "phase" and a cross that we all are supposed to carry happily.
But, this Saturday it did crossed each limit and I was not prepared to bear it. Something that happened which effected my whole family and we did sink deep into sadness. The matter got 'worse' when I read a small simple article of St. Martin from angels army book that had recently arrived in our region. The verse of the luke's gospel "If somebody takes your coat, then give him your shirt too..." was quite touching, I was just not able to give the "measure" it is recommended in the gospel. After reading the text, I was not able to bear the emotional hurt that our family bore and my incapability of raising my standard's as mentioned in the gospel, eventually I did broke down into tears. I did not know that I was literally in tears and it was un-controllable as if it was something 'automatic'. My manly nature did forced me to hold it back, but the inspiration to let it go was also powerful and I did cried for almost half hour in HIS presence. Thanks for all the comfort that I received through my wife & kid.
Whats interesting, is what followed. As we were emotionally 'sinking' there was a thought to be still, to spend time alone at home, but there was something not that soothing to that inspiration. The time on Saturday was showing that we were fast approaching our family gathering event which was just an hour away. There were two choice we could have made, to stay back home, pray for the gathering & send an SMS to our leaders that we won't be able to come as we were not feeling well & to make the reason very genuine & authentic the weather God were also in our favor as it was raining heavily too. Normally, I would have chosen to stay back & shun myself from the Jesus youth gathering as my heart was not in tune at all & more so I wanted to avoid other JY's in this state of mine. But, the inspiration to reject what you 'feel' or how low you are or what your heart is going through was strong enough. At the same time the need of community life & going for the gathering was pushing us so much that we just couldn't resist. Thanks for the family's intercession support as we were able to make it & indeed the gathering did helped us to leverage our 'low lying' spirit. (Later, the problem that was keeping us down was solved quite miraculaously.)
Ironically, the next day (Sunday) I met a person in the evening & to my surprise when we shared, it was as if automatically tears came running down from his eyes too. We didn't shared anything personal but the tears that flowed in his eyes were for others & the pain that person carried for the movement was so evident. It did touched me a lot... though still clueless by the whole two days 'tear' episode.
Sunday evening as we winded up the "Lord's day" with praises & thanksgiving with few leaders it was an amazing time of grace & blessings. The sharing did lead to another episode of 'tears' from few. I just simply couldn't understand the whole deal of why am I along with others crying, until when one of the leaders shared the amazing mail that he had got from the elders of the movement, that the whole theme of "Refined, Renewed & Radiant" is not just a fancy rhyming theme which soothes your ears when we hear it, but much more that many Jesus youth across the world are experiencing this "refining" process... It was indeed a blessed message. This refining that is happening quite spontaneously is an affirmation that being renewed & radiant is something that is to be followed for each one of us.
So my dear brothers & sisters, together as one united family second by second as we inch towards Jubilee and if you feel the 'pressure', an earnest burden, an earnest pain, a heaviness in heart, a sinking experience & many other similar experience, one thing we can be sure is that 'refining' is do happening...
Note: Pls. it doesn't & in no way mean's that 'refining' is happening just by tears or 'sadness' and not happening for those who are not 'experiencing' this. Definitely in different forms & in different ways God's refinement is happening. Through miracles, through joyful events, through never dying spirit, the Jubilee refinement is moving..... HIS ways are mysterious.
Happy Jubilee!
Love,
Shibbs
PRAISE GOD
BLESSED BE THE ONE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD
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