Me, My, Mine are all HIS!

This post lacks technical finesse and literary flair as one would want to protrude through their amazing blogs. This one is meant for me alone to align my dreams once again as I read it every day till I reach my goal.

I know what I was, what I am and what I have come to become of. I was just another kid in the block, shy but talented. I was absolutely a shocker of a talent in tennis and I lived through the blitz of it in my early childhood days accustomed to winning and facing dreary, tall opponents. I once routed a top ranked player and made it to the front page of the sports column in a popular news daily. I was a loser in Math though then. I was humiliated to get a meager 60-70% while the others got a cent percent in theirs. Once again I was driven towards achieving something I lacked - expertise in Math. 98 in 10th, 99 in PU and a 100 in Engineering made me believe that with God nothing is impossible. No! Engineering was not all cake walk for me. In fact being a Mechanical Engineer and not doing well in Designing is the worst part. I got a 20/20 in the first minor but flunked to a 2 in the second! I cried my heart out like a wounded, battered, lost soldier after losing his fight to overconfidence and extra-puffed pride. I once again knelt down before my Lord in prayer and pouring out all my worries at his feet. In the semester end exams, it was purely by His grace that I scored impeccably well to make me a master at that subject! There have been various instances when I was bogged and knocked down, but it has always been about rising up and making a statement again, that of holding the banner of Christ fluttering higher than ever.

I had planned to do my Masters in Germany by the mid August of 2013 and had started my preparations with Sanjay and Eshank, two of my closest friends. I was on full throttle until I started making compromises with lesser gloried goals. I always had the desire to top my department in terms of scores and factually I did! a whopping 9.61 with 5 S-grades. Never had I ever been that high on Adrenaline, especially when you're the go-to guy of the college! Winning the Best speaker award in the inter-collegiate debate competition was another goal I had and yet again, God was merciful to help me win this. I was mocked that i don't talk much on stage, but phew! He knows how very well to silence my critics!

Time passed by and i became cozy and lost interest in GRE and TOEFL, the exams that would easily seal my fate to any good university in the US or Germany given the fact that I'd prepared so well for it. Then came the storm -The storm of fear of not making it past the monetary issues. I had already shelled out roughly 30K on my training and I had to spend an additional lump for the exams themselves and then the admission process and also the SOP's and LOR's. I panicked looking at all I had to do. I just slept my way through it doing literally nothing having gone selfishly cozy about the backup job that I'd been offered by KPIT through placements. Time ticked off, i finished my engineering with no goal ahead.

With nothing in sight of solace I moved away from God too sometimes. Dejected that I didn't make it I lost all hope and I just waited and lied in wait for 2 whole months of July and August. September was worsening at its best to see my other friends all making it to their jobs or higher studies. I felt all alone.

As always, I knew I lacked expertise. Only this time I realized I had God on my side even though I'd walked away from Him. I started praying about my needs and pouring myself before him in all agony. I had no sense of hope left before, but as I prayed i came to a subtle realization that with God ALL things are possible. I started praying for my immediate requisite of a good job. Immediately, I got a job offer from QuEST-Manufacturing in Belgaum through an interview with the HOD's there. I wasn't sated though I loved the job profile and the serenity of the locale. But, God just said, WAIT! I knew He had something great and better in store for me. My family started praying even more diligently and so did every one of my relatives. Even my God-parents in Bangalore started supporting me by enlisting my name in various top firms. But the Lord said, WAIT! I waited upon the Lord in His presence and begged forgiveness for having mocked the company I was placed in. I started praying to get into this company itself earnestly! My father asked of me on a lazy similar Friday to fast and pray. I was learning a software then and had a class to go to. I knew my dad's words spoke loud in my life as they did every time. I knelt on my knees and prayed with all my heart in sync with God's. I just held on and had faith that He'd move the mountains for me with the mustard seed faith I had in Him. He took me by His arms and said, "ENOUGH"! The same day I got a call from KPIT saying that I'd to join the firm on the coming Tuesday! I was ecstatic and overjoyed! I literally broke down in Spirit! I was emphatic and proud about my company. I was filled with new hope dawning on my face as I came to Bangalore. Renewed energy, Spirit filled joy capsuled me at all times.

In my God-parents' home, I lack nothing as I stay here. I have all that I need. Surely the Lord had everything in plan for me. I never for a moment thought I'd be here in this stage, already working. But, God has always a special plan, unknown but absolutely mind-blowing. Here I am this day writing in true joy and increased faith over my Lord who makes all things possible through CHRIST who strengthens me.

Now, as I lay foot to renewing new dreams, I shall forever lay my trust in the Lord and move ahead with confidence.

One day when I reach the top all by His grace, this message I know will be my testimony, my pride and my treasure in Christ Jesus. In Jesus' name, Amen!

Why this Friday is really a "Good" one?

When I first catch a glimpse of Christ on the cross, I think as to why He was subjected to such a great ordeal in His young 33 year life on earth. I really am startled at times as to what may be that reason for which God had to deliberately take human form and die for the sakes of all mankind. Why alone His dying would ensure me deliverance from the clasp of sin and from the fetters of death is perhaps a supplementary thought that came in my mind. Adding to these speculations, I also did feel uncomfortable as to why He had to die with such a disgrace - almost naked, broken, bruised, torn, struck, pierced, mocked, crucified as though He were a criminal.  

Then, through His grace solely, I found the answers - A view quite distinguishing and sometimes overlooked as too preachy. A few of those startling facts are as mentioned below:

• God is Love. He created man to share His love. Man hence, was made in God’s own image. Although man lacked one thing – the capability to abhor sin and its practice.
• God couldn’t tolerate His own children do spiteful things under His purview. He asked men then to cast their sins of commission (but not that of guilt) on mere animals. These animals were burnt offerings to God, whose incense was a symbolism of man’s sin offering to God. For only blood could cleanse what is of blood. We are people governed by the flow of blood in our bodies. We survive on account of its circulation in us. If the heart stops beating, there is no/scanty blood causing it. Directly speaking, our lives as a whole are dependent on blood. Back then, people started using this ceremony too mechanically and their guilt was never seen off by God.
• God wanted to discipline man every time he erred. But He was just waiting for His people to turn to Him. With the burnt offerings turning meaningless, God thought of a permanent solution – that of redeeming mankind once and for all of all sin and guilt.
• Now only blood can replace blood. No man ever who lived had pure blood in Him to be the sacrifice for mankind’s sins.
• But God alone being Holy decided on one thing. He took His own creation’s form (HUMILITY), struggled through His stay on earth (POVERTY, SICKNESS, TEMPTATIONS, TEARS.) and then did one thing – EXCHANGED HIS PURE BLOOD AS A RANSOM FOR OUR SINS.
• This pure blood is now a part of every single human being and as a result is precious in the sight of God. But this process is for those who “BELIEVE THAT CHRIST IS GOD AND CAME TO TAKE OUR SINS AND WHO ACKOWLEDGE HIS SACRIFICE EVERYDAY OF THEIR LIVES AND LIVE IN THANKSGIVING OF IT.”
• He had to endure that gruesome painstaking endeavor for us so that we could believe that God as a human overcame all of that without sinning. He set before us a blueprint to lead lives on our stay in this earth.
• Without the core, nothing survives. Without the heart no one survives. God replaced your heart with a specially coated one – one that is immune to sin and guilt. In each man is this special heart. But God gave every man a choice to opt it (for his benefit) or reject it (for eternal punishment)
• God once annihilated the world by flooding it because of surging sin. He could have done it time and again to bring sin to an eternal halt. But He regards men’s lives as precious. He had to give His all for mankind’s betterment and deliverance from the slavishness of sin.
• This is what makes this Friday, a Good Friday!! It not just marks God’s love being exemplified on that cross, but it also gives us a hope and assurance of guiltless, sinless, blameless lives to live on this earth. He is good all the time; we need to be good – in heart, in mind and in soul. Jesus Christ is the ONLY ANSWER!!! :D :D