Chosen
Have you ever felt like you were the default? Yes, you got the job, promotion, or opportunity but was it because they really wanted you to have it? Or because the person they actually chose couldn’t, wouldn’t or just didn’t want to take it? Sure, it’s yours...but it kinda feels like a half-win at best. That’s exactly where I was so I vented to my sister, Binu, about it. I told her it was hard to embrace something when you felt like they didn’t really want you there to begin with. I acknowledged that I felt like I was the
In With the New
Last week I shared the emotions I was experiencing as I said goodbye to old furniture in the post “Out With the Old”. I literally spent the entire day feeling sad and being withdrawn. The next morning I awoke to the call of the delivery person who was on his way. Suddenly, I found myself in a whirlwind of excitement as we awaited the arrival of the new furniture. It came. It was situated. It was beautiful. But I found myself slow in warming up to it. It felt different. In fact, I did a double take wondering if I
The Gift Goes On
Painting above & guest post below- by our friend, Gia George (The painting is a reproduction of a painting done by John Fernandez) ______________ Mama wouldn’t bother to wish me on my birthday. Instead, she would narrate her memories of giving birth to me. Am not exactly sure why she vividly remembered every detail of my birth. I must have given her a traumatic experience making my entrance into this world. I know I sure did cause her many a sleepless nights growing up. Most of the grey hairs on her head were probably from yours truly. Yet, you would
Listen Wisely
While attending my nephews’ basketball games over the past 10 years, I’ve noticed an interesting predicament that happens. There are a lot of voices to listen to. The cheerleaders, the parents, fellow teammates and of course, the coach. One dad is yelling “Go to the basket” while a teammate is saying, “Pass me the ball!”. The whole time, the coach is wondering why no one is following his play call. And the kid? He’s just confused. Who should he listen to? In the game of life, who are we listening to? Abram listened to a frustrated Sarai and a child, not
Out with the Old …
This day off has turned out to be filled with emotion … all over some furniture. When we became first-time homeowners, we recognized that furnishing our home instantaneously was not possible. So among the immediate purchases, living room furniture had been included. It only seemed logical that this furniture would make the trip from New York to Texas when we moved. It went from hardly being used to being worn out from daily use. And as a result, there were countless memories and emotions experienced around this furniture. There were, however, also the days of complaints being filed that it
Love Defined
What is love? It’s so easy to get caught up in what the world advertises, and we allow those ideas to define what love is. Is it getting a bouquet of roses or a box of chocolates? Is it going out on a date? Is it diamonds? Earrings? Gift cards? Those are all nice…really. I don’t mind getting any of those gifts, but they don't define love to me. Love is… giving me a cup of water when my mouth is parched, and I’m sick in bed, taking out the trash, filling up my gas tank when I’m running out,
God Cannot Lie
Have you been disappointed by someone who was dishonest with you? I know I have. And I’m sure you have too. And if I’m completely honest, there many times that I was not completely honest towards someone else. And so, over and over, the flaws of humanity rears its ugly head in our relationships with each other. But the writer of Hebrews makes a stark contrast when he describes the character of God. He tells us that God binds himself with his promise and his oath. And as a result, we can trust his promises for our
God is so good…
Growing up, my church would sing the chorus of this song over and over again...in three different languages! Malayalam, Hindi and English. It was simple and catchy. “God is so good, He’s so good to me.” As I got older, life happened, and there were definite seasons when this song became more difficult for me to sing (and truly mean what I was singing). Somehow, I began to equate God’s goodness to life’s little check marks. Get a Degree ✅ Land my dream job ✅ Get married ✅ God was good as long as the check marks continued. Check marks
In My Defense
Like most kids, I knew my place when it came to adults, especially those in authority over me. I had always been a good student and hadn’t really ever gotten in trouble. Until high school. I was serving as the “librarian” in our school choir which basically meant, I was in charge of filing the sheet music. Even back then, I liked things organized so it bothered me to see our music library in disarray (aka hot mess). I distinctly remember going back to the choir room during my free period and working in the library. I went through
Show Some Love
Roses. Chocolates. Teddy bears. It’s that time of year when love is in the air and you can just feel it everywhere! But let’s face it. Sometimes, we find ourselves resenting this day if we haven’t met the man of our dreams yet or if we just feel pressure to spend a lot of money and keep up with the latest on social media. Today I would like to see each of you set free from such resentment or pressure. The spirit of Valentine’s Day is about expressing love to the one(s) you care about and there is neither the
