Tag: Loyalty

Bid Me Come

Featured ~ Sowmya Gali

Matthew 14: 25-31

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Many of us, as believers of Lord Jesus Christ, have a deep desire to do something for the Lord’s Kingdom. Whether it is evangelism, charity or some other noble ministry to help God’s children in our neighborhoods, our communities or people across the world. However, many of us struggle with the question, ‘Am I equipped enough?’ In our desire for being part of the Lord’s Kingdom, we ask the Lord to bless us with special gifts. God, in His great love, grants us one or multiple special gifts. He equips us for whatever mission He wants to use us for furthering the Gospel of truth. He even opens the right doors for us to enter, so the ministry that He called us to would be effective and bring glory to His name. He closes all other doors, prevents us from going to certain people or places. He even gives us the right words to speak and the right tools to use.

Peter was one of those disciples who was impulsive, eager and on fire for Jesus. All the disciples in the boat were petrified when they saw a ghost like figure walking towards them on water. When they learned that it was Jesus, Peter was the only one who mustered up the courage to ask Jesus to command him to come to Him. When Jesus asked him to come, Peter was bold enough to step out in faith and walked towards Jesus. He was able to walk a little distance before he got distracted by the billowing waves and howling winds. The moment he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked around, he began to sink. However, Jesus reached out, stretched forth His hand and rescued Peter.

When as believers of Jesus Christ, as disciples on fire for Jesus, we step out in faith, keeping our eyes on Jesus. However, the cares of this world, the distractions around us cause us to take our eyes off of Jesus. Sometimes, the initial success of the work could cause us to be proud. Sometimes, we do beyond what we are supposed to do, relying on our own strength. We fail to recognize that we need our Lord’s strength and not bank on ours which is weak and failing. Sometimes our desires get in the way of God’s plans. Sometimes, we get distracted by the applause we receive. Sometimes we get carried away by the worldly standards and fail to recognize that we are special and chosen by God. Our lives may not be typical of the world’s standards. We fail to recognize that we are set apart for His work.

That is when we sink. We sink into a cesspool of self-pity and failure. We cannot seem to understand why all our best efforts are not producing the results. We fail to recognize that we got distracted. We fail to recognize that our focus has shifted from Jesus to the world. We fail to recognize whose mission it was in the first place. We fail to recognize our utmost priority. Like Peter, let us cry out to Jesus to save us. Let us reach out to grab onto His outstretched arm. He will safely carry us through stormy waters.

Dear Saint of God, don’t get disheartened by the failure. Don’t get disappointed when the right opportunity doesn’t open up. We may be distracted but we need to refocus on Jesus. We must ask Jesus to bid us come to Him. We must remember on whose business we are about. It’s not ours but His. He will accomplish His purposes the best way He chooses. We must just remain with Him, and in Him. For His strong arm is always there to rescue us when we are failing, when we are sinking, and when we are distracted. He will ensure that the fire He lit in us will keep on burning, shining brightly His light in us for the world to see.

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Doctor’s First Impressions

~ Sowmya Gali

Vandana was pleasantly surprised to see a younger man. Mr. Kumar must be in his late-thirties, she suspected. Dressed very casually in jeans and a polo shirt, he didn’t look like a man from a small village. If he was in the city, he would have been every bit a city-bred metropolitan man. Despite his spectacles which gave him a nerdy look, she found him handsome. Ensuring his kids were safe and close to him, he exuded certain warmth that she immediately felt she could trust him.

However, she still thought he could not have been the person she spoke on the phone a few weeks ago. Maybe he is the son of the man she actually spoke to. The older man sounded so father-like; genuine in his concern for the poor people of his community and quite informal while Mr. Kumar here seems to expect formalities. An annoyed look passed on his face when she mentioned that she was expecting an older man. She thought, maybe he got offended over her remark. She should apologize soon if she runs into this man every day making their encounters awkward. Besides, she agreed to stay in his bungalow for a few days until her living quarters are arranged near the hospital.

His children seemed to be well-behaved. She couldn’t even ask their names. They seemed to be in a hurry to go to school. The boy seemed to like her instantaneously with his big dark eyes that smiled when he smiled. There was some naughtiness hidden behind those eyes. Boys of that age usually tend to be a bit mischievous. However, the girl looked at her suspiciously. She must be a teenager – a young lady growing into a woman. She fondly remembered her younger days when she was about this girl’s age. Life was so different then. She wondered if all girls go through that awkward phase. She hoped to befriend them soon. Maybe their mother is amicable and she could have a female friend at last.

Mr. Kumar had a pleasant voice on the phone. Vandana felt she made an instant connection with the man when he shared his passion for the hospital and the people in his community. With several years treating trauma patients, Vandana grew tired of working with wounded soldiers. She wanted to work in a regular, rural hospital where there is a chance for her to improvise on the job. All the high-tech is good but sometimes basic, old-school methods seem to be the right answer in curing so many ailments. At the peak of her career, she quit the Army, despite climbing in rank from Medical Officer to Assistant Director of Medical Services. She moved around several cities working in large corporate hospitals to save up some funds. She wanted to open her own clinic but with the lack of sufficient funds, she tucked away that dream for post-retirement.

With the help of a good friend and colleague, she found this opening shortly after she quit the last corporate hospital. Besides, this place would give her the much-needed respite and anonymity that she wanted more than anything else. She hoped to be here as long as possible. Besides, her friend Pradham Singh will always have her back. She wondered what would have happened to her if not for Pradham. Both he and his wife, Sheetal had been wonderful friends these past three years.

Vandana noticed that Mr. Kumar was placing her suitcase and the duffel bag in the back of the jeep. He helped his boy climb into the back seat while his daughter declined his help. He came around, opened the door for Vandana to sit next to him and took the other duffel bag from her. He closed the door after making sure she was seated comfortably.

‘What a gentleman!’ Vandana thought, smiling to herself. She turned around to face the kids who were looking at her.

Vandana noticed Mr. Kumar tossing her second bag as well in the back before shutting that door. He walked to the driver side of the jeep and jumped in.

“Everyone buckled up?” he asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

Vandana quickly obeyed. Looking through the rear-view mirror, he carefully backed out of the parking spot.

“Dr. Mittur, the school is not that far. After dropping off the kids, we will be on our way. If you need to buy any things, there is a store that I can drop you off and pick you up in thirty minutes. It is on the way to school,” offered Prashanth.

“Thank you for the offer, Mr. Kumar. I’m sure I don’t need anything for now. I have enough supplies till I get rest of my things next week. By the way, how far is this town of yours,” she asked, pulling out her braid from underneath the seat belt.

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