I, you and we belong to a world where more is less. We want more of everything, from food to clothes to cars, to education and other luxuries. When we get what we wanted, we dream and want the next level. We want it for ourselves as well as for our children, which is natural. And our children want the same for their children. And the story goes on till it can no longer, because we die. And we spend the last few years of our lives deciding who to give what, of what is left of what we have collected.
So we spend 20 years dreaming, 40 years acquiring and then the last phase where we are giving or rather planning to give.
Covid broke that vicious circle for me.
I and my family were stuck in a foreign country for more than 2 years. We had planned travel for 1 month but spent 2 years and more. Everything we had was in our home which was locked up and deserted. We had to learn to manage on less. Less money day by day, less clothing, less fashion, less friends, less access to things we took for granted in our country like education, etc etc. Everything was less except food since our hosts, my brother and his family saw to all our provisions.
And we survived. Professionally, I gave the option to our small team to go out and find a job. Most did. One stayed. And i am most indebted.
Personally it was a challenge as well.... I have a closet of numerous coats, an overcoat and numerous woolen pants. And here I was stuck in winter with none. I prided my self on clothes and dressing. That pride went down the drain. But we survived.
We survived without a car, without travel, without shopping, without our luxuries which we thought were necessities. We who never boarded a bus, travelled in busses and trains and walked. And we loved it!
Through these two years all we had was time.
To think, to review our lives and figure out how to make it better. And we did. Not in terms of money. not in terms of riches. Only in terms of experiencing God's love. and His hand on us.
Yes, God's hand was on our family. Our elder daughter who got left behind earlier was able to travel abroad and join us against all odds. An answer to our prayers, because we were having our own plans of getting out and being with her in her place of posting.
Our hibernation in fact protected us. I know that with my business travel in India, I would have been sure to get Covid. Not only this, numerous encounters with Gods hand at work showed us He was with us always.
Since we had time we started deepening our devotions. Started understanding more, reading more following more. And the more we imbibed from His word, the more satisfied were, the more happy we were. Our desire for the material turned into a desire for His knowledge and truth. And all of this, was prompted by Rev Rajiv Shipstone.
In the meanwhile, The pandemic changed my life with one single change - I lost the desire for more things and gained the desire for more of His word.
Today I am back in my natural habitat. But the first thing I did on my return was to empty out my closets, give away shoes, clothes, artefacts and miscellaneous stuff which I had held onto for years and years. That stuff filled a full room.
With desires being gone, that empty space got filled with Gods word, and a strange thirst to know more.
And hence today I quote
"Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):
8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
9 Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God"
The key line is "Give me neither poverty nor riches.... "Feed me with the food allotted to me" which translates to a prayer we all know, "give us this day our daily bread".
Our Father in Heaven... Holy be Your name,
May your Kingdom come, May your will be done,
In my life.
Give me today my daily bread, and Forgive me for all those times I doubted you. Forgive me when I spoke against you, when I grumbled on my situation. When I thought you were missing in action. Help me to let go of all doubts and issues I have with my brethren. Protect me from the evil which surrounds me, of ill health, of ill thoughts and son on.
for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory.
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