Headcheck?

One of the strategies of winning in Indian politics is "the blame game" - accusing the other party. The opposition party will accuse the ruling party of all the lapses and create barriers in every action plan while the ruling party will accuse the opposition of their lapses in the past. Recently while the current Indian govt was drawing flak from all sides and accused of serious lapses and inconsistencies in it's governance, it came like a shot from the blue for the opposition when media came up with a finding that showed one of the key leaders of it's religious faction in a web of corrupt practices - of doing the very things that he accused the ruling party of doing. This was like "pot calling the kettle 'black' "!

Unfortunately, I found myself in a similar situation some days ago and it was quite disheartening to see myself in this quandary. Well I know this has been dealt with and hence I don't hesitate to be transparent and make myself vulnerable here in this reflection. I reckon that I'm a sinner saved by grace and still grapple with issues of my "fallenness" and we all have to experience this as long as we live here in a fallen world. It was one of those dull days when I was not at my best on the interpersonal paradigm, to be honest I'd actually been a bit reckless, just going through the motions and not in complete control. In a terribly vulnerable moment I did something without thinking to end up hurting someone dear. It took a heavy toll on me and pushed me into a shell of remorse and self  reflection. The damage has been done and it's indelibly etched in the minds and no amount of apology will actually undo my fault. The wounds heal but many times the scars remain. But it takes a tremendous amount of grace to get over this especially when you know these dear ones are truly gracious people. It dawned on me that often I found it so easy to point a finger at the flaw in another person while conveniently overlooking my own flaws which were much more serious.

Well, don't we all have our blind spots which only others can see quite clearly? I'm reminded of my driving lessons and learning to drive in the UAE is quite an experience.  One of the most important things I had to learn was what they call here, "head check"! This is nothing but turning your head and looking over your shoulder to check the blind spots which are not captured by the rear view mirror of the car. It is only after  a head check is done can the driver make a move to turn. How often it is easy to ignore our blind spots and end up crashing in our human relationships. This is what I have been reflecting ever since this fiasco happened to me. I'm actually fighting within to search and weed out all such traits.

Jesus said it beautifully to the pharisees who were constantly doing it -finding fault with others especially with Jesus and his disciples. The Message bible portrays it beautifully. “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor."  Mt 7:3-5. Quite harsh, ain't it? How important it is to examine our own lives before we can point a finger at someone else. How much are we aware of our own failures and shortcomings? How much do we repent of those? How much are we actually mindful of introspecting into our own lives? When we do it on a regular basis, we begin to understand God 's amazing grace and human relationships become more precious and valuable to us. The more we realise that we find ourselves wanting in the scales of God, the more we will want this grace.

The Psalmist constantly took time out for introspection as we read it in many of the Psalms. He keeps looking into His own life and sees the need for someone higher than him to save him.

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I - Ps 61:2.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Ps 139:23-24.

The Greek word for grace is "charis" from where the words "charisma" and "charismatic" come from. To me, the ones who have truly experienced the forgiving grace of God in their lives and who freely forgive others are the truly charismatic people in a literal sense. As we go through this lent season, remembering the redemptive work of God, having found unconditional love, forgiveness and acceptance from God, can we take a moment to "head check" and evaluate our own lives instead of pointing a finger at somebody else and realize His marvelous forgiving grace. Can we come to God in humility and ask for more of His grace to be gracious? He promises more grace to the humble.

God bless!!!

Homesick ?

Sometime ago, my wife and I embarked on an immigration plan as we began to feel sick of the system in our home country and planned to migrate to New Zealand but later shelved the idea as we did not feel comfortable with it either. Ten years down the line, in 2011 we moved to the UAE.

Walking through the streets of Ajman, UAE near my workplace as part of my post-lunch walk, I get to see spacious villas of the locals. I think of my own independent parental house back in India and I miss life there so much. I always loved the space around our house and I think of the times I used to play cricket with my nephews in our compound. I also loved to walk by the flowerbeds where my Mom grew a variety of flowers and by all the row of flower pots my sister-in-law maintained. I loved it when Pepper, our dog had so much fun running around the house trying to escape from my mother's plot to keep him chained. It makes so much of a difference to have your own house and space and live there. They say, "East or West, Home is best"!!

Having come here, it is a different scenario. We get to see huge towering apartments housing a mass that is equivalent to a locality in India -  an entire locality into one tall vertical structure. For example, the building we live in has fifteen floors of residences besides three floors of parking, with eighteen flats on each floor. This is a structure that houses two hundred and seventy apartments totally. These are the kind of structures where most middle income expatriate communities live here in the UAE.

In contrast, most locals live in palatial independent villas with  huge compounds. Some have beautiful gardens with exquisite plants, flowers and trees. Some houses have pet animals and birds, too. Most of these houses have many bedrooms to house a large family. It is something that is available mostly for the locals and a few privileged expats who either get to have a leasehold for some years or avail it as part of their corporate benefit.

Sometimes I wish I'd get to own a mansion like one of them someday. But knowing it is a far cry in this place for someone like me, I get that gentle reminder from God that our citizenship is not here, but it's beyond the here and now. We do not have a lasting city this side of heaven. We await a city that will come down from heaven. We are to wait for the imminent second coming of the Lord when we will be raptured into His eternal presence. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come - Hebrews: 13:14.

I am reminded of the song by Jim Reeves that I loved singing - "This world is not my home, I'm just  passing through...".

Another song that comes to my mind is the song "I've Got A Mansion Just Over The Hilltop" which still is a favourite to me.

Here in the UAE, we can only be residents, never it's citizens. Our citizenship is in heaven, our home is beyond the blue and our mansions are in glory! Never get attached to things of this earth!!