Your Curiosity is someone's business!

 

There is this famous saying "curiosity kills the cat". Being too curious most of the time lands us in multiple problems. Yet, as humans the urge to know all, possess all, experience all and be in all places at the same time is unrestrainable. What are you curious about? What are you longing to have? Usually the tangibles, that we see, touch and feel are the ones that get our attention. And especially, what we don't possess and what we don't know that we want to know are the ones that stirs up our curiosity.

As I quoted earlier, the business enterprisers use the curiosity of the people to satisfy their curiosity for a cost. Let me quote this for example, there is a caller ID app that provides useful information in terms of identifying spam callers and saves people from wasting their time and energy. But at the same time in order to urge people from using the free services to paid services they advertise and promote its helpfulness in many other ways. Most importantly, a feature that constantly reminds the users that someone, has watched their profile and then give a blurred picture of the person who has accessed our profile. This triggers our curiosity and people are longing to know who that could be. On valentine’s day the commercials were even more alluring, indicating probably someone special has looked at your profile. It has an impact on the lonely and desperate and people contemplate to probably subscribe the feature for at least a short period of time.

Man is curious about less satisfying things, which creates longingness and demands to be satisfied. Unfortunately, man fails to understand that curiosity and longingness can never be satisfied by the fulfilment of this world. In fact, people know it, but just keep trying to fulfil all their desires including the crazy ones to fulfil what their eyes desire and longing of their hearts. The Bible in the book of proverbs says like this, "Sheol (the place of the dead) and Abaddon (the place of destruction) are never satisfied; so [the lust of] the eyes of man is never satisfied."

Man, constantly fails to understand that the desires, longings and fulfillments can only be found in God who created his/her soul. C S Lewis the brilliant writer remarks, "You do not have a soul.  You are a soul.  You have a body." Let this remind us that we are a soul, which needs to connect to a living God. Inviting Him to our heart, satisfies man to the fullest. Not the gods whom we carve and make with our hands, but the one who is God incarnate and lived among humans, died and resurrected. He gave us hope that we can live eternally. Solomon the wisest person on earth, whose book is found in the Bible remarked, "But there is hope for whoever is joined with all the living, since a live dog is better than a dead lion." Jesus lives and you have hope in Him. You can talk to Him and He reveals Himself and satisfies you perfectly. I am not referring to the religious building but a God who can fulfil all your curiosity and all your longings.

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IT IS A DOG-EAT-DOG WORLD

 

Fairness has become a forgotten term in relationships. Although we are wired to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly before our Maker, the world will sneer at us if we were to adhere to this character DNA pattern of our Heavenly creator. We are constantly cornered by people preying upon our vulnerability and taking advantage of our goodness, to meet their selfish agendas. Our inner voice cries out in frustration saying, “All are cheats and liars”. Our depravity has reduced to levels where even animals showing kindness to one another is awe inspiring because even such levels of kindness has eroded from human race.

Most of us are convinced that we have to repay wicked people by being wicked. But where does that place us in the godliness measurement? Most of the religions give us a way out to wash away this guilt by performing rites and rituals. But does that really remove the guilt? Our conviction to remain wicked only becomes stronger with overcoming every obstacle by being wicked. We lie, cheat, manipulate, betray and use treachery all because we feel that is how the world treated us and it is ok to do the same.

Have we ever paused to question ourselves what is it that makes us unfair in a situation? If not I would recommend you to do so right away as this is very crucial to our existence. The answer to this question will reveal your real motivation in life. When our pursuit is money or power or anything worldly, fairness is irrelevant but if our motivation is to reveal the character of God in us then our attitude would be generous enough to overlook the treachery done to us and repay with goodness. I am not trying to inculcate timidity but urging you to exemplify graciousness. It’s a choice and a direct implication of our level of intimacy with God.

Jesus is a God who came in human form and excellently modeled fairness in an unfair situation. I would like to bring the focus on His “human form” because it implies that what He taught us in humanly possible and not exclusive to Him being God. He humbled Himself before His very creation and died in their hands without any resistance. His motivation was not to show Himself as supreme power, which He was, but it was to honor and fulfil the purpose, i.e. to save sinners like you and me and provide salvation from our wretched life. Being God, it would have been easy task for Him to wipe out the whole human race for the humiliation He was put through. But His purpose and character was way above the treachery and betrayal He faced. Our purpose in life and our noble intentions should far exceed revenge and retribution. Again, it all boils down to our choice on how we want to react. I want end with a quote from the Bible that really refines our mind and character, "Finally brothers and sister, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy – dwell on these things”.

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Sacredness in secular zone!

 

Life is so compartmentalized today, that we bring demarcation in every facets of life. Our goodness and virtues are limited to place, situation and context. We sometimes, believe we need to put different masks and portray images to make our survival better. I can understand, our roles can be different based on our responsibilities, but why do our goodness and virtues need to bend to vices with our position?

Dr. Richard puts it beautifully, “To separate the sacred from the secular, to remove religious belief from social discourse and public intercourse is to arbitrarily divide sacred and secular, private and public. Human life, individual and corporate, grounds the connection. Distinguish but don't divide unless you want to devalue life!

This life is not conditioned and a result of physical union alone. Medical Science & human intelligence does not have the ability to create a new life, it is only striving to find what is available and see how best it can sustain life, even that too for a temporary period. I heard an atheist stating that “death is a technical error”. Oh really, do you think so? We are limited and finite compared to the infinite.

The grandeur design of God, the universe is a display of divine goodness and we are His Masterpiece. God expects us to be who we are and integrate life, and not devalue it by separating Sacred from secular. Conflict of roles, character and position can have a serious effect on our children too. Let your time with the sacred transform you as a person in order to make this world a better place not use the name of the sacred to revolt, terrorise and make the life of the vulnerable and poor miserable. Your Life can be transformed when you confess who you are to God who is holy and sacred. Jesus is perfectly holy and all who encounter Him are made new and their life transformed to a brand new person. 

We live in a world where people are attacked for maintaining truth and sacredness. The one who politicises God and religion are lifted high. So rightly G. K Chesterton puts this, “We shall soon be in a world in which a man may be howled down for saying that two and two make four, in which people will persecute the heresy of calling a triangle a three-sided figure, and hang a man for maddening a mob with the news that grass is green.”. Nevertheless, trust Him and allow the maker and the creator of the universe to help you maintain the sacredness and dignity of being a human being.

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Expectancy and Reality Gap!

 

We wish to live in a state of complacency with nothing to complain about. We wish, our long-awaited dreams coming true are completely worth it. We wish, the job that pays us well, will gives us immense peace and mental satisfaction, to live without regrets. We wish the love for which we were head over heels about ends in a lasting, happy relationship. We wish being rich with no lack does not end in restlessness and apprehensions for more. 

The wish list could be endless but there is no guarantee that all our yearnings would bring the desired outcomes. There is always a large gap between expectation and reality. We expect certain things, and we may even work towards it, but there is no guarantee we will receive exactly what we expected and desired for to satisfy us. Since, we are comprised of body, spirit and soul, all our expectancies are not in perfect sync with the need of the body and the satisfaction of our soul. A lot of contradiction takes place and we fail to understand this. Solzhenitsyn points out, “We are approaching a major turning point in world history…it is a juncture at which settled concepts suddenly become hazy, lose their precise contours, at which our familiar and commonly used words lose their meaning..”

Unless all our expectancies and wishes understand the need of our soul, it will permanently cause a vacuum within us. In our pursuit to match the expectancy and reality, we will try to bridge the gap with money, pleasures and relationships for our satisfaction. It just does not hold up. Only a God and a Savior can bridge the gap and fill the vacuum in your heart. You can keep dreaming for a perfect, tranquil scenario and even try your best with all your efforts. However, unless you make a room for the Savior in your heart, life will be utterly meaningless and futile. The Bible says, “For in him we live and move and have our being” Further says, “we are the temple of the Living God.”. All religions find their identity in the religious places but here Jesus promises to dwell in human hearts to bring meaning, satisfaction and perfect peace that the world cannot give nor take away from you. Would you invite Him in your heart for hope and direction?

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Purpose contributors!

 

It is often reiterated; life is all about purpose. But are we any close to finding it? Our predecessors and gurus claim enlightenment of many options to finding life purpose. But most often it culminated to finding happiness as we live in this earth. Even the ones who spoke about meaning in life connected it to happiness. Therefore, Psychologists have discovered that we do all things either for gaining pleasure or for avoiding pain. If our purpose is to only gain pleasures and be happy or avoid pain then with all probability, we may try doing anything, irrespective of good or bad, to achieve it? 

Dalai lama states, “The purpose of our lives is to be happy.”.  The statement by itself looks spot on, but it is good to consider under what framework? and who defines happiness? Today, such philosophies are used by many to ensure that one is happy at all cost. However, the relativity of the statement is defined according to one’s own perspective. An alcoholic, for example is happy drinking but his or her happiness does not guarantee others happiness. A chronic alcoholic keeps himself happy at the cost of abusing his own family. An abuser gains personal happiness at the cost of causing misery to the people around him. There are even those who take the law into their hands and destroy lives. They assume they are doing a favor to the society, gaining personal happiness and satisfaction. Laws are not a moral standard, though it prevents us from harming one another and to maintain personal and national harmony. Finding purpose cannot be gauged by this one parameter of ensuring personal happiness.

Life is a journey and not a destination. At least all religions agree that we are heading to a place beyond this life, which means there should be some parameter and standard to decide our safe landing. If there is no purpose then the matter of right and wrong in this world have no meaning. If there is something called right and wrong then it means there is a moral giver based on which we decide right from wrong. And if there is a moral giver whom we call God then there should be a prescribed destination where we are all heading to. This means, the concept of right and wrong matters. Now the question is who is the God who is absolute in his moral standard and how does he qualify to be a God and what is the purpose given by Him to mankind? Jesus evidences are sweeping in human history because He was God incarnated, which is why He claimed “I am the way, the truth and the life and no one come to the father except through me”. Our purpose is to know Him and have fellowship with Him. If Jesus would not be resurrected the Bible would just be another religious book of Christianity. But that is not the case. Therefore, you can check what it has to say by reading the book of John in the Bible. This is not to convince the reader, but our eternity is tied with the purpose of knowing Him, eventually culminating in the Savior. Do not limit your devotion to religious rituals. The truth lies beyond religious stories and events of gods.  How do you connect your soul with the moral giver; a living God, I mean?

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Settling with Comfort & Convenience!

 

The Gen Z's who are in the age group of 10-25 are seeing life so different than the Gen X’s born between 1965-1980. The Gen Z’s depend and thrive in comfort and convenience. They assume they have the right to all sorts of information and privileges. Digital access has accelerated their fast-paced life that Gen X (Parents) pale in comparison to their heightened sense of awareness of current trends. The downside is that this has robbed the GEN Z’s of their value and purpose in life. Life has narrowed down to nothing more than convenience and comfort. When this freedom and privilege is restricted by their parents, they become contemptuous.

Gen Z's behaviour has become risky. Life is gloomy with so much competition in this digital world, especially with technology replacing humans. The realization of God is foolishness for them. These groups trust their intelligence and high IQ so much so that they audaciously deny God who has blessed them with sanity and wisdom. The goal and purpose of their life is comfort alone, leading to substitution of forbidden pleasures, which gradually erodes their conscience. Eventually they start living like robots devoid of conscience.

Creation and gadgets become God, cherishing the work of their hands. They increasingly start resembling beasts without a sense of remorse, sympathy, empathy and genuine love. They have upgraded the concept of right and wrong to relativity and define what they think is right and wrong. Allow me to explain my point, few decades ago having relationship with a girl was seen as something forbidden. It further moved to the next stage, where relationship with opposite sex was not wrong anymore but having sexual relationship was seen as sin. Then the understanding further culminated to this premise, sexual relationship with a girl is not wrong but making her pregnant is wrong, with even the law terming it as rape. If the same was consensual, then it is not wrong anymore. And finally, to further avoid legality, having protected sex eliminates you from committing a crime.  Do you see the deterioration of human conscience and values? All through, we see the law of the land supporting our twisted morality in one way or the other.

Every other ideology including religion is made to keep man happy. The holy book Bible does not support this view because it focuses on a true, living and holy God. The life of Jesus is epitome of holiness and perfectness. He was the only person in human history who rose from the dead and lives. Jesus demands purity of heart; He does not demand religious obligations. The Bible says, "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.". What it takes to meet God is not your uncommitted rituals but purity. Further Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.". Unless you maintain purity of heart, all your expectations will be distorted and ambiguous. G K Chesterton rightly pointed out that " Meaninglessness does not come from being weary of pain. Meaninglessness comes from being weary of pleasure.”  And that is why we find ourselves emptied of meaning when our pantries are stocked. Would you find your purpose in Christ?

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Clearing the mess!

 

I quite often hear people say, life keeps giving second chances to clear the mess and to make things alright. I kind of think it to be true. But it only depends on how many of us use such opportunities when it is given to them to make things right. Especially, when it comes to eliminating the mess, they have made in their lives, in terms of their relationship with God and others and becoming an honest human being. For that matter, I wonder how many realize they are a mess or have messed others’ lives. People usually intend to be innovative and change the way they do things for profit, but not really contemplating in life to become a good human being. Today, if you observe, there are many who have not made it this far. Often times, we miss to realize the tomorrows are not guaranteed for everyone. Though we all hope and plan things for tomorrow and day after tomorrows and even for next two to three decades; we fail to realize we are not in control of our tomorrows.

We have the intelligence to be innovate with so many things. Today, AI (Artificial intelligence) has become the core focus of this age, and all services are revolving around it and integrated. AI is intended to make the smartest living for today, but definitely not smart enough to assure our existence for tomorrows. Primarily because we are not God and we are not sovereign like God. I would like to quote again from Vernon McGee. He states, “This is God’s universe, and God does things his way. You might have a better way, but you don’t have a universe.”.

Can we take this opportunity to look for things that can ensure the health of our soul and clear the mess that has the potential to break us often? Soul is the integral part of us human beings. It is the part that connects with God and finds assurance to exist eternally. Does it sound to be mythical and allegorical? Actually, it should not.

In one of the passages in the Bible, Jesus poses a question, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” This definitely enlightens on a metaphysical world but definitely not limited to a religious philosophy. Before the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross of Calvary, He assures His disciples and His followers with these words, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. . . I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”.  Now this may sound absolutely absurd to know that God is preparing a place for us in eternity. But that statement stands in full acceptance, for the simple reason, He was resurrected from the dead and was ascended. He promised to those souls who find this true God, accept Him as their Savior to inherit the kingdom of God, which can be called us heaven. Would you like to check on the evidences of this man Jesus who had the audacity to claim, “I am the way, the truth and the life”. Find the Savior to mend your brokenness and your mess to live right before God and people.

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