When the wheels buckled in…🛫 Jai Hind!🇮🇳

Writing this on the last leg of my flight back home. In about 3 days, we’ve GOT to get back to routine. Kids head back to school, I’ve got to return to my kitchen, and our work would resume as normal.

The very first time when the wheels took off from the city of Chennai (back in 2007), I was newly married and I don’t think I had the slightest clue of what it would mean to live so many miles away from my homeland. But after 15 years, now that you know what it means when the wheels buckle into the aircraft, it’s a tough pill to swallow.

When friends and family ask, “So when’s your next visit?”, we have no answer. When daddy and mummy hold their grandkids in their arms, they don’t know when they’re going to hold them again.

For those of us who live away from our homeland, our greatest source of strength is to know that “We have a PURPOSE in the land that God has placed us….” and we run our race pursuing our PURPOSE in Christ.

Another interesting thing that I felt when we were airborne was, for the first time in my life, I felt intense LOVE for my PEOPLE.

When we were in school, we recited the pledge of allegiance every single day. It goes something like this… “India is MY country…all Indians are my brothers and sisters. I LOVE my country….” Back then we recited it out of duty. But it almost seemed like those words came to life in my heart 25 years later! When we were airborne and could see the whole city of Chennai with twinkling lights under the night sky, I just felt an unspeakable love for MY PEOPLE.

The feet that walks barefoot on the road in the hot sun; the waiters who wait in restaurants waiting on people as they eat, but have to wait for their own meal till the restaurant closes; the old man who has a small little roadside shop which sells handkerchiefs, longingly waiting for someone to stop by so he can make a couple of rupees for the day; the auto-rickshaw drivers who have families to feed and kids to educate. I just wanted to hug them all. I JUST FELT PURE LOVE for my people.

I just couldn’t understand. I’ve never ever felt such intense love for my homeland before. But, this time I did.

I kept thinking why I felt this intense love for my people, something which I’ve never ever felt before…

I don’t have a perfect answer, but I think I was experiencing God’s heart to a certain degree…

It was a weekday when Jeev, myself, Athai n’ kids went to Cross-cut road, Coimbatore, to make some purchases. If you’ve been to India you know that there are several roadside shops. On that particular day while I passed by a small little shop that sold handkerchiefs, my heart was moved with compassion. I don’t know why. But it was a very old man who sat by the shop with handkerchiefs spread on a raised bench. He seemed sullen. I really didn’t need handkerchiefs because we mostly use tissues here. But something just moved within me to buy few handkerchiefs from the old man. So I purchased a few for Rs 100. After a little walk, I thought about how the hundred rupees I paid would help him… I thought it might not be enough for him and went to him again and bought few more.

The reason I share this is because it’s not just me, but we have ALL experienced such ‘moments of compassion’. We think they are just happenstances and move on. But, I believe they are not just happenstances, but the compassion of Christ rising from within.

“Christ in you, the Hope of Glory.” Col 1:27

When compassion rises, if we do not KNOW that it is the spirit of Christ, there is every probability that we could harden our hearts and walk past them without the slightest guilt like the priest and the pharisee walked past the wounded man. It took a Samaritan who knew the compassionate nature of GOD Almighty, to do what he could, for the man that was bruised by the roadside.

When you and I walk on our streets, not everyone may have bloody wounds, but almost ALL of them have wounded hearts and a longing soul. Almost every soul on the street is HUNGRY for unconditional love. So when you feel Christ stirring your heart, reach out and let your gentleness be evident, for Kindness makes a lasting impact on the heart and souls of men!

“Let your gentleness be evident to all.” Phil 4:5

The more we walk in love toward one another, the greater the degree of God’s love will be poured out into our hearts.

“the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:5

The World is progressively getting darker and darker as the days go by, but God’s people will shine like the pure bright Light reflecting God’s love, here on Earth. You and I are Christ’s ambassadors here on Earth! Let’s continue to walk in love, for in due time we will see a great harvest!

CHRIST JESUS, the Hope of the Nations!