Dec 27th, 2020: Christmas Blessings - Discovering God in Our Differences

 Pushing power: CTV Calgary Morning Live team unites during snowstorm | CTV News
 
The snowstorm last week created havoc in our little cul de sac. The city snow clearing crew has not had the chance to clear our street. So we are left with snow and ice. Yester was a neighborhood day for many of us as we took turns to push each other's car uphill to get out of the cul de sac. We were not supposed to gather together due to Covid-19 safety protocols. Well, no one seems to care about that when it comes to helping your neighbor out.

Maybe God is trying to tell us something. After we pushed one car out, we got a chance to catch up with one another about Christmas, family, kids, work, and many more. It was a series of many short conversations. We pushed about ten cars out altogether. Many of us realized that we live in a good neighborhood with diversity and togetherness.

One of them is a Muslim lady who works in a medical lab. She was in trouble with her car because of the snow at about 6 am Tuesday last week. I heard her car noise and her conversation with another neighbor. I decided to get out and gave them a hand. We got her out. She was out helping to push cars yesterday morning. "How is your Christmas?" she asked me. I told her that it was quiet but nice as we were able to talk to our kids in Zoom. After we finished, she let me know that she would like to bring some curry over to us later this week. It was not a question. I was informed.

For a moment, the pandemic couldn't stop us from being there for one another. We learn how to care for one another while knowing that we don't always agree. That is why God came into the world in human form. Jesus fully identifies with our human conditions while knowing that we might have problems with God and with one another.

That was another Christmas gift for me.

Revelation 7: 9-10
"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

 

Popular posts from this blog

Aug 31st, 2024: Confession

Image
Dealing with pain sometimes affects our ability and flexibility. A physiotherapist friend gave me a set of home exercises to help with that. They are simple yet intense at the same time. Dealing with our human brokenness sometimes affects our ability to see and hear God. Our commitment to spiritual disciplines must be at the core of our relationship with God. One of the disciplines I have been trying to embrace more fully is confession. It’s not just about recognizing where we have gone wrong; it’s about how we have chosen to live our lives independently from God. It’s about whether we truly want God to be part of our lives. The absence of meaningful confession will damage our freedom to experience intimacy with God. "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." - Proverbs 28:13
Read more

Sept 4th, 2024: Praying in Images

Image
It has been a rough few days. Living in immense pain does not allow us much energy to think about anything. I ended up praying in images, and not many words came out of my mouth. Most of the images were of people I know. God knew that I was praying for them as their faces came to my mind. I did not need to mention the circumstances or situations of their lives—He knows. My heart was at peace as I ended my days with these images. He will take care of my body, and I know this because I was able to get some sleep. Tomorrow is in His hands.
Read more

Oct 1st, 2022: Be With Those Who Suffer

Image
  Listening to a young woman who shared her experience of being raped repeatedly by a family member for over four years as a teenager made my heart ache. The man who did that was a leader of a church. He was imprisoned for seven months and released. He was her stepfather. Her mother chose to pick him over her after his release. Her life has changed forever. She had to go to a foster home. Her foster parents helped her with her restoration and her faith in God. Her supervisor at work asked me to see her because someone at work was inappropriate toward her. That triggered many emotions within her. I did not expect the story I heard from her. The meeting took longer than I thought, and it was toward the end of the day. She kept talking about her anger and the pain she felt when men treated her like a subject. I knew that the best I could do was to listen. She told me she had not been able to tell anyone as much as with me. God reminded me of the true calling of being a pas...
Read more