Its been a long time now since the New year that I have been meditating on what the"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
Saviour meant when he spoke about Peace to the faithful gathered around him.
Why was I struggling to get that Peace. After going through a very painful
experience early this New Year, I have longggggggggggged for that peace.
Why couldn't I get that peace which he gave so freely.
-That peace which St. Paul says surpasses all understanding.
In other words the peace of Christ which holds its reign on all thoughts
and keeps everything else captive during all times.
So, I began my journey in search of peace........ started reading the bible even
more voraciously, meditating on his words even more forcibly and started
praising and singing his name as loudly I could (thankfully within the
confinements of my mind).
Often I would reflect on the episode of Jesus calming the sea and wondered
why he didn't calm the storms which were ravaging in my mind all the time.
Aha and then came the day when he rewarded me......... and rewarded me
richly indeed that his peace has been filling my heart every day since.
I had been sick for a whole week with an upset stomach. So my husband
decided to take me to a local mall for a breath of fresh air only for us to
be blown over completely (we are still blown over by that experience).
We walked into this huge mall and made our way to this fascinating store
which we visit very often...... sometimes we just browse through the stuff and
deliberate whether we need something and sometimes we pick up something we like.
Everything is sold at a premium price and the board that follows you across
that fantastic store is 'If you accidentally drop anything, you pay for that damaged
piece as well.
So, I make sure that i am tagging along my husband and panicking every time his
hand stretches to hold any of the delicate glittering glassware or articles in the
store. I know how powerful the law of gravity(especially in my hands) is and
hence have no questions in my mind to prove its existence.
I kept constantly nagging my husband "Please don't pick up". Please keep it back".
We decided we needed soup spoons and so we picked them up. My husband
had the spoons safely ensconced in his very sturdy hands and was striding
confidently to the counter to ask the manager to bill them for us. I was
striding behind him as confidently as I could and would have reached the
counter within seconds but -
I (Eve) saw this lovely box with cookie cutters inside. I picked up the
forbidden fruit instead of asking for assistance. My husband (Adam) was
not interested in what was glistening in my hand. He asked me to put it
back and follow him. Since I didn't want to replicate the garden of Eden
experience. I promptly put the article back on the shelf to happily trot
behind my husband.
so much for obedience....... so much for it. I had barely turned to follow
my husband when lo behold a thundering crash..... the temptation
that I had got momentarily enticed with ..... had decided to fall!!!!!!!!!!!
Who was the serpent in this frame if you ask me - IT WAS MY OVERSIZE BAG!!!!!
All of a sudden I felt the ground beneath my feet tremble (rock and roll!).........
a sea of people gathered around me. I lifted my eyes (shock embedded within)
and.................
saw (gulp,gulp) the storm on my husband's face.
(Trivia:- Believe me my husband has never looked as handsome as he did on that day,)
I could see different colors blending and a dark red tinge spreading all over his face.
I looked down to see two store helps gathering that miserable piece to
ascertain the damage caused by my (OVERSIZE)Bag (the serpent).
People around me whispering (at such times, the internal audio works very
efficiently, otherwise I can be quite deaf)- that piece is very expensive!!!!!!!
they will have to pay for it now!!!!!!.
Inside of me I was crying (sniff) -Where are thou My Lord? I am in the
eye of the storm............. My boat is sinking...... (boooooooohooooooooo)
In the midst of this tumultuous situation (inside and outside of me).
A sudden infilling of ..............Peace, Serenity!!!!!!
The store helps continued with their scrutiny of the piece and could find
only a small chip on the lid of the box with other things being intact. They
pointed it out to me and I reached to take that chipped box in my hand once again,
(My wacky sense of humor surfacing in full blast. My mind was playing with
the idea of setting up a cooking making venture..... Naming the venture:-
Mel the Cookie-Man,,,,,,, Cookies of different sizes were floating in front of my eyes.......)
Suddenly I heard Him.......Yes i heard him whisper.... What did I hear him say-
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do
not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and
do not be afraid.
I took the chipped piece and asked for the price. I walked to stand next to my
husband, whose face revealed that the Storm in him had not abated (gulp gulp).
At the counter the manager came to bill us for the purchase we had decided
to make and also looked at the fallen piece carefully...... She was still inspecting
the piece when my attention was diverted to the right side of the counter.
Something was glittering there!!!!!!!! I turned to look and saw colored soup spoons!!!!!!
Though I am not a kid but something about color always captures my attention.
I love color in all forms especially the bright colors - pink, blue, red, orange, etc.
all colors! (Now you know why I found my stormy husband so captivating to
look at...... that day)
As, I reached out to grab the colored soup spoons, the manager watching my
delight struck a conversation with me. "These are break -resistant M'am".
I smiled at her and looked at the ones we had picked up earlier and she smiled
and said, "Those are not."
My husband who usually deliberates a lot weighing the pros and cons, didn't
take long to weigh anything this time. (He was burning red hot coals inside
you see!!- what color aha!).
Before I could even turn and look at him with inquiring eyes I heard him say,
"We will take the break resistant ones even though they look like the ones kids
eat their cereals with."
So, I decided I wanted all four spoons in different colors. Unfortunately they had
only three colors in the size we wanted (there was a red soup spoon but it was
very tiny).
Time for the Bill now......
The manager started marking a bill for the purchase we had made. She examined
the chip on the box (the fallen box) and said that it was a small chip and we need
not pay for it.
I turned to see my stormy red husband and what do I see!!! His color is changing
once again from the lovely dark red to his natural shade of brown.
A song starts playing in my head - "Raindrops are falling on my head... plop plop....
(this is incidentally what plays whenever my Shirley and I are having an intense
discussion on the phone, she will suddenly go on hold and both of us will be hearing-
Raindrops are falling on my head).
The manager goes on to say that people usually fight and refuse to pay and we were
very sweetly agreeing to pay for the piece. She thanks us and we thank her back.
So we walk out of the store with our (colored) break- proof soup spoons and with a
big glow on my husband's face (color change without any facial).
As we are leaving the mall, my husband (who has now come back to his original
self) shares with me that he was wondering all the while what we were going to
do with that chipped box of cookie cutters. I very gleefully start elucidating some
of the wacky ideas that had surfaced in my mind during the time I should have
covered myself in fig leaves........
But from that day I have only been able to count my blessings constantly.
I have not stopped thanking God for my Agape Family who have been with
me in prayer and spirit whenever I have asked for assistance and even when
I have not asked for any assistance. I truly believe its only because each of you
that I am able to be in a state of gratitude today. Thank you each one- Shirley,
Tecy, Tara, Divina, Elizabeth, Jeevan,Sylvester, Saveen (anybody part of Agape-
in case I have missed out anyone) for being a part of my life.
Even my Husband who has extensively traveled and lived all over the earth says
he has never experienced something as wonderful as this. He said (in his own words)-
"This truly is a Miracle and we have only the Lord to thank for this experience."
P.s:- The next day was Sunday and the Gospel reading was :-
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you
as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
No comments:
Post a Comment