In the Image of God's Love

This is a photo of Mrs. Beena Varghese, our hostess, at the 'home-stay' (Varnam) we stayed at while on our trip to Wayanad in Kerala (India).  She has been a very gracious hostess, accommodating us with the utmost care, cheer and consideration.  She and her family went out of their way to give into our every whim; even picking up a specific type of coffee for me from the store.  On the first day we stayed there, we decided to have a barbecue session, requesting them to provide us with two chickens (chopped) and with a sheet of wire mesh, as the barbecue stand we brought along with us apparently was missing its grill rack.  And sure enough, they had everything ready for us by evening.  Later that day we had a wonderful barbecue party along with our hosts and other guests who stayed there.  I really appreciate the warm friendship and love they extended out to us.   I realized there is something we could all learn from them.  It was not about the money.  They were simply being who they are; warm, caring, loving and giving people.

Today I praise God for Beena and her family, and for giving us an opportunity to experience God's love through them and the way they looked after us.  I pray that God blesses them abundantly, and no matter what trials and difficulties they go through, I pray their smiles may be ever radiant, and grace abundant.

You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.  (John: 15: 14, 15)

Friend or Fiend

Most often it can be seen that friends are closer to a person than one's siblings are.  Some of our most shared secrets are between friends. Sometimes I wonder why it is that God blesses us with friends, people who are closer to us than family.   Friends can lead you astray while friends can also lead you nearer to the heart of God.  It all depends on who you choose as your friends or the company you hang out with.

I am often shocked when I read the news about murders in schools because a kid has carried a gun or a knife with him.  At such tender ages, when their life has to decide which side to take at the fork in the road, it can be shocking to find that not many young children and teenagers have a sense of purpose or direction.  In most cases, it is the lack of parental support or a solid adult figure to guide them that gets them there.  Or is it the lack of good friends? With them, the group of friends too take a turn for the worse.

I am grateful that the Lord has given me friends; who know when to pull me up for something I am accountable for, or to encourage me to move on despite hurdles in life.  I praise God for the gift of friends in my life - for all the laughter and the tears, and the times of mischief too.  I lift up all children and teenagers who are building new bonds that influence them, to be blessed with the grace of healthy friendships that will help them discern the difference between good and bad decisions.  I praise God for friends, for I would be lost without them; without you in my life. Each of my friends build me up in their own way into the person that I am and I praise God for all my friends.

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. “ 

John 15:13–15