Blessed Monday-Thankful for small things....

Dear Dad,

Sometimes I take life and all the blessings for granted but today I want to take some time out and think parallel what's there in life to be thankful for. So we will start from the beginning of the day. Weather is playing tricks it have began to be cold in the mornings and the evenings and mildly pleasant with sunlight all the day, winters just reminds me of soup and hot drinks. Thank God for the seasons, I would have not enjoyed the variety of foods and clothing. It would have become monotonous if seasons were not there? Ever thought that way? So I am thankful for the day and night and different seasons and especially for the weather I enjoyed today.

I want to thank God for toothpaste the first need to freshen up, otherwise your mouth will stink ;-) Then for hot water. Nothing beats hot water bath and then for soap and shampoo for their color’s smell and ingredients which keeps my hair and skin healthy. Thanks God for all this small things that you provide for my hygiene.

Then I am very thankful for clothes that keep me warm in this chilly winter. Also allows me to flash colorful jackets and cool cap to wear. And thank You Daddy as I am an Indian and we Indians love colors. I enjoy being colorful, monochrome is not just boring but dull as well. Then I am thankful for nice home which protects me, which gives me small place where I can lie down peacefully and do my household chorus, eat food, meet people. Not just four walls but a lively place to live with lovely mom and brother.

I am thankful for my mom and brother who are always there to love me. Hug me, cuddle me and that makes my heart just so warm and no matter what I go through they are always just standing beside me. Sharing all the pains and all the joys. We have all things common and equally we share all things. Its indeed a blessing to have a loving family who is determined to serve You. Thank You Dadda for such a sweet, sharing, caring and most importantly loving family. We are determined to love You and serve You.

I am thankful for the small plants in my small home and thank you for stray cute kittens making voices all the times. For the stray dogs who comes every now and then just to say hello and grab some food. I am thankful for this little favor we get from this animals at least they don't fight you, shout at you or judge you, look down at you. Hahah... funny it is.

I am thankful for the work and my Ubuntu system at work, which just helps me work better. I am thankful for the excel sheets where I can put formulas and have fun with cells. I am thankful for the internet by which we are connected to the world and the ocean of knowledge and fun just a click away. I am thankful for my phone which I got as a gift (sometimes I forget and I think I am owner of it, sometimes I am too afraid to call anything “my” or “its mine”). Mobile which helps me to connect with bunch of my crazy friends who like share crazy things with me. We all do something crazy and we respect craziness and mostly celebrate this craziness and boast of the bonding over it.

I am thankful for the hot cup of coffee my office provides. The drink is not mere a drink but its a dangerous intoxicant yet does have lot of positive things. I like the aroma of this coffee and it keeps me from sleeping in office ;-) Also gives me a boost to stay alive and work. But mostly I am ignorant of this small things for this drink and all but then I am taking time out today to be thankful. Whether I realize or not, this small things make my day. So I am thankful for all this small things.

I am thankful for the songs that I can hear through internet because I believe music have its own magic which makes me forget all the blues of the world and stress of anything. It just takes me to a different world and the soothing music and soothing voices of the singers makes me think what a talent God you have given to all the singers. And different music instruments which makes total symphony, I cannot imagine how a conductor(master or chief musician) just by movements of his hands every group of musicians makes a different mood and a different symphony. I cannot fathom this earthly music what will happen when reach the place where angels worship You day and night.

I am thankful for the phone call from an old friend staying far away in Kerala whom I never met face to face but know only through help of phone. What a sweet music to ears to hear  voice of a good old friend. Sometimes its all that you want to do. Daddy, I am thankful for it is You who gives us good friends and the love and the strong bond of friendship.

As I always says there so many things I can just go on and on which makes me thankful and make me feel how rich I am. It humbles me and reminds me that every good gift comes from You. I am blessed and thankful for all things I have missed to take note of.

Thanking You,

Your loving son,

Shushant

Letter to God: Thanks

Dearest Father/Abba,

I love You Daddy and thank You for everything You have done for us. Today I just want to thank You for the blessings You have given to me.

I am thankful for the love that is bubbling out of my heart by being overwhelmed in the love of God, feeling undivided heavenly peace. Which I think no money, no pleasure, no hard work/toil would have given me. I am reminded of Psalms 23 every word of the beautiful Psalm has come true in my life.

Source:http://www.thesongsontheway.com

Sometime its not words, sometimes its not images, not visions, not music, not any event yet you feel super excited and you know in your heart that God is great and doing great things for you. Thank You Dadda for all this You are doing in my life. May I continue to walk in Your ways and experience this heavenly peace and joy which is everlasting because of You. The grace and mercy which are new everyday in my life.

I am thankful for the Friends. Friends who makes our lives so vibrant, colorful, musical and eventful. Without them life would be meaningless and we would have no one to share, care, fight, talk, love, help and to make team. Thank You for young friends as they challenge me with new questions, they take me to dimensions I never thought. Thankful for same aged friends who are like the iron sharpening us. Thankful for elder friends who are guide and torch bearers, examples for us. I pray for all of them, they are truly blessing from You and our companions here in Alien land.

I am thankful for the beautiful Church and leaders who take care of us as good shepherds following Your footsteps. Thanks for the Vision and Mission You have given to our Church.Thank You for such sweet families God. Once upon a time I felt like an orphan but Your word repeatedly have said “I will take care of widows and orphans” even You command us to “take care of widows and orphans” and I have seen that Church is really that family which loves us and takes such care for us. I am thankful for this community and I am thankful that I am also part of this Church. Thankful to know that Jesus is Head of our Church and we believe strongly in Your words and that is our authority.Thankful for meaningful activities of Church which is there for us and all Church members. I am thankful for Youth meetings, Fasting prayers, BTCL, House groups and specially for retreats and Camps.

I am thankful for the Gospel Music.Which have made my day, I generally don't indulge in music, but if its praising and glorifying You, I can't just hold back, I am overwhelmed and awestruck to know such Awesome God. I serve the God who created Heavens and the Earth. I am thankful for my blog and privilege that I can write and share my thoughts. Thankful for fellow bloggers who are always there to encourage. I am thankful for my job, though I am praying that I will get some more work to do. I am thankful that I have completed half a decade working in gurgaon and it was joyful for me. Because when I came here, I was a small little boy afraid to stay alone and now God have blessed me so much that I am turned to be a blessing for my family as I take care of my mom and Rohan(my younger brother) what privilege it is to with a loving and God fearing family. Who stands besides you, love you and takes care of you. Thanks Daddy for making me responsible person who now knows what does it mean to be a son of God, and also to follow law not out of compulsion but in love, knowing well that Your laws are perfect and which provides and protects us.

Your laws are love letters guiding me to walk, grow, think, love and live as You desired for us. Thanks for the freedom we have in You, knowing well who we are and for what we are.Thanks for the Bible which we can study, learn and a way to speak to You, to know You. Teach us oh! Lord to walk unto Your ways which leads to righteousness and eternal life.

Your Loving Son,

Shushant

Thankful Thursday: Simplicity

Sometimes I have simply prayed for a simple life. So that I can simply live my simple life. Where I am content and happy every moment where sacrifice is not very painful, so that life is not a drudgery even for a short while. So that I am mentally, physically and spiritually resting in God. By resting I mean no anxiety, no worries, no hurry, no tensions and no hustle and bustle.

Sometimes finding peace in city like gurgaon becomes very hard. We city people think of vacation for peace of mind for change. We don't enjoy the daily rush to office, daily overburdened tasks at office, long queues of cars and stuck in traffic, horrible power cuts, water drainage issue, rent issue, shifting issue, small fights over everything and gurgaon life gives so much of everything that you lose your peace very easily. But I remember that God says no matter what I will give you peace and rest just come to Me all you heavy and burdened. Sometimes we might ask God can you do a miracle and send me out of this town or most of impatient people like me sometimes do a weird request like God I know You and I am in safe zone can I come Home now (thinking like an immature kid).

But God I know that You have plans for me, and thats the reason I am in gurgaon and there should be no other good reason to be here. I know You brought me Here for purpose and unless its accomplished I will be here, whether I understand it or not, whether I like or not. I have called Him my Lord and my Master, I must obey. But God in midst of all this, I just thank You for all good things You have added in my life. For answering my prayer of a simple life. What a joy it is to be simple, teach me God not to be greedy and to be content with what I have.

Thank You God for 9:30 to 6:30 job, job where I enjoy working and look to work for You alone. God thank You for Your body, the local church who is more like a family to me, for my Mom and Rohan, then for my best friends and colleagues who are my extended family. Thank You God for Holy Spirit who is always with me, inspiring me, encouraging me, praying and interceding for me, loving me and being there for me. Thank You God for the cycle to travel, Oh! What a joy it is to ride it( only sports activity for me). Thank You for my boss and my office. Thank You for the governance who is taking care of the city. Thank You for all civil services people, thank You for the cobblers, for milkmen, for Hair cutters, for mall workers, for ice-cream sellers, for gardeners, for shopkeepers. For every single people on the street helping us to live a luxurious life. Thanks for helping us through all of them. May God bless all the people here, and strengthen us so that we can preach the good news to them and show them the love of Christ which we received freely for spreading it freely.

Thanks for making us simple and blessing us with simple life, but do I want to settle here, no I am not citizen of this place, my Hope and my eyes are set on You and for eternity. You my Rock, my salvation, my Redeemer, my lover for You alone I am alive and in You I find meaning of my life. May I always abide in You and in You alone and bear fruits for You.

Happy Birthday Rohan

Rohan at the age of 3

Today's post is dedicated to my small brother Rohanpreet. Thank you God for sending him in our lives. Because truly he is a blessing in our lives. We have a small happy family of three members; Mom, Rohan and me. Few years before when I moved to gurgaon I was alone and use to stay with my some my friends. If you read my past story how I longed for love and family. I would have never understood the true meaning of life and family if God would have not chose me. If I would have not met Jesus. Thank you Lord for telling me what does it mean to have a family. I was a rebel from childhood thus never ever really focused on family. And then I went to stay in hostel and you read in self made man that how my ideology of life was changed and everything I was and wanted to be revolved only around I, me and myself.

And yes our family was incomplete without Rohan, kids are really blessing from God.I was only child of my mom until eighteen years of my life, until Rohan walked in our lives. Initially we stayed away but later we started staying together as family. More than a brother, Rohan is like my son. And I care for him, love him just as I would love to do with my own kids. He is my best friend, ally at home, we are team against mom, we are the kids of the home and we share lot of things at common. Whenever one of us make mistake, we both get scoldings, as much as Rohan is afraid of mom, I am too. He is mostly like me. But he is more clever than me. I have seen growing before my eyes.

I so thank God, when he prays small prayers in the name of Jesus. When he sings the praise and worship songs, I just thank God that from childhood he is getting to know Jesus. I am also glad that he is really privileged to attend Sunday school at Church. And he is always excited about same. Really I want to thank God for choosing our family and keeping us under His provision and love.

Every time Rohan makes mistake, my mom will say “Dono bhai ek jaise” meaning “Both of them are alike”. Sometimes I laugh that we both are mischievous and sometime I just see myself in Rohan and wonder even I did the same mistake. When my mom says why dont you correct him, I say I make the same mistakes how can I correct him, what if someday he says, “Do to others what you would like them do to you”. So many areas I first discipline myself and then teach Rohan.

I have to take care of both of my family members with love and affection. Lead them spiritually, by the help of God. May God give me strength and wisdom to guide them, love them, to take care of them.