Happy Birthday, Dad!! - 31st Oct 2006

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!!

Today is my Dad's Birthday. I praise God for the wonderful, loving, caring... (list goes on)... man that is my Dad. Dad turns 55 this year and he works as a missionary in Bihar and so its been years of hard labor and love in Jesus and for Jesus. I'm so full of love, pride, happiness and joy, as I write this.

There have been so many warm, loving, happy and wonderful moments that I share with Dad. I wanted to write about one of them.

Dad happens to be the assistant director of the organization he works for, which would mean he has to arrange and conduct meetings and conventions and crusades. I had the privilege of being with him for one such meeting which was conducted in a small town in Madhya Pradesh. We used to go to the ground where the meeting was to be conducted, almost everyday for a week before the meeting began and walk around the place, praying for the meeting that was to be conducted and praying for the blessing of the people who attend the meeting. The meeting was supposed to be conducted every evening for 3 days. The meeting started at around 5.30 pm and went on till about 7.30 or 8pm. Everyday when the meeting started, a few of us would lead the crowd in singing a few songs till the whole of the crowd had come in and then Father Berchmans, who had come down for this meeting, would take over.

During this meeting, the first day went well and on the second day we began having some problems. Some of the people in the place didn't like us conducting these meetings and so began some trouble. On the third day, Dad advised me to stay on the stage after the singing session was over, as there could be some problem and he wanted me to be safe, because usually the stage is surrounded by some of the missionaries for the safety of the special guests on the stage. And so after the singing was over, Father Berchmans took over as he had done for the previous two days, and I stayed on stage as dad had advised me to.

It was that part of the year when winter starts setting in and so it was beginning to get cold. I was on the stage and hadn't got any warm clothes with me and so was beginning to feel cold. I started looking around for my Dad and could not find him anywhere. He was no where on or around the stage. The crowd was so huge (Father Berchmans is quite a rage there) and I could not see my Dad anywhere. I knew I would not find my Mom, because during such times she would either be sitting somewhere and praying hard or cooking for the special guests of the meeting (so that atleast foodwise they would not feel that they are in some remote corner of the world). It was beginning to get really cold and I didn't want to get off the stage knowing that could be quite risky, and was trying hard to sit straight, and at the same time looking for my Dad.

After about 5 minutes, of feeling cold and looking around for Dad, one of the missionaries who works with my Dad walked up to me and handed me a shawl saying - "Your Dad asked to give this to you". I was so surprised and kind of overjoyed as well. Somewhere in the crowd was my Dad, watching out for me. Though I could not see him, he could see me and he had his eyes on me. He was watching me so well that he knew the moment I began to feel cold and had sent this warm shawl. I sat there feeling so warm, not because of that woollen shawl but warmed by my Dad's love for me. That year for my dad's birthday I made a card with my hands and wrote about this incident on the card and how much this had meant to me.

Even now whenever I think back about this incident, I feel so warmed up and there is this surge of happiness and love for my Dad and there are times my eyes well up with tears thinking about this.

The love that my earthly father has for me is no where compared to the love that my heavenly father has for me. He loves me a lot lot lot more and cares so so so much more than my Dad. Just imagine how great that love and care must be.

There may be times in our lives when we feel that God is not near. We may be looking so hard for God and it may seem like we are not able to find him. It may feel like, we need him so badly and he is not near. We may not see him or hear him and this may get kind of depressing and disappointing. At such times I think back to this incident. God is definitely watching out for you. We may not see him but he has his eyes on us. He is definitely watching out for every one of us. He watches every move we make, every word we say, every thought we think and He does that with and out of love. Probably we may think this world is too full of human beings for God to give undivided attention to each of us. But the fact is that each of us is God's own little girl and God's own little boy. Each of us are his favorite and to God each of us is like the only person exists for him on the whole of the earth. Isn't that wonderful!! He has his eyes on me and he watches over me. His word says - He does not even sleep or slumber. Wow!! Isn't that something!!! And while we are searching the crowd and the situation and looking for him and trying hard to see him, the answer, like the woollen shawl is already on its way to us.

The next time you feel like God's not there or why he doesn't speak or answer, remind yourself that he is definitely out there watching out for you. Though you cannot see him he can see you and he has his eyes on you.

And yeah always remember, the woollen shawl is on its way :)

Psalm 121 : 3 - 8
3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.