I Live by Her Faith! (By Nithin Sam)

Humph! I looked away from my Bible. This is one dull and damp morning when I should be enjoying the chirping of pleasant drizzles.  My eyes sank on that little sparrow that frequents the balcony. She took flight onto the drenching rain. Before she did so, she tilted her head just enough to show her contempt for me.  I didn’t care for her arrogance either. 

My thoughts are back to my disappointment with the thick black Book. Sometimes He, the Spirit really doesn’t draw the line- He would just leave the matter at hand in hand to handle with care! All I do is dabble with the thought until I sail away in some narcissistic pleasure.

I can’t do this Lord. I exist by and thrive on the praises of people.

I moan. But the Black book tells me: “… His (read the righteous’) praise is not from man but from God”. [Romans 2:29 (ESV)]  I have swiped one after another the five languages of Love and saw that the one thing that makes me feel loved is ‘Words of affirmation’. Did you hear what I just said? I just said that the thing that makes me feel loved is the thing called ‘Words of Affirmation’. I will put it into recognisable words and plain language: Praises of People. 

I filter out one person, whose love is worth climbing on to the moon: my wife. I have the nose that sniffs every posture and facial crease that does not affirm me. It is not the ‘I Love you’, and ‘thank you’ that makes me feel loved. But when I see her droopy eyes, moist to the brim, and my twinkling image in them, I get all the cues that I am praised -I am admired. Yes, my dear brother and sister: Her faith in me is my Love subsistence.

So how wrong would it be when I wait eagerly for those emblems of love? I wouldn’t want to hush my wife and deprive myself of being loved! Well, if I now remove the filter and drain up those who sit within my circle of influence, which include my kids, friends, and colleagues, man I need those praises from them too. So what am I missing?

It is not uncommon for me to visualise the end of my road and fall off the cliff into the arms that take me home. I transcend in my thoughts to His presence standing before His white throne, waiting for his verdict. In that vision, my master’s eyes glitter while he says: “Well done, my good and faithful servant”. This vision is the token of eternal hope for me: not the gifts; not the time eternal spent with him; not the hug of the master; and not at all the ministry of the angels., The distant echo of those words from God creates a massive strength in me to press on in this world. In the stillness of my dark days, when I trample on snakes, and yet painfully crawl on towards the cross, I hear His voice telling me that I am appreciated; that I got it right; that I put a smile on His face. These praises don’t usually come as a whisper in my soul. They often appear in the praises of my wife, the admiration of my friends, and the support of my colleagues. So now when I sense the admiration on their faces, I recognise the expression of God’s love.

So I love the praises of men: mostly men and women that matter to me most. These men and women have been God’s rebuking fingers too. Either way, it’s God’s way of expressing His love. For that love, that rebuke, that praise, my gratitude and glory to Him. In all this, I am no fool to see the vacuity in some praises. It only takes a loving relationship with God to accept good appreciation and praise, which has come from Him, and to probe empty praises, that is born out of hypocrisy, exploitative intention, formality, culture, habit and such.

The sparrow flew back sorely drenched. It fluttered its wings and dipped down its frame as if in a bow of apology. I smiled: I’m loved, aint I?

[ I would truly recommend the book “Five Love Languages’ by Gary Chapman and even take a test: https://www.5lovelanguages.com/]

#support #spouse #joy #love #family