The Inner Thoughts

  (Photo unknown source)  I  have faced many struggles in life - challenges, as I call them. They encompass every aspect of my being. Spiritually, there were moments when I questioned whether God was still with me. Socially, life’s battles made it difficult for me to engage with people, so I focused on working hard, as I did not have much to spare for socializing. Mentally, the weight of my problems either numbed me or left me overwhelmed. While I never entertained suicidal thoughts, there were times - especially during my studies in Master's Degree - when I said hurtful words to myself for not doing well academically, leaving  myself in moments of deep despair. Emotionally, I found it hard to accept criticism, especially in my work. Financially, my family was never wealthy; we always had just enough. And in terms of health, perhaps genetically, my sister and I have always been sickly, much like our parents before us.    But even as I recount these str...

Photo Credits Leeklin Flickr When I was 20 years old, on this same day March 4, 2002, a tragedy struck our family. Our house was robbed, my mother was killed, and my sister barely survived. The irony of it all was that my father was a policeman in our town - someone sworn to protect others, yet he could not shield his own family from harm because he was on duty serving our town. While me, I was 8 hours drive away from my family then. Just two days after my mother’s burial, I stood in the seminary hall for our graduation, where we were to be  vested by the Bishop for full-time ministry after 4 fours years of training. I cannot recall what the Bishop preached that day as my mind was consumed with questions:   Had God abandoned our  family? Was He still present with us? That season of my life forced me to wrestle with one of the attributes of God - His  omnipresence.  How near is God, yet how far is God?  When tragedy strikes, is He close enough...

 When praying with children, I avoid saying, "We should aim to be like Jesus," in a way that might overwhelm them. To them, Jesus is God, and the idea of being like God - saving the whole world from sin - feels unattainable. Instead, they see Jesus as their special friend, which is a relationship they can embrace and understand. I explained that "being like Jesus" doesn't mean they have to do what only God can do, like saving the world. Instead, it means reflecting His holiness in simple ways. For children, holiness can mean being kind, loving, and obedient. However, I noticed that the idea of holiness sometimes feels like a burden because they wonder if they are already "good enough." To address this, I emphasized that Jesus loves them as they are and helps them grow to be more like Him, step by step. It's not about being perfect or doing everything right all the time. It's about letting Jesus' love fill their hearts and letting that love ...