Pain and God

Most of us with disability are in pain. Pain can be physical, emotional or financial.

Why then do we have pain ? Like Craig Carter has said "Every pain in man is the result of some fear of lack, some belief of limitation. God can be the author only of good. Man suffers through his ignorance of his oneness with God."

I also feel, one is in pain because we feel we lack some thing or somehow are are limited. I have muscular dystrophy and am very much physically challenged. But am I in pain? No. Okay may be some pain sometimes.

Some times I am in physical pain but, I think what is GOD's plan for me with this pain. I am open to HIM using my body with dystrophy for a greater plan. I don't know the plan so I live with my pain and bless it. Bless the pain for it has a reason to help me which I am not aware of.

When we develop GOD-centered life even with pain, we will progress on our spiritual journey. After all the human experience is about growing, isn't it ?

Remembering DADA

DADA, it is one year since you have carried now with your spiritual journey. After some loved one dies, what does one do? Cry over their death or celebrate their life. I and Mom have decided to celebrate your life.
DADA, I know that you are where GOD has guided you to be, and we are happy for you. Sometimes, I wonder what was GOD's plan for you when HE gave you Parkinson's disease. Also I wonder what, was HIS plan when he saved you from the tragedy at the stock exchange.

I know that you had PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). You never shared your life with it. I wonder if you were suffering in silence or seeking guidance from GOD. I hope that you received communion with GOD in your silence.

On your anniversary, I and mom say that we are grateful for all the things you did for us and those you did not. For those things you did not do - they were not in GOD's plan and purpose. This I understand now. Thanking you and remembering how great a father you were will all your frills and faults.

Peace be with you.

Imagination, belief and disability

Kurt Vonnegut said "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be..". So if a person with physical or mental challenges imagines to be disabled, then it comes the truth for them. Many persons believe that the whole world is ganged up against them and it becomes their reality.

I believe what Jesus said "Believe that you shall receive and you shall receive..". in spite of my physical challenges, I do not believe that I am disabled and that the world is a friendly place. This becomes true for me because I have strong belief in it being true.

As a person with disability, the best we can do is to seek GOD's guidance and act accordingly. We must believe that we are working for greater glory of GOD. When we are working for his purpose with strong faith and belief then we will be happy.

So, friends use your GOD given imagination and belief to live a happy life with disability.

Humility and God

Humility is an important way in which we can be god-centered. when we are humble we recognize that we are smaller than we think. When we are humble, we receive GOD's grace to do grander things than we can imagine.

Here we must remember what Jesus said " Go and sit in the last place and then you will be invited to take the first ...". What does Jesus advocate ? He says that to be first be ready to be last, in short be humble in life.

I love what Robert Schuller said "God can do great things through the man who dosen't care who gets the credit ...". How apt. We must do what is right and leave it at that. If we are really humble we will not be concerned who gets credit for it.

If we are doing things to please our ego, then we can't be humble. When we lack humility can we be near GOD. Think about it. Our ultimate goal is to live with our heavenly father.

Humility is the first step towards it.

Happiness, Disability and God

"Happiness is basically the awareness of that which is good, but since GOD is the Creator and Source of all good, true happiness, in its deepest sense, is the awareness of GOD. The search for happiness is the search for GOD..." - Elinor MacDonald

People with disability generally feel unhappy. Many times thinking that we would be happy without our disability. The only way to happiness is to be focused on GOD and cease worrying about things which are beyond our control.

Many times our lack of happiness is due to our need to be right all the time. We are ready to go to any extent to prove our point. We may win our point, but does that make us really happy ? No it does not.

When we focus on GOD and live a God-centered life, we will feel happy. We feel happy because GOD loves us. GOD's love is not conditional. HE loves us, the way we are - disability or not. We have to remember, GOD created us the way we are and that HE wants us to be happy.

So in spite of your disability if you stay and be happy then you are bringing glory to HIM and fulfilling his purpose for you

Faith and God part 3

This is the final post on faith and GOD. Why do we need faith ? We need faith because, we can be successful in our purpose if we have faith.

I remember an anonymous quotation " Faith is the wire that connects you to grace, and over which grace comes streaming from GOD.."

In simple terms, faith is our commitment to GOD to do what has been designed by HIM for HIS glory. We will receive GOD's grace when we are only working towards HIS glory.

An Indian mystic Papa Ramdas said "God is there for them that have faith and not for them who have not.." We have been told that GOD is for us, then is it not right that we have total faith in HIM.

Faith and God part 2

Yesterday I touched upon Faith and God in the post titled http://disabilitywithchrist.blogspot.com/2008/01/faith-and-god.html . Today, I continue further.

"Faith is to believe, on the word of GOD, what we do not see, and its reward is to see and enjoy what we believe.." St.Augustine
But we have to remember that faith alone, does nothing। For the faith to be effective it has to be rooted in GOD. Faith can become everything under GOD, by GOD and through GOD.

We can strengthen our faith in GOD, when we are committed to the whole truth. We can't have faith without truth. In fact, faith and truth is the same thing. As Bernadette Roberts says "Faith and Truth is the same thing - God's side is Truth, our side is Faith."

If we have committed ourselves to truth, them we will strengthen our Faith. And through our faith we will find GOD