The Paths less traveled#17 Age of disconsolation (20th June 2020)

Dear…

Summer of discontent, that would seem to be the usual phrase, as summer approaches in the Northern Hemisphere, to describe the ongoing civil unrest triggered just these past few weeks in the United States of America.
But our good Lord impressed upon my heart, this phrase Summer of disconsolation.

When I penned these thoughts last week,, my beloved father was in ICU. A situation that caught us by surprise as he is a sprightly 88, and what seems like a simple case of indigestion turned out to be something more sinister. There are two things that are certain. Death for manś time on Earth is finite. And eternity with our Lord, if we are willing and determined to accept and follow our Lord Jesus Christ. For the former, our prayers were that we will have more time with our father, that he be healed. For the latter, we know and believe that God has been transforming my dad from a worldly atheist to a devoted child of His through the past two decades.

Disconsolate we were when my beloved mum left us last June to be with our Lord. Much as we know that God has not just relieved her of her physical suffering and emotional distress, God has brought her home to a better place. Disconsolate we were, when the very possibility of my father not being with us was now staring us in the face.

An orphan at a ripe old age of near 60, it seems strange that the sense of loss still hurts. If one was much younger, the very issue of survival would be even more compelling, but at the autumn of my life, it is the sense of no longer having the familiar that leads to a pining for what once was. God is good. In transforming our hearts, my parents and our siblings, imperfect as we all are, there was room for time well spent in relationships, in conversations and shared meals, a privilege that not all are given, and even fewer avail themselves of.

I miss my mum. And I do hope for more opportunity to have time with my father, time that I often take for granted. What about you? Regret is often a by product of neglect. But thanks be to God, we know we will see our parents again, and there will no longer be any separation, for God has a place for us, for our hearts are with Him.

Our prayers were answered. But have we in that moment of gratitude for Godś miraculous healing, gravitated back to our less than perfect ways, and allow relationships to be left by the wayside till the next near accident at the bend of lifeś journey? What about post lockdown from Covid19, will we forget the lessons that God wants us to learn?

The world that we now take temporary residence in will be one of even greater turbulence. The shaking has intensified, as unemployment is structural and permanent and in significant numbers. Populist governments look to deceive with their lies, and distract with their quarrels and wars with others. And Earth will continue to groan under the weight of our benign to blatant abuse and poor stewardship.


Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
Revelation 3:10


An afterthought - Timeline

Timeline used to be a term we associate with the timetable and concomitant activities needed to be done in the entirety of a planned project.
Timeline today is associated with our birthday that Facebook blasts out to remind our friends of our day of entry to the world.
Today, the privilege fell upon me and indeed, one is grateful for the many expressions of good wishes from friendships formulated through the years.
Circumstances and needs often bring about an acquaintance, and the right chemistry often blossoms forth into deeper relationships, though sadly, through time, absence, shifting priorities and neglect, it can revert back to being strangers before one realizes it.
Friendships have to be nurtured from the heart. But the key difference is what drives that friendship for it to not just sustain, but retain the freshness and deep concern from the heart for a friend, that is not a function of time spent together?

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24

For me and I am sure for many of my dear friends on this mail, it is the unity of spirit ingrained in our common love for our Lord Jesus Christ, Who first loved us and continues to do so, that allows us to love not just a friend, but anyone God places in our lives. It is still a work in progress for me and for most of us, but my prayer is that God will help us in our imperfection, to live out the command He gave us, to love Him with our all, and to love our neighbors as much as ourselves. For eternity awaits all. And there is no consolation prize for those who choose not to invest their life to prepare for the Day of Christ return.