Click ‘Refresh’

                        One day while sitting in a restaurant I saw one lady nearby using a Nokia 3310. Immediately my memories rushed back to my college days when I first started using a mobile phone – a borrowed 3310. The feel, the ease of using the keypad, the single buzz sound (for messaging while in class!), the tough look etc started flashing in my mind. Feeling nostalgic I went and bought an old Nokia 3310 (against the warnings of all my friends). It’s been 6 years since I used my favourite 3310 and I rushed back home to run my old buddy once again. I guess this phone might have been produced way back in 2000 and it showed all signs of old age. It blinked and coughed 2-3 times and then it died! Yes, that’s it. I was not able to use it even for an hour! As an MBA student I had done the worst investment in my life, but it taught me a great lesson – never try to relive your present with nostalgic feelings!

Some of us do the same mistake in our relationship with Jesus. We come into renewal or into the Jesus Youth movement through a powerful God experience. It may have occurred either while praying in a retreat/prayer meeting or while dealing a difficult situation in our life. We usually tend to associate this encounter with the personal image of our Lord Jesus Christ. Whenever we are able to experience the same feeling we are happy and whenever we are not; we feel out of touch with God. Though normal and to an extent healthy (in the initial days of our growing relationship with Jesus); this “always seeking first encounter” attitude will prevent us from getting closer to him. Scripture says “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;” (Lamentations 3: 22-23).

Translated it means a new encounter every day. We get to know a new facet of the omnipotent and omnipresent Lord each new day. If we search for the same feeling every day we are limiting God. We are obstructing his amazing grace which flows to us in thousand different ways. It can be through the cool winter breeze (that refreshing feel?) or through the dry breeze (when we thirst for HIM?) or through that email from an old friend (when we feel wanted?) or through the unexpected smile of a stranger (got a new friend?) or after many failed attempts we finally stayed awake through that boring lecture (loving that boring professor or that tough subject?) or when we start praising lord in our sickness (THY will over our will?) or thanking Jesus for that tough situation (started kissing your cross?). This list is endless for you and me. Let’s start adding a new one every new day. 

P.S: Just now I experienced Jesus through the typed word - a reason good enough to keep me blogging :)