The pride that wasn't !

These days its mostly about work. Even if there is hardly any work in my plate, it feels like there is so much to be done, or to be learnt rather. It is becoming like a monster growing taller day by day. Or am I exaggerating? :) Digging down the memory lane, life was a happy one. Eating, shopping, watching tv and okay even studying were the order of the day. Laurels could be bestowed easily. Things were nice then :) But this monster was a much coveted one. All of us wanted to explore life, wanted to work. This holds good even today. No one wants to give up working. Sweet, sour or bitter, this lifestyle is cherished. Having said this, I myself wonder about the things 'actually' cherished.

This reminds me of a verse - "It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:18-19 this is ! The "It" here is the earth. This was given when Adam disobeyed God and agreed to what his wife demanded. Long story short - Both Adam and Eve got decieved by the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit in the Eden Garden. And so the great downfall ! Argghh ! God is a strict God. His lessons come the hard way and believe me there are no short cuts. God is nice too. Be faithful to Him and you would be surprised to see how life unfolds.

Oh and why on earth did I put this wierd title? I see the worried faces around. It baffles me. Looks like no one is happy. Or a better way to put it is - no one is at peace. Everyone has a sad story to narrate. This or that. From EMIs to not spending time back home. The list is endless. The concept of the so called "Work Satisfaction" slowly fades away. Satisfied or unsatisfied with the kind of work that happens to them, everyone is working so hard to make money - earn a decent livelihood, buy happiness for the family, for the kids. Happiness has been closely related to time however. And people here are short of time. This could be justified with Dr. Moorthy's "Have breakfast or be breakfast" speech maybe.  We build mansions but hardly have time to stay in them. We stuff the wardrobes with expensive stuff but hardly use them. The pride of life is still in its proper place, happiness however has lost its original definiton and has taken a backseat. The smiles are now plastic. People keep running all through their lives. "By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground" How true this turned out to be. Damn Adam ! Eve was innocent and not so wise, why did you get carried away. You thought you could play around with God? Come on dude !

PS: God is a good God. God's anger however is also necessary and this was one such incident. There also are people who wear the real smiles, people who have time to walk with God , who still understand and live the real definition of happiness. People who live a life like how we read in the fairy tales. A golden fairy and a red one singing with great joy :D But the tired faces I see on weekdays give me such thoughts, cant help but put it here ! :)

One Beautiful Moment

One snap of the shutter, and there it was - one beautiful moment captured in time for eternity. The late summer sun reflected in the breaking wave made the water to look like liquid gold splash onto the shore. If my friend had not been there with his camera, the wave would have gone unnoticed, like so many others that have come and gone, seen only by God.

Who can imagine how many waves this sea has sent rolling onto the shoreline? Yet each one is unique. As seen in every wave, God makes extravagant beauty out of seemingly mundane things. Using water and air, He makes wondrous works of art. We enjoy His gallery in the skies above, on earth and in the sea below. But most of earth's beauty remains invisible to us; it is seen only by God.

God uses another gallery to display His glory - humans. We too are made out of something ordinary - dust. (Gen 2:7). But to us He added an extraordinary ingredient - His very own breath. Like waves of the sea and flowers of the field, our lives are brief and seen by few. Yet each one is a beautiful 'moment' created by God to say to the world, 'Behold, your God!' Whose word will last forever
(v.8).

        Only one life, so live it well,
And keep your candle trimmed and bright;
        Eternity, not time, will tell
The radius of that candle's light.