In the morning!

The buds of the Buttercups in our garden open around nine in the morning, when the sun rays fall on them. Till mid-day they are open and the flowers close to remain like that till the next morning. 

When I walked around in the garden, most plants had an unusual look of water drops from the rain of the night, appearing neatly arranged at the edges of leaves giving them an ornamental look. 

The Buttercup flowers had an unusual glow of hue of colours in the yellow tinge, in the sunshine and the leaves bearing a decorated look. Both were brought to them by the gentle morning sunshine!

Jacob of the Old Testament left his home as a wounded person after having been estranged from his brother Esau. He spent his childhood in a dysfunctional family, where the father loved Esau and the mother  Jacob (Genesis 27:41-44).

It was on his way to Haran to stay with his uncle Laban, on the advice of his mother Rebekah,  to escape from the grudge of Esau, Jacob had a dream while he slept at night (Gen. 28:10-22). The dream of seeing a ladder reaching up to heaven and hearing the voice of God: 'And behold, I am with you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land, for, I will not leave you, until I have done, what I have promised you' (v15). 

That became a turning point in the life of Jacob, that he erected a pillar of stone in that place, on which he rested his head at night, to be pillar of memorial on knowing that, 'Surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it' (v16). Jacob said to himself, 'And this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God's house, and of all that Thou dost give me, I will surely give a tenth to Thee' (v22). Jacob who behaved craftily towards his brother and father to usurp favours, now seemed to have been a different person after his dream. 

There are such turning points in our lives, which come to us as a favour from God. 

Yesterday, while I was at the tomb of my parents, one such turning point came vividly to my mind. I was 'sent'  to Nagpur in 1965 to study the pre-professional course in preparation to get into study Medicine at the Nagpur Medical College. It was that unusual step, that my parens took, which led  me to the field of medicine for about fifty years till I retired recently. I was least ready to go to Nagpur. I felt like giving up, when there were some difficulties on the way of starting the medical training. 

When I saw the Buttercups and the leaves receiving a new look in the sunshine of the morning, I felt moved by a consciousness of how God's favour upon my life brought me thus far! The story that Anna and I carry with us, is a collection of memorials of God's grace upon our lives!

The ground on which we live, is formed by the surprises of God,  His grace and favour upon our lives!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)