BIBLICAL STUDIES Community Group
For deeper Biblical exegetical studies, touching on the original languages. All are welcome to join in and post, but please remember to comment on the verses you choose and why they are important for us in our Christian walk.
“ If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another.
If you wish to know that you are safe, cause another to know that they are safe.
If you wish to better understand seemingly incomprehensible things, help another to better understand.
If you wish to heal your own sadness or anger, seek to heal the sadness or anger of another.” – Dalai Lama
We light candles in the church as we pray, making an offering to accompany our prayers.
We close our eyes to make a wish for our family and loved ones.
But I met someone who was not like one of us.
She was one of us but was different.
This story is inspired by Sharmishta ( ‘Sharmishta’ comes from the Indian word which means, ‘ Wife of Yayati.’
' Hindi word which means, ‘one of the names of goddess durga.’), my mentor who died of cancer in 2009.
She spent days in the hospital supported by the ventilator.
We met in a chat room.
We rambled far and wide on topics, shared our common interests and backgrounds.
After many great emails and frequent chats, we decided to meet in a coffee shop to knit together.
Soon, we realised we were two sides of the same coin.
In 2009, she was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery, followed by radiotherapy.
I was counting on her to get through this surgery smoothly so that we could be sitting at that same coffee shop in just a few weeks.
As her condition demanded, I found that I, too, had to increase the frequency of my visits to her home.
There was a fear of losing a good friend.
I always wondered how she could be so happy all through her treatment.
She was always elegantly dressed in long chiffon dresses and welcomed me with a smile.
On my every visit to her, she was busy writing her diary.
She never answered any of my questions around her diary.
If I were to speculate, maybe she was writing a book or her daily experiences in her diary.
As the weeks passed, she stopped responding to the treatment.
From her bed to ventilator, I always found her peaceful.
She was undoubtedly a saintly figure.
She left this world and I lost my friend forever.
When I came home, I could not talk to anyone.
I preferred to stay in my room as I was completely broken inside.
As the months passed, my life got busier due to personal and professional commitments.
Then, one day, I received an email from courier services saying that there was a parcel waiting for me to collect from their office.
They were unable to deliver it because the address mentioned was wrong and thought to email me for the same.
I went to collect my parcel and was astonished to find the name of ‘Sharmishta’ under the sender’s name.
The parcel was sent by Sharmishta’s mom.
I was surprisingly speechless when I opened the parcel and found Sharmishta’s dairy with a note saying, “ I know you want to read this diary.
This is my gift for you – Sharmishta.”
Everyday I read a page and thought of her.
From page 1 to page 34, there was a page dedicated to a person.
A person she met maybe on the road or randomly saw at the mall.
A person she knew just for ten minutes but he made her laugh.
A person she helped in locating an address or a doctor’s room at the hospital.
Each page was like a prayer for someone’s well-being.
She wrote to God, illustrating her meeting with the stranger with a wish for him or her.
She wrote 34 letters to God with 34 wishes for all the 34 strangers she met in her life.
Each letter was a wish for someone’s well being.
Each letter was a prayer to God.
There was not a single letter addressed to God for herself.
She knew about her deteriorating condition and was aware that life would be difficult for her.
I closed her diary and was silent for a while.
I could now understand the silent expression of peace and calm on her face.
She left the world with 34 wishes for 34 strangers as she believed ~
the more you give, the more you get...
Love Ya, ~Barbara
.
If you wish to know that you are safe, cause another to know that they are safe.
If you wish to better understand seemingly incomprehensible things, help another to better understand.
If you wish to heal your own sadness or anger, seek to heal the sadness or anger of another.” – Dalai Lama
We light candles in the church as we pray, making an offering to accompany our prayers.
We close our eyes to make a wish for our family and loved ones.
But I met someone who was not like one of us.
She was one of us but was different.
This story is inspired by Sharmishta ( ‘Sharmishta’ comes from the Indian word which means, ‘ Wife of Yayati.’
' Hindi word which means, ‘one of the names of goddess durga.’), my mentor who died of cancer in 2009.
She spent days in the hospital supported by the ventilator.
We met in a chat room.
We rambled far and wide on topics, shared our common interests and backgrounds.
After many great emails and frequent chats, we decided to meet in a coffee shop to knit together.
Soon, we realised we were two sides of the same coin.
In 2009, she was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery, followed by radiotherapy.
I was counting on her to get through this surgery smoothly so that we could be sitting at that same coffee shop in just a few weeks.
As her condition demanded, I found that I, too, had to increase the frequency of my visits to her home.
There was a fear of losing a good friend.
I always wondered how she could be so happy all through her treatment.
She was always elegantly dressed in long chiffon dresses and welcomed me with a smile.
On my every visit to her, she was busy writing her diary.
She never answered any of my questions around her diary.
If I were to speculate, maybe she was writing a book or her daily experiences in her diary.
As the weeks passed, she stopped responding to the treatment.
From her bed to ventilator, I always found her peaceful.
She was undoubtedly a saintly figure.
She left this world and I lost my friend forever.
When I came home, I could not talk to anyone.
I preferred to stay in my room as I was completely broken inside.
As the months passed, my life got busier due to personal and professional commitments.
Then, one day, I received an email from courier services saying that there was a parcel waiting for me to collect from their office.
They were unable to deliver it because the address mentioned was wrong and thought to email me for the same.
I went to collect my parcel and was astonished to find the name of ‘Sharmishta’ under the sender’s name.
The parcel was sent by Sharmishta’s mom.
I was surprisingly speechless when I opened the parcel and found Sharmishta’s dairy with a note saying, “ I know you want to read this diary.
This is my gift for you – Sharmishta.”
Everyday I read a page and thought of her.
From page 1 to page 34, there was a page dedicated to a person.
A person she met maybe on the road or randomly saw at the mall.
A person she knew just for ten minutes but he made her laugh.
A person she helped in locating an address or a doctor’s room at the hospital.
Each page was like a prayer for someone’s well-being.
She wrote to God, illustrating her meeting with the stranger with a wish for him or her.
She wrote 34 letters to God with 34 wishes for all the 34 strangers she met in her life.
Each letter was a wish for someone’s well being.
Each letter was a prayer to God.
There was not a single letter addressed to God for herself.
She knew about her deteriorating condition and was aware that life would be difficult for her.
I closed her diary and was silent for a while.
I could now understand the silent expression of peace and calm on her face.
She left the world with 34 wishes for 34 strangers as she believed ~
the more you give, the more you get...
Love Ya, ~Barbara
.
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My 6mo twin DD's are EBF and just started rice cereal on the first. Everything has been going fine except this morning one of them had a diaper rash (lots of redness around her anus). I read this as one of the signs of an allergy. BUT I did just buy a different brand diaper yesterday (which they have used randomly before w/no issues). Do you think its the cereal or the diaper? Im ready to start...
My neighbor's son just drove up in our drive. He was, and still is a "stranger" to me. I would sit in my back yard and read from the Bible during the summer. I live in a trailer in a park where the yards are pretty open to each other. One day, I was reading my Bible and my neighbors son came over and asked if he could join me. I don't remember the conversation or the scripture I was reading. That does not matter.
What was important was that he brought up the subject of Jesus's name not being mentioned early in His life. I was able to tell him, "not true." I then shared with him how in Isaiah, His birth was mentioned and he was given many names, most important, the name meaning "God with us." Then I showed him in Luke where the angel told Joseph to name Him "Jesus," also meaning "God with us."
The young man then saw that he had received his own name, in another language, for a reason. And that Jesus had received His name for a reason. Actually, it was a common name at the time of Jesus' birth. You see, many parents were hoping for a savior, and that their son would be that savior. I explained all this to the young man. I could see a light go on in his mind.
This young man was a stranger at this time. But, God was in our meeting.
Just now, this young man drove up in my drive. He said, "Hello, Momma." In his culture, this is a title of respect for older women. He did a few personal things and was about to leave for work. He then came up on my porch, gave me a hug and a kiss, and called me "momma" again. Wow, I was touched.
This is a lesson, for me especially, to always be open to God. God can take every day things and use them for His glory.
Thank you, Jesus, for doing what You do.
ROGER YOUR FRIEND