The Journey 229: Transformed Living
Read: Genesis 32: 22-32
We all fly often or occasionally. While travelling on an aircraft, If given a choice of selecting a seat, which seat would you take? The Aisle seat, the window seat or the middle seat?. Or is it that you just don't care, because you are comfortable in any seat that is assigned to you by the airline staff?. Personally I am very choosy while travelling on an aircraft. I would always prefer an aisle seat because of my height and I also would prefer sitting at the back of the aircraft, since most people do not prefer sitting at the back, leaving most of the seats empty, thus giving ample space for me to stretch. This week the news agency CNN has brought about an interesting study on the habits of people as they travel in the aircraft and the personality types of people who prefer to choose either the window seat or the aisle seat. According to the study, people who choose window seats in the aircraft are people who love nature and who enjoy panoramic views. They are also people who may want to be by themselves, relaxing without anybody troubling them. On the contrary the people who take the aisle seat are supposed to be people who care least for the sights outside the aircraft or are least interested in photographing these scenes. They are it seems focused in life, and their concern is to do some serious business even while travelling and would want to walk and stretch without disturbing the person sitting next to them. But I believe it is the person sitting on the middle seat who has to be appreciated. Normally nobody would choose a middle seat, but here are few people who are comfortable even if offered a middle seat, probably, they know and they feel it, that for them sitting anywhere is the same, and they have no qualms to excuse, if they wanted to stand or would want to go to the restroom. But this study brought about an interesting aspect of human personality. What is it that we want in life? What are our goal and how much are we ready to persevere, discipline and suffer to achieve our goals. It is this aspect that clearly marks out between and ordinary and an extraordinary individual.
We are meditating on the theme “ Transformed Living”. The biblical portion that we shall use for our meditation is from Genesis 32: 22-32. This portion depicts the return of Jacob to his household. Here is Jacob coming to realize that you cant live a life of deception and cheating, because ultimately life itself will deceive you and cheat you. What you give to life, life gives back to you. Jacob has learnt his lesson well and now he wants to have a reconciled life with his brother Esau and wants peace and contentment in life. Here is Jacob on his return journey, the journey of repentance when suddenly as he crossed the fork of Jabbok, a man wrestles with him. But Jacob fights with the man and soon the man realized that he cannot overpower Jacob. This forces the man to wrench the hip of Jacob, but Jacob still does not leave him, and tells him that he will not leave him unless he blesses Jacob. The man ask Jacob his name and later the name Jacob is changed to Israel, because he fought and overcome. That is when Jacob realizes that it was God with whom he fought. He names the place Peniel [ Gen 32: 30]. Here is Jacob returning back in the journey of life. He now knows what is important in life and what is values in life should be and he is ready to stand for that values and priorities in life. What God wants us in our life, is to live a life where we have perseverance and determination and discipline with regards to our goal and priorities in life. It is when we are sure of what our goals in life is, goals that are transformatory in nature, that God’s strength and grace abounds in us to achieve what we want in life. We all have choices and priorities in life, but to stand up for those choices and priorities is what matters in life.
We all fly often or occasionally. While travelling on an aircraft, If given a choice of selecting a seat, which seat would you take? The Aisle seat, the window seat or the middle seat?. Or is it that you just don't care, because you are comfortable in any seat that is assigned to you by the airline staff?. Personally I am very choosy while travelling on an aircraft. I would always prefer an aisle seat because of my height and I also would prefer sitting at the back of the aircraft, since most people do not prefer sitting at the back, leaving most of the seats empty, thus giving ample space for me to stretch. This week the news agency CNN has brought about an interesting study on the habits of people as they travel in the aircraft and the personality types of people who prefer to choose either the window seat or the aisle seat. According to the study, people who choose window seats in the aircraft are people who love nature and who enjoy panoramic views. They are also people who may want to be by themselves, relaxing without anybody troubling them. On the contrary the people who take the aisle seat are supposed to be people who care least for the sights outside the aircraft or are least interested in photographing these scenes. They are it seems focused in life, and their concern is to do some serious business even while travelling and would want to walk and stretch without disturbing the person sitting next to them. But I believe it is the person sitting on the middle seat who has to be appreciated. Normally nobody would choose a middle seat, but here are few people who are comfortable even if offered a middle seat, probably, they know and they feel it, that for them sitting anywhere is the same, and they have no qualms to excuse, if they wanted to stand or would want to go to the restroom. But this study brought about an interesting aspect of human personality. What is it that we want in life? What are our goal and how much are we ready to persevere, discipline and suffer to achieve our goals. It is this aspect that clearly marks out between and ordinary and an extraordinary individual.
We are meditating on the theme “ Transformed Living”. The biblical portion that we shall use for our meditation is from Genesis 32: 22-32. This portion depicts the return of Jacob to his household. Here is Jacob coming to realize that you cant live a life of deception and cheating, because ultimately life itself will deceive you and cheat you. What you give to life, life gives back to you. Jacob has learnt his lesson well and now he wants to have a reconciled life with his brother Esau and wants peace and contentment in life. Here is Jacob on his return journey, the journey of repentance when suddenly as he crossed the fork of Jabbok, a man wrestles with him. But Jacob fights with the man and soon the man realized that he cannot overpower Jacob. This forces the man to wrench the hip of Jacob, but Jacob still does not leave him, and tells him that he will not leave him unless he blesses Jacob. The man ask Jacob his name and later the name Jacob is changed to Israel, because he fought and overcome. That is when Jacob realizes that it was God with whom he fought. He names the place Peniel [ Gen 32: 30]. Here is Jacob returning back in the journey of life. He now knows what is important in life and what is values in life should be and he is ready to stand for that values and priorities in life. What God wants us in our life, is to live a life where we have perseverance and determination and discipline with regards to our goal and priorities in life. It is when we are sure of what our goals in life is, goals that are transformatory in nature, that God’s strength and grace abounds in us to achieve what we want in life. We all have choices and priorities in life, but to stand up for those choices and priorities is what matters in life.