Expectations of a Mission Hospital

When I was asked to write about my expectations of a mission hospital today, my mind went back to my own experiences of a mission hospital. When I was a boy, I was admitted in Neyyor mission hospital in 1964. What stands out in my memory is the friendliness of the nurses and the simplicity of the doctors. The room was small, adequate and clean. I was just a child and the male nurses played with me and showed me how to make small toys with rubber caps of bottles and small cardboard boxes. My family could afford the basic cost of treatment but many received concessions according to their needs. People on the whole were very kind.
This experience stayed with me even after I joined CMC, Ludhiana to pursue medical studies. Many of my teachers who were missionaries showed me the meaning of Concern, Compassion and Care through their interactions with patients. So when I came to Manali with my wife Sheila to run the small mission hospital, I had memories, experiences and impressions to draw from. It was a joy to work with a handful of people and bring about a caring community.
It took time, prayer and a lot of inner quests to develop this work.
"What brings the spirit of Christ into our work?"
"What is excellence?"
"What is efficiency?"
"Do we need to sacrifice one for the other?"
"Do poor people need ‘excellent medical care"?
"What is team spirit?"
"How do we say ‘no’ to the rich and the pushy when we do need money?"
These questions kept us focused and open to God and His thoughts.
But as the work grew and more people were employed, it became difficult to know each of them at a deeper level and pass on the ethos, which we had received. We probably failed to communicate that on a personal level when the numbers became overwhelming. The atmosphere began to change and a group of people working together like a family with common goals became an institution with too many rules and regulations. This led to less interpersonal relationships and involvement with each other on a daily basis. We had no time to give to people to build them up as care givers. The joy of sharing was replaced by hurry, worry and complaints. Patients became problems and business took away time to listen, guide and really care. The more we grew the more indifferent and distant we became. Tension and distress replaced pleasant manners and welcoming attitudes. Yes, we continued to work hard, made new projects and statistics showed that we were viable and self-sufficient. Once we became smart and learned the tricks of the trade, people became irritants and priorities began to change. Real prayer that used to be the foundation of life expressing our dependency on God became more of a ‘duty’ with no depth. Slow spiritual depression set in and continued to keep the external appearances of religion. Various events brought us back to God intermittently and we are thankful to these interventions of grace.
We realized that no one person in the mission field can provide all the care. Every one in the team is important. The staff members that are expected to give care to patients need to first get cared for themselves by the management. If they are treated with respect, they will give respect to others.

So what have we learnt?

♦ Working in the spirit of Christ is possible when we keep it small.
♦ If we become an institution then each department can be given its own independent way of running by the leader so that it still remains a small unit. (Plural leadership)
♦ Prayer is foundational. A core group of people interceding with God for direction and seeking wisdom are vital.
♦ Business strategies learnt in the corporate world need to be redefined by Christ’s pattern of servant hood before they are implemented in a mission hospital. Priorities are different.
♦ Plural leadership is important – it helps avoid power struggles and keeps us accountable to each other.
♦ Delegation is an art to be learnt early in the game….to avoid burnout.
♦ Communication with staff takes root outside working hours.
♦ We need to rediscover the significance of the mission hospital in our own context. It’s different in different places even within our own country. Or perhaps even in the same hospital after ten or fifteen years.
♦ Our staff needs to be cared for if we expect them to care for the patients.
♦ Wisdom in choosing our advisors makes a lot of difference in our work.
♦ Poor patients CAN get excellent medical care at a lower cost as long as our aim is not "making money at all costs".
♦ God provides in unknown ways beyond human understanding…..always keep that in mind instead of a ‘plan B’

Role Models of Care:
If a mission hospital is a place of witness, an arm of the Church which is the body of Christ, then it needs to become a place of compassion to all! True compassion is not natural to humans. Yet those who claim to follow Christ have a working model in the life of Jesus. It can be cultivated and communicated. It ought to reflect the outlook of Jesus. Its administrative outlook needs to be transparent and honest. It should be a place of clinical excellence.

Listening, showing empathy, a kind touch, speaking the truth in love are all hallmarks of the mission atmosphere at all levels of work.

 Dependency on God and trust in His promises to take care of the needs of the mission needs to be expressed through corporate prayer. (At least the core group of people needs to be consistent) Any planning needs to keep the mission mandate in mind; in fact in all planning it is important to take God’s purposes into consideration. Seeking wisdom and clarifying motives needs to be a priority. Leaders need to show consistency in their approach to various issues and know the mind of God expressed in Jesus. It is important to question the reason and relevance of various activities that are brought to focus. Mission hospitals can be a place for God-encounters. Can our system provide such a place? We will fail in different areas as human nature and emotions are unpredictable. But this ought to be a challenge in reconsidering our style of functioning and taking steps to correct it rather than be aggressive and defensive. There is a need to be cautious about those who work against the mission ethos and take the necessary steps to correct unhealthy practices. There is always room in the human heart for improvement. Regular coming together as teams and also having input from patients and relatives about their experience of care are needed to improve the way we work. It is important to look into the family time available for young couples before they get burnt out through over work. Physical and mental tiredness of the staff needs to be taken care of before they quit the mission. Nurturing of new staff by the seniors is vital in sustaining the spirit of commitment and care. Attitude and communication skills of nursing and paramedical staff are vital to create the good will among the patients and relatives. They need all the support to carry out this big job.
Small mission hospitals need to have partners for good referral places for their patients as all these hospitals may not have facilities for certain medical problems. So a good understanding between various doctors, clinics and facilities in the neighborhood are essential. Networking with those who are professionals in various fields is helpful.
Mission hospitals need to take an active role in health education, preventive medicine and training programmes. It can also be involved in research that will not contradict Biblical values. Yes, a caring small mission hospital in rural India can make a big difference if it is motivated by a love for God and people. It can become a beacon of light that will elevate the value of life.

The Challenge of finding human resources Mission work needs money. If there is no financial support from outside or from the church then the management needs to raise it from patients. To attract patients the management needs to provide services, which involves doctors, nurses, technicians, equipment and infrastructure. Now a day’s not many people are committed to missions or its ethos. Many come for salaries and other perks like children’s education, housing, security, leave benefits etc. In this changing world how do we get committed people?

Many people may work for less pay if the atmosphere is a happy one and they experience care and understanding. A sense of vocation and belonging is needed for sustaining this commitment. A sense of belonging that is free of power struggles and full of caring for one another.

The management style, the atmosphere of the workplace, interpersonal relationships, and opportunities to develop confidence are all-important in this commitment building process. There ought to be role models of care in every mission set-up. Opportunities to express feelings and raise questions and seek answers without fear are essential for the commitment to take deeper roots. Medical students and young doctors need to be exposed and challenged to consider mission work. Retired Christian doctors ought to consider giving their time to train young doctors in mission field. This can be their retirement project!
Knowledge is power and sharing power is not normal. My unwillingness to share knowledge and skills with my colleagues is a sign of wanting to remain supreme. Many are put off by this attitude in the mission hospitals. It is a way to control juniors. Knowledge puffs up and power corrupts. Genuine love is the antidote to both. A Mission hospital is a place where real love can be practiced and encouraged. It is the place for learning patient care and developing skills to provide such care.
Continuing medical education by various professions (doctors, nurses, paramedical personnel) is important to make this kind of care effective. It is also a sign of ‘caring’ for our employees. Yes, it is possible to have a good management that will provide the atmosphere for all to serve and take care of the sick. Each department needs to have a caring leader who will give the needed direction and create an atmosphere that will reflect the mission ethos. If the local church is a witnessing and loving community then they need to be involved as partners in caring. Time for personal growth, reflection, recreation, informal dialogue and other such spiritual input are mandatory for the mission staff to stay alive. Fellowship, worship and challenges to follow Jesus Christ are the foundations of mission work. Worth and value of each one in the team needs to be cherished. Good communication, openness and trust needs to be cultivated. Hierarchy, bureaucracy and fear need to be replaced by respect, servant-hood and genuine interest in people. Servant-hood in leadership needs to be seen. Perhaps we need to organize more ‘servant-hood’ seminars instead of ‘leadership’ seminars
Delegation is important
As we see in the Old Testament story it is important to heed the advice of Jethro as Moses did. To share the burden of caring by delegating responsibilities to able people who fear God, who are trustworthy and corruption free. This is the secret of good management. Moses himself had to provide the spiritual leadership and act as a consultant for difficult issues. When we delegate responsibilities we trust that person to do the job. True plural leadership is an outcome of true delegation.
This art of delegation needs to start early in our careers before burn out happens. We need to develop trust in our colleagues if we are to be a community giving care to others. People need to exercise their gifts in their work place and feel part of a team. Individuals with seniority and experience need not be just ‘figure heads’ to be used for attracting project funds, they need to be respected as individuals for who they are…….wisdom in delegation is important.

The basic ethos of a mission hospital:

All said and done heartfelt concern and practical care are the core of a mission

community.

Serving one another is an expression of love.

Loving my neighbor is the only expression of loving God.

Everyone who comes to us in the mission setup deserves to be loved and listened to.

The poor need much more tenderness to retain their self-worth in a cruel world.

A need to redefine ‘mission hospitals’ in our context
In today’s India, there is a need to redefine what we mean by a ‘mission hospital’. What is the public’s understanding of a mission hospital? I think it started off as an expression of the church’s concern for the world. Just like the temple was meant to be a place of prayer for all nations but ended up as a den of thieves, the mission hospital’s original purpose got distorted and corrupted over the centuries to something entirely different. For Mission work to be real the core values and motives should remain Biblical. Just because the title deed belongs to some local church does not make a hospital a mission hospital. It will be like the blind leading the blind.

Many mission hospitals are no longer in remote places. Small towns have grown around them. People are no more illiterate and ignorant like before. Many can afford basic treatment. There are other private hospitals that provide better treatment for a price. Even some of the Government hospitals do good jobs. Diagnostic laboratories have sprouted everywhere. People do not have to travel long distances to get medical care except in some really rural places. There is a need for well-equipped urban mission hospitals that can be referral places for smaller mission hospitals. These mission hospitals can adopt a business model that has a basic Christian agenda. The question will be "can such systems be a witness to the gospel?" (As the majority of the staff may not subscribe to the Christian belief system) Temptation to get side tracked will be high and very few people can cope with this challenge.
I think there is a place now for small Polyclinics and nursing homes where a group of caring Christian doctors and nurses can work together as a team to reflect the "mission" ethos. Again with a trustworthy referral system this can work well.

Search our hearts:
Are we any different from those hospitals around us?

What do we claim ‘to have’ as a mission hospital that is different from others? We need to search our own hearts as leaders. Mission ought to be a place of ‘love in action’ for all irrespective of who they are. There is a need to critically analyze the ‘love level’ of the staff and make programs and training to improve this instead of appraisal forms to be filled in by various heads of departments and introducing unnecessary ‘control’ styles. The staff also needs to reflect the management’s level of compassion and feel free to give the needed input. Both management and staff need to listen to each other and be partners in decision-making processes.

Mission hospitals have a role to play in today’s technologically advanced and financially thriving health care system.

In the midst of all the technological advancement and high cost of medical care how do we continue to have empathy towards the ‘have -nots’? Have we generated goodwill from the community around so as to benefit from their contributions towards the support of the poor and disadvantaged? We can have special clinics, may be else where, both preventive and curative where the poor can come without feeling odd and this could be an exciting venture. Various services can be tailored to meet the needs of those who do not have enough. Unnecessary tests and other expenses can be avoided. Consultants can give part of their time ‘free’ every week to enhance the care of the poor. Those who actually need financial subsidy may be a few on any given day and they must not be left out. Other avenues like medical insurance, sponsorship need to be looked into. Someone needs to develop a special interest in looking into the needs of the poor and find solutions that are appropriate.

A Challenge to Exist
Mission has a higher reason to exist but if the ‘Light’ in mission hospitals is dark then that is a great darkness. Nothing can dispel it. If the salt has lost its flavor, then it is useless! Any thing can be bought with money! But if we are a loving and caring community, people will flock to our doors in spite of us not having the ‘latest equipment’ or ‘sophisticated facilities’. This requires people with commitment, goals, a serving heart and above all a trust in the Almighty. We need not be in competition with the world, rather we and our work should be such that the world would stop and take a good look at us and learn something of value from the way mission hospitals function.

The worldly ways of running an organization need to be abandoned and Jesus’ way ought to be embraced. If this is not possible then we need to throw away the whole mission jargon and have the courage to call a spade a spade and not call ourselves by that name.


Drs George and Sheila Varghese

Possessions

Recently I watched some one moving house and various thoughts passed thru my mind. This person came to my place of work 7-8 years ago with one small bag. He was single at that time. A few years ago he got married and now has two children. Over the years he has amassed a lot of material goods. I watched him struggle to load the vehicle. I wonder about myself. What are my possessions? All these useful and not so useful things that we hold on to so passionately. They  are bought with money. Money is wages that we get for  work that we do. We convert this into things when we buy them. Some of it will have a greater resale value, but most of them depreciate as the days go by. Many lose their charm and usefulness and begin to collect dust or remain in some forgotten corner. Some times we don’t even know we have them as we stop using them. Now what is money? Its again time converted into currency. Eight hours of my time of work is translated into cash and it becomes my wages at the end of the month. Depending on the importance of my responsibility, my training, skills acquired and my contribution, I am remunerated.  What is time? It is life. When I work for 8 hours I am giving 8 hours of my life and it is gone. So when I buy goods, I am actually investing my life into it. My life now takes a lifeless form. I can once again give it life depending on how and for what I use it. I still have the power to give it meaning if I am willing to share it with others. What really gives it meaning is this aspect of sharing. None of these goods will accompany us when we leave this world one day. This is one of the fears of many people. They work hard and amass wealth but at the end they have to go empty handed. Naked we come, naked we go! We do not even know who will really enjoy what we leave behind.

Imagine, instead of spending money on that which does not satisfy, we invest in people. May be helping children around to be educated, may be taking care of sick people by providing for their bills, may be training some one to have a skill that could bring livelihood to a family, may be helping some one to start an income generating small business, may be doing some thing to help the invalid, the neglected, the exploited and used. May be just doing something that will bring joy to some one.

I think there is so much joy in seeing others happy. Jesus said, “Bear each other’s burdens”. When we spend money on others we are actually sharing a bit of our lives with them.  When we withhold money, we are withholding life. We leave behind many happy people who may in turn begin to share their life with others. This ‘giving’ multiplies. We are showing mercy and mercy has a way of coming back through the back door. The book of Proverbs has many exhortations about giving to the needy. It is a sign of generosity and reflects God’s heart and His character. It is part of being wise.

So what shall I do with my possessions? May be twice a year I can clean up my house and give away that which will be of use to others. Many people have many clothes, which can be given away. Think seriously before we buy new things. Ask a few questions. Do I need it? Is it going to make any difference to my life? Is it possible to post-pone my urge to buy now? Can I use the money for something else? May be I can decide not to buy any thing new for a few months. May be I can wait and allow God to give me a surprise. Any new gadget seems to give some fascination. After we get it, we realize that it does not give what we anticipated. Soon it is out moded and we are ready for the next model. This chase continues in today’s world of technology. We are never satisfied.  The market exploits this weakness in our system and we give in to this almost unknowingly. “Why spend money on that which does not satisfy?” the prophet asked centuries ago. Nothing has changed since then. We are still chasing after the wind. It is all vanity said the preacher.

God has promised to provide for our needs. May be we are impatient. We want some things and we want it now. So much of our anxiety is related to wanting. How much of out time is spent on this mind chase. We browse the internet and do window-shopping. Our time, yes, our life is wasted away. We give the impression that we are busy and very important. In fact we have no time for people or matters that are important.  Our possessions give us status and worth. How we long for this applause from friends. In spite of all the advances in communication, we find we have no time for communication. We spend too much time on mobile face less conversations, when we meet in person there is nothing much to talk. We prefer faceless relationships and superficial chats.

Our material possessions reflect where our heart is. Jesus warned us about this and told us to invest in that which does not rot or get stolen. He also told us to seek His kingdom and right living, and promised to take care of our needs. What better way to invest than investing in people and be involved in life giving ventures?  God’s kingdom is all about people and how we can share in each other’s lives. The power of money is a force that needs to be contained and channeled in the right way. It has the power to possess us and make us addictive and leave us unsatisfied. It has a spiritual dynamism and demands our worship. James said, “The love of money is the root of all evil”. We may not agree with it initially but any one with wisdom will see how true it is.

How do we acquire wealth? Of course we do inherit some from our families especially if our parents made sure of such inheritance. Very few of us question how our parents made money. We may have got a good education that enables us to get a well paid job and we save and can have more than we need. There are many well-paid jobs available depending on our training and our abilities to perform. Many go abroad to make money as the sole goal of life and use their profession only as a means to make more money. Job hopping is very common these days. We are always looking for more.  Many Christians are trapped in this activity, as they have no sense of direction or calling. They attribute all their seeking and achieving wealth as a sign of God’s favor. The more we have, the more we spend and we change our life style and circle of friends and the way we entertain ourselves and where we go for holidays. Our priorities change and our children take on a very different life style based on our own affordability. We look for better and thus more expensive schools for them and this demands more money, so we look out for another better paying job. We may even leave the country for this additional comfort and opportunity. No one will say in all these developments that they are walking away from an earlier commitment or a sense of an earlier call to do some thing else. This will be too much for the conscience to cope up with. So in today’s world it is better not to make a serious commitment what so ever, but just drift along and settle for what ever satisfies the immediate need and give the best opportunity for the family. It is amazing to see some of the jobs people are willing to take up in a different country which they will not even dream of in their own country. Again what is driving this? How does one make sense of what is happening at a deeper level? How do we make God fit in to all that’s going on?

Soon the children get so used to another way of relating and living, they become misfits to our way of thinking. Now for the sake of our children, we sacrifice what we used to hold on to very dearly, our faith in a real God. Now God is an optional extra as we have mastered to live without Him. It is only pain, suffering and sudden loss that will shake us up. This can be seen if we look at the recent gulf war and the present economic melt down. People suddenly are afraid of their future and security. They are worried about not having enough to sustain their life style. They have enough for their daily bread and for their necessities but not enough for their luxury or additional comfort and extravagant personal habits. Now they begin to pray and go to churches and make promises. But once the difficulty is over, they are back on their self-sufficiency road. The Christian world is full of such people. Deep down the problem is the same old greed and covetousness, which comes out of their lack of trust in a living God whose promises are difficult to believe!

The possessions that we accumulate will possess us and eventually will eat us up. Our worry and distress are all indicators of where our heart is. We need to ask “How much do we need”? What shall we do with the surplus? Jesus’ word about not to worry seems to be inappropriate and irrational. It is as if He does not know much about our life to give such advice! What are we to make out of all he says? Can we afford to believe in this person and go through life with out taking adequate precautions and preparedness? Don’t we need some security and guarantee in case the unexpected happens? All these are valid questions. We need to grapple with these issues and let God speak to our individual situations. Also guard our hearts against covetousness and face our doubts. May we take time to think and pray before we convert more of our life into junk! Let us also be aware of the fact that the devil is also ready to give us many things just like he came to Jesus and offered everything for a moment of worship! He is listening to our prayers and watching our hearts. As soon as he finds an opportunity, he gives us what we are seeking and it becomes a trap and a handle for him to manipulate us. So let us watch and pray.

The Master Designer

   The Master Designer at work

Recently one of our Day Star School ex- Students, Ashish came to visit us. Deepa took the opportunity to ask him to address the 9th and 10th grade students about his career. So Ashish shared about his job as an interior designer. He explained about the hard work that he put in to become a professional interior designer and his involvement  with various coworkers who help him to work on an old building and do the interior designing to make it different and beautiful.

This made me look at Jesus as the Interior Designer of the Soul. The original design got distorted and nobody knows what it was in the beginning. So the architect sent the interior designer to re-design our souls according to a different yet incredibly super model. This interior designer came and lived out the design and made the design visible. Initially he bought the human soul with an exorbitant price and decided to spend all his time to re-design the interior. He does not take much priority in the exterior aspect like a face-lift but his main work is deep inside where decisions and desires take origin. He knows that once minds and hearts are changed, LIFE itself will change. This is a long process and may take years. Once the redesigning is completed, the final look will be an image of the designer himself.

You and I are called to look at the designer and see the beauty of his person, his attitudes and life style. Once we see this as the best model, then it will motivate us to submit to the designer to start his redesigning process. It will be painful and we will resist each move, but his patient work will be revealed as the years go by. The designer is very kind and patient. He does his work very lovingly and with great excitement. He does not give up in between but waits for us to ask him again and again. He respects our freedom and treats us with dignity. So it is up to us whether we want our interior to be re-designed by the Master Designer.

         What the Master Designer has in mind is some thing totally different from our ideas. Jesus spelled it out partially when he addressed the crowd in Nazareth. In Isaiah 61 there was an echo of this re-designing process. In a nut shell it is all about creating 'a well lit spacious room with in us' from where beauty, joy and praise flow. Before this can take place the designer has to get rid of the spirit of despair. He needs to heal broken hearts and deal with the bondage of darkness, imprisonment, mourning and extreme sadness. This atmosphere of depression causes great anger in His heart and He takes the step towards doing something new in the human soul.  He planned to accomplish this by proclaiming and living out the good news. He has dealt with each of these dark shades in the human soul. His new colors consist of freedom, healing, comfort and release, finally resulting in the vibrant other worldly beauty, joy and praise. Once the work is done there is a feeling of rightness about this life and there is splendor and transformation.

Imagine yourself with these vibrant colors. As I look into myself, I long to see a person free of addictions, who has the capacity to say NO to the dark powers that enslave. I see a person healed of hurts caused by rejection, criticism and meanness. I see that I can rise up and face the world because I know who owns me. I see a person comforted and cared for by the most loving God. I see that there is no need for me to wallow in self pity and revert to worldly ways to get what I want. I see myself released from all my sins and self deception and entering rest from all my strivings. I see myself filled with Beauty as I see God's love all around me. I see myself as a beautiful person cherished by God Himself. I see myself filled with Joy unspeakable as I see God delights in me and His face shining upon me. I see myself opening my mouth in praise and gratitude for all that He has done for me. I see myself so thankful to God for choosing me and making me His focus of love.

I long to look at myself and see the spaciousness in my heart for God and for people. I want to see the Windows of my heart kept open to allow His light to come in. There is no darkness and everything is lit and open. I look at the response of the Designer when some one asked Him, 'where do you stay?’ He said, "Come and see ". What a welcoming attitude and openness! If I can truly believe and see myself thru the Designer's eyes, then I will live differently.

The Salvation Jesus offers is this RE-DESIGN. I can only trust His promises to complete the job. I need to look at myself with Him and see the progress. If I allow Him, He does something everyday. It may be small but significant from His perspective. He rejoices at the smallest move I make towards Him as He knows how difficult it is to unlearn old patterns of behaviors and the pressure to remain as I am. So He rejoices over me even as I take a small step in this transformational process. Let the re-design begin!                    

Settled Matters of the Heart

As followers of Jesus Christ we are either witnesses or anti witnesses of who He is. Our attitudes and actions display to the world what we believe, whether it means any thing to us seriously. Our anxieties and worries exhibit the level of trust we have in God. We can either draw people to a greater faith and love or repel people from coming to Him thus becoming a hindrance and a stumbling block. Many times we are caught up in the busyness of service. We want to do some thing for God. We may feel that we are sacrificing much for God. Yet deep down we alone know what is driving us. Where ever we may be the question remains,' Are we changing as people to take on the character of Jesus our Lord’?

In His relation to His father, Jesus expressed absolute trust. His commitment to life came out of His willingness to surrender his will to His father's. He did not seek his own wishes. Once this was settled in his heart, many options were automatically out of his mind. He did not waste his time struggling with issues that we worry about. There were many settled matters in his heart already. Some of the issues like getting glory, power and position, greed, lust and jealousy had no place in his heart. He did not seek these. He was committed “Not to sin" and gave no handle to the devil. Instead he focused on God's word and spent time with God wanting to share and know God's desires.

As far as the world around was concerned, he saw people and problems from God's point of view. He was committed to love and showed kindness and compassion to people. He lifted them up. He challenged them to trust God. He forgave and became a friend to all. He corrected and taught truth. He enabled people to understand God's ways, to look into their own hearts and find the source of their motives. He talked about the Kingdom of God. He welcomed all and showed a different picture of God as Father. He could not be touched by racism and prejudice. He was a Man among men. He was aware of the devil's schemes and knew how evil paralyzed people and blinded them through deception and fear. He constantly told the disciples not to be afraid but have faith. Faith has the power to release the will of God on earth. He had the audacity to tell the truth about himself that would ultimately kill him.

The degree to which there are unsettled issues in our hearts to that degree we will be open to compromise and sin. We as God's beloved children need to check “the settled matters of our hearts". The more choices we make towards the path to life, the less it becomes possible to act other wise. The more loving choices we make in life, the more loving people we become. Making a series of covenants with oneself is important to escape the power of the evil one and from our own deceptions. The unsettled heart is like the waves of the sea. Under pressure of unguarded moments we may make sinful choices if we have unsettled heart issues. The Ten Commandments are basically these check lists.                                                                                  

No other gods.
We all want some one to worship, to be accountable, to look up to, to respect and to adore. There may be many people who could be elevated to that level in our mind. There are forces both natural and supernatural that could draw our hearts. Also we could become a god to some one else due to the power, position, money and skills that we acquire or inherit. These can become a source of security and a means to control others- a god like power over people. So I need to settle in my heart early in my walk that I will not allow any other person, power or things to become my god and also I will not become a god to others. I will continue to keep my heart and eyes focused on Jesus who is the exact representation of God who is Love and worship Him alone. I will give my loyalty, my devotion and my love to Him alone.

No graven image

Man made in the image of God tries to make god in his image. The fallen man has distorted this image of god and all his attempts to create such a god will always be untrue to the real one. It will be a lie. God unfolded His character ever since the world began and His full and final revelation is in Jesus. Anything more or less is moving away from who God is. God's holy character, his father - heart, his longing for us to be united with him are all revealed in Jesus. The extent to which this eternal love is willing to go to get us back to his heart is reflected on the cross. The majesty and wonder of God cannot be portrayed through a graven image. His helplessness and humility as a price to redeem us cannot be fathomed in an idol. Jesus is not an invention of man. Such an idea did not originate in the mind of man. So I need to decide in my heart that I will not bring down God to my level of thinking and feeling. God is spirit and he cannot be fashioned by the hands of man and locked up. I need to break all the various idols of my imagination I have of Him and hold only to what Jesus has revealed of this God through His words and person hood. 

Do not take God's name in vain
Names have meaning and it carries the character of the person. A name represents that person. All that is good, perfect, worthy and eternal are in that name 'God'. That name ought to be respected, feared and upheld. It is holy and pure. Now a days people all around take the name of God so cheaply, use it as a shock word or as a curse word with no reverence. They do not even think about what they are saying. I need to settle in my heart that I will show utmost respect to who God is and what He stands for. I will not take His name casually and also help others to think about God, not as a play mate, impersonal force or as a Joke, but as some one to whom all knees will bow one day.

Keep the day of rest

We live in a hurry worry world where every one is on the move. No one has time to sit and share. Being stress- full is the latest fashion. Superficial relationships with no depth seem to be the norm. In spite of all communication devices all around, we still do not understand one another. If there is nothing to occupy us, we become fidgety, irritable and boredom sets in. Internet browsing and chit chats are all symptoms of a basic lack of purpose. The idea of taking time to ponder, to look at nature in wonder and enter the stillness of the heart, makes the present generation shudder. In the midst of the chaos of communication, to take time off to look at what is going on in our hearts and mind is a challenge that we do not want to face. I need to settle in my heart that I will take moments and days to be with myself and with people, with nature and with God. I will give rest to my body and mind and discover the change I need in my soul to be healthy. I will allow negative and unhealthy thoughts to die in God's presence. Taking weekly rest is also a call to work hard on other days. The need to earn ones livelihood and to be part of God's kingdom building requires that we develop a right attitude to all that is around us. Rest-fullness gives that energy to be focused and motivated and to know the mind of God.

Honor parents

We are all cared for by some one. We received so much from the beginning for our physical, emotional and mental needs. What we are today is the result of some one else's love, kindness and labor. As we get older we tend to forget our past. We begin to think and believe that we are 'self made'. We get educated, get jobs, become smart and begin to consider our parents or care- givers as less intelligent and out of touch with reality. We use their resources and but take a superior attitude. Yes, there are parents who manipulate and use force to make their children their clones. There are parents who work hard and accumulate riches by any means to make their children's life secure as if their children have no ability to fend for themselves! There are parents whose lives are in the dark and corrupt world. In-spite of their evil mind set, they desire some thing good for their children and are willing to sacrifice much for their betterment. Parents can be cruel and we have many examples all around. Yet I need to choose what will be my attitude towards them as parents. As an adult I can be critical of their failures yet try to develop a relationship where dialogue is possible and then forgiveness opens the way for acceptance. I need to settle in my heart that I will honor and respect all those who care for me in a big or small way. My way of honoring will include keeping the communication alive and loving. I will pray for God's mercy and protection in their lives and remember them regularly. I will support and take care of them in their times of need and make alternative arrangements in case of my inability to be physically available. I will make all the efforts to discuss various issues and show my concern to ease their worries.

No violence

We are endowed with the ability to procreate life and continue human species. We are called to give life. So any act of violence that destroys and takes away life or shortens life is against the very purpose of creation. God has set parameters for life and we are called to be coworkers with God to create life and all that is needed to sustain and enhance life. So killing or destroying life for what ever reason is against what we are made for. Destroying is in the nature of evil. So taking sides with evil and his nature is opposite of what God intends. God's anger is against all evil and unfortunately fallen man does not understand the mind of God. So in his anger he opposes his brother and destroys him for his own selfish reason. Devil controlled man some times only understands the language of violence. Some times God in his mercy stoops so low to accommodate our violence and allow violence as a means to draw our attention. This is not His heart. All the violence at all times culminates on the cross. It is meaningless, mindless and loveless. This is what evil is all about. Anger and foolish words are at the root of violence. Jesus showed that killing starts at the heart and our very thoughts can be violent and words can hurt.  It can destroy the other and diminish the other and snuff out life. Aborting a fetus is taking life at its start.

 I need to settle in my heart what I will do with my anger and all negative thoughts in my heart that are destructive.  I need to bring these to God in prayer and find relief and cleansing in His presence. I can move from violence to forgiveness and reconciliation by God's grace. When we work towards peace in our relationships, we reflect the heart of God.

No wrong relationships

 We are made for intimacy with God and with one another. The Triune God is the ultimate example of this intimacy called love. Man is also capable of this in a limited way. Being a biological creature, physical, emotional and spiritual togetherness with a chosen opposite sex can lead to intimacy on this side of heaven. In a fallen world this intimacy is distorted and becomes a self seeking project rather than a self giving expression. This love can only be truly experienced by excluding all possible others through a personal choice called marriage. Our heart longs for one true love and we may be tempted to seek 'many' to fulfill our longing and desire to be known and to feel special. So God invented marriage and made a boundary for our own safety. This special relationship calls for transparency, trust and self denial. It is a school where we can learn the language of love and move away from selfishness and blossom as God imitators. Marriage relationship is the ideal environment for children to be born and grown. It reflects the love of God in giving and receiving. Adultery starts in the heart as I become unsatisfied with my choice and desire some one else to replace my choice. The heart can scheme, plan and deceive and devise hundreds of ways to covet. The heart can become addicted to an adulterous life style. This enslaves even though it loses its thrill. It also leads to spiritual adultery, in having more than one God to share our thoughts, desires and passions. So I need to settle in my heart that I will not allow myself to be enticed by another and I will remain true to my own lover. I need constant reminding of the fact that I am the temple of the living God and keep it unpolluted. When I am drawn by some one and tempted to stray, I need to become aware of who I am and restrain my spirit, emotion and body. I will talk to God about it and also with some one else who may understand and help. The fact that jealousy, suspicion and anger do follow when love feels cheated shows that there is an in-built principle to protect monogamy. The pain of divorce or separation is similar to facing death. Adulterous life is a life of lie and pretense and God desires that we walk in the light and embrace His truth. I have to make a daily covenant with myself not to make compromises with this fun filled thriller that destroys my soul and imprisons me in darkness. There is hope at the cross for all those who have betrayed and all those who are trapped by this hideous sin. We do not have to be enslaved all our life. There is a way out. It is a choice, help is needed and it is available. The road to adulterous life is wide open because of technology. Magazines, mobiles and the internet make this temptation hard to resist. Yet the option to delete and switch off is also available. We have the power and freedom to say 'No' to sin and all its manifold vices.

No stealing.

There is a tendency in us not to be faithful and honest. We tend to hide like Adam and Eve. The need to cover up is a byproduct of breaking a law. It is natural to seek darkness when we are in the wrong. To take what does not belong to me whether it is time, money, position power or people, all fall in to the category of dishonesty. The very fact that we can remain honest gives us hope. Fear is the underlying reason for telling a lie. Fear is also the reason for taking short cuts. Fear reveals the demand for justice and punishment. We are law breakers and dread the consequences of our actions. Fallen man is controlled by fear. This fear can become the motivational force for a lot of things we do. We are challenged to do all that we do with all our hearts as unto the Lord. God sees and loves. So as a person seen and loved by God why should I be afraid? I have a desire to get praise from people, to be recognized and applauded by people. God is not the only one from whom I want praise. This desire drives me to 'take' from where ever possible and when ever possible some thing that does not belong to me. I take time from the time given to another in my employment, family and God. I take money that either belongs to God, Government or some one else. I can use unfair means or unjust ways to get more to fulfill all my plans and wants because of my belief that my worth is in my possessions. I can ignore the plight of the poor and needy when it is in my power to help them thus becoming an agent of an oppressive social regime. I can give lip service to God for my success, affluence and status when the truth is that I schemed and planned to make it happen. Stealing is a dark shaded life style that can affect all. One can also steal the hearts of people to exercise power over them and make them puppets. So I need to settle in my heart that I will not take that which does not belong to me in what ever context it may be.  I will give what I owe to all whether it is to God, family, people or society.  I will try not to live beyond my means and plan a healthy lifestyle so as to avoid the trap of dishonesty. I will take to heart what the wisdom book says, 'Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread". If God in His mercy allows material blessings come my way, I will use it to enrich others and for furthering His kingdom. I will seek God as my richest gain.

No false witness.

This is another evil waiting for my cooperation. The need to set standards for others in matters of right and wrong and judge people is a big temptation. We talk half truths about situations and people. We exaggerate events and feelings. We put down others and project ourselves as superiors or we demote ourselves in false humility. It is very difficult to know what our true self is. We make it difficult for others to know what we are and who we really are. We have many faces and moods. We can switch from one to another so fast. We can compartmentalize our days and pretend to be different to different people. We also think that we know why something happens to others or us and know the solutions to all problems. We also believe that we are God's favorites and He closes his eyes and over looks our ugly temperaments. We think we are blessed by Him because we deserve it and we are better than others. We act as if we are God's pets and He takes special care of us!!! So to really know people we need much more information and knowledge. We need to be omniscient like God but we are not. We are finite, fallen, selfish and confused people. We see some thing and give our own meaning to it. We hear some thing and give our interpretation. We sense some thing and color it by our own perception. Who knows all the facts behind any event? How can we know about some one unless that person reveals the truth? We can only deduct some partial truths by putting pieces together and unfortunately we put our own past experiences and prejudices to make the picture complete. So to be a true witness calls for what we actually see, hear and experience. We need to be transparent. There is no place for half truths and assumptions. I need to be aware of the fact that the measure with which I measure will be the measure when it is my turn to be judged. How incomplete we are. We can create sensationalism and headlines but the truth lies hidden elsewhere. I need to settle in my heart that I will not be a vehicle to defame any one or falsify facts to suit me. I stand naked before God and He alone knows the whole truth and I will leave the judgment to Him.  I will be comfortable with his justice and allow grace to work in everyone's life. I will believe in the power of prayer and allow prayer to change me and others. I will desire the well being of others and consider myself fortunate under God's grace. I will not burden others to meet my needs. I will only love and serve others irrespective of any return or reciprocity. I will look at people as those loved by God and worth His forgiveness. I will step out side the desire to decide for them but treat them with respect and gentleness. I will choose servant-hood above master-hood in my relationships.

No coveting.
The desire to possess what one does not have or need is very real. We are bombarded by so much everyday. Our senses are saturated by all the various things and people and it all seems to be with in our reach. We are forced to believe that these will give us success and popularity. It feels good to have those glittering things that promise fullness of life. Yet we all know that these promises do not last. It does not make life easier or add hours and days to our life. The fact is that possessions will posses us and trap us. There is no end to what our mind and body can desire. All that is new promises a better future and draws our hearts and we consciously get deceived. When we have enough resources or a credit card the temptation becomes stronger and eventually it leads to debt and depression and an early death. The time wasted on window shopping and browsing can become a major factor in displacing the passion for God and people. The desire to see and taste becomes the reason for double mindedness. The Lust of the eyes leads to lust of the heart and eventually we sell our soul to buy and pursue that which does not satisfy and it leaves us empty. To stop, think and evaluate what we really need may help us to avoid many trappings of covetousness. If our security and worth is in God, then we do not have to seek it else where. If our priority is God's kingdom then what we really need will be provided. So trusting in God whose promises are real may be the source from where we can draw strength to resist covetousness. I need to settle in my heart that I will postpone all my non essential desires to possess things and people and seek God's mind and what He values. I will respond to the needs of my country and my people and will not abandon them to pursue my own comforts.  I will reject all that is outside His kingdom and develop real trust in an all sufficient God for my earthly life. I will put aside my desire to get what I want "now" and align my desires to His desires. When I see myself acquiring possessions I need to step back and allow God's spirit to convict me of this idol and take concrete steps to divert my attention to that which is life giving. I will live with open hands and heart.

Finally, the Triune God longs for our love. People all around us are also longing for this love. We too long for this Love. If I have settled all these issues in my heart, then I will have time and opportunity to love God and love people in my context. Finding God's will for my life may not be such a difficult task as so many options can be put aside as having no place in the life of a child of God. The Kingdom of God can break through only in settled hearts.