Dancing with words

From dancing in the muddy fields

to soaking in the sun o’er the hills

From riding the back of cattle

to sitting in planes once in a while

From roaming the wild grassland

to tiptoeing into university corridors

From the vibrant university corridor

to occupying office spaces

From the niche of office spaces

to staying at home with the kids

From being sidelined at home

to busy hospital corridors

From gloomy hospital corridors

to scaling the wall of HOPE

From scaling hope to PRAISING…

#dancingwithwords

#waitingforthedoc19032021

Last week, as I waited for the doctor to arrived I wrote this very brief story of mine in the busy and crowded waiting area.

As some of you might have known I have shifted my site to a self-hosted plarform. But now here I am unable to hire nor able to look up the cause of the site not loading. I seek help but still not yet sorted out as my weak body taking up on me. www.abidings.com is the domain should anyone wants to visit.

If and only if someone could help in any way possible, I’d be really grateful!

Dancing with words:

It’s been FOUR years since I started blogging right after my brain surgery. I thank the WordPress Team for congratulating me, calling it an ACHIEVEMENT on 17 March 2021.

Truly speaking, I’m dancing with words thst came to mind trying to help myself and others who are in the same situation as mine. Along the journey I have also met good people who help and really encourage my writing.

Today, I have published two books which were available on Amazon’s store both namely: Unconsumed: In His Abiding Grace and Walking Outside the Garden.

Uncertain Future

My little child is sitting in the corner. He is there, sometimes, scribbling notes on my smartphone. Please read it again to understand.

If it’s low on clarity it is because we speak more than one language almost on a daily basis. We speak Paite at home, Hindi with local friends, and a mixture of Hindi and English languages in workplaces, marker, and school.

We are into more than two weeks of lock down imposed by the government. Let me add here that we’re undoubtedly bored by the way.

Here is a note, which scribbled while he was alone in another room. I’m sorry for the not so relatively good writing. Yet I do believe the clarity is clear.

If you have time to go deep into heart of child in this anxious time, you see the consequences of what’s happening around us.

For now, it’s Coronavirus or COVID19 in all the news and media platforms. In the meantime, if you’re somewhere alone – stranded due to work, busy is God’s mission, please remember that we’re praying for you.

Dependency: A Previlege

Independent yet dependent on God. I always wanted to be independent of my needs till the time I could recall.

Living under authority, authority of God and/or ruler is one thing we have to learn.

Being Self- dependent is everyone’s dream.

Being called the son of God, I am humbled and fortunate. Even if it is only for the comfort, I’ll go for it.  But it is far beyond it.  And I can’t earn by myself.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1a)

I become a son dependent, of free will, yet deeply depending in the abiding grace of my Savior and Lord -Jesus Christ!

You can read my full article here at Being Thankful: An Attitude

Lean on Him

Lean on Him,
As you make your plans.
Lean on Him,
When your plans doesn’t work.
Lean on Him,
As He’s fulfilling your plans.
Lean on Him,
As you’re in deep waters.
Lean on Him,
When you’re lost, blank-minded.
Lean on Him,
When the light got dim at the end of the tunnel.
Lean on Him,
Lest you might missed His eternal plan.

PS. A Rejoinder to my previous post Whose Plan is it anyway.

Privileged Living

Life is short, fragile, and mortal; yet it is a privilege bestowed upon us to live a life, just once. Some people enjoyed better living condition or status, making them appeared more privileged, while some people seems deterred by privilege. And it is true, privilege sans some people should they think so.

Privilege, by definition, is a special right and advantage, which was granted or available to a particular person or group. The privilege of a Christian is exemption from the impending punishment due to our sin and having special rights to called God as our Father. (Galatians 4:6)

Ten decades ago, the Gospel of Christ shed light to our community. We have become subject to the Authority of God through His son, Jesus Christ. The deceiving and alluring power of Satan may knock down few people but certain number of people enjoyed living the privileged life under the authority of God. (Ephesians 1:21)

Now, do you really felt privilege, living under the authority of God, the authority of Jesus is far above all rule and authority and power and dominion? Is maintaining abiding relationship with Jesus simply tiresome when you can perform part of the sacrifice by yourself? Let’s leave it here for us to think and answer.

Number of times I have come across some people who do not find the need for one man to sacrifice for all mankind when they can offer burnt offerings and sacrifices on their own. The sacrifice of the Son of God for atonement of our sins is abiding, should we put our faith and believe in His act of love, displayed on the Cross. For some, it is hard to trust one entity to work on them for nearing perfection.

But as for the believers, due to the great love the Father has lavished on us, I am one among the children of God. And that is what we are, our privilege! For the world who did not want to know Him, His act of love is in vain and foolishness. (1 John 3, 1 Cor. 1:25) It is not the question of affordability for sacrifices but the love which is shown. It is more about trusting on the Covenant, God made with mankind through His son, for this life and beyond.

Holding my life together

Further, I agree that there are rituals we can perform on our own. However, it is beyond that. I don’t know why you become follower of Christ but it is a privilege living, riding on the sacrifice of Christ which liberated us.
We can love Him because He first loved us! I am privileged because Jesus loved me. Not only did He love; He saved me. Not only did He save; He cares for me! It is #JesusPrevilegedMe.

Read more from my original and complete post: Privileged Living

Imperfect People

Imperfect people are real people. Real people lived in the real world. And I am one of them. As long as we live in the real world, perfection cannot be attained; yet we must have hope, and for the best.

We grieved, suffered, heart-broken, pained, flawed, inferior, unfit, below standard, and felt incomplete. It is because we are imperfect people living in an imperfect world.

People wanted to overcome our adverse moments with ease but somewhere down the line our imperfection popped up. If and only, we’re in our own strength, we’re heading nowhere. The unseen work of God, behind the scene, only keeps us going.

It is natural that we have this longing for triumphing over this imperfection. We wanted to shine; be an example, leading a victorious life. In that pit of imperfection we may fall, yet it can lead us to discovering the meaning of life, should we rise again!

Imperfect Innate Being:

My father had taught me certain Christian values, which would keep my soul and body safe from the work of evil. I wanted to be a perfect boy at least by abiding with the rules of the house. Yet, sometimes, I ended up the opposite.

When I wanted to do good things, many times, I ended up doing what I hate. I want to live a life that pleases God and people around me. When we happen to make a hole in that imaginary boundary wall, we feel guilty.

Guilty-driven life has to be rescued with love. And many times I was rescued. But the thing is; the more you wanted to perfection, or at the least near perfection, our imperfection desire cropped up again. The saying, ‘rules are made to be broken’ holds true in young lives. And we have to fight the good fight, always!

Imperfect Body:

We possessed an imperfect body, which is susceptible to pain, developing wear and tear, as we aged. Some become healthy while some battle for life since their very conception.

Several people had gone through the knives; developed a never-ending pain, scarred for life, and need consistent care. Yet some people had complete bones, organs, and hole-less skin, throughout their life. Still, they go through pain and hard times in some period of their life, which might be harsher than physical pain.

We are imperfect people waiting for perfection in the glory of the Lord. We are God’s good work in progress. We eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:20, 21)

Imperfect Character:

I have no skill for interpersonal relationship with people. Handling relationships with persons near and far have always been an uphill task for me. But I am glad, there are enough people who still love me albeit my imperfections.

Decisions taken in our imperfect periods had led us to unwanted pitfall and hard times. Some are scarred for life, as our decisions followed by actions, once taken cannot be repealed. For many, it’s just that tiny ‘yes or no’ moment, which bugged our life since.

My tongue is a small part of my body, which is the hardest to be tame. We can hurt someone without talking much; it is the quality of words we spoke than the quantity, which really matters. A small spark from our end can set a great forest on fire. (James 3:5, 6)

I may write about forgiveness yet I struggle to forgive others. It requires the work of the Holy Spirit. When somebody hurts us we wanted to bounce back. From our imperfect mind there’s hardly anything which is subtle and mild for others.

Some of us know the ways of getting closer to God but hardly act upon it. We are slow to make decision when it matters most. Our acquired wisdom did not make us perfect rather it filled us with pride and self-esteem.

Hiding Imperfections:

We all tried to hide our imperfections. In this materialistic and unrighteous world, it is a good practice to conceal our imperfections, at some level. If not, we would have no respect and adore for people’s personality or character.

Our ways of determining our imperfections is when: we don’t have money, losing jobs, unemployed, unable to support our family, chronically ill, unable to maintain our status in the society, leading a lowly life, self judgment, many more. And when our hide-out is no more safe.

But we cannot conceal anything before the Lord, our Savior. We may lead a messy life yet God knows it all. Some of our lives are too messy that we might want to give up. However, our God accepts us, should we go to Him, despite our imperfections.

Trading Imperfections – On the road to Perfection:

Some two thousand years ago, our Savior has flag off a new bogie for us, towards the road to perfection. Since then, millions had boarded, some are on the road, while faithful and holy people had made it to perfection, in His abiding grace.

On the road to perfection many get healed while some are made to wait for glorious revelation. We get delivered from our imperfections in His abiding grace; our sins and chronic illness gets washed by the atoning Blood of Christ.

In His act of Salvation, we are once again connected with Christ. Therefore, we have hope of trading our imperfections as we headed towards becoming a perfect person in His abiding love. It is the greatest hope for the imperfect people.

Our physical imperfections, appearances, scars, and adversities can be our stepping stone for building a strong and lasting bond of perfection with our Savior.

Christians are not perfect people, they have their imperfections too. But we are heading towards our road to perfection, in His abiding grace, when we humbled ourselves before our Savior.

On that day, when we met Him, we’d trade our imperfections with the complete perfections of our body and soul. We’d trade our sorrows and tears with joy and happiness. Our savior will wipe away our tears, which are shed because of our imperfections.

Born with a Purpose

Irrespective of what we do, if we serve our purpose in life, we’d be a blessed person in the end.  Our life, which is the means, would justify the/our end.

Longevity is a blessing but not everyone could have it.  Still, a lifetime whether long or short doesn’t determine our purpose; it depends on how we perform our menial or noble work.

Brevity: life is made of it.  Nothing lasts forever.  The longest day of the year is still one day; nothing more than that.  The longest lifetime of any creatures was still a brief moment in the sight of God.

In the brevity of life, where little things are simply stitch together, we are made for a purpose.  Nothing deters our worth, we are planned.  God has created our inmost being; knit us together in our mother’s womb.  We are fearfully and wonderfully made.  (Psalms 139:13, 14)

Our life is God’s good gift to us.  Circumstances in life, good and bad, reveals our potential.  Life in itself is the greatest opportunity.  Opportunists we all are, although political opportunists are not appreciated as they can hinder growth.

Struggling with our Purpose:

The problem lies in not knowing our purpose.  There are many lives shriveling day by day as they are unable to use their potential.

Not all persons could be CEOs yet the jobless are not worthless either.  In our own level we can serve our purpose.  Serving our purpose would give us sense of achievement even in our most unwanted situations.

Some days of the year I could spent wondering whether I served my purpose or not.  In the countryside where I was born, there was no or less facility to take care of newborns.  Yet I survived to this day by the grace of God.  I have this faith that before I could serve my purpose, here on earth, my God wouldn’t take my life.  And that’s my prayer too.

It is my prerogative in assuming that securing a noble job, which would raise our financial status and providing for our family needs, would be my purpose of living.  Or at least my purpose of leaving home for better opportunity, it doesn’t seem to be, as of now.

Our purpose could be way beyond our thoughts and what we wanted to do in life.  It could be lowly or doing odd jobs but serving our purpose would be our greatest privilege in living one life.

Our birth might not be foretold, as in the case of Jesus Christ, but we are here with a purpose.  We might not discover yet me might be serving or on the path of our discovery.  Here, I know one thing: We can help in understanding our purpose(s).

Born with a purpose:

The birth of a king was foretold through the prophets, number of times, in the Old Testament.  It doesn’t matter your acceptance, a king was born some 2000 years ago.

He was born in Bethlehem and first laid in a manger.  Born of a Virgin Mary was baby Jesus Christ; the God who came in human form.  He did not have a noble birth.

The baby Jesus was born with a purpose: to deliver his people from their sins.  Without mentioning the Cross, a Christmas would be incomplete.  Because His death on the cross was the ultimate purpose and completion of His life on earth, as He declared, “It is finished!” (John 19:30)

As it was told, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save His people from their sins.”  What does Jesus mean?  Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the Lord saves.

From the king who did not have a noble birth to spending his whole life with the lepers, downtrodden, outcast, and lowly people, there would be nothing to expect much from Him.

We had known the aftermath and the superiority of Jesus Christ.  However, if we’re among those who lived during his birth, nothing extraordinary would be expected of Him.

Despite the temptations and rejection He had received from His own people, Jesus Christ still fulfilled His purpose.  That too, in a very short span of time.

In just over three decades He fulfilled His purpose of coming.  Again, it reminded me of the brevity of life.  Despite the brevity of His life, He changed the world.  In that 24 hours, on the Cross of Calvary, He changed the fortune of the world, I repeated.

Jesus Christ doesn’t need richness, wealth, status, and good amount of time in fulfilling His purpose.  We know He is God who is superior over humans but in His birth as a human, He has become one amongst us.  He was the Son of Man who endured all kinds if hardships in His short span of life.

As the years Christmas is nigh, decorations and preparations might have started in some peaceful countries.  It would be soon followed by a celebration worldwide; some would celebrate it as reminder the Birth of Savior or as a normal festival.

As the streets, shopping complexes, and the churches are lit up in attune to the celebrations of the first Christmas where the angels had light up the sky in declaring His worth!

When you sit under the mistletoe, take some time to think of the purpose of Christ’s birth.  Then go on to think about your purpose of living this life.  Let’s make our wishes and prayer made known to Him.

Should we already know our purpose or fully surrender to His will, keep hanging on to it till the end.  He came to deliver mankind from our long impending sin.

As there could be a high point of our life there would be a low point as well.  In our adversities, our sufferings, our financial struggles, it is my prayer that the purpose these afflictions be made known to us.

As we face the world, in His grace, it was His purpose of making us whole again and reconnected with Him, and beyond.

Selfishness and Sufferings

There is no exception to our selfish ambition while in sufferings.  Selfishness needs to be tamed, and that’s the hard part.

Selfishness resulted in suffering.  And it is true the other way round.  They go hand in hand yet they should not be together as selfishness would cause greater sufferings.

Here we will talk about selfish ambitions only in the context of a suffering person.  Let us put aside those selfish ambitions for riches and personal gains for the time being.

Well, infightings has been going, on and on, in a suffering mind.  It is caused by the outward physical pain and the daily happenings.  In the end, selfishness becomes an integral part of a sufferer.

Entertainment, once they are, in the form of plays, music, and the likes, could become a hindrance in living a normal life.  I have been in this situation for a while now.   I won’t talk deep about it here but there are occurrences I have to endure in my epileptic disorder.  And sometimes it’s difficult to blend in with the normal surroundings.

Pain was caused in many forms.  Not all forms can be avoided.  But there are times when I thought some the causes could be avoided.  That is when my selfishness came up.  Selfishness, in turn gave way to more pain in the mind.  And that’s my problem too.

In living a life, there are obligations that cannot be ignored.  I feel bad when I cannot conform to the demands of people around me.  I felt that I was selfish because I have to limit my activities.

In that way, the interests of people around me were neglected.  At times, I found myself to be egocentric and self-centered in approach because of my weak physical condition.

May be, that is why the Bible gave no exception to any circumstances when selfishness could be utilized in normal living.  Selfishness destroys unity and steadfastness to God.

There’s none who enjoy life for a longer period in solitary.  Just for a short time, it might be enjoyable.  I am not sure about that.  We must learn to adjust in the interest of other.  Submerging in our self-interest is being selfish.

Disturbances in life could be a blessing.  If there’s nothing to bother life would be dull.  Eventually, loneliness would ruin and kill our life.

Selfishness as a Stronghold:

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A stronghold is a fortress where one can take refuge and safely dwelled with minimum threat.  Here in this case, it is that fort inside our human heart where the evil could safely thrive in.

Selfishness could be a stronghold for the evil to dwell if it is not destroyed from time to time.  If left unattended the fortress might be difficult to get uprooted.  And that is what I wanted to do every day.

It has parasitic character which would eventually eat up its host; here our life or character.  It has to be crushed, one day at a time, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

No one can simply spin ourselves in a cocoon while we are on the march.  We are to work together as a team in a family, society, and in the church.  Yet we are tempted, in many forms, to be a little selfish, manage ourselves, and stay away from people.

Beyond Selfishness:

Now, let’s see, in the Bible, what Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Philippians 2:2-3)  There’s no exception given here.

People suffer, even the righteous suffer yet they become the source of their renewed strength from the Lord.  When the Lord blessed our sufferings it can bring joy in our life.

There is a time for all – time to suffer, time to rest.  It is my hope that this phase would be used by God to strengthen my faith.

We all suffer but in different ways.  There is no great and small sufferings, the pain inflicted might cause same destruction.  But in the blood of Christ we can be whole again.

Rejoice in every situation, says the Bible.  In reality, it is really difficult but there must be a way out, I hope.  Let us present our request to God, in prayer and petition, with thanksgiving.  (Philippians 4:4-7)

In that way, the peace of God will transcend understanding while suffering.  Further, God would safeguard our heart and mind, in Christ Jesus, through our journey.

There are still many people, saints and servant-hearted, who could help others despite their sufferings.  I want to be like them!

Dear reader, if you too are still in your suffering phase I empathize with you.  It is my prayer God would guide us through this phase without causing further self-inflicting pain in the process.

May the face of God shine brighter in our daily life!

A Thankful Heart – 1

“Lord, thank you for letting me use a normal and functioning brain, for more than three decades now.”  I said silently as tears rolled down my parched cheeks.

It was a moment of great joy for me.  Never before in my life, I thank God for a particular organ functioning in my body.  It was more of a thing, which I’d always taken for granted.

With a thankful heart, I write this piece, as I have been able to start reusing my brain.  There was a time when I have been in the state facing uncertainty about my future.

Those twenty five days of my hospital stay, in which VEEG (video-electroencephalogram) was done the whole time, was the first installment of my three long series of hospitalization.

In that long period of my hospital stay, I was blessed to discover the good side of certain people.  In a way, i appreciate people more.  And I know that I will not survive in solitary.

“Come back in few days for brain surgery,” the doctor told us.  Soon re-admitting and my surgery followed.  I wouldn’t go in detail here as it was something I wanted let it go off, for a better hope.

Since I am not seeking empathy as of now, I will not go into the details of those hard times.  It was a time that was gone, which I could endure through the help of my savior.

My brain, let me tell you, was something which I considered very private organ.  When somebody told me, what to think and what not to think, I felt provoked.  I wanted nobody to engage in my private affairs.

Most of the time, I used my brain, in my own way.  Sometimes it helped me solved certain problems.  There are also time it misguided me, I would say.  Misguided mostly when I unplugged or failed to connect with my Creator.

When the heart and brain coordinate smoothly it resulted in building a sane person.  The timely use of ‘yes or no’ in the most appropriate instances defined a wise person rather than having a very high IQ level.

Ostensibly, it was one of those very useful gifts, which was taken for granted all the time.  But when some of the neurons got jammed, the real value was known.  After several treatments, and/or repairing as I jokingly referred it to, it never was the same as before.

There are many other organs in our body which worked together as one entity.  We should be thankful for that today, I am urging you now.  The creator must be praise for His deeds!  Thanksgiving for His loving-kindness, to that extent we are not even aware of, in our life.

At the same time, it would be more of an acceptable way of thanksgiving should we use our gifts for Him.  If you are suffering, like some of us, still give thanks for it could draw us closer to Him.

Here, I am listing the only one occurrence in my life.  There would be many, if you reflect on your own life.  The adversities you faced, which would draw you closer to God or even the smooth life you lived are worthy of thanksgiving.

The Psalmist wrote, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he (God) is good; his love endures forever.”  (Psalms 118:1, 107:1)  The love of God from the beginning, which transcend through our forefathers endures forever.

In His abiding love, he would take good care of generations to come.  Conform to His will, first, and He will do the rest!

How to have a thankful heart?

———————————————–

A very straightforward and most accurate answer to this question would be: To let the peace of Christ rules our heart.  That is because we can have compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, in Him.  (Colossians 3:12-17)

When we are in consistently intact, with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit everything work for our own good, whether good or bad.

A thankful heart always possesses positive reasons to be happy.  It does not depend on circumstances but comes from his heart.  Even in very small things he can find a reason to be thankful.  It is because he has been consistently connected with his savior.

In Him we can have contentment beyond the offerings of the world.  Although we cannot see everything in His point of view, that little comfort we have, would bring out a thankful heart in us.

Let us give thanks to the Lord for everything He did for us.  More importantly, for sending His son to die for us, this is the greatest gift of all.  Be thankful!

Again, as the Psalmist wrote, let us conform here in his very words:  “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all you wonderful deeds.” (Psalms 9:1)

Should you have witnessed the wonderful deeds of God; please feel free to tell here in the comment section.

Seven Lessons to Learn from the Kite Runner

In the city where we now lived, kite-flying has been a common sight as the Independence Day of India is approaching.  Young men and children throng the few open spaces available in the city.

Kites soaring in the sky

The country’s artist and composers are hugely inspired by the man-made flying object – the Kite.  The Hindi word ‘Udaan’, which can be loosely translated in its Verb form as ‘to soar, to fly or flying’ has been mostly associated with positive inspirations.

In villages and country-side, there are lots of people who do not have the chance to get a glimpse of the modern airplanes.   Although most of fed ourselves, sleep and enjoyed the luxury of the flying object.  For many, it is still a distant dream.

One evening and as usual, we were strolling for our evening walk in the park nearby.  There are few boys flying a kite but two boys catch my attention as I’d sit down in the corner and watch them enjoying.

Kite Runner enjoying the moment

By their appearance, one seems to be younger who follow the command of the older boy.  Orientation of understanding the hierarchy doesn’t seem to be needed, or they already it, that I don’t know.  However, they are blending quite well.  They work together like a good team.

And as I watched them, their effort paid off after several attempts.  They are running the kite with excitement as the kite began to soar higher and higher.  In gaiety, they looked around their friends proudly.  It is hard to put in words, how happy they when they saw the kite soaring, from their very own hands.  It is a great achievement for them.

Now they wanted to do something by winding the reel, as they are confident their kite wouldn’t simply go down.  They tangled the reel with the nearby kite and successfully cut the reel of another kite.  The other kite runner eventually lost control of his kite, which started to dwindle in the sky following the current of the wind.  They are nor more connected.

As darkness gradually descended, the boys are hesitant to let go of their flying kite.  They simply don’t want to take down the flying kite.  I saw them tying the reel in one of the bench so that the kite will soar on its own.  Now they headed towards the gate of the park, as it was time for them to go home.

They had just reached the gate, when they came back running.  At this instance, I could see their dilemma and enquired their next step.  The boys are shivering as they felt too connected. And they told me, they are afraid it might get lost or either way it might not fly for long before it was grounded by the wind.  More so, someone might take it home, they said.

So they took down the flying kite slowly, handled with care, and took it home.  Safely in their arms, they held the kite when they make their way out of the park.  In the process, it can be seen they have great pleasure in taking home their favorite possession.

Several thoughts strike me as I make my way out of the park too:

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One, it is in our natural instinct to be wanting to soar one day, at least achieved something, like the other creatures of God.  Some of us succeeded while others did not.  It is in the hands of God.

Two, in everything there needs to a leader and it emerges out when needed.  A guide, who provided valuable insights and a shoulder to cry on, when needed.

Three, we tend to hurt someone nearby when achieving and enjoying our goals, whether knowingly or unknowingly.  Four, to our God we are His prized possession saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.  He takes pride in us being in Him.

Five, our God full of grace, wanted to stay connected with His creature, in this context, like the Kite Runner.  Six, our God would never leave us midway in our journey.  He let us enjoy the soaring  and He will take care of each one of us.

Last and more importantly, when our flying time was over, when our journey comes to an end, Our God will take us home safely in His loving arms.  Especially, to those who believed in the salvation through his own Son!