Abiding Grace: Finding Hope amidst Uncertainty

Uncertainty, undeniably, is one of the ingredients in the walk of life.  It happened for a reason, may be.

My son just came back from school.  As usual, I enquired as to what they did at school.  They played and they enjoyed, which was good.  When we sent our children to school, we want them to learn something.  If their progress can be seen, we become happier.  Anyways, it doesn’t happen that way, always.

Children; Writing practice

Some worksheets, they brought along, to be done at home.  At times, children simply didn’t follow our instructions.  And we forget they are just starting.  As a parent, we are uncertain about their future.  Parenting was never easy – you get discouraged one minute, you get happy with full of hope the other time.

Imparting knowledge, for some of us, isn’t easy.  That’s why we sent them to school, to get help while we raised them.  We want our children to blossom into stars.  However, several rounds of ‘test of patience’ needed to overcome first.  Amidst that uncertainty, we have hope when we rested the matter in God’s Abiding Grace.

Calculating Investments

Investments, in all its forms, had an uncertain future.  The sales person feed us good return for every policy or investment plans.  It is their job; they are trained for that purpose only.  It is us, the investors, who got stuck, if it goes awry.  We might not reap the fruit in time.

Like others, in our pursuit of happiness, we tend to invest amidst uncertainty.  We must take a risk yet it can take us into bondage.  Being unable to get rid of any investments due to unforeseen reasons is also hard to bear.  Yet, in His abiding grace, we have hope that at least we might be delivered in time.  In any type of the outcome, God’s grace is behind what led us till today.

Empty glass

Emptiness, inside the heart, can eat up our body too.  Several times, when I wanted to commune with God, it seems God was far away today.  When our emptiness is not filled by the Holy Spirit, it is as good as a half-dead person.  When the cup is not filled, we have nothing to offer our surroundings.  In this time of uncertainty, God’s abiding grace still abided with us although we did not feel it.

We wanted to perform good things yet we ended up doing bad things.  Without His grace not a soul will live.  Waiting silently to transform us, to fill us again, will give us hope amidst this uncertainty – the dilemma or unpredictability.

When we’re let down or we felt let down beyond our normal living, it is more difficult.  In the evening, as usual, we go out to spend time in a park nearby.  My children, in their prime, were active.  They wanted to play with me.  At times, I am unable to play with them as much as they wanted.  It isn’t easy to be in that condition.

Playing with Children

For every person, I hope, it is our dream to spent time with, play with our children till they get bored.  It was uncertain when would Daddy get fully fit to play with them into their hearts contentment.  Yet you don’t want to let them know of all your difficulties.  It is their happiness that comes first.  Time and again, it is my duty to give them hope and assured them of His abiding grace.  One thing is certain amidst all uncertainty, Jesus Christ died for us.  He set the path right for all of us.

Let me end herewith that in every sphere of uncertainty in our walk of life, God’s grace is abiding.  He did all the necessities unseen to our earthly eyes.  It’s just that we didn’t observe God’s work or might be ignoring it.

Let’s try to make uncertainty be just a phase in our journey.

How I become A Stay-at-Home Dad

“This time I came home to not leave you alone, if (at all) that’s possible”

I said to my one-year old son with tears dropping from my eyes. We hugged each other tightly.

On that fateful day, I did my Exit Interview in the Local Head Office of my former employer. I told them that I am more than happy to work with them for the years I’d been with them.  That’s how my resignation was fully processed and accepted.

This is how it unfolded:

It’s been hard starting a family away from my hometown, with both parents working.  Our hometown was some 1500 odd miles away.  We could only arranged a helper for few months after the birth our first baby.

We waited, our first child, for five years after our marriage.  Unable to arrange alternate ways, we discussed for long.  It was then that we find someone had to sacrifice our current job and take care of our family.

We looked at our first-born child for long and decided I will take care of him, as best as I could.  Taking into account our financial matters, the dice falls on me.

With great enthusiasm, I decided to turn my investments on our child.  All my time, my strength, and the wisdom gained so far.

Keeping on-hold, or to never have, the chance to satisfy my ambitious career, I sacrificed my prestigious banking job in the largest Public Sector Undertakings Bank in India, abruptly.   I could recalled those times, where I had been selected as “Best Employee of the Month” during my time there.

Friends and dear ones warned, “You’d lose social respect or status.”  That seems true.  But this is the reality of life.

Now that’s how I become a fulltime Stay-at-Home Dad some years down the line.

Tips from my parents and those books I’ve read, before and after getting married, helped me alot.  It is a great time to passed on values of life, stay guarded in outh faith.

That’s the career I chose for now, and as long as it takes.  Till date, I regret not!