| To often in our day, the comman man, makes the error of mistaking an opinion for a conviction and a conviction for an opinion. Opionion is something that merely voices our preference on a certain issue. A conviction, on the other hand, is a deep-seated, unshakeable reality that is embedded in our conscience. Giving voice to our preferance, in a way does help and enable us move along on the path of life, but a conviction secures our life-long jouney. Having said that, let me also say that opinions vary and change from time to time depending on the mood of the person and the season in which he or she is present in. A conviction, does not change, it does not vary and is independent of how you and I feel. Lets say, if I allow my opinion to form and nuture my conviction, my conviction would never be stable and will keep changing from time to time. People around me, can get a feeling and a sense of insecruity and instabilty coming from me. This might cause them to distance themselves from me and also ( if this way of life style is allowed its full course) in the long run, personally destroy my life as well as the lives of those that are close to me. Opinion driven life-style is always dependent on the fleeting changes in time and the common mood in the society. Therefore , if iam to frame my values on the basis of my opinions, it is understandable that , my values will be fleeting and changing on the mood of the hour. Why do we run away from our convictions and allow opinions to form the basis for our convictions? What are we trying to escape? What in the name of meaning are we trying to accomplish? According to my studies in various fields of human history, I have come to learn that, every breakthrough in the human history was always preceeded by the conviction of an individual in that time and age. Someone once said " Every fresh new golden era in human history has been preceded by the devotion and righteous passsion of one or more individuals who knew their God and knew where they were going". Opinions do not have the ability to cause that kind of a passion and devotion that is required to break ground in human history. It takes conviction and from it will stem commitment out which passion, enthusiasm and a zeal to break new ground will arise. Let us walk and live out our conviction rather than our opinion. A verse that I love in the bible is from the book of Daniel. It says " they that know their God shall do mighty exploits". The exsistence of God, and His intervention in human history through His son Jesus Christ, is a conviction that I live by and not merely giving voice to the prefereance of the life that i have chosen to live. Hope you too would somehow seek to get to know and be convicted of the the powerful, almighty, loving, atoning, merciful son of God, "Jesus Christ". |
Jun 9, 2008
Opinion? or Conviction?
Jun 6, 2008
Life!
Life! What is life all about? How come there are so many people trying to figure out what life is all about? Philosophers writing volumes, religion trying to give its view, society placing an answer, Politicians, professors, teachers, parents and even us, all trying to figure out what life is all about.
When I was 3, life to me was trying to sit on the back seat support of the rickshaw when I went to the nursery school with my cousin. At 12 it was the excitment of flying all by myself on an aeroplane to the city of Calcutta, in the nation of my birth, India. At 14 it was the thrill of having a girlfriend. At 18 it was the long journey from Madras ( chennai) to Uppsala, Sweden. At 22 it was marriage to my beautiful wife Mirjam. At 25 it was the birth of our first daughter Elsa. Oh what a day it was. I was so nervous, that the midwife told me to relax and sit down on the couch. I will never ever forget that moment when Elsa was born, and seconds after I was holding her in my hand, after cutting the the umbilical cord. Well then again at 27, it was the birth of our second daughter, Emma. This time, the whole "labor process" went quick and I was not that nervous ( guess I felt that way, because there was no midwife telling me to relax). Well now that iam 30 I still think and sometimes wonder what Life is all about.
I have come to the conclusion that "Life cannot be defined, but rather life has to be lived, in order to experience it".
Well I guess that would all for now, coz I still cant put in words what life is all about.
Or could I?
Let me try: Every human on the face of the earth has sometime wondered what life is all about.
Where do i come from, what is my purpose, how do I attain salvation and is there life after death?
These are valid, deep-seated questions that every man and woman has. It is our attempt as men and women to get to know the answers to these questions that enables us to get a hold of what life is all about.
For me, answers to these questions, that all of us have, I found in the person of Jesus Christ and the message that he preached and personified. Yes, in Jesus Christ, I have found what life is all about.
I still do wonder at times, on what life is all about, but my wondering always finds a way to the harbour, and that is, in the person of Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Saviour. Iam reminded of the words "on Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand".
When I was 3, life to me was trying to sit on the back seat support of the rickshaw when I went to the nursery school with my cousin. At 12 it was the excitment of flying all by myself on an aeroplane to the city of Calcutta, in the nation of my birth, India. At 14 it was the thrill of having a girlfriend. At 18 it was the long journey from Madras ( chennai) to Uppsala, Sweden. At 22 it was marriage to my beautiful wife Mirjam. At 25 it was the birth of our first daughter Elsa. Oh what a day it was. I was so nervous, that the midwife told me to relax and sit down on the couch. I will never ever forget that moment when Elsa was born, and seconds after I was holding her in my hand, after cutting the the umbilical cord. Well then again at 27, it was the birth of our second daughter, Emma. This time, the whole "labor process" went quick and I was not that nervous ( guess I felt that way, because there was no midwife telling me to relax). Well now that iam 30 I still think and sometimes wonder what Life is all about.
I have come to the conclusion that "Life cannot be defined, but rather life has to be lived, in order to experience it".
Well I guess that would all for now, coz I still cant put in words what life is all about.
Or could I?
Let me try: Every human on the face of the earth has sometime wondered what life is all about.
Where do i come from, what is my purpose, how do I attain salvation and is there life after death?
These are valid, deep-seated questions that every man and woman has. It is our attempt as men and women to get to know the answers to these questions that enables us to get a hold of what life is all about.
For me, answers to these questions, that all of us have, I found in the person of Jesus Christ and the message that he preached and personified. Yes, in Jesus Christ, I have found what life is all about.
I still do wonder at times, on what life is all about, but my wondering always finds a way to the harbour, and that is, in the person of Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Saviour. Iam reminded of the words "on Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand".
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