TO A WOMAN


Is God fair to women?

God created man in His own image; male and female He created them.

In the order of creation we find that Eve was created after Adam was. This was because God wanted Adam to feel the need for her and treat her as special, with due regard, and not as men started treating women later on in life as the days went by, largely as sex symbols. It is quite repulsive to find men treating women as if it is only for sex that women exist, to fulfill their lusts. Love involves so much more than just sex even though sex is a very good part of it. Women are treated like heart-less beings and merely as sex objects. It ought to be more than the union of two bodies: it ought to be a union of two minds. Why else do we feel the need for each other?

It is a beautiful feeling to know that at the end of the day when we return home, we will find ourselves eagerly expecting each other. What can be of greater comfort than this that a person can be relied upon not because he says it before sex but because there is a sharing of ideas though they may be at times quite different. That is the very essence of life, isn’t it, the way we find warmth and are stimulated towards each other. We need to have slightly different ideas on some issues so that we can complement and appreciate each other. Every individual is unique and we cannot expect every person to be a photocopy of each other, though in a family, qualities can rub on each other.

It is the uniqueness that is the beauty of creation that I can look at you and appreciate you, look on at you and love you, not because you look just like me or because we diverge on some point or the other. Between two people it is an endless process of discovering the other – we may call the other, one’s other self, once we start coming together on a common uniting platform of crucial interests and then it is a process of continuous exploration and delighting in each other’s company.

As we find Jesus Himself when He walked on earth, He gave women due regard and prevented harassment. God’s laws haven’t been applied correctly through the ages, in the right spirit. Jesus Himself had to come down to the earth to teach men the law, because men had perverted the law from being good to serving their needs and fancy, like the 39 melachots, for instance. Much of what we find in religion today is far from being what God intended it to be. Much of religion is man-made rather than God-ordained. What God intended for mankind is found in Romans 8:16, 17 where we find that we are the children of God -- heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.

There is no separate dispensation for the man and the woman. Both were made in His likeness. The most important quality of love emanates from God and when we love each other, this quality comes to the fore. The question that I ought to raise is ,”Can I love you the same way that God loves His children?” or is my love for you merely a sham and an expression in words. Is it just expressions of love or really a beating of the heart for each other? Can I stand by you no matter what and be of comfort and solace? And can we reciprocate this kind of love which is indeed a very rare thing. This kind of love has become a rarity unfortunately. But because it is rare, is it non-existent?

Can we prove this kind of love in our lives? Both the man and the woman have equal responsibilities in a family and both need to pursue their goals helping each other and sharing with each other. A man and a woman need each other to lead fulfilling lives. We need to find ourselves in each other, because we were made so.

God gives people to each other as treasure, but some only look like it. If I have seen something deep in you and I appreciate it a lot, then you have become very special to me. As the saying goes, “who finds a friend finds treasure.” I would thank God for this treasure I find in you. As we go through the vicissitudes of life, we stay for each other whenever we need each other for comfort and for sharing and sustain each other by that common bond that was put in us by which we were drawn to each other and have stayed all the while relishing the warmth that emanates from each.

God is fair. We need to clear up the mess that man has made.

THE FIRE NEXT TIME

Why is it that men often
call them “scoundrels”
who use the name of God?

“Because they seldom practise
what they preach”

--So, therefore, take heed
that men do not find you at fault

--in your manners, in your speech,
in your going out, in your coming in,
in your actions, in your thoughts,
in your interactions with others, even
in your looks – but be prudent
and discerning in all that you do

God forbid that you should
indulge in prattle, babble or pranks --
but be purposeful in your speech --
neither more nor less --
but weigh your words as in a balance

For a man who uses too many words
Can easily go to ruin
for he will be judged
according to his words
and they may be held against him.

Beware of gossip and the lying tongue
--Flee from them.
It pays to be honest –
atleast with God.

The Lord shall provide all your needs
but be diligent and prudent
and observe all these things
– do not be led astray.

He watches over all that you do,
He hears all that you say,
He listens to all your thoughts.

Take heed that ye be not punished
-- but be watchful
for it shall be
the fire next time.

-- a poem in His praise, for His faithful, by His most humble servant, Simon J. Daniel, written at 1:15am., 25 September, 2005

© 2007 Simon J. Daniel
All rights reserved

Peace, be still

Misty Ways

Just as everybody does
Every once in a while
As we as make our way through
Our own queer vicissitudes of life
Trying our best to grasp
At the Omniscient

Even I am compelled to ask
The question “why?”
W o n d e r why
Just wonder w h y!

And then it seems like its all clear.
All of a sudden
You see the path all paved
Even the milestones along the way

Till the next hurdle, that is
The next stumbling block
Looming large over the horizon

The closer you draw
The more bewildering it gets
Till you’re in the very thick of it

And then after a while
The mist clears
The path seems clear again
S E E M S

© 2007 Simon J. Daniel
All rights reserved

When the sun shines...

When the sun shines
The wind blows
The clouds wither away as thin wafers
The waters of the oceans recede

The stars glow
The moon wanes away
Its then when I feel a Presence
Near at hand, close, comforting
With a voice as gentle as nothing else

There’s nothing can come between me and Him
‘Coz I am His
And to Him I belong
Oh, the comfort of knowing
He’s there always
With His multitudes of angels

Oh, the joy of feeling the love He’s got for me
To be loved, to be really loved
Inspite of me
To be loved so so dearly
With a passion that knows no bounds
All for simple me

Ah, my Lord, my King, my All!

-- A Poem of Adoration

© 2007 Simon J. Daniel
All rights reserved

Words To A Man Who Does His Daily Work -- As Much As Words Can Say

A man who seeks God’s blessings
Before he starts his daily work
He shall be blessed.

He who starts early in the morning
Puts his trust
In the One who gives him breath
Will receive His love, power and wisdom
To go on and on --
Like the engine of a TGV or a jet plane.
Only some by-standers may feel
Like confused bogies of a steam-powered goods train
But the man of God powered by the Holy Spirit will endure
And success and peace shall be his
In the next world and in this.

There will always be a few small men who squat by the sides
Jeering from the pavement
Raising a din – they are those
Who cannot control their own lives.

It takes faith to start with God
And to abide in Him.
It takes determination to do His Will.

The man who has his faith in God and -- works
For faith without works is -- dead
His is the living faith.

He stands by God
And God stays with him.

© 2007 Simon J. Daniel
All rights reserved

As for me, the buck stops here!

It's happened the third time
And it's got to stop now.
Never take your burdens
Over to anybody else.

Carry them bravely,
March on alone --
Even when you’re tempted,
Asked to report – never let them down.
When you’re held in spite,
In contempt and derided --
Smile and softly go on

Be still, the day will come
When wisdom dawns
And base humanity
Finally reach the scope
For what they’re made.

Till then, cry with them,
Feel their pain,
If possible, try and wipe their tears
-- Even when they hurt you.
Yes, -- like good old Mom!

The buck stops here!
Never pass it on. Beware!
If you do --
With double force
Or like a multi-headed hydra,
It boomerangs back on you.

-- written on a September morning

© 2007 Simon J. Daniel
Photo © 2007 J. R. Daniel
All rights reserved