Apao RL
MTh, SAIACS, Lecturer, Calvary Bible College, Mumbai
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you...” ~ Matthew 7:12 (NIV)
1. From Seeking Perfection to Encountering Reality: The little Bluebird shared an intriguing dream—a quest for purpose, tranquillity, and a life of significance. He soared over mountains of injustice, traversed rivers of suffering, and swam through oceans of corruption. Then he saw a signpost: “Highway to happily ever after.” Following it, he came to a charming inn called ‘Church.’ There, Egghead—whose last name might have been priest, pastor, preacher, or theologian—placed a menu on a crystal table called the ‘pulpit.’ Yet the food was far from nutritious, lacking the seasoning of salt and overly sweetened. The walls proclaimed love, justice, peace, truth, humility, and forgiveness, while the patrons seemed to embody the opposite. The Bluebird had searched for the ideal but encountered the real; he dreamed of perfection but found people still becoming. He had perhaps forgotten: the Christian journey is not a flight from reality, but a walk of faith within it.
2. From Expressing Dissatisfaction to Examining the Heart: As he expressed his dissatisfaction, an elderly Grey Bird, adorned with grace, truth, and humility, gently remarked, “My friend, you are being self-righteous, judgmental, and hypocritical.” Then she asked, “You may not be served to your satisfaction, but you are being served! How about you? What have you truly done for yourself and others? Are you being useful? Are you being helpful?” He felt a deep silence within, caught between indignation and introspection. Her words turned his eyes from the shortcomings of others to the condition of his own heart. How easy it is to complain about what others are not doing, judge what they do poorly, and forget what we ourselves are contributing. It is easier to sit at the table as a critic than to stand beside it as a servant. Christians are not called merely to identify what is wrong, but to become part of what is right
3. From Complaining at the Table to Contributing to the Table: “What should I do?” He asked. “The Golden Rule,” said the Grey Bird. “What is that?” She answered, “Do to others what you would like them to do the same to you.” And suddenly, the Bluebird understood: the answer was not to find a perfect Church, but to become a faithful member of the imperfect Church; not merely to complain about what is missing, but to contribute what is needed; not merely to judge others, but to do unto others what he would have them do unto him. If he desired love, he must love; forgiveness, forgive; encouragement, encourage; service, serve. The question was no longer, “What are they doing for me?” but “What can I do for others?” Perhaps this is the awakening every Christian needs: do not merely complain about the table—bring something to it; do not merely criticize the Church—contribute to the Church; do not merely ask what is missing— offer what God has placed in your hands.
