By Bimbo Chinku
A month ago or something, a borewell machine arrived inside the apartment complex where I am currently staying. It was parked right in front of the window from where I could get a clear view of the work that was going on. A borewell was being dug to provide water for the apartments’ residents.
The first few days, the small machine did its work. It worked very hard, and in between intervals, there was this ear-splitting hooooooooosh sound which it let out. The sound of the borewell machine is so loud that one cannot hear another person speak unless they speak loudly.
After a few days, another, bigger, machine arrived, the smaller machine disappearing after finishing its work. This huge machine also made quite a loud noise. After a few days, it, too, disappeared. It left behind heavy debris, consisting of sand, mud and slushy water, all over. The debris lay there for a week, and later, a tractor came to pick it up. Still, some heaps of mud lay about, giving the place a very untidy look.
A week later, the mud was cleared, and the huge pipes were covered neatly with cement. Today, the place looks very neat, as if nothing ever had happened there! Now and then, some kids come cycling there, and their happy chatter fills the place with joy.
A few days ago I was reflecting on how our lives are like that huge borewell machine. God gave us our lives as a huge gift. In this life, we are given our responsibilities, duties and activities to do each day. Each one of us has been blessed with at least one talent by God Almighty. Just like a borewell machine which does its job well, we have talents or skills which we should use well, to earn our livelihood, to contribute to the greater good and to satisfy our soul. Amidst the routine of daily life, small or big problems arise. As we are human, we panic, get anxious and worried. Sometimes, we may even make big hooooooooosh sound…….complaining or getting agitated or gloomy or depressed or whatever.
The borewell machine is very wise: It makes the big hooooooooosh sound only when required and then keeps quiet. We humans can also learn to stop making these big hooooooooosh sounds all our lives, even after the problems, or what we think are problems, are over or sorted out. For this, we need to develop patience by seeking God’s help. No friend, uncle, aunt, brother or sister will come to our rescue and give us patience on a silver platter. It has to be imbibed by us through being in a regular conversational relationship with the Creator, which is something we often forget to do when we face challenges.
The big borewell machine that I mentioned above left behind much debris like mud and sand, but it did not break its head worrying about who would clear up the mess. It just went ahead doing its assigned job well. The debris is just like the garbage we carry in our minds and heart about the past, mostly negative thoughts. Just like the borewell machine that did not brood about the debris it left behind, we should also not brood about negative things, people and situations. Leave it to God to guide you to clear things up, and if you put your trust in Him, He will make your path clear and clean, just like the debris in the anecdote above was cleared after some days and now the place looks very tidy. We should let go of the burdens of the past and our anxieties about the future (which, most of the time, are self-created) and allow God to guide our lives.
At the end of the long process that the borewell machine engages in, if all goes well, fresh water gets flowing to people’s homes. It does its job with so much focus that it achieves its goal. Similarly, we can also focus on our purpose while we are here on this planet, of leading a God-connected and God-oriented life. We need to be focused that way, without getting sidetracked by life’s mundane distractions. And then our life will be joyful, light and easy like water flowing from a mountain stream—with God’s grace!
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