Is Your Hut Burning?

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.
But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened. Everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried. Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied

God sends us smoke signals when we least expect them. Often we allow problems to affect us and even destroy us. A sudden twist or turn in our otherwise straight life can throw us out of control. It is good to know that life is all about rainy days and sunny days, clouds and rainbows. One day we are going up the hill and suddenly we are tumbling down. We are so used to such phrases and quotes. And often we tell ourselves those are good quotes but real life is so very different.

A few years ago Ronny (name has been changed) walked into my office. He was a smart young man. He was passionate about visual communication and he was a creative guy. He was good at designing, an artist, and a born communicator capable of keeping an audience enthralled. He was clever and had scored good marks in the Higher Secondary exams. His parents were confused. What future does Ronny have with a visual communication degree? Would he have to run to various advertising companies or be an assistant director all his life? It was a strange, problematic world to them – the world of mass media. They wanted him to go after the traditional engineering - medicine dream. Ronny’s dreams were shattered and his world seemed to be crumbling down. His mind was set on visual communication. How could we make these two opposite poles come together? His hut was on fire. He wanted visual communication and he did not want to hurt his parents too. 

I asked him to pray. I told him that the magic lies in doing the balancing act, it lies in harmony. If we look at life as just a career, a job to do, then we are only fulfilling one part of our dream. At the same time life cannot be reduced to relationships (both very intimate and normal), life is not just fun and frolic, not even creativity alone. Life is a tapestry, a mosaic of various realities, a creative web. Nothing stands on its own. We could speak of a minimum of six worlds that meet in our personal world – six dreams or six areas, namely, God, Self, family and friends, career or a dream mission, nature and the social world. Happiness and peace result from making these worlds come together in harmony in one’s personal life.  

It took some time and a lot of prayer for Ronny to come to terms with these concepts and convert them into a concrete plan. He decided to take up medicine since it could lead to a fulfilling life of service. His life was now anchored in God’s heart. He felt the presence of God in his life. Religion was not a mere ritual, a few rules and regulations. His life was based on values and principles that came from the Gospel. He had found his roots and it was time to fly. His family surrounded him with love and support. He felt a deep inner freedom and his mind was at peace because he knew where he was going. He did not merely accept his parents’ will nor did he sacrifice his own creative spirit. In prayer and in creative ways he had made his own decisions and life choices with a certain amount of guidance and support.