Recently I happened to travel in a Volvo sleeper bus while returning to Bangalore after a week’s vacation with family back in Kerala. As usual, there was a rush for the tickets and I ended up getting a seat in the last row of the bus. Having felt uncomfortable, I tried all the options to get a seat at least in the middle row, but could not succeed. My seat was exactly in the middle of the row which left me with no option of sightseeing but did give me two alternate options to either sleep or to observe my co-travelers in the bus. The journey started during the day time and there was no way I could sleep so soon. While thinking of what to do next, my eyes fell on each of the traveler and I was inspired to pray for them one by one. Immediately, I noticed something beautiful going on right in the middle of the bus. As the bus moved, one cute toddler girl was screaming out of joy and started running back and forth inside the bus. Her father was sitting in the front row whereas the rest of the family took the bunk bed in the second or the third raw. So this child would get down from the bed via stairs and then run to touch the front door and again run back and climb the stairs up to reach her mother at the bunk bed. Since the bus was moving through the hilly areas, it was not safe to let the child run alone and so this young father was accompanying her and helping her to climb up and down each time.
The little girl seemed to be the happiest person on the earth while she played and I noticed that she spread an interesting smile on every traveler’s face. The bus passed through bents and curves literally shaking every passenger inside. But our little girl, defeating the expectations of warning from her audience, continued running with shouts of joy. Her father who desperately wanted her to stop running stayed helpless seeing the joy on her face. The girl seemed to be more interested each time she finished one shuttle whereas the father grew tired in his efforts to help the girl to climb up and down safely. However, this kind young father without showing any impatience, rather with a loving face, co-operated well with his naughty child in every shuttle. Watching the scene, I grew a little worried about both of them on one side. On the other side, I enjoyed this beautiful expression of paternal love portrayed right in front of my eyes.
The whole incident is nothing different from an ordinary thing that happens with any kid anywhere in the world. But it did have an impact on me when I was reminded of a particular verse in the Bible. "If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him" Matthew 7:11
Yes, it speaks about the Magnanimity of our heavenly Father’s love! No matter how many times we choose to walk on the dangerous roads of life, He still follows us patiently, tirelessly, and above all lovingly. HE fills our lives with HIS love and draws us close to HIS heart each day, each moment. May HE help us to radiate HIS unconditional love in the world around us. Amen!
