Can we co-exist? Muslims and Christians (Any religion as a matter of fact) 

I have recently started to read the Holy Quran. It started with a discussion with my younger brother. This boy is 19. I connected with him last year. He is a Muslim. Our discussions compelled me to read the Holy Quran as I felt some of his ideas about his religion seemed not aligned with the ideas of some other Muslim friends I have. I started to look for answers for him and ended up finding answers for myself. I took a liberty in involving other Muslim friends to get my queries answered. I wanted to inquire about tolerance in Islam about people who are Kafirs/disbelievers. One of my other Muslim friends encourage me to read about Hazrat Umar(RA). She informed me how He (RA) started off being against Islam and how Hazrat Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) requested God for him. He started off being an enemy and ended up being a devoted friend and follower of Islam. Hazrat Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) forgave him and always admired his courage. I also read about Jesus Christ in Surah Al Imran where Jesus is given honor and his followers’ superiority and respect. I came to read Surah Al Kafiron (Disbelievers) where disbelievers are stated to freely follow their religion and practice it. I feel the more I read the more I understand. We always judge other religions based on our prior knowledge which is not factual but rumored based. However, now that I started to read Holy Quran on my own I feel it validates some of my Biblical perspectives. Reading a Holy book of another religion does not convert you. It liberates you as you understand the beliefs of others and get to respect them and widen your own perspective and knowledge about your own book and its perspectives.

Moral: We never try to understand the background of other people who we call friends and acquaintances. We need to understand the rules and regulations of other families, institutions and organizations. Respecting others will help us gain respect. Unless if you are an unconditional giver and you would not mind getting respect back.

Disclaimer: I am still a Christian l believe in God, Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. I believe in the resurrection of Christ. I love Jesus!

Brother of the Prodigal Son

You never understand a story and someone’s emotions till you step into their shoes.  The story of the prodigal son has been shared with me million times. The focus has always been on the prodigal son from what I have observed. I felt the love of the father towards the prodigal son was remarkable. I always thought the brother of the prodigal son was selfish and envious till I experienced something similar. It is interesting that I identified my own behavior and emotion as the brother of the prodigal son. Once I discerned, I immediately started to look for some articles related to my concern and found a couple. It was intriguing to discover that the brother was as lost as the prodigal son. He was upset with his father because he was working hard to earn his love as he mentioned how hardworking and obedient he was. However, the response of the father did not demonstrate that he ever expected any deed or hard work. The son assumed that he needed to act in a certain manner to earn his father’s love. 

Moral of the story: Relationships are not earned by gifts and good deeds. You should cares for someone because you want to not because you want to earn their love. 

Always remember that you are doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do not to earn a reward or respect. The deed should be reinforcing not the incentive of earning praise, approval and love.

Never forget, God’s grace is unconditional. We have not earned it. We do not deserve it! It is given unconditionally to the ones God wants to for no reason. 

http://www.stannchurch-stl.org/do-you-ever-feel-like-the-older-brother-in-the-prodigal-son-story/

#prodigalson #God #grace #love #learning