Over twenty years ago we watched with horror as the Twin Towers fell in New York. I wonder today how much safer we are than in it was on nine eleven two thousand one
My friend Mr Brahmachari who does his morning walk with me, told me how he found a brown paper parcel under his bus seat the other day. “I was filled with fear,” he said, and called the conductor. “Arrey sahib,” said the conductor, “it is nothing!”
“What did you do then?” I asked Mr Brahmachari.
“I stopped the bus and asked to get out,” he said, “It could have been a bomb!”
I was travelling by a local train the other day when a group of youngsters got onto the train. The compartment was soon filled with shouts of joy and laughter and I was beginning to enjoy the humour and banter when suddenly there was deathly silence. I turned to see what had happened and found the whole bunch staring at the luggage rack.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“There’s a bomb there,” said one of the boys as he whipped out his cell and called the next station. At the next railway station a constable accompanied by the stationmaster came into the compartment and took the parcel away.
“His dad’s in the railways, imagine what would have happened otherwise!” whispered another youngster to me. I nodded and saw the relief on every ones face, but there was no laughter anymore as the train continued its journey.
Nearly a month ago I visited an old railway station built by the British and since I had time walked around. As I walked across the old wooden bridge which connected one platform to the other, I looked down and smiled; below me were old wooden rafters and through the chinks I could see railway tracks and the trains below. My thoughts went back to the days when as a toddler I was terrified to cross the bridge as sight of steam engine through beams petrified me. I would stop and not move a step forward.
Suddenly two strong arms would envelope me and without another whimper I allowed myself to be carried across. I trusted my father implicitly. I remembered the first time he had done that, I had buried my face in his arms and heard him say, “ Fret not son, I will not allow anything to harm you..!”
In my fathers arms I was safe and secure.
A Father above says the same to us. Fret not. Faint not. Fear not.
Fret not – because God loves you.
Faint not – because He holds you.
Fear not – because He keeps you.
We will stop being afraid in train, bus, plane and over railway bridge when we allow ourselves to be carried in His strong arms; safe n’ secure..!
Robert Clements is a newspaper columnist and author. He blogs at www.bobsbanter.com and can be reached at bobsbanter@gmail.com
