WHEN THAT NEWS came, the inmates of Bihar's Patna Women's College were virtually appalled. For a while, they very much wanted the very news to be a cruel hoax fabricated by some heartless eccentric. But the truth slammed their faces meticulously - 'Miss Pushpa Sharma was gunned down by hardcore criminals on the night of 13th May 1994 at her native village Kaira of Jehannabad District in Bihar.'
PUSHPA WAS AN Economics (Hons) student of that college. After the final examinations, she came to her village home. Her 60-year-old father, Mudrika Sharma's untiring encouragement made this 21-year-old girl go to the State's Capital, Patna from the dusty-dingy streets of Kaira for her further brilliant academic career.
In the college her talent got a real kick and her name became well-known in the academic and sports circles at the State level. Now, with the overwhelming support of her sexagenarian father, she was planning to go to Delhi for higher studies. though she was the elder of an eight-member family, she had always been getting uninterrupted love and special care from her father; And this exuberant affection drafted off her more and more inclination towards her aged father!
On that fateful day, Mundrika Sharma had collected some sixty-five thousand rupees from his business outfit and kept that amount in his house. It seemed prima facie, this money attracted some criminals into the house at about midnight. They began to attack Sharma mercilessly and he was at his high pitch for help.
On hearing her father's screaming, Pushpa woke up. Instinctively she rushed for her father's licensed gun.
She took position in a corner of the kitchen and began to fire at the intruders with immense potential courage.
For a quite a few minutes, she kept the desperados at bay; but, one of them somehow sleeked behind her and pumped a bullet into her breast from a very close range and snatched the gun from her.
The injured girl did not give up!
She took an 'akhaina' (wooden threshing implement) in her hand and attacked the enemies ferociously.
Her frenzied assault inflicted severe injuries to a few of them.
In the meanwhile, she turned back to see who had made such a dastardly attack on her.
She was in for a shock of the lifetime.
The man who dealt her with the fatal blow was none other than her step-cousin, Ashok Sharma, a next-door person!
A stunned Pushpa sank almost lifeless in the courtyard of her house.
The miscreants continued their killing spree and shot dead her father and a cousin, Vijay Sharma besides injuring yet another cousin, Santosh.
Pushpa succumbed to her injuries on the way to the Jehannabad Town Hospital!
The Superintendent of Police of her area, while recommending her name for bravery award posthumously, remarked that had she been allowed to blossom fully, she could have done the State proud in many a way!
THE SELFLESS SACRIFICIAL love, affection and endearment of her father made this Cherubic-faced maiden to be like a ferocious tigress for the cause of that old man.
This zeal for her father and home transformed her without any hesitation and reservation to lay down her budding youth to snuff out in a split second!
DEARLY BELOVED IN Christ...!
Just think of your Heavenly Father!
Even if you thumb over through the pages of the Gospels, your eyes could never miss the rapid lines which tell trials and tribulations that Jesus underwent during His thirty-three and half years sojourn in this world because of you and me!
He is the King of kings and the LORD of lords;
He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth;
Above all, He is the LORD, God Most High!
Yet He came into this world as a humble human being and died a torturous death ...!
Why...?
Hebrews 2:14&15 say:
"... by His death, He might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." |
Now, He entered into the Most High place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption and declared "... I hold the keys of death and Hades"[Revelation 1:10].
This redemption is not only for you and me; but, for all those who have faith upon Him!
Hallelujah!
That is what the Bible says in John 3:16 -
"... whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." |
And this is the Good News meant for the whole humanity!
That is why He commands in Mark 13:10 -
"... the gospel must first be preached to all nations" |
Not only that...
The One who gives that specific call has already predestined us to be adopted as His sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will - to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. [Ephesians 1:5&6]. In this way, we are now His children and He is our loving Heavenly Father!
A simple girl, on seeing her father's torments, voluntarily gave her life to pluck out in no count of time! In such a way she showed her affection, love and everything towards her father!
What about you...?
Your Heavenly Father's torments in His earthly life were never be equal to any of the earthly beings'.
He silently suffered all those tortures only because of His abounding love upon the mankind which has been under the wretched clutches of its fear of death!
Still lakhs and lakhs of people around you are held in that painful bondage;
But the Good News is with you!
Your Father has also already given you the potential command through the heralding words to 'go' and to 'preach that Good News to everywhere'.
An open door is in front of you!
Are you ready to oblige to that loving - Lordly Voice...?
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"We have heard a joyful sound, |
