Two Onesimus's

Onesimus was an useful vessel to Paul and to the Lord despite his black background. I already have one whom the Lord gifted to me to shepherd and care for. Through many ups and downs, he still is my Onesimus. And now the Lord is adding another Onesimus. Its not my choice to accept or reject, rather it is the Lord's blessed gift.

A brother was in a very desperate need for wholesome shepherding. Again because of the many distressful and inexplicable experiences he had been through since his first failed marriage, he was in the depth of depression and often lost his mental balance. Now he is facing another marital disaster, and history seems to repeat itself. All these bitter bombardments blasted and bruised his brain. 

But he is a very dear brother in the Lord, who loves the Lord, and is beginning to intensely love the Lord all the more through all these sufferings. He has survived serious series of legal battles and are now in the verge of another series. Be it fate or folly in his decision making, only God knows. But the fact is, he's been mentally, physically and financially drained off. And the fact that he is still a brother does not change. No matter what he has gone through, no matter what his problems may be, he is still a brother, in fact, a very dear brother. I begin to love him all the more, then when he was much better off. Despite his dire strait of human hardship, he still is a brother. So I must receive him and shepherd him in all possible way. He, thus, has been added to our family as another Onesimus.

The two Onesimus's are now with our family, and in fact, they are blending with us so well, so far so good. These two are suprisingly of two opposite nature, origin and character, almost in every respect. One from a high caste, very well educated, intelligent and very qualified person, and the other almost the exact opposite. But praise the Lord, through inexplicable circumstances, they both ended up to be a part of our extended family. This arrangement was never forethought, it just transpired in time, and me and my wife can only amen. This, to me, is meeting the need of the moment. Else, where else they will go?

I have been learning many new and deep spiritual lessons through these two Onesimus's. The lessons were learned through their problems. They were helpless, and I in their midst, to shepherd them, turned to Lord and the Lord taught me some deep and precious lessons which, I believe, can never be learned otherwise.  It even revolutionized my living and ways of shepherding. I have been praying for people to be saved and shepherded, and the Lord gave me brothers who are saved and are need of shepherding; not in a way of once or twice meeting in a week with some prayer and pursuing, but in a way of living together with him. Perhaps, this is the best way of shepherding, and I am learning it, and I guess, I am loving it too. I have been doing it in the past too, but this time in a more matured way. Praise the Lord for this opportunity!  

Today, as I was spending time with the Lord in prayer, He impressed me deeply with shepherding and perfecting these two Onesimus's. Doing a background check, they both are literally helpless and hopeless, and their own relatives have literally gave them up. But the Lord's speaking to me was, if I cannot shepherd hopeless and helpless ones to become hopeful and helpful ones, I am useless. This was a very strong word from the Lord. My innate reply was that the Lord would shepherd me and them together and make us hopeful, helpful and useful. Sometimes, the speaking of the Lord is sudden and shocking, yet soothing and shepherding too.

Though I deem myself unworthy, I trust the good shepherd to shepherd all of us. These experiences, perhaps, may be my "Tale of Two Onesimus's." 

Lord, shepherd us all, and turn us- 

Our helplessness to helpfulness,

Our hopelessness to hopefulness,

Our uselessness to usefulness.

And dear Lord, do these to us.

Amen.