Erling Thu

To be somebody is not a matter of right or wrong

To be somebody
is not a matter of right or wrong
it is not a matter of having the political correct opinions
or the classical orthodox doctrine

To be somebody
is a matter of being kind
- of caring for others
- of loving in words and deeds
To be somebody
is all about forgiving
- those who persecute you
and being generous
- towards those who are different

To be somebody
is not a matter of theology
it is all about living a good life
- trusting the Son of man
who set aside the privileges of deity
and became one of us to bring us to God
ministering life to us by dying our death

When you do a favour
to those who don't deserve it
then you are really somebody

To be somebody is knowing that someone cares

To be somebody

Is to know that a mother is concerned for you

And thinking of you with a tender heart

It gives a great sense of worth

Knowing that someone is worried

With motherly love and care for you

As you are travelling places

And fulfilling your holy vocation

In serving the people of God

To really be somebody

Is to appreciate this loving concern

And give thanks to your mother

While she is still alive

When she is gone, and you realise

how valuable her worries were,

it is too late to acknowledge their worth.

To be somebody is knowing that someone cares

A father, a brother or a sister,

A friend, a fellow believer, a servant of God,

A neighbour, a postman, a nurse, a doctor,

A preacher, a football player, an athlete,

• someone cares because of love,

but no one cares like God,

he cares for all of us with his everlasting love!

Answering emails or messages

To be somebody
Is to answer emails or text messages
Showing that you care
And take people seriously
It is to come up with simple solutions to complicated questions
Or to admit that you don't have all the answers

To be somebody
Is to sit in front of a screen
Typing letters, words, reason and insight
As if you were sitting in front of a person
Communicating eternal truths
Sharing real life experiences
Opening up your heart
For the world to see
The beauty and simplicity
Of faith, hope and love
Poured into a human heart by the Holy Spirit

Text: Erling Thu (c)

A loving and loyal servant

In his letter to the Romans the apostle Paul is introducing himself as a loving and loyal servant of the Anointed One, Jesus (Rom 1,1 TPL). When I read what Paul was writing about himself, his words struck me. What a sound self-image. What a wonderful self-esteem. What a bold statement about himself: I am a loving and loyal servant!

First of all he wants to tell that he is a servant of the Anointed One, Jesus the Messiah. He had been called and chosen by Jesus Christ to be a servant. He was set apart with a mission. As a servant he was a sent one, an apostle. His mission was to reveal the wonderful news of the Kingdom of God. He was to bring people out of darkness and ignorance into the light and understanding of the Good News of what God had done through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That was his mission to bring insight to people, to help them grasp the eternal plan and purpose of Christ. He was never disobedient to this heavenly vision. He was a servant of Jesus Christ his entire life. The heavenly vision made him a servant. 

To be somebody is to rewrite your life

To be somebody is to rewrite your manuscript

Because you are able to see the value

Of the critique given by friends and professionals

Who only want the best for you.

In writing all anew you allow yourself to be buried

Under the judgements of others

To raise to new creativity and new expressions

Of the message of your rejected work.

To be somebody is to rewrite our life

According to our dreams

In spite of setbacks and disappointments

To deepen and enlarge yourself

And be somebody others will follow

In changing their life to enrich others.

WATCHING A CATASTROPHE

To be somebody is watching a catastrophe take place

In distant areas of the globe

But being present through prayers and compassion

As you watch the horrible pictures on the screen

From your comfortable chair

In your warm and safe living room

Thousands of miles away

But still feeling the pain in your entire being

The pain of losing your dear ones

The pain of having your property destroyed

The pain of being left with nothing

The pain of not seeing any future

The pain of having no hope

The pain of watching the terrible effects

Of the earthquake tsunami in safe surrounding

Feeling out of place

Feeling inadequate

Feeling helpless

Not being able to help personally

But being out of touch

Your mind can’t grasp the magnitude of the catastrophe

Your heart can’t bear the sadness and the sorrow

But you are still watching and praying

-         and sending your donation to the relief organisation

But the pain is still there

Answering questions

To be somebody is answering questions

Taking time to think

Stopping up to let the imagination run wild

As you meditate on silly questions

Or the deep questions of existentially concern

When you answer questions

- No matter how deep or shallow they are

- No matter if they are questions of real life situations or hypothetical sophistry

- No matter which area they touch on

Then you show that you take people serious

And you care for what they are concerned about

Only because of love for that particular individual

When you answer questions

Only because of love for people

Then you really are somebody

In a world of efficiency and self interest

Connecting people

To be somebody is being in the business
Of connecting people and
Allowing yourself to be connected to people
- Constantly reaching out to others
- Constantly breaking down barriers
- Constantly jumping over walls
- Constantly removing borders
Receiving and giving spiritual insight
Leaving comments and responding to e-mails
Talking on the phone and sending SMS messages
Touching, hugging and kissing
As you generously encourage others
Blessing them with your big smile
Accepting them for what they are
Receiving them into your heart
Lifting them up to God in prayer
Allowing God to speak to you
Through those who are different from you

Great people have the capacity
Of being joined in heart with a diversity of people
Each time they enter a covenant relationship
By the uniting Spirit of God
Their capacity for connecting with others is being enlarged

Failing to stand up for the right values

To be human is to speak
Big words about yourself
But still being scared
Of lifting a single finger
Against injustice
In your own environment
In that way a somebody turns out to be a nobody

Failing to stand up for justice
Failing to fight for the downtrodden
Failing to speak for the voiceless
Failing to meet the need in front of your eyes
Failing to show loyalty to friends
- because they have become unpopular with the majority
Failing to practice love
Failing to speak the truth
Failing to defend the accused
Failing to do your best to change yourself and society

Not taking the appropriate action
Quickly reduces you to a normal human nobody
But acting according to divine values
Put you on the path of becoming somebody