Edwin's Corner

Jesus had been in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights. The limitations of the body were evident. He was alarmingly hungry. This body he had was flawed; he needed to eat something after forty days of being in his thoughts, emotions, and the frailty of the human body. Just as he was about to step past the fortieth day, the devil appeared. I am not sure if Jesus would have done more days, but what we know is that the devil appeared at the right time and tested if Jesus would immediately gratify his hunger pangs. “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” ‘If’ is a strong doubt creator. If you are an exceptional accountant, if you are a gifted singer, if you are a talented speaker. This tags at our desire to be seen, appreciated, and acknowledged as unique and special. Doubt has always been the devil’s tool of choice. If you don’t know who you are, you will do everything to get others to tell you who you are. Satan had always wanted to be superior t...

When I was six years old, I joined class one, and was so excited to begin a new year away from home, at least away from the bosom of my nanny. I found myself among hundreds of older children, in a school that was beyond my comprehension. Prior I had attended a small, intimate neighborhood kindergarten, where swings, tires, and dirt mingled with porridge, mattresses, and classes. I particularly remember the mind-numbing repetition of numbers and alphabets drilled into our essence. The constant: “Again,” “a..e…i..o...u.”  “Again.” And so, it went. I was happy to be done with that life. This promised to be a whole new world of experience. I loved being free, bubbly, and happy. I was a plumb happy child. All I wanted was to break things, jump over things, and move around unrestricted.      My class one teacher thought otherwise. He preferred me to be docile and obedient. And unlike in kindergarten, where we sat on a bench, he wondered why my backside w...