Today is the day Z, my younger brother is going to visit my house.
It has been almost a decade since we last met. We had a big row on a tiny doctrine rightness of Christian belief. My brother, Z, a newly born again soul, was ever zealous about his own vision of the importance of the action of water baptism. However I had other thoughts. Z wouldn’t say it was his own perception, rather he would insist his belief was thoroughly based on the Bible. Back then I didn’t take water baptism and after hearing how presented the importance of it in a superior- my-way-of-belief-is-superior-than-yours, I lost any interest in it. My belief back then was to give more importance to bible study.
Fast forward ten years.
Needless to say lots of changes had happened to me and I had this new found curiosity to hear from my younger brother, Z , hence this visit. We were five years apart in age, between Z and I.
Ding Dong
Ah he is here!
With round squared spectacles, coifed hair, my younger brother, Z sat on the verandah. The dusk has set and the skies smiled like the bills of toucan.
We hugged. A reunion of chetan and anian.
“You’re taller than me as always aye!” I chuckled, patting his back.
“You’re taller than me in life experiences though, chettan”
After having exchanged our signature hellos to each other and other niceties, we had crackers with iced lemon tea.
A couple of great hornbills cooed.
“Really overjoys my heart that you accepted my invitation” I smiled in Z’s direction.
“Thank you too chetan for having me here. I did want to call and come over but somehow I feared if I would cause more hurt” Z’s shoulders seemed to have shrunk a bit.
“Take it easy aniya, bygones be bygones aye.” I nodded.
Z smiled.
I continued, “I am curious about your response to my one question though.”
“I’m all ears”
“Is the action of sinking in the water physically more important or being born again so we perceive the world in Jesus’ way of perception more important when we think of water baptism?” I asked.
Z got bit of creases on his forehead. “Perceive the world in Jesus’ way of perception…how?”
I further clarified, “You know how money is to be seen as a tool and not a master and other things like that.”
A moment passed. I heard Z’s laughter echoed in my hall. “Oh chetan what a tricky question is this?”
“Don’t worry Z, chetan did take water baptism few years back, believing in all that’s said about it in bible, just as you said a decade back” I reassured him with a twinkling smile which evoked a gasp in aniyan.
“Chetan thanks really for this question and I’m glad to see how chetan changed…I got to ponder over this question because I have a feeling I have erred somewhere…”
“No problem aniyan, maybe we can meet over next weekend, whenever you’re free and we can explore Bible together?”
Z agreed and we parted after a short prayer.