As a child I remember a story I read in English language (subject). It was a very simple story about a father and his four sons. It goes on like this…..Father was ill for a long time and the day came he realised his end is near. So before he would be gone, he thought of teaching his children a last lesson. He calls them all and ask them to gather wooden sticks. As his sons brought them to him, the father held all the sticks together, and asked his elder son to try and break them in front of his other three younger brothers. So the eldest boy tried breaking them all ‘together’. He couldn’t. Now his dad asked him to take one stick at a time and break them one by one. As the boy held the sticks and tried breaking them ‘one by one’, it was easily breaking without any difficulty. The kid naturally was very happy with his achievement (he must have thought he was a strong boy). So now the dad got all the sticks together and addressed all his sons together and said, “my precious sons, see how difficult it is to break the thin sticks ‘when’ they are together’, but how easily they broke when you separate them. Our lives are similar. When we are together, no one can break us or separate us. But when we separate from each other and stand alone, we are vulnerable and easily breakable. Till so far, I was there with you all the time, to guide you and look after you. But now I would be gone forever. I wish, when I am gone, all of you stick together with each other through thick and thin, so that no one can come in between you and separate you from each other and break you eventually. Be together always. Stand with each other. Love each other as your own.

(Shash Grewal(Shashwati) is a “Scriptural Motivational Writer, who explain’s life’s, common principles, in a very lucid manner so that the younger generation can relate to the solutions, She offers through her writing, to all the problems they face on a daily basis.)

Luke 5:1-11, explains how Jesus chose some of His disciples. Luke 5:8 says, Simon Peter saw his net full of fish, he fell down on Lord’s feet confessing he was a sinful man. Yet Jesus chose him to be His disciple. One by one He chose them. Interestingly none of them were highly educated, neither living a holy life. All had weaknesses and sinners (just like us ). Yet they were ‘HIS’ chosen (just like us. )

Luke 5:11 says , “they left everything and joined him as His disciples and sided with His party and accompanied Him”

The twelve disciples were blessed and fortunate enough to have learnt a great deal of theology from Lord Himself. He always kept them together, taught them together, shared meals with them together. Lord was mostly healing, teaching in public, but he shared his private times with His disciples, that they may learn the value of ‘togetherness’, value of ‘unity’.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.

Psalm 133:1, “how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”

Proverbs 27:17, “ iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near”.

These scriptures very clearly emphasises on the importance of ‘working together’.

Present world, families and relationships are falling apart primarily because of pride and ignorance. Working together looks a hard task. Working together also means “I, me and myself’ has to take a backseat.

(Shash Grewal(Shashwati) is a philanthropist and a social worker, who tries to reach out to hurting hearts with scriptural blessings and kindness.)

If being the Saviour of the world, Jesus taught His disciples to be together, we surely need to learnt the essence of togetherness. Our unity brings glory to God.

‘Division is an unhealthy attitude, roots of which could be traced back to our unhealthy thought process.

Colossians 3:23 says, whatever you do , work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

Body of Christ is suppose to work ‘together’ . As Lord chose each one of us, He gave us specific areas to work on. Our gifts from the Holy Spirit are different, hence work profile assigned by God to each one is different too.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-22 says, “And we urge you , brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

Now I don’t think these inspired guidelines are for one gifted person only. For instance, admonish the idle (grooming skills), encourage fainthearted( motivational skills) , be patient with them all (a good listener) could be one person, or could be many people with these gifts respectively, anointed by the Holy Spirit. So basically God has blessed each one of us with one or many divine gifts to help others with. And if we use our specific skills (gifted to us by The Holy Spirit) for helping someone, we bring glory to God.

1 Corinthians 12:12-27 goes on further explanation of the above said scripture. “ For just as body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we are all baptized into one body.—-Jews or Greek, slaves, or free,—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

God’s heart is in ‘unity of Body of Christ’. It’s not on division.

Mark 6:7, And He called His disciples and began to send them out “two by two”. (Please note, He never sent one person at a time)

Genesis 2:18) “It is not good that man should be alone, I will make him a helper fit for him”’

Its not important “how well versed we are with the Scriptures, or how learned we are”.

What’s more important is “Who do we believe”?

If we believe the One Who called us, then we simply have to believe what He expects us to believe in and follow His commands.

He ( Son of God) gave Himself up for me, loved me, forgave me and called me as His own. And that’s all that matters to me. That’s all I believe. And I believe in doing what “He expects me to do”

Romans 8 :38-39, “….neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”!.

(“”The writer has been a Cover page Model for various fashion magazines , anchored various musical shows for youth Channels and a (short film) filmmaker for Discovery Channel. Currently busy writing her own book””)