In II Kings 5:1-15 we read about a nameless captive maid of Naaman. She must have been forcibly taken from a Hebrew home in which God was honoured. It is obvious that she was a believer. She clung to her faith though she lived in an alien land among people who worshipped different gods. Adverse situations and unfavourable circumstances did not extinguish her zeal for the Lord. Homesick feeling did not reduce her fervour to share about the power of prophet Elisha. Her position as a slave could have made her disillusioned but she did not harbour any resentment against her captors. Even in her state of captivity she gave a message of hope.

She may have gone through a painful process when she was ripped from a familiar scenario and loving kith and kin. Yet she chose to love her master and mistress and work for their welfare. She made the right choice and therefore brought joy and healing into the household where she worked. Though she was placed in a very low sphere of labour she made use of the opportunity of service for the Lord. She must have realized that hatred and bitterness were against God’s will and therefore chose to show love. If she had waited for an opportune moment to do what she did, she could never have accomplished her mission. Even in her state of captivity she seized the opportunity to bring deliverance to her master.

A great commander was led to light from darkness because of the little girl who was neither scared nor indifferent. He experienced physical and spiritual healing because of the girl’s bold choice. So many opportunities to serve the risen Christ are lost because of fear and indifference. ‘Bloom where you are planted’ is a challenging statement. It is easy to groan and moan about the unfavourable situations that prevail and it needs real courage to rise above the unpleasant situations and look for opportunities to serve God through serving others. May god give us such a perception so that we are filled with the power of the risen Christ and move into new challenges.

Dr. (Mrs.) Edriana Jeyasingh