A truthful heart

Last year a man with a very severe brain infection was admitted at a nearby hospital. They found out that he had HIV. Mr. Narayan (not his real name of course) was an old man with grown children and a devout follower of his faith. His condition seemed hopeless, but we started looking after him at JSK and our home-based care team followed him up at his home.    While he was in the hospital, we counselled and tested his wife for HIV and found that she too was HIV positive. Mrs. Narayan was terribly shocked at this - but since her husband was dying she did not have much time to think about the implications.    After 4 months of home-care, we are amazed.  Narayan's brain condition has no treatment.  There is an only 10% spontaneous cure rate.  The other three people who we know with this condition have all died.  But Mr. Narayan has largely recovered. He is able to walk and live an almost normal life. Last week Mr. and Mrs. Narayan came to meet Sheba. Mrs. Narayan was beside herself - saying that she cannot understand how her husband got the disease. "He is such a good man. It must have been through a dirty needle." Sheba listened to this for some time. Then she opened the Bible and talked about the need to confess our sins. Then it happened. Mr. Narayan opened up. He told Sheba that he had been with other friends to a prostitute. Not once, but a number of times.  He asked forgiveness. His wife was thunderstruck. She could not believe what she was hearing. "But you are such a religious man!" she cried out. "Why did you not tell me about this?" The truth is not an easy road to travel. But with God's help we can walk it.  So much of the time we deceive others.   We don't want to bear up to the truth.  In the end we listen to our lies so much that we end up deceiving ourselves.  It sometimes takes a hard knock for us to snap out of our own lies. Will you just spend a short time to pray for this white-haired couple as they face up to the reality of their lives. Will you ask God's forgiveness to flow through Mrs. Narayan. Pray that she will be healed of the terrible betrayal she has now discovered. And at the same time - how about a prayer for yourself?  I just prayed that God will let my heart be truthful ... and my words be exactly what they are supposed to be - True.