Philippians 1 : 21 - For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

It was the afternoon of 7^th June 2021.  Suja’s phone rang and the voice on the other side informed her about the heartbreaking news of Meenakshi passing away. Suja had returned from the COVID-19 care centre only 3 days back and was recovering at her home. She found it difficult to distract herself from the memories of the short but meaningful time she spent with Meenakshi at the COVID-19 centre.  

Suja, 53, a resident of Kottayam, had contracted COVID-19 during the second phase of the spread of the pandemic in Kerala, India. Her husband and 3 children were forced to shift her to a care centre in a nearby town as she suffered severe breathing difficulties. With almost 150 beds occupied with COVID-19 patients suffering from severe symptoms such as body pain, congestion, chest pain and breathlessness, it wasn’t a pleasant sight to watch and endure. With no family members around, she felt utterly lonely and also guessed the plight of every other occupant there. 

In the midst of this chaos, Suja couldn’t miss this one middle-aged lady. She was quite sick herself but was going around checking on the most vulnerable ones; feeding them, helping them to move and praying with them. Suja came to know that her name was Meenakshi. She noticed that in the evenings Meenakshi would sit with the other patients and connect over video call to a group of praying people. One morning, Meenakshi visited Suja’s bedside and asked her if she could pray with her. Suja was happy to oblige and at the end of the prayer felt very relaxed and cared for. They spent some time together and shared about their lives. 

Meenakshi hails from a traditional family. She lost her father very early on and spent her childhood with her orthodox maternal grandparents’ family. She was confined to the four-walls of the Illam (the traditional house) and had to toil very hard to cater to everyone’s needs. She got married at an early age and further endured hardships due to her husband’s alcohol addiction. This continued even after the birth of her two sons. Without having a proper accommodation, they moved from house to house. She worked as domestic help and did many other odd jobs to keep running her family. She used to weave flower garlands and sell them near the bus station. 

One evening when she was running after a slowly moving car requesting them to buy her garland to adorn the deity kept on the dashboard of the car, she heard someone call out to her. A friendly and pleasant woman came up to her and invited her to a prayer meeting in a nearby hall on Sundays. Something in that invitation moved her and on the next Sunday itself she reached the hall with her two boys. She met the most wondrous group of people with genuine concern for each other and felt at ease with them. This was a church and the members called themselves disciples of Jesus Christ. She remembered how she had often thought of ending her life due to her misery and hopelessness. 

In the days that followed, the women from the church visited her, shared their lives, studied the Bible with her. She felt very encouraged. She learnt that Jesus was the greatest comforter of all. She was immediately drawn to Him and saw everything anew. She realized how God the Father loved her enough to sacrifice His only son Jesus for her to have a secured place in eternity. The overwhelming power of God’s love transformed her completely. She couldn’t hold back sharing her newfound joy and peace with everyone she met along the way. Her joy reflected in all her relationships. Eventually, her husband got convicted by her transformation and he too accepted Jesus as his Lord & Savior. Both her children also started enjoying their life with their new big family in Christ. 

The life as a follower of Christ was not without hurdles for Meenakshi. As years passed by she had to witness her husband making some wrong decisions and giving into his old alcohol addiction despite her sincere efforts to keep the family together. Soon he deserted her and the children and walked away. Even through these heartbreaking turbulent times, Meenakshi completely surrendered her life to Jesus with the understanding of His unconditional and unchanging love.  She knew He would never leave her nor forsake her. She continued her journey with utmost faith and reverence. Her eyes were always focused on Jesus & her heart was dedicated to His mission. She willingly accepted humiliations for the sake of Christ. Her tongue never ceased to praise Him in front of people. She served people in whatever way possible. Her children, too, followed Jesus and lead dedicated lives. Over the 25 years of her being in the church, they grew up and have settled down in their respective lives.  

Meenakshi had never allowed her sickness to affect her faith & conviction. The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic had caught up with her and she had ended up in the COVID-19 Care Centre due to the co-morbid conditions that she was in. Although she could feel her body giving up, she always felt the need to serve others just the way Jesus did.

Suja was amazed at the serving heart of her new friend and to know about her love for Jesus. She spent more and more time learning about this amazing loving God and didn’t feel lonely anymore. With the help of Meenakshi, she attended the video meetings praying with the disciples. She decided to contact them once she was well and study the Bible to know more about God. 

On the 5^th day at the COVID-19 care center, Suja tested negative and returned home to her husband and children. She was aware that Meenakshi’s condition was deteriorating day by day. The inmates kept Suja informed about how she continued serving others despite all that. Eventually, she came to know about Meenakshi being shifted to the Intensive Care Unit for further treatment as her situation had worsened. 

In spite of all the prayers, it was God’s will for Meenakshi to go home to be with Him. Suja knew it was God’s will for her to be a direct witness of a fruitful life committed to Christ.

Meenakshi definitely carried the greatest commission in her heart till her last breath.