How God equals the score

By Julia Fernandes

September 9, 2011

I read somewhere that God is outside time and space. Maybe, that is why God can be everywhere; He can see everything all the time. He has no restrictions of time and space. He comes to your rescue when you least expect it. The following incident solidified this thought of mine.

Today morning as usual I boarded the ladies special train as I headed to work. In Mumbai locals, we have a peculiar feature. Since people commute daily, groups are formed in compartments. Humans by nature have a herd mentality, people long to belong to groups, be it religion, caste, work, or something as mundane as a train journey.

These groups often practice partiality towards their own group members. Any new person who occupies the seat in their seating space is looked upon with hostility and is treated with disdain. I am a no-group person. I keep changing my train and my seating space practically daily. So, I am accustomed to sarcastic remarks each time I occupy different seating spaces.

In Mumbai local trains we have another custom especially in the ladies compartment. When the compartment is full and there is no space to sit, we usually ask each seated commuter where they are getting down and whichever is the nearest station, we claim that particular seat. Which means when she gets up to alight at her station she has to give her seat to the woman who has claimed her seat. No other person can sit on that particular seat.

There is a particularly nasty group. The members of this group reserve the seats for their members through foul means. They keep their bags on the seats and deny seats to other lady commuters who climb in late by lying that there is somebody sitting and that she has stepped down from the train momentarily to buy something. When their member finally troops in, she gets the seat while the woman who has come before her is left standing.

I was sitting today near this nasty group and my sister came along. So, I gave my seat to my sister since hers is a short journey and I stood up and claimed the seat of a woman from this group whom I know gets up very early. But, since this group does not like non-members this woman deliberately got up very late. I guess she derived some sadistic pleasure by making me stand for a longer time. She kept laughing in a wicked way. I just remained quiet and where I would have sat after say 20 minutes she gave me her seat after a good 45 minutes!

I just told my sister that nothing ever goes unnoticed by God. As my journey progressed, a lady asked me where I was getting off. Since I get down at the last station -- Churchgate -- she could not claim my seat. I could not miss the look of disappointment in her face. She got a claim but she would have to stand a bit longer.

I gestured this woman to sit at my seat till she gets her claim. I got up and gave my seat to this woman. I said my prayers standing while this woman looked delighted to be able to sit down. Finally, she got her own seat and was sitting besides me. When her station came, before going she touched me, said thank you and whispered God bless you.

At the beginning of my journey while one mean woman displayed nastiness towards me, at the end of my journey another woman displayed goodness by blessing me. Just goes to show that our dear God is a God of justice. He does not waste any time in equaling the score in His own wonderful ways as I learnt from my experience today.