A small piece of a very very very big puzzle

    I never thought I would connect or understand a young Indian immigrant struggling with her identity in an American world. But I do.

    The service at my church this Sunday was out of the ordinary. Instead of a message from a book of the bible, instead of a lecture or a lesson we learned about missionaries. A group of 5 people each shared their very different experience in remote parts of the world. We learned funny things about them, like the strangest thing they had to eat. And we learned inspiring things, like the biggest change in their life since working as a missionary. When they were all done sharing, our pastor prayed over the whole congregation, asking God to work in our life's however he say fit.

    As Pastor Zak spoke he told God that we were willing to do whatever He had planned. We were done working in our own lives, we were done making out own plans. That's not to say we would not choose the directions in life that we think best. But knowing that God has a plan that will come to fruition whether we like it or not can cause feelings of peace. It might sound strange to most of the population of this fine country, but knowing that God has a purpose for me fills me with pride. Even if the job is small, I know it has an effect on the bigger picture that I can not see. Much like Jasmine, the title character of Bharati Mukherjee's novel, I can see that all things happen for a reason, that we are part of a bigger plan and we each have our mission here on earth.

    Even as a young girl, Jasmine understood the workings of a bigger plan. Her father died a sudden and unexpected death. She deals with this event in a very calm manner, understanding that her father had fulfilled his duty. When Jasmine explains this reasoning to a friend he has a hard time understanding.

    "I tried to explain this belief to Taylor, that a whole life's mission might be to move a flowerpot from one table to another; all the years of education and suffering and laughter, marriage, parenthood, education, serving merely to put a particular person in a particular room with a certain flower. If the universe is one room known only to God, then God alone knows how to furnish it, how to populate it."

    Jasmine is trying to make a point that the purpose in life could be a small detail to us, like moving a flowerpot. That does not however make it an unimportant purpose. It is an intricate plan, that involves every move each person makes. Every relationship we have, every commitment, every change is part of something bigger. It might be hard to understand the concept of such a small action being your mission. But that small action is part of all the other occurrences in your life. It has a trickle down effect on the importance of everything else you do. It means that every relationship, every goal, every tragedy is necessary part of your life. It shows the importance of all the choices you make, because they all combine to lead you to your mission.

    It is important to know this rational of Jasmine. A belief in a bigger plan gives us insight into her thought process and helps us understand the decisions she makes and the emotions she feels. It is hard for the average American to understand an Indian immigrant. Our culture teaches us that we are the ultimate bearers of power. We can make anything we want happen. It is because of this belief that we place importance on our material possessions, our appearance, our social status. I have the power to be whoever we want to be, and if we are not the most beautiful, the most popular or the richest, then we are considered too weak to make those things happen for ourselves. It is the thought process that confuses us when we see a young Indian woman content in a small town life in Iowa, pregnant by her paralyzed boyfriend. It sounds like such a sad situation. But Jasmine is content in her life, she knows that it is part of something bigger. That she is following her path, fulfilling her mission. That knowledge gives her a sense of peace that most Americans do not have.

    I makes me feel happy that I can connect to Jasmine. I understand though process, her rationalizations. I too believe that I have a mission her on earth, one that only I can fill. And because I begin each day with a desire to fulfill that mission that I have a sense of pride and purpose. I am not stressed about entering the rat race, of being a size 2, of owning 4 cars. I know that those things are not the important things. I know that I am who I am supposed to be. And that gives me peace, just like Jasmine.