THE CIRCLE OF GRACE : MY KAIROS JOURNEY | KAIROS GLOBAL | JULY 2026

Author: Joseph Sebastian,

Intro Joseph Sebastian, PhD, writes two regular columns, Parables2Life and Life Questions.

When people ask me why I write for Kairos Global, I often smile because the honest answer is this: I never really planned to become a writer – or rather, I was told I could not be one. If someone had told me years ago that I would one day look forward to writing reflections, articles, and even devotional pieces, I would probably have laughed and gently disagreed.

As an academician teaching at Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes, writing should have come naturally to me. I did try my hand too. I still remember my first major article, which I wrote with great effort. But I was told my writing was ‘journalistic’ and somehow, that quietly closed the door to writing for me. I turned to training programmes and creating session materials, and I did well at that.

Writing was never my first calling. Speaking was.

Over the years, through my work and travels across time zones, I have had the privilege of meeting people from many walks of life – especially those living on the fringes of society. My humanitarian journey has taken me into villages, communities, crises, and places where pain and resilience often coexist. I have witnessed extraordinary stories of courage among ordinary people. Stories of mothers who sacrificed everything for their children, communities rebuilding after devastation, young people daring to dream despite overwhelming odds, and individuals who held on to faith in situations where hope seemed almost impossible.

Many friends would often tell me, ‘Joseph, you should write these stories.’  I heard it many times. Among those voices, there were two who kept gently and consistently encouraging me. The first was my wife, Darlin. The second was my son, Devassi – now with God our Father.

Both of them believed I should write. They felt that the experiences I encountered, the people I met, and the lessons God was teaching me through life needed to be shared. But while I appreciated their encouragement, I never really took writing seriously. I preferred conversations, workshops, mentoring, retreats, and speaking engagements. I loved facilitating discussions, engaging with young people, and leading reflections.

Writing felt distant.

To me, writers were people with extraordinary literary skills, deep vocabulary, and the ability to craft every sentence beautifully. I did not see myself fitting into that world.

Yet God, in His mysterious and often surprising ways, sometimes opens doors through times we would never choose for ourselves.

Life changed dramatically for my wife and me with the untimely loss of our son, Devassi.

There are moments in life that shake us deeply; moments that alter how we see the world, ourselves, and even God. Losing a child is not something parents ever prepare for. It leaves questions that words struggle to answer and pain that cannot easily be explained.

Yet even in profound grief, God somehow walked beside us and continues to do so. In ways we did not always understand, we experienced that nearness. 

Healing did not come quickly. Grief rarely follows a timetable or a timeline. But slowly, through prayer, fellowships – social and spiritual, faith, and grace, God began teaching us something important: pain, when surrendered to Him, does not have to become the end of the story.

Sometimes, it becomes the beginning of a deeper one.

In the midst of these happenings, Dr Chackochan approached me with a question that, at that time, felt both difficult and unexpected. Would I be willing to write about our journey?  That invitation became my first serious step into writing.

After much prayer and hesitation, I agreed.  The writing for us was about God’s grace, how He protected us (Psalms 91:3-4) and how His love (Romans 5:5) overwhelmed us when we could have easily shattered.

The article was titled ‘Keep Looking Straight Ahead,’ published in Issue 32 of Kairos Global. The title itself came from a verse in Proverbs: Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you (Proverbs 4:25).

Writing ‘Keep Looking Straight Ahead’ was not easy. In many ways, it meant revisiting a wound that was still painfully fresh. Yet, even as I wrote, I realised something important – this story was never meant to be merely about loss. It was about GRACE. About how God held us when we could have shattered. About how, in the darkest times of our lives, the Lord quietly surrounded us with people, prayer, and His presence.

As Darlin, our children, and I walked through grief, we experienced something we still struggle to explain. We did not understand everything, and truthfully, many questions remained unanswered. But in those painful days, we experienced God’s closeness in profound ways. Through the Eucharist, personal prayer, Scripture, friendships, family, the Rosary, moments of silence before the Blessed Sacrament, and the fellowship of people who simply stood with us, we felt carried.

One verse that stayed close to our hearts during that season came from Romans: The Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words (Romans 8:26).

There were days when words failed us. Days when prayer felt difficult. Yet somehow, grace continued to sustain us.  And as the risen Lord said, ‘peace be with you,’ that’s where we slowly reached. 

Looking back now, I realise that agreeing to write that first Kairos article was itself part of God’s healing journey for me. What I thought was merely sharing our experience slowly became an invitation to reflect, pray, and recognise how deeply God had been present even in suffering.

Looking back now, I realise that the article was not merely something I wrote.  It was something God was doing within me.

• Writing became prayer

• Writing became reflection

• Writing became healing

• Writing became knowing Abba Father’s love closer and deeper

• Writing became … so much

For the first time, I discovered that putting thoughts down in writing helped me process emotions, revisit experiences, wrestle with questions, and notice God’s quiet presence in places I had previously overlooked. Something shifted. And once that door opened, the Kairos family gently kept it open for me.

Tania and the Kairos core team have consistently encouraged me, supported me, and believed in my writing far more than I believed in it myself. They gave me space to share reflections, stories, and thoughts without pressure, but always with encouragement. There was never an expectation of perfection, only authenticity.

That mattered deeply. Sometimes all a person needs is someone who says, ‘Your voice matters. Keep going.’

By the grace of God, I continued writing for Kairos Global and later for Kairos Buds. What began as one article slowly became many reflections. Some emerged from personal experiences. Others were born from prayer, ministry, encounters during travel, youth engagement, my professional space and humanitarian work, or moments of ordinary life where God unexpectedly revealed Himself.

And somewhere along the way, writing stopped feeling unfamiliar.  It began to feel like part of my spiritual journey. People occasionally ask me, ‘What motivates you to keep writing?’

Now the answer is quite simple. I write because I want to know God more deeply. Writing forces me to pause. In the busyness of life, we often move quickly from one responsibility to another. Work deadlines, meetings, commitments, travel, family responsibilities, ministry – life can become crowded. Reflection can easily become postponed.

But writing and, more importantly, reviewing the drafts over and over, slows me down. It invites me to listen more carefully.

• To notice

• To pray

• To ask deeper questions

• To reflect on what God may be saying through everyday moments

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Very often, I begin writing without fully knowing where the reflection will go, but thinking I have something to say, only to realise midway that God is teaching me something first. And as the writing unfolds, one reflection often leads to the next. That has been one of the greatest gifts of this journey. Writing keeps drawing me back to Christ.

Jesus reminds us in the Gospel of John: I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit (John 15:5).

Writing, for me, has become a way of abiding. A way of staying connected. A way of remaining attentive to God’s prodding for life. It helps me reflect, rethink, and grow deeper in my relationship with Christ.

• Sometimes it challenges me

• Sometimes it comforts me

• Sometimes it gently confronts my assumptions

• Sometimes it becomes a reminder that God is still at work, even when I cannot fully see it

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I also write because stories matter. Human beings remember stories. Jesus Himself often taught through stories because stories enter hearts differently. They stay with us. They help us see the truth more personally.

I also write because I believe in the youth and teens of today, like all times – the potential they have, each a seed waiting to become a mammoth tree.  What they read can be the grasp of fresh air and water to start to sprout or gain energy to grow further from where they may have withered a bit. 

If even one reflection encourages someone to pray again, trust again, forgive again, or hope again, then the writing has served its purpose.

Over time, I have received feedback that my writing resonates with the readers, especially during a difficult season, gave them encouragement or perspective at the right moment.

Those moments humble me. Because I know very clearly: this was never about becoming a writer. This has always been about grace. Grace that meets us in broken places.  Grace that slowly heals. Grace that turns wounds into witness. Grace that allows our stories – even painful ones to bless others.

Perhaps that is one of the deepest reasons I continue to write. Because healing shared often becomes healing multiplied.

As Kairos Global celebrates its 100th edition, my heart is filled with gratitude. Gratitude for a platform that has encouraged reflection. Gratitude for relationships formed through faith. Gratitude for a community that values stories of grace, discipleship, healing, and hope.

I think of Darlin, whose gentle encouragement always nudged me toward writing. I think of my son Devassi, whose belief in me continues to live quietly in my heart. And I think of the many people in the Kairos family, especially Dr Chackochan, Tania, and the core team, who kept encouraging me to continue.

Looking back, I can now say this with conviction: I came to Kairos thinking I might occasionally contribute an article.  Instead, Kairos became part of God’s way of helping me heal, reflect, and grow.

And the journey continues. I still write imperfectly. I still learn. I still pause, rethink, pray, and begin again. But today, I write with joy. Because through writing, I have come to know God a little more deeply.

And if through these reflections someone somewhere feels a little less alone, a little more hopeful, or a little closer to Christ – then that itself feels like grace.

To God alone be the glory.

Joseph Sebastian, PhD, is an international development sector professional and leader, mentor, faith companion and speaker at retreats and capacity building sessions, whose journey has taken him across communities, cultures, and moments of deep human resilience. Passionate about youth, spirituality, and meaningful conversations, he believes stories can heal, inspire, and draw people closer to God. Though speaking was his first calling, writing gradually became part of his spiritual journey; a space for reflection, healing, and discovering God’s grace in everyday life. Joseph loves to encourage others to pause, pray, hope again, and grow deeper in their relationship with Christ – always seeking God’s will.