# chhotebhai –
Have I spelt Jeremiah wrongly? No. This is not about an ancient prophet but about a modern young social influencer—Jemimah Rodrigues, the 24-year-old Indian women’s cricket sensation.
Let me make a frank admission: I am an unabashed fan of our Indian women’s cricket team. My earlier favourite was Mithali Raj, the former captain. She cared a damn about what others thought of her. In her last tour of England a cheeky reporter asked her who her favourite male cricketer was? Pat came the retort—why don’t you ask a male cricketer that question? The British media went to town about it.
Another thing that I like about women’s cricket is the genial atmosphere in which it is played; minus the aggression and sledging in the men’s game. Is that part of being a woman, or is it because they don’t have the mega bucks and inflated egos of the male cricketers? Be that as it may, today I am writing about Jemimah—not her cricket, but her mental attitude and spiritual strength.
Though a star batter, known for her sweep shots and excellent fielding, she was not among my favourites. Perchance I saw a video interview of hers that prompted this article.
In the interview, she says that she was a timid and frightened child. This is because of a traumatic experience at the age of 7, when her cousin drowned in a swimming pool before her eyes. It shattered her. She could not sit in a class of 30 and wanted her mother to always be around her. Now she can play fearlessly before a crowd of 80,000! What brought about the change?
She said that she was a deeply spiritual person. Her transformation came about through what she said was the perfect love of Jesus that drives out all fear (cf 1 Jn 4:18). Today, not many celebrities talk about their religious beliefs in public. I recall teenager Michael Chang winning the French Open tennis championship and thanking Jesus for it. There was a stunned silence at Roland Garros. France, once known as the eldest daughter of the Catholic Church, fiercely prides itself on its secularism, the grand opening of the Notre Dame cathedral notwithstanding.
Jemimah studied in St Joseph’s Convent, Bandra, Mumbai, once a predominantly Catholic enclave. She may have been raised Catholic, but her father, Ivan, seems to be an Evangelical. Father and daughter hit the headlines recently because he was accused of forcibly converting people, as a consequence of which Jemimah lost her membership in the Khar Gymkhana, the next suburb after Bandra.
This was based upon a video of 2015 that conveniently, or coincidentally, surfaced in 2024. Her father clarified that he was conducting prayer meetings where all were welcome and no forced conversion was involved. Preaching the gospel and even conversion per se are not crimes. The term “forced conversions” is in itself a contradiction in terms. Is any preacher pointing a gun at the convert’s head? Can a miniscule 2% minority force itself on an 80% majority community? It reminds one of the adage “I have already made up my mind, so don’t confuse me with the facts.”.
I found the timing of this expulsion rather odd. After their early ext from the T20 World Cup, there were rumblings against the current captain, Harmanpreet Kaur. It was then that Mithali proposed Jemimah as a youthful captain for the future. That’s when the expulsion order came! Was this a mere coincidence?
Now let me revert to Jemimah’s witness about overcoming fear through the love of Jesus. Most of us would like to believe that love is the strongest human emotion. I beg to disagree, especially in Indian society. I see fear as the strongest emotion. Most people live in fear – fear of God, fear of others, fear of what others will say, fear of the future, fear of imaginary things, and even fear of eternal damnation.
For several centuries, even the Catholic Church was guilty of instilling the fear of damnation in people’s minds. It served their purpose of stampeding “the faithful” into the churches. However, Vatican II brought back the scriptural emphasis on love, not fear. Once the fear psychosis was removed, churches in the West rapidly began to empty out. I don’t see it as a bad thing. When the wind of freedom blows it will separate the grain (believers) from the chaff (the convenience Christians).
Steven D. Levitt, the author of the best seller “Freakonomics,” claims that “incentives form the cornerstone of modern life.” Again, I differ. Disincentives (fear, threat, blackmail) are a greater driving force. The recent instances of digital arrests on the flimsiest grounds, blackmail of women entrapped sexually, even unwitting spies in a honey trap, are all driven by fear.
Fear is just the beginning. From it stems resentment, anger, revenge, despair and even suicide. Fear is the greatest enemy of love and life; hence it needs to be addressed and eradicated. It has to be nipped in the bud. As in Jemimah’s case, the earlier the trauma sets in, the deeper its wounds. This infliction could even start with the unborn child in the mother’s womb.
I shall give a small illustration from nature. If I plant a sapling and mark it with my fingernail, that scar will remain. As the tree grows, so will that mark. However, if I do the same to a fully grown tree, nothing will happen to the tree, but my fingernail may get injured. Psychologists and counsellors will bear me out that the earlier the trauma, the deeper the wound.
There are many instances, especially in the gospels, of how Jesus senses fear and seeks to assuage it. Here are a few instances:
“Do not fear those who kill the body” (Mat 10:28)
“Take heart, it is I, have no fear” (Mat 14:27)
“Rise and have no fear” (Mat 17:7)
“Do not fear, only believe” (Mk 5:36)
“Fear not little flock” (Lk 12:32)
“Fear not daughter of Zion” (Jn 12:15)
These are but a few instances of Jesus’ consoling words to drive out fear. As a human being himself, he is acutely conscious of how traumatised people are and how much they long for love. It reminds me of the hymn, “Love it was that made us, love it was that saved us. Love was God’s plan when he made man; God’s divine nature is love”.
How does love counteract fear? Let us re-read the quote. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love” (1 Jn 4:18). This sounds like a theoretical assurance. I will again revert to the laws of physics to understand a spiritual mystery.
Fill a glass tumbler with water. Now knock it over. The water flows out. Is the tumbler empty? No. It is now filled with air, for nature abhors a vacuum. Now pour water back into the tumbler. It automatically dispels the air! This is what is meant by “Love casts out fear.”.
We humans are like that receptacle, made to love and be loved. However, if we are rejected while still in our mother’s womb, abandoned at birth, traumatised at a young age like Jemimah, or face the vagaries of war and migration, or sexually molested, then the scars run really deep, as with that tender sapling.
Psychologists and counsellors can at best identify the cause of the trauma. Psychiatrists will address the symptoms with anti-depressants or sedatives. But they are not addressing the root cause – the eradication of fear.
This is why Jesus came into the world—to cast out the demon of fear and give us life in its fullness. This is what Jemimah experienced and bore witness to.
Where do we encounter the love of Jesus? It is primarily through the Holy Scriptures. This divine love can be communicated through our loved ones—parents, siblings, caregivers, spouses, friends, etc. As Christmas approaches, look for those “least of the brethren” who are living in fear. Share some love with them, even a smile or a loving touch, for we have been gifted with loving hearts and healing hands. Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus, for there are many Jemimahs in the classrooms, playing fields, families and relationships; living in fear and longing for love.
P.S. If any reader has access to Jemimah please share this with her. Thanks.
The writer believes in scripture-based Christian spirituality.