A Parenting Incident

About 22 years’ ago, while sitting on the couch, I stood my younger son who was about 2 years of age between my knees and decided that it was time to introduce God to him.

“Hmm, how shall I explain an invisible God to him and His relationship with us?” I thought.

“Yong, mommy is going to tell you about Somebody ok?” He looked at me with his trademark puzzled but very adorable look.

“There is Someone you’ve got to know dear and His name is God. Now God loves you more than mommy does. You know, although mommy gave birth to you, God was actually the One who made you inside me. God is great and He has made you wonderfully.”

“Look, see how good you are?” I touched his shoulders and asked him to look at himself. Then I continued, “See you can turn your head left and right!”

I really didn’t know how to explain better and thought my example was rather lame. I also thought that he must be quite lost with what I’d said or would rather go play with his toys. But he didn’t pull away from me…

Instead, my little boy started turning his head from left and right very slowly as if he was turning his head for the first time. Then he marveled at his ability and announced, “Mommy, look… I can turn my head!”

This episode brings a smile to my face every time I think about it. My younger son has grown into a strong young man of 23 but I will always remember the fascinated look on his face that day. Something special happened to him that day. Something registered in his young heart. Was it self-awareness that he was fearfully and wonderfully made by his Creator? I don't know but I believe my boy had experienced his first touch from the Lord that day, and is still experiencing Him today.

I thank God for both of my sons who have brought us so much blessings. :)

The Cycle Of Life

I see the frustration and bewilderment on my mother-in-law's face as she lies helplessly in the hospital bed. This once active lady can barely move now, but her sharp intellect remains intact which actually add to her woes as she can think but can't do as she pleases, but relies heavily on the mercy of others around her. Although her family rallies around her, she can't help but feels useless and depressed.

Flipping through some old photos, I'm reminded of her happier times. A time when "Ye Ye" (my father-in-law) was around.

As I watch her suffer, I begin to worry about my turn to grow old and infirmed.

Once my elder son said, "Mom you're looking older in your photos."
"Of course" I replied, "If I don't grow old, you won't grow up!"

Such is the cycle of life.

My mother-in-law spent her entire life serving her family and placing every member's needs above hers. She has been the pivotal point in her family and there will surely be emptiness in her children's lives when she passes on. But such is the cycle of life, we raise our families, our children keeps us busy, give us meaning and continues our lives even after we are gone. Our children continue our lives because a part of us lives in them.

Yes, life continues and we don't have to worry about the future because Jesus specifically told us not to.

What's God's Will For You?

Many Christians get stressed over finding the will of God.

There are 2 main schools of thought about the will of God:
(1) I don’t do anything in my life without God’s guidance.
(2) I don’t expect God’s guidance until I move.

Pastor Paul Scanlon (the founder of Abundant Life Ministries, UK) said that when seeking God’s will, it is not about praying whether you should choose choice A or choice B, or turning left or right. Regardless of which way you choose, God will bless your decision just like what He did for Abraham, whichever way he chose to go, up the hills or down the plains, God would have blessed him. And God would rather you made a wrong choice than no choice at all. God is drawn to movement. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, though he falls, he shall not be cast down, for the Lord upholds him in His hands.

Pastor Paul Scanlon had more to say about God’s will…

Don’t get stressed-out over God’s will because His will is not miserable. Check out the general direction you would like to go and go with a sense of peace. Get your life in motion and God will direct you. Abraham didn’t know where he was going, but he was in the will of God and all he knew was that he had to leave. If all you know is you’re to leave something, that is enough to start, to create steps in knowing the will of God.

God has given each of you a GPS; your heart, your compass, listen to it, keep moving but don’t be stressed, pay attention to your passions and leanings.

In Old Testament (OT) time, God was with people but not in them, so people needed the prophets and priests to tell them what to do. They had to follow external things for God’s guidance, such as the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. The presence of God was in the Ark.

In New Testament (NT) time, the physical temple was gone. You’re the temple, God lives in you and He doesn’t move out when He doesn’t like you. The presence of God dwells in you. When you’re there, God is there, although how much you allow Him in your life is up to you.

An OT mindset keeps people small, but we are NT people. Do not under value yourself, do not say that “Toronto has the move of God” or other places have the move of God, God also moves where you are.

When you launch a rocket to the moon, all you have to do is to aim it at a general direction to the moon. There is a device in the rocket, some kind of a GPS system that will only kick into action after the rocket is set in motion. Before launching, when the rocket sits still, it does not work. It begins to work only after the rocket is launched and flies towards the moon.

The will of God is not a tight-rope where you may fall off. You’ve got God inside you, when you’re seeking a direction from Him, look inside you and make a decision on what to do, and do it by faith. We don’t need to spiritualize things, sometimes the will of God is like common sense. Non Christians are living better lives than us because of common sense.

Have you experienced a déjà vu (the experience of thinking that a new situation has occurred before)? If you don’t have the dejavu inclinations, nudging to do something, or to go somewhere, then it is most probably not God’s will for you.

Why? Because God is Omniscience, He knows your entire life. He knows your end and has prepared you for the journey there. He writes your life-story from the last page, and put things in the earlier pages to prepare and direct you to the end. That’s the reason why you have the inclinations to do certain things. You’re wired that way.

Parents, don’t force your children to do something that is not what God has wired them to do. “Train a child in the way he should go”. Expose them to the risk of failing.

If your heart is for God, listen to it, take the risk to be yourself and you will find the good works He has prepared for you to do.