Don't Love Me So Much!

"Please don't love me so much 'cos I'm afraid to hurt you again!"

These words came from a young lady whom I'm mentoring at work and encouraging in the Lord. She has told me this before, and has again reminded me today after a rough patch we've been through recently.

I'm a little amused and bewildered. Oh yes, it's a challenge loving and taking care of her, yet I'm sure that the Lord has entrusted this task to me.

I don't exactly know her expectations, 'cos I'm actually mentoring another young man at this point in time... She seems to miss me terribly, and yet asks me not to love her so much??? So, what should I do, I'm asking God and myself???

When You Were But A Puny Little Fellow

When you were but a puny little fellow,

they'd spent much time teaching you how to use the spoon and fork,

teaching you how to put on a shirt, tie your shoe laces and button up,

teaching you how to wash your face and comb your hair,

teaching you how to wipe your nose, and your butt,

teaching you about life.

Remember the song that you took so long to learn?

Remember your incessant challenging questions?

So ...

when they grow old,

when they can't recall things, or can't catch up in speech,

when they repeat a past moment of glory for the nth time,

please be patient with them.

When they've forgotten how to tie their shoes,

when they begin to spill stuff onto their clothes,

when their hands tremble as they comb their hair,

please don't hurry them,

because as you grow up gradually,

they'll grow old eventually.

They will be contented as long as they are near enough to behold you,

it'll bless their hearts,

when the day comes when they can't stand for long or walk without aid,

when you hold them tightly, and walk closely besides,

just like

the good old days, when they held you closely by their side...

The Gardener's Hands

A gardener can't cultivate beautiful plants without soiling his hands. Working under the hot sun, tilling the soil, handling fertilizer, planting the seeds and watering them are all work of care and patience. He has faith that the seeds will sprout into seedlings and grow up bearing its flowers and seeds of its own in due season.

The Son of God can't save us if He prefers His pearly throne and crystal sea. He has to abandon His glory to walk amongst us and be as one of us, weak and vulnerable. But He's not afraid to get involved with our messy lives. He works for our good and His motives were pure.

I've heeded God's promptings to do the good works He has prepared for me to do, nothing great and noteworthy, but just some work He thinks I should be able to handle, and I am trying to do them. While my spirit is indeed willing, my flesh is getting weaker by the day as I see my work being sabotaged from the left and the right again and again... But it's not my work actually, it's God's work for I'm just a vessel, a willing vessel (a cracked pot).

You can't work for God without loving people. You can't love people without getting involved. And you can't avoid getting hurt and disappointed when you get involved. You'll need a great deal of faith and hope to believe that the troubles you face are indeed transient.

Lives don't get changed over night. Characters take a life time of transformation even when it's by the power of the Holy Spirit. I'm a little overwhelmed by the load, and am in need of wisdom and discernment going forward, but I've not given up...

Analisa, my good blogger friend and sis-in-Christ has advised me not to be weary in well-doing, for I'll reap in due season if I do not loose heart...

Loneliness

I will never forget a simple but impactful greeting card which I've seen years ago. It was drawn in cartoon and it conveys an endearing and encouraging message that is applicable to all who are downcast.

It shows a dejected little lamb sitting helplessly by the lake, looking despondent and staring aimlessly into the water. In its misery, it has failed to notice that its reflection has that of Jesus sitting by its side! Lo and behold, the invisible Good Shepherd has in fact an arm around the little lamb, quietly supporting and comforting it!

That card speaks volume! And it is still speaking to me today.

The 3 Truths About Shit

Life has been a little serious for me recently and my younger son gave me a good laugh with this joke, here it goes...

A little bird was frozen stiff in mid flight during one harsh winter and dropped to the ground. While it laid there helplessly, a cow came by and shit on it. The heat from the dung actually thawed the bird and it was so happy that it began to chirp! Just then, a hungry cat passed by, and despite the filth, picked the bird out from the shit and ate it!

The three morals of this story are:

1. Not everyone who gets you into shit is your enemy.
2. Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
3. And when you're in deep shit, keep quiet!

Have a nice day! :)

Homeless Man Sings Praises To God

Got this from Godtube:

The Touch Of The Master's Hand

Balancing On Life's Beam

Francis Chan, Senior Pastor of a Church based in California, has every reason to veer into the wrong path while growing up because of the gross misfortunes he faced in his childhood. Yet he is an overcomer because he has chosen God in his life. I'm sure after watching this, you'll be inspired to google him and listen to all his encouraging sermons on youtubes. :) May the Lord bless you all.

Moving Forward

I am someone who need to reflect on past events, make sense of them, seek closures before I can move on in life. However many a time, seeking closure to past events take longer than necessary when I'm plagued by feelings of guilt and misgivings.

This morning I've a sudden revelation. I found myself asking me, "Hey, you're breathing this morning aren't you, you woke up this morning, you managed to wake up didn't you?" I nodded in agreement with myself that God has decided in His mercy, patience and wisdom that I'm worth a second chance, a third chance, and many many more chances to come. That God sees eternity in His perspectives, that He holds our lives in His hands. We are required to live simply by faith everyday of our lives no matter how many times we've fallen. His forgiveness nudges us forward as we learn to stand up again and again.

Moving forward, my greatest challenge is to learn to work quietly and humbly at my place of work, for God. This isn't easy at all, what, to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, trust God etc... but I really want to live as one who has been in fellowship with Christ ...

In navigating life's journey, try to stay calm in the boat with Jesus. :)

Blog Interview

Mike from www.bloginterviewer.com did a short interview with me.

He says, "It is not mandatory, but we always appreciate it when our interviewees mention their interview with us on their blog or post a badge in their sidebar. This not only promotes your blog, but also shows that we interviewed you. Starting April 1st we'll be giving up to $1,000 in prizes to the top 18 rated bloggers for the month of April. To vote you and your readers must come to the blog interview and click on the "Thumbs up" button. The top rated blogs are also showcased on the sidebar of the site for everyone to see."

Those of you who would like to be interviewed yourself can write to Mike at michaelrthomas@gmail.com . :)