Forsake Us Not

I have no idea what the lyrics in one of our church's communion songs mean until I see what's happening to my mother-in-law, whom in her old age and sickness, has no recollection of who we, her kinsmen are. One part of the lyrics goes something like this, "And when these failing lips grow dumb, and mind and memory flee ... my Lord, remember me." Despite her illness, I still see God's grace in her life.

Some days' back I whispered in her ears, 'Mother-in-law, how are you? I'm ST." She had no response. I continued, "Jesus is with you, every moment..." She nodded in acknowledgement. I stroke her shoulder a little and momentarily she seemed to recognise who I was, but that split-second of recognition subsided just as quickly as it arose and she slipped back into her dazed state.

A few days' before this she was asking her daughter who isn't a Christian what heaven is like and she couldn't answer. So I whispered to her, "You will see Jesus in heaven, father-in-law will be there for you, that is a place with no sickness, pain nor tears..." She didn't respond, her memory has certainly fled. But this I'm sure, God will remember her.

We are doing all we can to make her last days as comfortable as possible.

RSV Psalms 71:

Verse 6: "Upon thee I have leaned from my birth; thou art he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of thee."

Verse 9: "Do no cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent." Verse 17: "O God, from my youth thou hast taught me, and I still proclaim thy wondrous deeds. Verse 18: "So even to old age and grey hairs, O God, do not forsake me, till I proclaim thy might to all the generations to come."

Forgetting...

I had an unhappy incident in Church today, and angry as I was, I knew immediately the importance of putting it behind me as quickly as possible. But it wasn't possible, I couldn't help but kept mulling over it again and again, as if trying to justify to myself that I wasn't at fault in the first place. In all honesty, I still feel that I wasn't at fault...

Anyway, this incident reminded me of the importance of forgetting things.

We have always lauded the merits of remembering things but God has actually given us the blessing of forgetting things. There was a man who had a gigantic memory and he could recall even the most insignificance of things. He worked in a circus showing off his skills in identifying what everyone in the audience did just before entering into the tent. His exceptional gift amazed everybody. However no one knew his agony; how sleep eluded him because he just couldn't switch off his mind.

I can feel his pain to some extent because I have a good memory of past events; things said and done and even the facial expressions. Now, because of what had happened these past few years, I wish I can thoroughly forget about the past.

A few nights' back, a character from a tv drama put it aptly, "I am a happier person now that I'm suffering from Alzheimer's because no matter how bad the news about me or my family and how much my company's stocks have fallen, I forget my unhappiness quickly. I am not at all troubled now."

There is some truth there, some wisdom too. Forgive and forget. It is easier to forgive, but to forget? How often a scene or a word will replay itself in your most unguarded moments or even in your dreams? How often a similar place or familiar scent brings back memories and regrets?

I am going to pray for the ability to forget so that I can live a happier life. Live and let live, let go and I think many of you need this too.

May the Lord be gracious to all of you out there, those who are hurting, that you may forget more bad things and remember more of the goodness of our Lord.

A Little Girl

A 4 year old girl at the kindergarten where I work said to me, "My brother is in K2." Since I am teaching some K2 kids, I asked, "Oh? What's his name?" She replied, "My mommy calls him Darling and calls me Sweetie." :)

Adopted

This is sooo funny!

(And it tugs at my heart's string...)

Hahaha...aww...

What Is True Forgiveness?

What is true forgiveness? This is the tiltle of a booklet from The Discovery Series: "Forgiveness is one of the most misunderstood subjects in the Bible. In this excerpt of his book Forgiveness, author Gary Inrig shares insights from Scripture to help those who are wrestling with the inability or unwillingness to forgive or to admit the need to be forgiven. Discover how you can develop a heart of true forgiveness when you rely on God’s power rather than your emotions in dealing with situations of offense".

You can read its PDF format here.

I was reading this book 3 days' back and learnt a new thing or two about forgiveness. Among the interesting lessons taught are these:

• Just because you're hurt doesn't mean that the other party needs to repent because repentance deals with sins and the other party may not have sinned against you. You can be hurt for various reasons, you could be jealous or annoyed etc. but what the other person has done does not tantamount to a sin. In this case, you'll just have to deal with it yourself, not so much as forgiving the other party but forbearing the other party.
• Jesus was quoted in Luke 17, "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." So after ascertaining that indeed the other party has sinned against you, the first biblical thing to do is to 'rebuke' him, meaning confront him with his offense, and if he repents, then forgive him.
• When I read the 'IF he repents', you know, the IF, I was like, yay, so there's a loop-hole, you mean I can choose not to forgive? No, that wasn't what the book teaches, it emphasized that God would want us to forgive no matter what. It also cautions about the type of attitude we should adopt when we 'confront' the other party about his offence. I'm glad it also recognises the fact that usually people won't admit their mistakes and draws references from the Old Testament Proverbs about the consequences of rebuking a wise man and a fool.
• A very interesting thought here is that God's Word says that if someone sins against you seven times and comes back to you to repent, you're supposed to forgive him again and again. The interesting part is about the possiblility for someone to sin against you and repenting again and again, I mean really recognising his mistake again and again and yet sinning again and again. The author points out that God knows our nature and deal with us in the same way too, forgiving us again and again...

Anyway, I've a better understanding on this topic now and wish to share my blessing with you, come on read it up! Click on the link above! :)

Don't Give Up On Your Child

This is a must watch for parents with autistic children.

Can-Do Attitude

While touring a street in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, we came across this young man with no hands, eking out a living making stalks of 'flowers' from coloured dough. (Apology for the blurred-photo taken from my mobile.)

We went to Mong Kok expecting to see all sorts of merchandise, but was pleasantly surprised to find street troupes performing songs, dance and kung fu. What caught my attention were three individuals; this young man selling dough flowers, a man with terrible scarred facial features and a very old woman begging for alms.

We stopped by all three of them...

We the fortunate ones toured the different places in a different world (Hong Kong and Macau), enjoyed its sceneries and savoured its delicacies. Busy town folks as we are, I often paused to plan the various chores I've had to do once I return home. Ever the anxious woman that I am, I sometimes worry over self-imposed dead lines and 'urgent' tasks left at home. The sight of these three individuals halt my worries.

Who would have more woes than them? Without hands, without a face, without financial support, disregarding one's dignity and literally begging for help in the cold wintry weather? Many people were too busy to stop and look, perhaps it's a common sight for the locals. Yet their presence is a stark contrast to whatever we're planning and doing. Despite their circumstances, they have a choice, to survive or give up and die, of course they choose the former.

The young man wasn't begging, and a few were moved to give to him for his effort. But I saw no one giving to the disfigured man, he was really disgusted to look at and seemed to come straight out of a sci-fi movie, and no one gave to the old lady... We gave and my son consoled the disfigured man who identified himself as a Christian. I wonder whether he was a Christian before or after his accident? Anyway, as long as he is a Christian, I believe that God will watch over him one way or another and I wish sincerely that God will help him further...

Seeing other's misfortunes, I checked myself again, don't worry about life and its chores. How hard can our life be compared to them? Have a can-do attitude in life, no matter how hard or pressing circumstances are, there are still things we can do to help ourselves and things will work out one way or another. For us the children of God we have the added blessing of God's faithfulness.

Make Me A Child Again

Dear Heavenly Father, I remember when I first met you as Jesus, it was your smile and unconditional love which drew me to you. I desired the peace and security found only in You.

As I grew I went back and forth in my faith, but You had proven Yourself Faithful. You'd met all my needs and was there whenever I needed you.

I'd learnt from You, through my obedience and disobedience, through the things I'd done right and things I'd messed up. But You have been forever merciful.

Your compassion never fail.

I am very sorry about my confusion now, happening deep inside my soul. The various doctrines I've encountered, the different stance each Church adopts, the way some believers walk their talk, and worst of all, my own failings, the inability to love without fear for perfect love casts out fear, but I fear and withdrew my love. I would rather live a peaceful life now than to risk being hurt again. I am not at all like You, it seems, though I know I'm made in Your image, though I know that the seeds of the fruit of the Spirit have been planted in me long ago...

Father, how I long to return to the time when I first knew You, when life was less complicated, when I simply believed... A childlike faith, how precious that is! Make me a child again Lord, restore me to Your peace and security.

Thankfulness

I'm thankful that I can wake up in the morning and be able to get out of bed, thankful that I can still see ('cos I've got glaucoma), thankful that I can still move ('cos my mother-in-law can't)...

I'm thankful for my job, it's just across the road, near and convenient, it's simple yet challenging in its own right, stimulating and creative, and it pays a decent income (good enough for me).

I'm thankful for my spouse, he's great, ever so loving and kind to me and our kids.

I'm thankful for my kids, both fully grown (by the grace and mercy of God) in body, mind and spirit. They are my ever source of contention and joy.

I'm thankful for my foster mom, for her salvation and her help in my life.

I'm thankful for my mother-in-law for being the ever understanding elder, even now, despite her illness.

I'm thankful for each new day, all the time left in the days of my live, may I cherish them all and not take a single day for granted...

How Long Have You REALLY Lived?

Surveys have been done on this, adding up the amount of time an average guy spends in his lifetime studying, working, watching TV, waiting in queue, waiting at the traffic light, eating, sleeping etc. and finding out actually how much time he's really awake and living meaningfully.

Recently I find myself mulling over the same thing over and over again, so much so that I'm plagued by those thoughts even in my dreams. It's about things that had happened in the past.

Then it dawns on me how much time I've spent (wasted) living in the past instead of cherishing the present. Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present."

Yes, like the determined orang utan in the picture, I shall live in the present from now on!