Family

F A M I L Y

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
'Oh excuse me please' was my reply.

He said, 'Please excuse me too;
I wasn't watching for you.'

We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said goodbye.

But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still.

When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
'Move out of the way,' I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed,
God's still small voice came to me and said,

'While dealing with a stranger,
common courtesy you use,
but the family you love, you seem to abuse.

Go and look on the kitchen floor,
You'll find some flowers there by the door.

Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.

He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes.'

By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.

I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
'Wake up, little one, wake up,' I said.

'Are these the flowers you picked for me?'
He smiled, 'I found 'em, out by the tree.

I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue.'

I said, 'Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way.'
He said, 'Oh, Mom, that's okay.
I love you anyway.'

I said, 'Son, I love you too,
and I do like the flowers, especially the blue.'

FAMILY
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company
that we are working for could easily replace us in
a matter of days.
But the family we left behind will feel the loss
for the rest of their lives.

And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more
into work than into our own family,
an unwise investment indeed,
don't you think?
So what is behind the story?

Let's just pause for a moment and think about the way we treat our family (ones here in TTDIGC). I pray and hope that God will touch your heart as you ponder over this.

God bless =)

FOR Christ

I found this article in my computer, it was written and published in the weekly bulletin 3 years ago. Nonetheless, still useful.


Dear Diary,

It certainly has been a long time since I last penned down my thoughts after the youth camp. Last Sunday, the speaker spoke about the application on the epistle of Philippians. What captured my attention first was the youthfulness of the speaker not to mention his soothing voice. I guess that somehow helped me to concentrate better on his message (no offense to the older folk ;- )

Uncle Peng Kit reminded me that the core of my Christian life is to be as well as remain pure and blameless until the return of our Lord. To me, to be pure and blameless means that I have to give up all the worldly pleasures of a growing up teenager and to be completely set apart for Christ. Meaning, no latest fads and good-bye peer pressure. I struggle with this quite often in my life. I, being a teenager of the 21st century mean that I should keep myself constantly updated on the latest music, handphones, fashion, and much much more. But God tells me that even though I am in the world, I MUST not be part of the world. So besides letting go the latest fads, I must also imitate Christ for He is the only pure and blameless one.

Next, he touched on the verse, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain,” This particular verse hit me hard on the face for the speaker drove it home in a new light. He mentioned that the ONLY driving force behind Paul’s life is Christ! Wow, and to think that some of us live not only for Christ but also to enjoy the pleasures of life, for example, having a good game of football, listening to our favourite piece of music, relaxing in front of the box, sleeping long hours and even eating. Now I truly see the real meaning of this verse. In fact, the whole crux of my faith is in this verse. Not only should I do everything I do unto God’s glory but I shouldn’t be afraid of death as it unites me with my Lord. No wonder a Christian funeral service is much different compared to pagan funerals.

As a student myself, I struggle whenever I have to study a tough subject for exam. But now I find renewed vigor as I toil for my coming trials as I study for God’s glory now. Not that I will have the glory to myself when I get my results but all the glory belongs to God for I study unto God’s glory. That reminds me clearly of my own mother when she studies, she does it with determination. And when the results are out, she will usually pass with flying colours and give God His due glory.

I know that to live FOR Christ is very radical. For I have to really sit down and rethink my entire motivating factor that is driving my daily life. Not many have succeeded and most have stumbled a couple of times. But I take heart in the verse that says “My grace is sufficient for you and my power is made perfect in weakness”. It is my hope that one day I will be able to be like Paul, which is to live for Christ.

The digital clock is blinking steadily past mid-night and I would like to end this few thoughts by echoing the words of Uncle Peng Kit that said, I should not go to church for MY own edification but I should go to church to edify my beloved brother and sisters in Christ.



God Bless =)