Dear…
Last Sunday being Fatherś Day, the hymn sung by the congregation at service that evening was This is my Fatherś World.
What was special for me today was that our good Lord led my fingers to this particular hymn, at the flip of the Hymnal, even before I was aware that it would be the song to be sung.
Indeed God is omnipresent. A truth that all who seek after Him has and continues to experience in our journey on Earth. And how apt the final two lines of this hymn
In the rustling grass, I hear him pass
He speaks to me everywhere
(Hymn : This is my Fatherś World)
It has been 17 years since I followed our Lordś leading to put in the public forum, my journey of following our Lord Jesus Christ.
Six ring files worth of words that our Lord has authored, using me as His pen.
As I revisited some of the testimonies recorded, as well as events and lives of friends and families documented in the footpaths of faith that God has led us to, beyond the nostalgia was this underlying truth
- God is faithful, much as we often struggle to be.
2. The plans of God are always good for us, much as we might not fully comprehend the
seemingly difficult circumstances we often find ourselves in for that moment.
For we are Godś workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
3. God never gives up on His love and purpose for our lives(Daily Bread 18June2018)
He Who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ
Jesus
Philippians 1:6
As of today, I have discarded most of the hard copy record of my past 17 years. Not because I want to forget the past, but rather, I have now put most of it online.
Yet more importantly, the past is an affirmation of the present as well as the future, for God transcends time.
That each and every day of our lives, if we let Him, God will lead us on the wonderful path of life that He has already set for us.
You have made known to me the paths of life, You will fill me with joy in Your presence.
Acts 2:28
And on discards,
Last month was the third time that I found myself involved in an outreach group with the aged.
The previous two were with the recovered patients of leprosy. This time was simply with the aged.
Aging like death is inevitable till Christ returns, but a truth most of us will only acknowledge when circumstances are forced upon us, be it Father Time has caught up with us or an illness or something untoward derail us from our continued pounding on the treadmill of life.
I felt a little troubled during this visit.. Troubled because i met at least 5 men in this Home who by virtue of age should not be there till maybe a decade later at the earliest.
They were about my age. But stroke or some other decapacitating illness had befallen them and much as the face might not as yet display the full ravages of natural aging, the bodily functions had a premature shutdown.
How many more walking timebombs are out there, in their 30s to 50s?
Is this preventable?
In Japan, the aged seems pretty sprightly, at least those who do not work in Corporate Japan.
Fairly mobile which is especially needed in the 160 square feet shoebox apartments that houses most of these old folks who in the main live by themselves.
Looking at the rather immobile lot this morning, be it with the aid of walking devices or wheelchairs, I wonder with the trend towards the Singapore version of shoeboxes, albeit 400 sq ft to 600 sq ft, in our general housing, has anyone thought about ease of mobility within such confined spaces using such mobility aids?
He said, If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, Who heals you.
1 Timothy 4:8
An even more fundamental question that crossed my heart is this - can we as a society age gracefully and negate most of the ill health that seems to struck many of the aged in Singapore?
Is this the direct result of living a life that seeks after everything except the One and only Sovereign God?
Must most end up as discarded widgets from the factory of life, a solitary drooping shadow of a once vibrant individual, bedridden or ensconced in a wheelchair staring into nothingness?
And on more discards
As I approach my 57th year on Earth, I know that I am blessed to have a wonderful past 17 years of joy and peace, resting and abiding in the presence of our Lord.
And even more as I believe He is bringing me to a new season in His service, even as I begin to let go of the ministry fields that He has allowed me to serve in all these years.
Much as I know God will continue to provide the same joy and peace till He takes me home or till Christ returns, it is my prayer that you will also partake in this same experience that He has offered to all who believe and are willing to follow.
The seasons of our life will change, but Godś love for us remains steadfast.
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
20 June 2018
