When "Mummy & Daddy" is lost

Kids should ever be left alone in this world to defend for themselves. Neither should any kid be deprived of parental love, for in this hostile world of ours, perhaps one of the most secure terms that all of us can hold on to is “Mummy & Daddy”. But, what happens when the symbol of the greatest security becomes the most horrifying one?

She came into class, feeling responsible for all the problems that her parents are facing in their marriage. She felt that it’s all her fault that her parents are unemployed. What did she do? She stole from the teacher! She was sick and tired of what’s been happening in her home and so, she stole, hoping that bringing something home would somehow bring a smile to her parents’ faces.

How delicate are the lives of the young ones. Kids walk into our lives with different experiences and backgrounds, and sometimes, we fail to respond according to their needs because they often seem cheerful and happy. But, when we really start looking deep down at the condition of their souls, we will find that most of them are just hungry for a touch of love. All they want is for people to show them a little more loving kindness and to value them for who they are.

I reckon children’s lives are like vases- valuable and fragile. A vase that is broken will forever be left scarred and marked. Similarly, children’s life can be forever marked and scarred if they come to a point where their lives are being stretched almost beyond what they can bear. No doubt we can try to piece the broken bits back together again, but no matter how well you do it; there will always be that mark there.

I only have 12 more days before I finish my attachment in this school. There are so many things that I wish I could do for these kids, but not only do I have limited time; I also have boundaries, which I cannot cross. Nonetheless, I pray that with all the time that I have left, I will take pleasure in investing all that I have to give them a glimpse of what God’s love is all about. For each one of them, no matter what is happening in their lives, may God help me be as accommodating as I can in all possible ways and hopefully, it will serve as an encouragement for the kids to continually make the best out of their lives no matter what the circumstance.

Knowledge VS Wisdom

Our present culture promotes the idea of how knowledge itself is power. The more knowledge you have, the more powerful you are because then, you can use it for your own purposes. For this reason, it becomes usual to equate knowledge with wisdom. But, there is actually a great difference in the two of them. We can be the smartest person alive; having all kinds of knowledge, yet be the most foolish person alive at the same time when we waste our knowledge on doing the wrong things.

The Bible encourages us to equip ourselves with knowledge, but, with the right kind of knowledge. True wisdom is more than just knowing God because it also involves the proper interpretation and application of knowledge in our everyday life. It is the principal thing; the basis and foundation from whence everything else springs, and therefore, we are to seek it above all things (Prov 4:7). Knowledge without wisdom is but a powerless tool in God’s eyes.

Thus, the highest form of learning in life is the learning of wisdom and in order to obtain it, one must have the desire to want it; to be willing to sacrifice all that he has- wealth, desires, time, energy, resources. It is expensive and costly, and it may perhaps take more pains and hard work in comparison to the worldly things being pursued in life right now, but hey, guess what, in return, God is giving us all that He has! He promises a long life to those who earnestly seek it, and health for their souls.

Perhaps being wise is better than being smart, for I have seen many smart people messing around with sin even though they know that it is wrong. It is silly, but it happens. Sometimes, I fall into that trap too. It shows how choosing wisdom is not just an once-in-a-lifetime decision, but a daily commitment to the Lord in choosing between two paths:- the righteous or the wicked.

And so, dear Lord, teach me Thy way; unite my heart to fear Thy name for to fear Thy name is to hate evil. Grant me wisdom & understanding; direction & guidance in all that I say and do in life. Amen.

When Words Kill

I sometimes wish that my speech could be perfect all the time, so then I would not have to watch the disappointment and sadness that some of my careless & hurtful words can bring to a friend. I know this pain for I’ve been there before, a receiver of painful words. And no matter how remorseful I may be after saying those words, I cannot undo the damage that I’ve done. That’s the nature of speech: Once said, and it can never be retrieved.

We all know that words leave a lasting impact, but sometimes, they just leap past our lips in an instant; occasionally, even faster than our brains can consider them. In that unguarded moment, we’ve allowed foolish words to slip out of our mouths. Thus, just thinking about changing our speech is not good enough. We need to go deeper than our brains, all the way to the source of our words- our heart.

Our speech is a reflection of what is in our heart, and one can only produce good things; good speech; life-giving words, if good things are stored up in the heart (Matt 12:35). Therefore, let us make every effort to fill our heart with the wonderful works and Word of God; to nurture it, so that good and loving words may flow out of our sparkling spring- our heart.

The tongue can be an instrument of either a great deal of good, or a great deal of evil; and it has the power to bring life or death, to both its giver and receiver of words. We are free to choose whichever way we want to use it, but let us bear in mind that we will one day reap what we sow. We will be reimbursed accordingly with either the advantages or disadvantages arising from it.

Why learn?

Don't we sometimes love to question the relevance of some of the subjects that are taught in schools? For example, History. I never liked studying world history and so, I remember that when I was back in high school, I always asked, "Why do I have to study this when I'm not even going to use it in my future?" Obviously, I wasn't interested to know the answer, but just asking for the sake of arguing, hoping I could get my way through it somehow.

Likewise, in many other situations, we may not understand why we have to learn certain things, especially when we do not see their connections with our future. There is certainly some truth in that because many of us will now have very little memory of what we have learnt back in our schooling days. For some, it could also well be that they have no recollection of what they have learnt at all! =P

But, maybe God wants us to see the significance that learning has in itself. Perhaps He wants us to learn, to study & experience the process of learning, so that we can come to know Him more with the knowledge we have gained about the process of learning. It is possible that He wants us to apply the knowledge we have about the learning process to study- to wonder, observe & reflect upon His Word since the Bible is the foundation of every true knowledge in life.

It is amazing to see how God can use every lesson & experience in life to teach us more about His work amongst men. I really do have a great and awesome God!