Learning Patience From Children

True it is that we can learn so much from children. And many times, it entertains us, too, as we get struck with amazement with their innocent philosophies in life.

My wife Gracia has a nephew named Daniel who is growing very curious and intelligent as he explores the whys of life. When he was only four-year old, he was running from the kitchen with a raw egg from the fridge in one of his hands. Puzzled Gracia was, she watched after him as he went into his room and put the egg underneath the soft pile of blankets. When he was asked what was that for, he hushed them and innocently said that it would hatch into a chick in one of the incoming weeks! The faith and anticipation in his eyes had almost convinced them that the cold raw egg would really hatch into a chick one day. They couldn’t help but laughed at his being a child.

This story made me realize that if only we could develop the same faith children do have, there would be nothing impossible in this life. And to imagine the feeling of having that so strong faith with no hint of doubt but pure surrender and trust in the LORD, how great that could be!

Sometimes it is funny that as we grow older and learn many things in life, we are also in process of losing the true wisdom there is in life. Our senses and logic get confused with daily events in our personal lives that it would be a lot better if we could practice a quiet time and listen to what God wants us to do.

When Daniel was already seven, he saw a mall commercial on TV and he so wanted to go to the mall right that time at seven in the morning! He was pestering his mother, Gracia’s sister, as he followed her all around the house, insisting that they go into the mall. He was told many times that same morning that he needed to wait until ten of that morning when the malls would be open for customers. But he never gave up and was so insistent on going to the mall. His mother got irritated that she lost her patience and told him that he was becoming so impatient.

“Daniel, don’t you know how to wait? You’re so impatient!”

Daniel was silent for a couple of seconds then turned to his mother.

“Mama, one plus one..?” Daniel asked.

With brows knitted in confusion, his mother answered, “Two?”

“See? You are not patient either! Did I say ‘equals’ already? Did I say one plus one equals? No. Did I?”

And he was right! The first time I was told this little story I was so amazed.

Sometimes we adults tend to be impatient with everything in life. When we pray for something we so want and need, we tend to grow impatient begging God to send His answer right away! In some occasions we even set our own date when to receive the answer to that prayer.

In Bible, one of the amazing stories of true faith is of Job’s life. He had been so faithful to the LORD throughout the courses of hardship in his life. He was a man of great wealth. In one day all of his sons and daughters died, all of his wealth was lost, and a terrible disease afflicted him. He remained faithful although there was a time he came to a point that he questioned God’s justice. Despite all this, God was pleased with him and Job found peace in his experience of God and he was rewarded for his faith which grew in patience and hope. All his fortunes were restored.

I know it is not easy to find a quiet time and indulge ourselves in God’s presence. Sometimes a day, or a night, is not enough to finish everything. But through constant practice, there is nothing impossible. Besides, God never will forsake us. We just need to ask Him to take over and give us the strength and wisdom to do His will. #

Reporting,
Fernand Yim

We All Need To Change

Have you felt like running in circles that you seem like not going anywhere? Truth is, that is exactly my current issue. But God knows us and the life or situation we are in. And God knows best.

Seth, not his real name, had been a Christian for more than ten years now but he still finds himself struggling when it comes to lust. He had said many prayers and had confessed many times and yet, he always commits the same sin over and over again. He feels blessed that whenever he fails, he can always fall on his knees and pray sincerely and he believes God will always forgive him. But how long God would forgive him?

In every prayer, he longs to change and stop asking forgiveness for the same sin. He even has made promises to God that he will never ever do it again. Whenever he prays like that, he becomes so determined to change and yes, he is consistent for like a couple of weeks. But then again, he will fail and do the same sin and make another tearful prayer.

There comes a time that he feels like worrying so much that God might get tired of him and will not listen to him anymore. So next time he has to pray for the same issue, he also includes a request for the Lord to be so patient with him. He fears so much that God might not listen anymore the next time he needs to pray for the same issue.

You might be like Seth. Perhaps it is for a different issue. But obviously we all long to change. We all need to change. This is the main topic of the preaching in the Anniversary Series in our local church. Pastor Ernie is right when he said that to change is so challenging. The topic grew to changes needed from within ourselves to our society, to our government, to our very culture.

He talked about the three hindrances to our personal changing for good which are listed below.

1. Ourselves. True it is that we always say that we would change, that we would not do it again, that we would not let it to happen again. But we always fail. No matter how hard we try, we always come to fail. Pastor Ernie explained that it is because we are unfaithful and inconsistent which is very true. Also, it is because change is very uncomfortable for us. Does it mean it is hopeless to change?

2. Labeling on us of discouraging and not-so-good words. Even before we start on acting towards the goal of changing, people would say words to us like, “That won’t last.” “Count few days and you will do it again.” “You are like that and will be like that for the rest of your life.”

3. The people around us. One of the reasons why we are struggling to change is because of the other involved party. Like for a wife who is always praying for her husband to change, that he would finally come home earlier. Then one time the husband quits meeting his friends after work and goes home early to spend more time instead with his family, especially with his wife. The wife is happy. However, the husband wants to spend time talking with his wife which should be okay. Problem is that the wife has other hobbies which need her attention such as watching her primetime favorite shows. Right there she has realized that she herself also needs to change.

So does it really mean we will never change and it is hopeless to change? The Bible talks about the anchor which is our faith which has a huge part for us to change.
Change is possible because God is faithful (Hebrews 6:13). And what a great comfort it is in Malachi 3:6 when God said, “I the LORD do not change. So you are not destroyed.” It is because to change is not dependent on us but is solely dependent on God. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17.

So how can we change? 2 Timothy 2:11-13 says that “If we died with him, we will also live with him…” It only means to say that we need to stop trusting in our own will and own effort to change ourselves. We need ‘to die’ with Jesus as He died on the cross to redeem us all from death and sins. And we need to start believing in the LORD that He alone could have us all changed. When we say ‘to die’ here, we mean to say to surrender all to Him, all of us and every detail of ourselves to Him. This is the only way we can change.

Philippians 1:6 says “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Jesus has done it all for us. He was the one who started it all and He is also the one who will finish it all for us. We just need to have the right faith and that is in Jesus Christ alone.

God does the change. If God has changed us this far that if we look back to what we used to be like before and compare that to what we are now, reflect on the every detail of it, you will discover how far you had changed. And it was by the grace of the Lord. And the good news is that He, the Christ, will bring us all to the rest of this journey.

There will be a time that change will happen in us. #

Reporting,
Fernand Yim

Nothing Can Ever Separate Us From His love

“For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Death can’t and life can’t. The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away. Our fears of today, our worries about tomorrow, or where we are―high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean―nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when He died for us.” Romans 8:38-39

True it is that world is so sick today. There are so many things happened just the last decade. Many thought that the world was to end. Many lost their faith. I personally saw how people in my country went in despair. Now that I am planning to have my own family by around next year, I am thinking what world my future children would live with. As a future parent, I want the best for my future children. But how could I protect them all against the world? Just when the new decade hit the calendar, great earthquake in Haiti killed many lives. What else to come?

Then as if God wanted to remind me of something, I read the above verses in my Bible and I felt an instant comfort in His words. I was a bit ashamed of myself that just because of what my eyes are seeing, I was losing my faith. I realized that the more my eyes see, the more I should trust in the LORD. Anyway nothing really in this world can save us but only Jesus Christ.

Now I am happy and feel so comforted. I am praying to God that He would use me more to extend this hope and faith in my heart to all the people of the earth, starting with my loved ones and acquaintances. #

Reporting,
Fernand Yim