Patience

Dear all,

I finally had the chance to have Grace read to me what Xuecheng wrote. Xuecheng, do not be disappointed. I can assure you that we are fervently praying for the fellowship. Remember what Rev. CK Wong preached several weeks ago? I believe it was from the book of James that he preached. Christians are all too familiar with the word "trials" but sometimes I think our interpretation of what constitutes a "trial" only encompasses physical suffering or mental anguish. I believe that the word "trials" has far greater implications---especially for Christians. In particular, I think having a heart of apathy, is also a trial. It may not be a trial for the human mind but it's definitely a trial for the Holy Spirit within us. Too much apathy and your Spirit can be crushed out of existence. Learning to care when you don't really feel like caring is one of the things that I personally have struggled with over the years. I keep telling myself, "You have to care because that's what you're called to do." Certainly this is true but there isn't enough trust behind the statement to actually make us change---at least not for any sustained period of time. True caring, I think, is only going to come by way of conviction by the Holy Spirit. So we're back to the age old question that many Christians struggle with: "How do I invite the Holy Spirit to live in me all the time?" I don't have the definitive answer but I will say that Rev. Ko is absolutely correct that it at least begins with true and regular devotions.

Our fellowship is in a difficult stage. There has to be some repair work done and fuel added to the fire. For myself, the repair work has to start within my heart first. I have to repair the years of damage caused by laziness and apathy. Lack of consistent and truthful worship in my devotional life has been like a cancer of sorts. There were good days and there were bad, but what was fundamentally lacking was consistency. Hopefully, that has changed and these days, I truly do feel much more in touch with God. I don't really view devotions as something I have to do anymore. Rather, they are something I want to do. Perhaps one day, spending time with God will be a primal need just like breathing, eating, and sleeping.

That said, one thing I've learned over the last little while is the need for patience. Things simply don't happen overnight. This has been in my mind in almost everything that I see these days. When I see Hannah, sometimes I wonder why it is that human development is so much slower than any other species. How many other species in the world are such that an offspring has absolutely no chance of survival after about a year? I look outside my house and I see a tiny tree and I wonder "how long do I have to wait before this tree will be big enough to build a tree house on top of?" And then I realize that by the time that happens, I will likely have returned to dust. Cast iron (which is generally regarded as a superior for machinery) is best if it has been "aged". That is, left to cool down very slowly and to let the stresses relieve themselves out of the iron. Even relationships of quality need to be developed over the course of time. Anyway, as I reflect on these things every day, I realize that the saying "slow and steady wins the race" really does ring true. We must have a fervor for Christ, yes. But change doesn't happen overnight and, often, we must wait upon the Lord for direction and for strength.

Grace and I just finished reading Joshua and one phrase keeps popping up over and over: "Do not be discouraged."

I hope that I can figure out how to get the comments to show underneath the original post (rather than appearing as a new post). I also hope to figure out how to be informed whenever there is a new post. I thought this feature was available but I can't seem to find it!!

In Him,
Charlton