Getting There

The church magazine was finally distributed the past Sunday. Below is my editorial:

Last November, my family and I visited Osaka. Before the trip, I imagined the wonderful autumn scenery greeting us there. I was disappointed however. Most of the trees by the roads and in the parks were partly red and partly green. Just not quite there yet.

In life, the just not quite there yet period can be quite unsettling, fraught with both anxiety and anticipation. Ask Ewan who entered Primary One this year. One part of him was excited about new experiences (like buying food during recess); the other part was still longing for the familiarity of kindergarten.

Preparing for my wedding is another example. Of course I was looking forward to the big day. But there was also an unending list of “To-Do” things which never seemed to get done. Awaiting the birth of my first born was another stressful period because it had been a difficult pregnancy. But there were times of joy too when I felt him so alive in my womb.

I know a couple of guys who too were caught in the not just quite there yet predicament. One was given a mammoth building project which took him YEARS to complete. He had the help of only his small family (wife, 3 sons and their wives). All the other people around him were wicked and evil. Another guy I know was told to uproot his entire family. He was given a promise that he would be made into a great nation. Have I told you that he was 75 years old when this happened and that he was childless as well? Well, he got there. He was a century old when his heir was born. But before he got there, he had to deal with complicated domestic issues involving another woman (raise your eyebrows) and other challenging problems. Then there was another who was anointed king when he was only an ordinary shepherd boy in his teens. He got to be king only when he was 30 years old. Before that, he was a wanted man fleeing from one hiding place to another.

These guys were like you and me. The next stage of their lives seemed so unreachable. And yet, for all the problems they faced, they remained faithful.

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith, he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. Hebrew 11:7

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went even though he did not know where he was going. By faith Abraham, even though he was past age – and Sarah herself was barren – was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who made the promise. Hebrew 11: 8, 11

I pour out my complaint before him;

before him I tell my trouble.

When my spirit grows faint within me,

It is you who know my way.

Psalm 142: 2-3 (A prayer of David when he was taking refuge in a cave)

Our Lord Jesus Christ himself was first a baby, a toddler, a young boy and a youth before starting his ministry at 30 years old and fulfilling God’s plan of salvation 3 years later when he died on the cross for all mankind. Jesus took 33 years to get there.

Nearer home, there are many among us who have to deal with the ups and downs while getting there. Moments is grateful to all who contributed and shared on this subject in this issue.

As surely as the leaves turned red eventually last autumn, God will surely see that you get there too.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hebrews 6:19

Serving Him & You,
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