Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Have you a strong faith?

The world is in chaos. Wars, famines, sickness, plagues, disasters, murders, killings...etc. Why has God allowed these to happen? Does He not love the world He created? Does He not have feelings towards mankind....His most successful creation. But the Good Book has always reminded us that He does these with a purpose. He is teaching us. Telling us that hey!!! what you are doing?? This is not right. Change your lives, and submit to My will. But have mankind taken heed to what He is telling us? The answer is a big NO. He has tolerated our immoral activities for far too long. But all the killings, murders, rapes and so forth.....is this God's doing? My answer would be no. Just remember that the evil one is just as powerful here on earth...but only on earth. Jamming peoples' brains with rubbish and negativity, ruining what God has created.
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With all these "happenings", are we still strong enough to go through life's challenges? Have our faith in God deteriorated, crumpled and thrown away in the rubbish bin and still believe that we are in control instead of God? The reason Im posting this topic today is this.
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Last night, my CG (stands for Cell Group as in Bible Study group) visited a lady church member who was diagnosed with cancer....and no, there's no cure for it. The family is only waiting for time. The husband, a Colonel in the RMAF is a fighter pilot based in Kuantan. He's also a respected leader in our local church's LCEC. His wife's condition has worsened in time and was confined to bed. Her stomach bloatted as if she was pregnant for 5 months. She was in pain so bad that she had to take morphine every one to two hours. Their eldest daughter, who was currently working in Brunei, resigned just to be with her mum, to spend the last days as a family. But in all these circumstances, the family did not blame God. Did not even post a question to the Almighty and did not judge Him. Even to this very day, they have been singing praises to His name for the blessings that they have received all this while. I did not even see a tear in Colonel's eye....he was joyous. Always joking around, laughing, chattering with us as he always have.
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In his house I noticed a lot of pictures of the family. But I am particularly fond of a section where he dedicated his life to God and to his wife. A hanging tablet states "This is the house of the Lord" and another, his marriage vow. We were jokingly saying "Colonel.....the reason you put the vow up is that you forgot about it isit? After 28 years of marriage". All of us were laughing and so was Colonel. But after a while he said "This is always a good way of remembering what we have pledged to each other in the presence of God, till death do us part. Sometimes, we are so busy in our working life that we tend to forget our responsibility towards our spouses and our family. Me, as a husband and a father, I have to lead this family in God's path, never forgetting His blessings and never to turn our back on Him. Even thru rocky hills, ups and downs, we always have to give thanks to God". After he said this, he turned to his wife and said "I love you darling". His wife, while looking still cheerful and happy in between the pains she had to go through, gave him a warm smile and whispered...I love you too. Colonel's request, should we pray for the family is not to pray for special healing or speedy recovery. They are already prepared for the worse.
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Colonel's strong faith is an eye opener. Even through the roughest times, he still stood tall and proclaimed that God is the Almighty, and nothing would separate His love from us and we from Him. Posting this, made me weep. I imagine myself in Colonel's position. What would I do? Will I be cursing God? Would I stumble and fall back instead of going on stronger? I pray for His wisdom, and I pray for His hands to be upon me as I take on this journey in life. And I pray that my faith looks up to Him.
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"Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings".
(Psalm 61:1-4)

10 comments:

Pete said...

Sorry to hear that. Hope Colonel's wife recover soon.
By the way, thks for the award. Got it from cleff also. I put a link to your site on my Kunyit Chicken Recipe post together with cleff.

Anonymous said...

Faith can move mountains!!!...Wah! The colonel so romantic, so lovey-dovey! U and Rachel oso like that lah? LOL!!!

Calvin Soo KJ said...

pete, just so you know, the doc send her back to be with her family. no cure already. just waiting for time. and thanks too.

stp, yeah. its so true. faith CAN move a mountain, if only i have faith that strong. i try to be as loving as i can with rachel. but love is love, not too much pampering :P

Anonymous said...

Wahhhhhh! What the hell T_T this entry makes my eyes water. i have to come back and read it later because my eyes is too watery, cannot read properly. I'll be back to read this again when i am not so emo. :-S

Sobs...I wish my husband's love towards me is as undying as the Colonel...and his wife... I pray God will ease her suffering.

ßrigida ∫chmidt © Copyright said...

In times of a global crisis like this, it seems as though Faith in God is the only thing that people clings into.

Indeed, He who created the world is the only being who can heal the wounds of the earth.

I keep my faith in HIM here in my heart. Through HIM nothing is impossible and that MIRACLE is always possible.

Anonymous said...

I am still emo-ing. :-( Dunno why.

Malaysian Joe said...

well, sometimes I look at it... its a fight well fought, a journey well travelled.. at the end, God says, "Welcome home my child. You have passed your test."

Colonel's family is right in not blaming God... although we tend to ask why? I think I can relate to them well, my mum herself was sick for many years before being called home to the Lord. Am seeking His will and guidance for my next write up...

PerutBesi said...

Bro...which Colonel...V? Tell me more through email...email me!! I wanna know... :(

- Ruth

Calvin Soo KJ said...

clef, still emo-ing?

bridge, amen.

mjoe, i guess being a christian, many people looked up to us. many critisisms and sarcasms as we are supposedly tagged as "saints". any steps that we do wrong....hah!! see. you call yourself a christian. being human and all we still have to face many challenges and obstacles, if not even more than others. i am still seeking His guidance and so is Rachel. we constantly pray together in the morning and night.....we should all rely on His will.

ruth, its vincent lim's wife, aunty irina. been bed ridden for the past 1 1/2 months. now, only waiting for time.....so sad.

Anonymous said...

I really cannot imagine how it's like to be deathly ill, bed-ridden and all those. And most of all, I cannot imagine how it is like to be at her husband's end. :-( If my husband were to be bed-ridden and lying down there waiting for his time to come, I seriously don't know what I'll do. Cry to my heart content? Maybe, but then I too have to be strong for everyone's sake, no matter how devastated I am...I really cannot imagine. Please God, spare me from those.

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