For those in Melbourne, I hope you haven’t frozen. I know I won’t. My first electricity bill since the onset of winter arrived, and it’s 4x my normal bill. You know why? Because….. I use 4x more electricity too! 😂

Perhaps I won’t laugh about it when the next one arrives (as the utility rates are increasing this month!). Anyway, I’m so glad winter solstice has passed, so more daylight everyday (at a rate of half a min longer a day? Still exciting, I look forward to long days ahead 😊).

I sleep more in winter, but hopefully more than just hibernating like the wombats. To avoid switching off, let’s use some conserved energy indoor for reflections. Here are some thoughts from recent months.

A switch fr sadness to delight ☹️➡😁

Sometimes you see people go from feeling depressed and desperate to saying, ‘Life is good, I’m liking it now,’ and you’re happy for them. That’s okay.

But I’ve been thinking about it more. People say things like ‘God is good’, ‘Praise God for His blessings’ when they’re happy. When they think it warrants more celebration, they post on social media, basically saying: God is so good because I’m enjoying my life so much now.

And that’s fine too, as far as we know ourselves. Are you sure it’s God you delight in?

Here’s what I mean. One day, I felt down when a well-meaning friend talked to me about finding joy in God despite life’s difficulties. My friend said all the right things.

It’s good as far as the theory goes – drawing close to God who is the source of true joy. But in reality I see we often become happy only when the circumstance (that initially made us sad) changes. Internally, nothing changes – we are the same, just responding to situations. Now that we get what we want, we’re happy. When things go wrong, we’re upset again. All the talk about God being the source of joy rarely really cut it in individual’s life. Most become better because there has been a change in circumstance, while inside we are the same sulking child who is as far from God as ever. So I think we often kid ourselves when we say ‘God is good’. If your pleasant circumstance instantly turns upside down now, will you still sing the same? God is still the same God, isn’t He?

That’s why sometimes being in a pit for a prolonged time can be a well of great blessing from God. It is when your situation doesn’t change and remains hurting that you instead are forced to change in time, as your perspective (on yourself, others, God, and life) clears, as the heart little by little aligns to God’s, as desires gradually made ordinate, and priorities re-shuffled to matters of the kingdom.

Otherwise, there’s much subconscious empty chatter in the Christian community while in fact everyone’s chasing after the same things, consumed, distracted and are desperate for the same old things of all time since the beginning of the world. We imagine we are joyful in God, but it’s shown for the lie it is when our idols are taken away and we’re back unconsoled and inordinately pre-occupied with it. Nothing has fundamentally changed, we’re still all the same controlled and steered about by circumstances.

Human hearts are dark and as deceitful as the devil himself. Hence the need to be vigilant, and then perhaps our pain may lead to joy while we’re still in the midst of it, and our hearts can sing more in tune with this hymn, because it is in the same God that our joy resides.

1. Thanks to God for my Redeemer,
Thanks for all Thou dost provide!
Thanks for times now but a mem’ry,
Thanks for Jesus by my side!
Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,
Thanks for dark and stormy fall!
Thanks for tears by now forgotten,
Thanks for peace within my soul!

2. Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,
Thanks for what Thou dost deny!
Thanks for storms that I have weathered,
Thanks for all Thou dost supply!
Thanks for pain, and thanks for pleasure,
Thanks for comfort in despair!
Thanks for grace that none can measure,
Thanks for love beyond compare!

3. Thanks for roses by the wayside,
Thanks for thorns their stems contain!
Thanks for home and thanks for fireside,
Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain!
Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow,
Thanks for heav’nly peace with Thee!
Thanks for hope in the tomorrow,
Thanks through all eternity!

When smile turns to frown 🙂➡😕

Have met difficult people yet this year? For sure you have. I have, and may be you and I have been the difficult people to others too!

We can hardly pass one week without any conflict or difficulties in relationships, let alone past half a year! Here are some ways of thinking I find useful to think about at those times.

~ What is the mature response?

The older we get, hopefully it reflects in our response. For a start, we know being Christians calls for a different response from our default impulse 😠

Over the years, I gradually tried to look at upsetting situations as an opportunity to respond rightly. It normally involves people, so a question to ask is, ‘What is the kind thing to do?’

Someone said to me, ‘It is always better to be kind.’ Easier said than done, but I’ve found it true again and again.

It is very unnatural for me to be empathetic, so it’s something I’ve had to learn. Trying to be in people’s shoes, to try to see what brings them there, what struggles they may have that I know not of?  Mind you, may be there is nothing – and they’re just as bad as you thought. Even then, it remains God’s place to judge because He knows all, meanwhile it is mine to be kind (by choice and not ignorance).

So, what is the mature response? Remember, it is children who report right away any trivial matter that crosses their way. We do the same as adults when we hear or experience something, can’t handle it and so pass it on as quickly as it gets to us by telling others about it.  No, make it a habit to internalise it and reflect upon it first. Certainly talk to God first, and examine your own heart before spitting out all over on others.  Other than learning to hold back, I have also learnt to consider with whom I am sharing, knowing the hearts of men. At the same time, still recognising it is always going to be like this in this world, risks in relationships and trust. Look, it is a broken world and a fallen humanity after all, so it’s only correct that it is this way.  Hence, I need to remind myself to adjust my expectation.

So, choosing to be kind. But there had been times earlier this year when I felt I had no capacity for that. What can you give when your tank feels empty?  I felt like God demanded something of me that I did not have. Then I learnt that’s exactly the difference it should make being God’s child.  I can still give when I don’t have it, because I am but a channel, He is the source. I have to take it from Him, the strength, the love, and gentleness I don’t have. Thank God.

~ See your whole life as a response 🤲

I heard a talk recently where the speaker asked, ‘So, do you really have a relationship with God?’

He said if the relationship is real, you won’t be so worried about people’s approval and acceptance, or that mindful about your reputation before others, or so concerned about loneliness when you experience it.

It makes sense when you think about it. Even on the human level, we can see how that works. If you have someone dearest to you with whom you are secure, why should you be troubled when others think less of you? You already have the attention of the one you most delight in.

He said something else that is very helpful. We know as Christians we live our lives in way of saying, ‘Thank you, God,’ because we have first received His kindness.

So imagine, if someone does something nice, and you merely thank him/her in return, do you expect to be thanked back again? Likewise, if your act of kindness is just a response of thanks, and you are not thanked for it, what is the problem?

God is kind to me, so I respond in thankfulness by the way I live. That’s the end of the story.

Of course one is vertical relation with God and the other is horizontal relation with other humans. Horizontally, sure we may be hurt. But it’s important to remember that vertically, not only He never owes us anything, but we are always and will always be indebted to Him who loves us literally to death ✝

~ Fight the right enemy 🧐

When someone hurt you, setting up defences or fighting back is engaging in the wrong battle.

Instead, we recognise there is a spiritual battle behind and beyond all we see and experience. To fight well is to recognise the enemy of the battle. Retaliation is exactly what the devil wants us to do. The right response is how to remain godly.

As Christians, the fight is to grow in Christlikeness. Take the difficulties as an opportunity for growth. We will only do that if we recognise the kind of spiritual battle we are in, so not to be distracted or dictated by people’s treatment of us or other experiences that befall us in life.

Oops, realised I’ve gone on too long this time. Let’s pause right here and continue another time, hope some of that are helpful.