James 1:2-5,12 - Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
I scrubbed in and assisted in his subtotal colectomy of a 74 year old patient who had multiple polyps in his duodenum and colon, which shows moderate to severe dysplastic changes. There were 4 of us, the consultant, the medical officer, the houseman, and me. Considering the limited space I had to move around, it can be rather tedious manoeuvering myself to help hold the retractor and do some suction.. got some backache due to muscle spasm as a result of maintaining awkward postures for some time.. of course, got to hear the consultant ridiculing the houseman as the worst person so far to have assisted her during surgery (Moral: need to be sensitive to anticipate the next steps during the operation and be proactive). Surgery was prolonged as the surgeon accidentally cut 1 of the colic arteries, and patient bled into the peritoneal cavity. By the time we were done, super tired - 4 HOURS standing, wah really can die wan leh :p!!! As I prepared to head back to the ward, the consultant laughed at the sight of me being drenched in sweat despite of the air-conditioned operating theatres..
As the season of exam and assignment deadlines in UTM and Monash approaches, it is interesting to listen to people share what they are going through at the moment, and of course uphold our challenges as a lifegroup unto God's hands.
In the past, ever given up in doing something, say telling yourself that you've had enough? 4 years ago in Australia, I remembered starting off being enthusiastic in learning guitar. I was supposed to start off practising the basic finger grip (ie chords), but I got overexcited trying to show off and started strumming away at different songs. When Jason, my ex-shepherd found out, he scolded and banned me from further playing any songs before I got the basics right. After that, I became upset and didn't want to learn guitar anymore. So I did not touch any guitar, until 2 years later when I came to JB.
My current shepherd shared of his previous architecture field expedition to Gunung Mulu in Sarawak, where his classmates and him joined a team for hiking. It was not an easy journey trail, and with 3 checkpoints to reach, many of his friends already decided to turn back at the 1st checkpoint, given the rocky terrain, concern that they might not make it back in time, and many of them suffering bruises and fatigue. Based on his fitness level, he also felt that it was something which could not be done. However, the guide who was with him encouraged him to move on, so they chatted on many things along the way, at times the guide would offer him some water from his giant water bottle. Without realising it, they made it to the last checkpoint.
Even Apostle Paul admitted that he is not perfect yet, but he continues to run towards the prize. Things can appear difficult when viewed the 1st time around, but as you overcome them one by one, slowly it becomes a reference point which you can look back and say "I have persevered.", things will gradually be able to move forward at a faster pace. It builds our character to learn to trust in God through various defining moments, coz it is human nature that we don't like not knowing what lies ahead. Also, just because some things do not seem to be happening at the moment, we need to continue putting in effort, not stop right there coz many times it is not a one-off thing (eg many times, prayers don't get answered instantly, especially if not accompanied by action). Never give up.
Hebrews 12:1-2 - Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
p/s: Happy blessed birthday to Chan, indeed as we look back at birthdays as milestones of how much we have grown, thank you for your partnership in this vision, and helping me to evaluate myself in learning to love, accept and forgive others. Despite his nature, able to see how God is at work changing his life since knowing him in 2008, as he does his best in transport arrangement, babysitting, Sunday school, to staying back to work as a part time teacher while waiting to pursue his Masters, and now making a difference in someone's life.
No comments:
Post a Comment