Don't Waste Your Life

Ten years, and not a wisp of regret. What can I do that would give sufficient honour and glory to Christ for the past 10 years of grace?

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight." So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."

Joshua 4:1 –7

Christ, has in 10 years, given me more than I could ever think or imagine. At this point in my life, I would say even that without Christ, there would be nothing in my life. My life would be empty, I would be nobody, and I would have nothing at all. Without Christ, I wouldn’t have my family as it is today. My family has changed so much over they years that we have come to submit under the Lordship of His name. Without Christ, I would not have social work, which is really everything to me at this point. I cannot imagine doing anything else with my life, and at its core is Jesus’ perfect and unconditional love to the oppressed, neglected, forgotten and invisible ones of our society. Without Christ, I wouldn’t have my precious precious Di, who was an answer to the prayers of my Nav mates in claiming Psalm 37:4 for me. Without Christ, I would not have the friends and brothers and sisters that I have had for so many years and whom I have come to treasure. Xiao-zhen, you’re one of those great treasures. Without Christ, I would not have come to be transformed in my heart, to hold the values of love and mercy I now hold so dear. Without Christ, perhaps I would still be Mr Shameless, and still unredeemed from the rumours of Liren’s-MCP-ism that others spread of me.

Without Christ, I would have nothing. Oh why then, does my heart stray to think I could survive a moment without Him?

As the Israelites were told to put down 12 stones to remember the work of the Lord, so will I do the same this day. That when my children ask me what these stones are for in the future, I may say it is to remember the work of Christ.

Stone 1: April 12, 1998, Easter Sunday. Rev Soo’s message was used of God to regenerate my lost and weary soul.

Stone 2: 1998-1999 Xiao-zhen came into my life as my classmate, and subsequently became the first person to disciple me in my walk with Him. She still is the most amazing lady I know. My very very dear sister, I count you as one of the greatest blessings God has ever given me. It thrills me even more to know that we are in the same field. May we truly be His channels of blessing.

Stone 3: August 1998 – Lide received Christ under the preaching of Rev Stephen Tong, and God completed the regeneration of our family.

Stone 4: 2000 I began schooling in Hwa Chong JC, and was challenged to help set up a group where Christians could gather to find support and fellowship. It wasn’t easy though, we started off with barely 2 people, and after all that prayer, the Lord saw it pleasing to bless this ministry. It now runs consistently with a gathering of about 20 people. This was the first time I had a chance to serve.

Stone 5: 2002 I started to serve in church as well, taking up the challenge to do many other things I have never done before. Bible study, cell groups, prayer, worship leading. Over the years, I have started to see lives changed as a result of encounters with God and experiencing His grace.

Stone 6: 2003 We had the first mission camp under Joe of YWAM. Till today, I have never experienced the presence of God in the same way. Many of my youths were changed totally as a result.

Stone 7: 2004 The first time I heard the call of God to serve in social work.

‘if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.’

Deuteronomy 15: 5, 7, 10-11

Stone 8: December 2004. I was praying about one of my trips to Thailand to spend some time with orphans who had lost their parents to AIDS. And suddenly I saw a boy’s face in my mind’s eye. I kept wondering why I saw this face, but I also knew it was easy to visualise a dark-skinned, gruffy looking boy when praying for orphans. But when I arrived at the door-step of the orphanage in Thailand, there was a boy standing right at the door of the orphanage. At that moment, my eyes turned wet and I teared uncontrollably. I found out that this boy was the only boy in the entire orphanage. It was that moment when I first saw him that I believed the Lord first placed His compassion in my heart.

Stone 9: The Boxing Day tsunamis happened shortly after we came back from Thailand. I wanted so bad to go down on-site and do something to help, but nobody wanted me because I had no skills. At that point, I really wanted to be trained in something useful, and Social Work kept sticking on my mind. I could only pray for the victims. A while after that, the Lord prepared me to go by saying ‘My child, if you pray for me to comfort these people, you should prepare to become the answer to your own prayer.’ A few days after that, He opened a chance for me to go to Aceh to work with some of the grief-stricken Acehnese orphans.

Stone 10: The journey in Social Work, in NUS, in NUSHA. These years have prepared me well, and moulded my character. Especially in the final year, I think I have found a rare kind of safety and security that I can enjoy when I’m with my enmeshed classmates. Such deep blessings.

Stone 11: Cy. Need I say more?

Stone 12: All the people who have come to know Christ with a measure of my involvement, great or small. Michelle, Chuanjie, Yijun, Jasper, Kevin, Junren. May God be with you.

These 12 stones don’t even come close to describing all the things that God has done for me. Perhaps sometimes the greatest work that God does is not in the big thunderbolts from heaven, or the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. Sometimes, it is in that little tweaking of our hearts, more and more each day to embrace Him and love Him as He should be. Oh Christ! My all-consuming treasure.

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

-Matthew 13:44