Is 12:16 am and supposedly I should be working on a work project. Well, procrastination kicks in and my mind (and my mouse) wanders….
So I finished the book Eric Liddell Pure Gold. In the movie, Chariot of Fire, it portrays Eric Liddell’s leading up to the Olympics. The book spent majority of the time post Olympics when Eric was in China as a missionary.
Tonight, I was sharing with a brother that Eric felt and tried to live Sermon on the Mount as practical as he could when he was under occupation by the Japanese in China during World War Two. I thought about that on my long ride on Sat. I thought about it in the pool today. As I was going back and fourth, stroke for stroke, I wondered how I could live Sermon on the Mount as practical as I could. Love your enemies. Where’s my enemies? I was a bit ticked off that someone was swimming slower in the fast lane. I instantly remembered what Eric said, “to love ALL MEN“. Not some, not those that are likable. But to love all men. I am reminded to surrender my pride (if you read my last post, dead man have no pride..though dead man doesn’t swim very well :P) .
…random surfing and I landed on this post:
Our world is incessantly cruellest to our most vulnerable. We allow our mentally ill to wander around in the snow, frightened out of their minds at the shifting shadows and the loneliness. We let our poor to scrounge for scraps of past-best-before-date cans – stuff we wouldn’t think of serving ourselves – at the food bank and throw at them our leftover, unwanted food. We leave raped children-turned-prostitutes like trash on the streets, shaking our heads at their skimpy outfits. It’s insane. And then we charge into their lives on our high horses as volunteer “do-gooders” to try and fix problems in a few, wee hours mustered up sometime during Christmas or Easter. Then we go home and tsk at how smelly, dingy, baggy, dirty, dopey, those poor folks were, and how much they loved our wonderful, gracious, delightful plop of food we put on their plates or set beside them on the ground in the street. What the hell?—
Today I chatted with another sister about Famine 30. I was sharing that for me to give up food for 30 hours is not that bad. Honestly. I mean, if the idea of famine 30 was to make us understand what it likes to live as one below the poverty line, well, why NOT TRY and live beneath the poverty line? I do not want to play poor. (Side note: I am not here to bash Famine 30. I still think it is a very worthwhile cause).
I am trying to remind myself that I should not feel like on a high horse coming down to serve the poor. That’s God’s job. He is the Deliverer. I am only do my part with the blessings that He provides.
HAPPINESS is to have enough for the day’s needs with always some to spare for those who have not. – a poem by Eric in one of his annual report sent back to London Missionary Society.
There are many things we can look for in life to be happy. One can find satisfaction with career, relationships, with traveling, with triathlon :O, with entertainment…in the western world where we crave for new experience, the list goes on and on. I think happiness is not about getting more but rather doing less and giving up more. Give up more on things in life and focus on one or two thing that where we see God is at work.
Just as the 12 who gave up all their belongings and follow Christ (John 6:66-67). On the way drive back home, I am wondering, am I giving up enough? Looking at what Peter said…hmm..I think I should give more :o)
Need to pray and discern His Will.
