Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

Yesterday I was involved in the Elderly CARE project organized by CADC. By sheer chance, we met up with a few elderly folks from way back when we were volunteers at Nazareth Centre. After many years with them, building up trust, relationship and bond, the elderly activities was terminated and taken over by another NGO. We moved on to serve in other voluntary areas such as battered women, children and youth. Since then, many of the elderly had died but occasionally we still visit the handful left and those who went on to live in nursing home.

Time passes so quickly, that it seems like only not too long ago that I visited this particular family. The husband suffered from a stroke and the wife was the caregiver. They had a son who was then a medium, drug addict and mentally unsound. I remembered how fearful I was then whenever I visit them because the old man was physically handicapped and the old lady was fragile. Their son would always hide at a corner and peeped at me and I often wondered what would happen if he attack me but that did not stop me from visiting them. One day, he spoke to me and talked about how Christianity has changed his life. He was a living testimony on how God works in our life. He found a job and all seem well… a life changing experience that was extremely encouraging. I felt very happy for them and that was the few last times I saw them before my other commitments took over and there were lesser and lesser time for the elderly visit.

Yesterday I was told that the wife had committed suicide 5 years ago, jumping from their 13th floor flat. The husband is now in an unknown nursing home while the son is back to drug and serving a 7 years jail term. As I looked back to those days, I knew the tiring endless demands and stress the wife was facing but never did I expect that she would reach a point of actual burnout emotionally and physically that took her life.

It was sad thinking of them and wondering if I could have done more. Unfortunately although epidemiologic data can help to identify those at risk of suicide, it remains impossible to predict suicidal tendency in any individuals. No one who has never been under those heartbreaking circumstances cannot explain and convince the suffering that there is a precious ray of light in the midst of the dark night. When the going gets tough and the tough gets going, one can literally be overwhelmed to the point of total despair seeing no light at the end of the tunnel. Some things are easier said than done and many things are just not comprehensible at the human level.

Faith, hope and love

FAITH is believing in your heart that good can overcome evil, that the sun can shine in a rainstorm and there is rainbow after the rain. Faith is believing in something you can't see or hear, something deep inside that is difficult to fathom. Faith is trusting in God and yourself enough to know that no matter how things turn out, you will make the best of them. Through faith, we grasp God; promises. Faith allows you to know in your heart before you see with your eyes. "For we walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7

HOPE is not closing your eyes to the difficulties, sufferings or failures in life. It is trusting in a future that is filled with God's promises. To look forward to with confidence that God knows what is best for you. "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

LOVE is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. Faith, hope and love, the greatest of these is love. "Greater love than no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

We who carry the name of Christ

Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military generals who ever lived, conquered almost the entire world with his vast army. One night during a campaign, he couldn't sleep and left his tent to walk around the campgrounds.

As he was walking, he came across a soldier asleep on guard duty - a serious offence. The penalty for falling asleep on guard duty was, in some cases, instant death; the commanding officer sometimes poured kerosene on the sleeping soldier and lit it.

The soldier began to wake up as Alexander the Great approached him. Recognizing who was standing in front of him, the young man feared for his life.

"Do you know what the penalty is for falling asleep on guard duty?" Alexander the Great asked the soldier.

"Yes, Sir," the soldier responded in a quivering voice.

"Soldier, what's your name?" demanded Alexander the Great.

"Alexander, Sir" he whispered.

Alexander the Great repeated the question: "What is your name?"

"My name is Alexander, Sir," the soldier repeated.

A third time and more loudly, Alexander the Great asked, "What is your name?"

A third time, the soldier meekly said, "My name is Alexander, Sir."

Alexander the Great then looked the young soldier straight in the eye. "Soldier," he said with intensity, "either change your name or change your conduct."

We who carry the name of Christ and call ourselves Christian must live up to the name.

It is a simple story, easy to relate to but difficult to live up to. sigh......