I love it when people challenge me to try something out because I always end up learning something new.
When I was in college, a wise teacher asked me to give teaching Sunday School a try. I wasn't up for it, but I gave it a shot anyway. I shadowed her one day and watched her teach and she was good. The 4-5 year olds were cute and energetic before I entered the classroom, but soon they stopped looking so harmless. They had so much energy that I began to wonder if I could handle them. Then they started asking all these questions about the Bible in full cohesive sentences! These 4-5 year olds were smart! I never grew up in a Christian household, so I didn't have the simple Bible-story knowledge that they had and I felt dumber than the kids! Their teacher seemed like a true professional, and I was afraid that she had chosen the wrong man for the job. I was inexperienced.
After that first day. I literally told her that I didn't want to do it anymore. I felt incapable. The children were too smart for me. Imagine a 21 year old ivy-league student going up to someone's mom and saying, "I can't be your 5 year old kid's sunday school teacher because she's too smart for me." You may laugh at that guy - but that's how much I was lacking in my faith.
What she replied with has now become part of how I choose to live my life. "Young, it's like baseball. You get 3 strikes, and then you're out if you don't hit the ball. Give it 2 more tries and then let's discuss from there."
I have to thank her for that, because teaching these 4-5 year olds taught me so much more about God and how He works. It wasn't an easy job, but it was full of blessings and to this day, I miss them lots. As much as I was a "teacher" to them, they were also teachers to me.
I bring this topic up because at my new church, someone approached me to join choir. Now, I do not have a great voice, but she was so persistant that I didn't know how to say no. Then, I remembered the "3 strikes & you're out" talk. I had to give it a go no matter how incapable I felt.
It's kind of like when Jesus and his disciples were in a storm and they started to freak out because they were scared and incapable of saving themselves. Jesus says to them, "'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." (Matthew 8:26). With God, it's fully possible.
Choir is a great blessing and I'm so happy that someone came out and encouraged me to give it a try. I'm not the best singer in the world, but God can still use me in this way at this time if that's how He wills it to be. It's not always about you singing the best for God, it's about God teaching you.
So next time you get the chance, go up to the home-plate and bring a bat. Have a little faith - you get 3 swings :-). You never know how much power and direction God can give you in a swing.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Random Story of the Week: My Mentee
"My sister, she's 5. My parents work hard, you know? I have to take care of her after school. I waited until she finished with school and then I take her home. Sometimes it's cold, so I cover her and walk her back. I stop by Chinatown or some place to buy dinner before."
Me: "You don't eat with your parents? They don't cook for you?"
"They're working. I usually cook."
My heart kind of ached then as my mentee started to open up about his life. He's a recent immigrant to the states. He's 19, but acts like he's 30. He's a brother, but acts like a dad to his younger sister. He's in America, but speaks Chinese. He's not what you'd expect a senior in high-school to be.
I struggled to converse with him because of our language barrier, but I could read from his eyes and the way he told his story that this was a grown man in a young body. I asked him what he wanted to do after high school.
"I want to join the army," he said. "I want to be a hero."
He was already a hero to me. Someone who exemplified far more responsibility than most high school students nowadays. He kept his family running.
"I think we can work with that," I said. "But do you know about any other opportunities that you may have? It says that you like science, health, economics. You don't think you'd like to try out college?"
"My English is too bad. I have no other option. I'll make some money, and make sure my sister does well. She's 5 and she speaks English. How do I get to the army?"
My heart ached a little more. I didn't want to limit him to that.
Here was a fully capable guy, who's more responsible than half the men out there in this day and age, and he somehow reached a conclusion that there was no option for him at all except to go to the army.
I tried to tell him that there were more options, that English could be learned, that people learn in college too and that as long as he was ready to work really hard for the next 5 years, that he'd be good too. That even if he goes to the army, college could be an option! You are not what you think you are. You're more! And I truly meant it. This guy was different. He cared.
But he just couldn't understand what I was trying to say. I just wanted to be able to speak Chinese right away and tell him straight-up, "There is so much more that you're capable of. What you've accomplished already says much!" But the barrier stood strong.
This whole week, I can't get past that conversation.
I want to be able to speak with him and share with him the love of Christ and the story of hope.
As I reflect and think back on how I came to Christ, I've realized that it wasn't the ability to communicate verbally with my Christian friends that opened my heart to Christ. It was through their actions, their generosity, their Christ-like affection. Those acts of love and care spoke more than words to me and it made me realize the power of the loving God that it just drew my heart to Christ.
I've only started this mentor-mentee relationship, but my prayer is that by the end of the year, I'll have shown him more love and care than he's ever seen from a "stranger" all his life. And the love that I'm giving isn't from me, it's from Christ.
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners
- Isaiah 61:1
Me: "You don't eat with your parents? They don't cook for you?"
"They're working. I usually cook."
My heart kind of ached then as my mentee started to open up about his life. He's a recent immigrant to the states. He's 19, but acts like he's 30. He's a brother, but acts like a dad to his younger sister. He's in America, but speaks Chinese. He's not what you'd expect a senior in high-school to be.
I struggled to converse with him because of our language barrier, but I could read from his eyes and the way he told his story that this was a grown man in a young body. I asked him what he wanted to do after high school.
"I want to join the army," he said. "I want to be a hero."
He was already a hero to me. Someone who exemplified far more responsibility than most high school students nowadays. He kept his family running.
"I think we can work with that," I said. "But do you know about any other opportunities that you may have? It says that you like science, health, economics. You don't think you'd like to try out college?"
"My English is too bad. I have no other option. I'll make some money, and make sure my sister does well. She's 5 and she speaks English. How do I get to the army?"
My heart ached a little more. I didn't want to limit him to that.
Here was a fully capable guy, who's more responsible than half the men out there in this day and age, and he somehow reached a conclusion that there was no option for him at all except to go to the army.
I tried to tell him that there were more options, that English could be learned, that people learn in college too and that as long as he was ready to work really hard for the next 5 years, that he'd be good too. That even if he goes to the army, college could be an option! You are not what you think you are. You're more! And I truly meant it. This guy was different. He cared.
But he just couldn't understand what I was trying to say. I just wanted to be able to speak Chinese right away and tell him straight-up, "There is so much more that you're capable of. What you've accomplished already says much!" But the barrier stood strong.
This whole week, I can't get past that conversation.
I want to be able to speak with him and share with him the love of Christ and the story of hope.
As I reflect and think back on how I came to Christ, I've realized that it wasn't the ability to communicate verbally with my Christian friends that opened my heart to Christ. It was through their actions, their generosity, their Christ-like affection. Those acts of love and care spoke more than words to me and it made me realize the power of the loving God that it just drew my heart to Christ.
I've only started this mentor-mentee relationship, but my prayer is that by the end of the year, I'll have shown him more love and care than he's ever seen from a "stranger" all his life. And the love that I'm giving isn't from me, it's from Christ.
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners
- Isaiah 61:1
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Time Flies
I've had a pretty busy past month finishing up a project for a client, but in the past week, I've been blessed with incredible amounts of time. In consulting, we describe this time period as being, "on the beach." We kind of just...show up to work with not much to do and wait until you get staffed on a new project and usually a new client.
Of course I'm sitting around wondering what to do. And for about 40 hours during the week, I read several articles and even resorted to making models for fun to pass time. But when I finished doing all of those, I was just incredibly bored. Then someone reminded me that all this extra time could be a gift from God to use it for Him.
After all, didn't God give us time on earth?
I kind of felt like the man in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-28) who received a talent from his Master only to dig it in the ground and do nothing with it. The Master comes back and praises the other two servants who doubled the talents that the Master gave them, but he denounces the one who did nothing. "You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest."
God gave me time, and I didn't use it :-(. It just went away and I'm not getting it back. I got restaffed today.
But there's a lesson to be learned here. It's okay, because now I know. I will never get that time back, but now that I've learned, shouldn't I challenge myself to be more like the other two servants who actually went out and worked harder when they were graced and entrusted with talents and time from God?
It's a calling for us to go out and do more. Read the Bible more, reflect more, or even better, go out and love more. Do something. Use that extra time and work for God's kingdom, because now that I see it, God would be most happy if I recognized His gift to me and if I used it.
Of course I'm sitting around wondering what to do. And for about 40 hours during the week, I read several articles and even resorted to making models for fun to pass time. But when I finished doing all of those, I was just incredibly bored. Then someone reminded me that all this extra time could be a gift from God to use it for Him.
After all, didn't God give us time on earth?
I kind of felt like the man in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-28) who received a talent from his Master only to dig it in the ground and do nothing with it. The Master comes back and praises the other two servants who doubled the talents that the Master gave them, but he denounces the one who did nothing. "You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest."
God gave me time, and I didn't use it :-(. It just went away and I'm not getting it back. I got restaffed today.
But there's a lesson to be learned here. It's okay, because now I know. I will never get that time back, but now that I've learned, shouldn't I challenge myself to be more like the other two servants who actually went out and worked harder when they were graced and entrusted with talents and time from God?
It's a calling for us to go out and do more. Read the Bible more, reflect more, or even better, go out and love more. Do something. Use that extra time and work for God's kingdom, because now that I see it, God would be most happy if I recognized His gift to me and if I used it.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
How my dog taught me about love
Today, my dog of 14 years passed away. Her name was Sarah. I named her Sarah because I thought it was an awesome girl name in elementary school and I didn't know what else to name my dog. Our first night together, I slept next to her on the floor at my grandma's house, and she licked me in the face so that I could let her out to pee. I didn't even train her, so I was sure that I had a smart dog. But then, she went on to eat a caterpillar. What a weird dog :-).
We kind of grew up together. I spent a lot of my youth with her, especially during our first years. She was playful and we were playful and those were good times. But as I grew, I paid less and less attention to her. I had school, projects, girlfriends, friends, tv, sports to occupy my time while Sarah was all alone outside by herself. In a way, I feel guilty because I think my poor dog didn't really have a real friend. But I felt like she always understood. She always greeted me with excitement. In high school, she'd jump on me and try to lick my face everytime I greeted her. When I left for college, I'd see her in 6 month cycles, and even though I wasn't there for her for those years, it was as if she waited for me, loyally by my side, because she'd greet me with a jump, a weaker jump this time because of her age, but with so much excitement that she'd sometimes choke on her own spit. And finally, when I visited her again after I graduated from college, she greeted me with a wagging tail and a hop. She was weighed down by arthritis, partially deaf, and out of shape, but she still tried to jump and greet me the same exact way she had greeted me for the past 14 years. And that's when I realized that my dog loved me. That she saw past all my failures, my lack of care for her, my selfishness with my time, and she saw me as her master and friend. What I did against her didn't matter because she forgave me. Her final "jump" on me, helped me realize that it wasn't the "jump" that defined our greetings, it was her heart and what she meant to convey through her doggy mind, and that was - "I love you."
Sarah forgave me for everything that I did, and she stayed obedient to me throughout her life. I wasn't a good master nor even a good friend to her, but it didn't matter because all was forgiven.
I was thinking...If I put myself in Sarah's paws, I wouldn't have forgiven myself. I would have wondered why I was stuck with such a horrible master who never played with me, who was rarely home, and who was selfish with his time. But God calls us to forgive everyone, because He forgave us when we were so undeserving. Sarah didn't have to forgive me, she didn't have to love me, but in obedience to her master (me) she forgave and she loved.
I'm sitting here wondering how Sarah, a dog, could forgive such an undeserving master. It makes me want to go out and forgive everyone who've wronged me in the past who I have not truly forgiven. As I think about that some more, I start to ponder about God. Except this time, the tables have been turned. God is my master, and even still, He's forgiving me for every sin I've committed. I can almost see Him welcoming me with big open arms, kind of similar to Sarah's "jump,"- a strong heartfelt act that truly says, "I love you."
I think forgiveness is a part of love. In fact, I imagine love overcomes sin and that it's a sure path to forgiving others. I know that Sarah's life didn't go wasted, because if anything, in the end, God used her life to teach me about how love forgives.
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
- 1 Peter 4:38
R.I.P. Sarah Yim - October 23, 1996 - September 9, 2010.
We kind of grew up together. I spent a lot of my youth with her, especially during our first years. She was playful and we were playful and those were good times. But as I grew, I paid less and less attention to her. I had school, projects, girlfriends, friends, tv, sports to occupy my time while Sarah was all alone outside by herself. In a way, I feel guilty because I think my poor dog didn't really have a real friend. But I felt like she always understood. She always greeted me with excitement. In high school, she'd jump on me and try to lick my face everytime I greeted her. When I left for college, I'd see her in 6 month cycles, and even though I wasn't there for her for those years, it was as if she waited for me, loyally by my side, because she'd greet me with a jump, a weaker jump this time because of her age, but with so much excitement that she'd sometimes choke on her own spit. And finally, when I visited her again after I graduated from college, she greeted me with a wagging tail and a hop. She was weighed down by arthritis, partially deaf, and out of shape, but she still tried to jump and greet me the same exact way she had greeted me for the past 14 years. And that's when I realized that my dog loved me. That she saw past all my failures, my lack of care for her, my selfishness with my time, and she saw me as her master and friend. What I did against her didn't matter because she forgave me. Her final "jump" on me, helped me realize that it wasn't the "jump" that defined our greetings, it was her heart and what she meant to convey through her doggy mind, and that was - "I love you."
Sarah forgave me for everything that I did, and she stayed obedient to me throughout her life. I wasn't a good master nor even a good friend to her, but it didn't matter because all was forgiven.
I was thinking...If I put myself in Sarah's paws, I wouldn't have forgiven myself. I would have wondered why I was stuck with such a horrible master who never played with me, who was rarely home, and who was selfish with his time. But God calls us to forgive everyone, because He forgave us when we were so undeserving. Sarah didn't have to forgive me, she didn't have to love me, but in obedience to her master (me) she forgave and she loved.
I'm sitting here wondering how Sarah, a dog, could forgive such an undeserving master. It makes me want to go out and forgive everyone who've wronged me in the past who I have not truly forgiven. As I think about that some more, I start to ponder about God. Except this time, the tables have been turned. God is my master, and even still, He's forgiving me for every sin I've committed. I can almost see Him welcoming me with big open arms, kind of similar to Sarah's "jump,"- a strong heartfelt act that truly says, "I love you."
I think forgiveness is a part of love. In fact, I imagine love overcomes sin and that it's a sure path to forgiving others. I know that Sarah's life didn't go wasted, because if anything, in the end, God used her life to teach me about how love forgives.
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
- 1 Peter 4:38
R.I.P. Sarah Yim - October 23, 1996 - September 9, 2010.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Blessed to do Good
I've been blessed beyond measure to be living and working in New York City.
The environment here is so different. A lot of people value their work, their efficiency, their productivity and even strangely enough - how many hours they work. They talk about how many points they have for hotels or miles for flights, what projects they're on, what stocks to trade... and the list goes on. Everything feels like it revolves around money and status.
On one of my projects, our team went around the room introducing ourselves to our client, and it went like this, "A&B from Harvard, B from Yale, C from Cornell, D from UPenn." That's when I first thought to myself, "Wow, I'm somewhere where a lot of people can't be."
I started thinking a little about what that means for me? I try to never take things for granted. I'm not special or anything, but I must be here for a reason. And I played around with the idea.
And then last night, I hung out w/my friends from Vegas who went to Yale. It ended up going from dinner to rooftop to lounge to chicken to karaoke... but throughout the night our group got bigger and bigger and the schools that were represented were Stanford, Yale, MIT, Duke, Berkeley, UNC, and UPenn - and these were all people in great jobs in big firms.
And so thoughts started to come up again. Do any one of them realize how amazingly blessed they are? Do any one of them have a vision to use what they have been given and do great things? What is their definition of great? Of success?
I was the only Christian, and maybe it's because God calls us to use what He has given us to further His Kingdom. But I had all these thoughts last night and even now, I wonder, what am I supposed to do with what God has given me?
In Luke 12:48, it says "To whom much is given, much is expected."
There's no conclusion in this post. But I think that my prayer and my prayer request for both you and I will be to do great things for God, using what He's given us. Although I've mentioned school and "success" in a very Asian perspective here, I think that we're ALL blessed in different ways so why not use what we're blessed with for God?
I don't know what God's plan is for me, but if He's saying anything to me right now, He's telling me to recognize everything He's given me and to use it. Don't let your "success" go to waste - turn it into something better. Because in my opinion, we're not just blessed, we're blessed to do good, to bless others.
The environment here is so different. A lot of people value their work, their efficiency, their productivity and even strangely enough - how many hours they work. They talk about how many points they have for hotels or miles for flights, what projects they're on, what stocks to trade... and the list goes on. Everything feels like it revolves around money and status.
On one of my projects, our team went around the room introducing ourselves to our client, and it went like this, "A&B from Harvard, B from Yale, C from Cornell, D from UPenn." That's when I first thought to myself, "Wow, I'm somewhere where a lot of people can't be."
I started thinking a little about what that means for me? I try to never take things for granted. I'm not special or anything, but I must be here for a reason. And I played around with the idea.
And then last night, I hung out w/my friends from Vegas who went to Yale. It ended up going from dinner to rooftop to lounge to chicken to karaoke... but throughout the night our group got bigger and bigger and the schools that were represented were Stanford, Yale, MIT, Duke, Berkeley, UNC, and UPenn - and these were all people in great jobs in big firms.
And so thoughts started to come up again. Do any one of them realize how amazingly blessed they are? Do any one of them have a vision to use what they have been given and do great things? What is their definition of great? Of success?
I was the only Christian, and maybe it's because God calls us to use what He has given us to further His Kingdom. But I had all these thoughts last night and even now, I wonder, what am I supposed to do with what God has given me?
In Luke 12:48, it says "To whom much is given, much is expected."
There's no conclusion in this post. But I think that my prayer and my prayer request for both you and I will be to do great things for God, using what He's given us. Although I've mentioned school and "success" in a very Asian perspective here, I think that we're ALL blessed in different ways so why not use what we're blessed with for God?
I don't know what God's plan is for me, but if He's saying anything to me right now, He's telling me to recognize everything He's given me and to use it. Don't let your "success" go to waste - turn it into something better. Because in my opinion, we're not just blessed, we're blessed to do good, to bless others.
Monday, August 2, 2010
God speaks to me in weird ways
So over the course of my last semester in college, I've been praying for a few people I met while flyering for my Christian fellowship at Penn. I met a lot of people who were interested in learning about God or who were curious in some way or another, and I always hoped that God would bring them to church or introduce them to the God that I know, the God that loves abundantly.
There was one girl in particular who I'd pray for alot because I could just see that she was curious about God and that all she needed was an opportunity. I spent the semester randomly shooting emails back and forth getting to know her situation a little and asking her to come out to our events. We'd remember her when we sent out care packages, but for some reason, she'd never be home when we dropped them off, and we'd get an email back saying thanks. And she almost went to our retreat and I thought God would surely help her at least experience God in some way if she came. But nothing ever really worked out, and I always wondered if praying for these people consistently would ever help?
I stopped praying for her and for these people. I remember at the end of the year when I was moving out of my room, instead of keeping all the post-its with the names of people who I'd pray for, I just thought to myself, "Nah...there are too many names, and no answers. I'm moving out, got to throw it out." So I threw them out.
It's been two months since that happened, and I'm quite ashamed that I gave up so easily. I had totally forgotten about those names with no faces, and I just passed along the name of the girl to the new leaders in my fellowship to keep an eye out for.
Today, in New York (out of everywhere, New York!), I ran into her at church. The connections are crazy. But another guy from my fellowship who had just joined my senior year, had invited her to the church that I was going to in NY, and she came. I was so shocked.
God really spoke to me today. He told me to never give up on prayer and on His people. My prayer was answered today, she's experienced God in some way, and now we'll see how God works. But the lesson of the day is, God listens, and He wants me to know that :-D.
I'm ashamed that it took this to awaken me, but I'm grateful for such an awesome, mysterious God.
There was one girl in particular who I'd pray for alot because I could just see that she was curious about God and that all she needed was an opportunity. I spent the semester randomly shooting emails back and forth getting to know her situation a little and asking her to come out to our events. We'd remember her when we sent out care packages, but for some reason, she'd never be home when we dropped them off, and we'd get an email back saying thanks. And she almost went to our retreat and I thought God would surely help her at least experience God in some way if she came. But nothing ever really worked out, and I always wondered if praying for these people consistently would ever help?
I stopped praying for her and for these people. I remember at the end of the year when I was moving out of my room, instead of keeping all the post-its with the names of people who I'd pray for, I just thought to myself, "Nah...there are too many names, and no answers. I'm moving out, got to throw it out." So I threw them out.
It's been two months since that happened, and I'm quite ashamed that I gave up so easily. I had totally forgotten about those names with no faces, and I just passed along the name of the girl to the new leaders in my fellowship to keep an eye out for.
Today, in New York (out of everywhere, New York!), I ran into her at church. The connections are crazy. But another guy from my fellowship who had just joined my senior year, had invited her to the church that I was going to in NY, and she came. I was so shocked.
God really spoke to me today. He told me to never give up on prayer and on His people. My prayer was answered today, she's experienced God in some way, and now we'll see how God works. But the lesson of the day is, God listens, and He wants me to know that :-D.
I'm ashamed that it took this to awaken me, but I'm grateful for such an awesome, mysterious God.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Home
When I was leaving Vegas, I literally said bye to my bedroom. Funny how something not alive can have such a special place in my heart. Then, as my plane took off, I said bye to Las Vegas and God blessed me with a wonderful aerial view of the Las Vegas strip as my flight flew over the city. I felt a little weird. I was leaving home.
Now that I'm in the process of moving into my apartment in New York, things are fun but different. I'm getting adjusted to the noise outside my window, the fight to get places through Times Square, the marked up food prices, and the confusion in the subway systems depending on the time of day. Everything is so different when I think about home now.
But there's one thing that's not different, and that's the comfort and the "home" I have in God. Even though everything around me is unfamiliar, I am familiar with the peace I have in God to the point where it feels like another home. It's been a nice reminder that my true home, my citizenship, is in God's nation. That's home. My true home has not changed and although there is the pressure for me to conform to the ways of the city, I can't do that fully, because I am living as a citizen of God.
"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." - 1 Peter 2:2:11-12
It's funny how Peter refers to us as aliens and strangers to the world. The initial feeling I get from that passage is that we don't belong here. But in actuality, I think we do. I think that this is a temporary place that God has placed us in to call home, but our true home - the home that we will long for, and the home that all of us will and should remember and look forward to in our lives, is God's home. We're here representing Christ :-).
Now that I'm in the process of moving into my apartment in New York, things are fun but different. I'm getting adjusted to the noise outside my window, the fight to get places through Times Square, the marked up food prices, and the confusion in the subway systems depending on the time of day. Everything is so different when I think about home now.
But there's one thing that's not different, and that's the comfort and the "home" I have in God. Even though everything around me is unfamiliar, I am familiar with the peace I have in God to the point where it feels like another home. It's been a nice reminder that my true home, my citizenship, is in God's nation. That's home. My true home has not changed and although there is the pressure for me to conform to the ways of the city, I can't do that fully, because I am living as a citizen of God.
"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." - 1 Peter 2:2:11-12
It's funny how Peter refers to us as aliens and strangers to the world. The initial feeling I get from that passage is that we don't belong here. But in actuality, I think we do. I think that this is a temporary place that God has placed us in to call home, but our true home - the home that we will long for, and the home that all of us will and should remember and look forward to in our lives, is God's home. We're here representing Christ :-).
Friday, June 18, 2010
Small Group Blog
Hi all,
My small group has been doing a summer blog. There is a new entry everyday :-). Please have a look and get involved in our conversations. My entries will temporarily go on that blog.
http://lwmirrors2010.wordpress.com
-Young
My small group has been doing a summer blog. There is a new entry everyday :-). Please have a look and get involved in our conversations. My entries will temporarily go on that blog.
http://lwmirrors2010.wordpress.com
-Young
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Lessons from the 5K and my friend
Today, I was blessed beyond measure to run with my Living Water Christian Fellowship brothers and sisters in the 5K race.
I ran with Matt as my pacing buddy. Somebody I knew who could dominate and destroy the target goal that I had of 24 minutes :-). But sure enough, he said that he'd run with me side by side so that I could beat my time. I admired that from the beginning - someone who practiced humility and sacrifice like we saw in Jesus - something we've been learning about all year.
In small group, we talked about how Jesus, who sits on the throne with God, humbly came down leaving all that He had just so that He could save us and show us the grace and mercy of God. What Matt did for me was minuscule compared to what Jesus did for me, but such a small act of love meant so much.
During the last mile, I was panting. I remember yelling, "Matt! Just go ahead of me! You go ahead!" And he'd firmly yet calmly reply back, "No, we're almost there Young! The finish line is almost there."
Amazing what words can do. Amazing what hope can do. "We're almost there" meant the world to me. I couldn't stop the battle that I was fighting because there was an end to this soon. This is like our race to God's kingdom - we have hope in God and His Kingdom and His promises. But what meant more to me than that bit of hope during that run was the mere fact that Matt was there, by my side, pushing me towards the end. Although he didn't carry me, I felt like I was being carried just by his presence. Just like how God sent the Holy Spirit :-). It keeps us going.
It's like feeling God's love channeled through my brothers and sisters in Christ. Although it's only a fraction of God's love, it's something that means a lot and something that I'll remember.
It's a challenge for me to live the same kind of life that Jesus lived :-).
EPILOGUE :-)
Living Water placed 3rd place in the 5k run, much to our surprise. What shocked me more was that when we were talking about our run, several people said, "All for God's glory." Amen :-). It wasn't our own ability that got us through, it was God's love.
I love learning about love :-).
I ran with Matt as my pacing buddy. Somebody I knew who could dominate and destroy the target goal that I had of 24 minutes :-). But sure enough, he said that he'd run with me side by side so that I could beat my time. I admired that from the beginning - someone who practiced humility and sacrifice like we saw in Jesus - something we've been learning about all year.
In small group, we talked about how Jesus, who sits on the throne with God, humbly came down leaving all that He had just so that He could save us and show us the grace and mercy of God. What Matt did for me was minuscule compared to what Jesus did for me, but such a small act of love meant so much.
During the last mile, I was panting. I remember yelling, "Matt! Just go ahead of me! You go ahead!" And he'd firmly yet calmly reply back, "No, we're almost there Young! The finish line is almost there."
Amazing what words can do. Amazing what hope can do. "We're almost there" meant the world to me. I couldn't stop the battle that I was fighting because there was an end to this soon. This is like our race to God's kingdom - we have hope in God and His Kingdom and His promises. But what meant more to me than that bit of hope during that run was the mere fact that Matt was there, by my side, pushing me towards the end. Although he didn't carry me, I felt like I was being carried just by his presence. Just like how God sent the Holy Spirit :-). It keeps us going.
It's like feeling God's love channeled through my brothers and sisters in Christ. Although it's only a fraction of God's love, it's something that means a lot and something that I'll remember.
It's a challenge for me to live the same kind of life that Jesus lived :-).
EPILOGUE :-)
Living Water placed 3rd place in the 5k run, much to our surprise. What shocked me more was that when we were talking about our run, several people said, "All for God's glory." Amen :-). It wasn't our own ability that got us through, it was God's love.
I love learning about love :-).
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Love Run
I took a run along the Schuylkill River today at 2pm.
It was hot, REALLY hot.
The whole time, I was listening to this one Korean ballard on my iPod. I'm a sucker for ballards - not the lyrics, but the music. I like the sound :-).
But I sucked at running today. Ten minutes in, I died. It could've been the heat...the time of day, lack of adequate rest. Who knows? But I struggled my whole way down that river to the museum. At the end of the run, the water fountain didn't work. I really needed water.
See, I didn't bring water with me because I thought I'd drink out of the water fountain at the end of the run, but what I had planned didn't come about. It made me think about my life and my plans in life - would they work out? Which then got me thinking about God and how He has plans for me. Then, while being reminded about my thirst, I remembered that Jesus promises to give living water :-), and I will never thirst again.
I ran down a little further and found another water fountain. Thank God :-).
I ran back listening to Christian music and reflecting on the power and love of God. For some reason, I had almost no trouble running back. Which made me think about how I had no energy while listening to the ballard, but on the way back, was fueled by songs reminding me of Christ's power and holiness.
My conclusion?
Ballards = love songs about..human love
Christian Music = love songs about God
God's love > Human love
God's love fuels, empowers, motivates, completes
It was hot, REALLY hot.
The whole time, I was listening to this one Korean ballard on my iPod. I'm a sucker for ballards - not the lyrics, but the music. I like the sound :-).
But I sucked at running today. Ten minutes in, I died. It could've been the heat...the time of day, lack of adequate rest. Who knows? But I struggled my whole way down that river to the museum. At the end of the run, the water fountain didn't work. I really needed water.
See, I didn't bring water with me because I thought I'd drink out of the water fountain at the end of the run, but what I had planned didn't come about. It made me think about my life and my plans in life - would they work out? Which then got me thinking about God and how He has plans for me. Then, while being reminded about my thirst, I remembered that Jesus promises to give living water :-), and I will never thirst again.
I ran down a little further and found another water fountain. Thank God :-).
I ran back listening to Christian music and reflecting on the power and love of God. For some reason, I had almost no trouble running back. Which made me think about how I had no energy while listening to the ballard, but on the way back, was fueled by songs reminding me of Christ's power and holiness.
My conclusion?
Ballards = love songs about..human love
Christian Music = love songs about God
God's love > Human love
God's love fuels, empowers, motivates, completes
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Phone Prayer
I've been working hard trying to catch up on all my work and assignments since I've returned home from Costa Rica (which by the way, was an amazing trip). Of course, when you're trying to catch up on a lot of work, everything just seems a blur. Time is valuable.
Then - a phone call.
"Hello, my name is Heather from GBIM (Grace Brethren International Missions). May I speak to Mr. Yim?"
We talk, and I find out that they're calling to thank me for supporting one of their missionaries. - I'm already thinking - Wow. They're actually calling every donor to personally say thank you.
They then asked if I wanted to be put on their list-serve to be informed about how God is working throughout the world in the mission fields and how I could pray for them. I politely turned them down and expected to hang up and get back to work.
Then.
"Well Mr. Yim, before I go. Is there anything I can pray for you about?"
I was kind of surprised. So I didn't know what to say except, "I can't think of anything right now, but thank you so much." Well - that was nice.
Then...
"Well Mr. Yim. Can I pray for you over the phone right now? Even though it's general, I'd love to share a moment with you and God. I'd love to pray for you."
And she prayed.
Some stranger from far away prayed for me over the telephone. My blurred day became clear.
What a way to remind me about God's love. :-)
Then - a phone call.
"Hello, my name is Heather from GBIM (Grace Brethren International Missions). May I speak to Mr. Yim?"
We talk, and I find out that they're calling to thank me for supporting one of their missionaries. - I'm already thinking - Wow. They're actually calling every donor to personally say thank you.
They then asked if I wanted to be put on their list-serve to be informed about how God is working throughout the world in the mission fields and how I could pray for them. I politely turned them down and expected to hang up and get back to work.
Then.
"Well Mr. Yim, before I go. Is there anything I can pray for you about?"
I was kind of surprised. So I didn't know what to say except, "I can't think of anything right now, but thank you so much." Well - that was nice.
Then...
"Well Mr. Yim. Can I pray for you over the phone right now? Even though it's general, I'd love to share a moment with you and God. I'd love to pray for you."
And she prayed.
Some stranger from far away prayed for me over the telephone. My blurred day became clear.
What a way to remind me about God's love. :-)
Friday, February 26, 2010
Snowflakes
Hundreds of feet hitting the floor, swishes of purple and green and white and blue and pink blur by. Eyes are looking down at their hands that hold up their most prized possession, cell phones. A few of these blurs are yelling, trying to hand out fliers or trying to sell tickets. Hands are waving left and right with smiles here and there. Someone trips over an uneven brick and as she tries to cover up her mishap, no one really notices or cares. Men are moving their legs fast left and right in their business pants. There's a runner in the crowd, and even someone walking a bike. Hurry, look at your watch. Oh here's another flyer person, act like you're busy. Oh there's someone you kind of know, look away and act as if you didn't see her because maybe she won't say hi. Oh, there's a friend, avoid him, you're too busy right now.
Freeze.
There are puddles on the ground. The church bells are ringing a melodious song. It's 6pm, time for dinner. Specks of white are falling down all around you. It's snow. If you look closely, you realize that you can see the beautiful crystals that make up what they call the "snowflake." You know, the big ones that you see on cartoons while growing up. But in reality, they're tiny. Can you see it? Are you focusing on it?
Now you're walking slower, moving gracefully with the softly falling snow. It's going to make it to the ground, but the wind is taking it on a tour - here come to the left, oh maybe a little to the right, oh, maybe fly up again. It's beautiful. It finally hits the ground and disappears. You're a little bit disappointed, because this one was your special one that you saw. You walk on realizing the beauty of each little speck as they fall around you. They're really quite special.
Freeze.
There's a saying that there are no two snowflakes that are alike. But to us, they look the same if we don't focus on their beauty.
No human being is the same. But they all seem the same in the crowd when we walk trying to live our busy lives.
Take a step back and focus on someone :-). Get to know their beauty.
That's what snowflakes taught me today.
Freeze.
There are puddles on the ground. The church bells are ringing a melodious song. It's 6pm, time for dinner. Specks of white are falling down all around you. It's snow. If you look closely, you realize that you can see the beautiful crystals that make up what they call the "snowflake." You know, the big ones that you see on cartoons while growing up. But in reality, they're tiny. Can you see it? Are you focusing on it?
Now you're walking slower, moving gracefully with the softly falling snow. It's going to make it to the ground, but the wind is taking it on a tour - here come to the left, oh maybe a little to the right, oh, maybe fly up again. It's beautiful. It finally hits the ground and disappears. You're a little bit disappointed, because this one was your special one that you saw. You walk on realizing the beauty of each little speck as they fall around you. They're really quite special.
Freeze.
There's a saying that there are no two snowflakes that are alike. But to us, they look the same if we don't focus on their beauty.
No human being is the same. But they all seem the same in the crowd when we walk trying to live our busy lives.
Take a step back and focus on someone :-). Get to know their beauty.
That's what snowflakes taught me today.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
You're not a Leader, You're a Slave
I lead a men's small group and I love them to death. We were planning a valentine's day surprise for the girls in our Christian fellowship and a few of us got together on Thursday night to start making them little packages.
Now, I will not lie, this "surprise" task is of epic proportion. There were only 8 men in LW for 37 girls (our guys:girls ratio is tiny). Since we didn't finish on Thursday night, I figured we'd finish up on Friday.
On Friday, I was surprised that no one could really help. I started to think that this could not be done, and I started to lose hope in my men. This is rare, I'm an initiator, someone who feeds off challenges and motivation. But here, I felt kind of hopeless. Why were my men not coming? I know that we're all busy with a lot of priorities, but surely, 30 minutes can't be that hard to spare... :-/
I luckily had one of my guys come up :-) and he brought along two other alumni. One of them told me when I was leaving, kind of as a joke, but not really, "You're not a leader, you're a slave."
I'm not a leader. I'm a slave.
Am I a slave because I do everything for them. Maybe I don't give them enough responsibilities to grow? Maybe I'm not trusting in them enough? Maybe I'm not leading because I'm not encouraging them to do work since I'm here. At the same time, isn't this how Jesus led? I want to lead by example, because I believe so much more in doing than just saying or forcing. When you do things, you live your thoughts and your life becomes what you stand for. But why isn't this leading style working for me? Why aren't most of my boys,for a lack of better words, "manning up?"
Is what I'm doing right? Wrong?
I'm confused. I want them to grow. I want them to take responsibility, learn how to manage time, learn how to serve others, go out and initiate things.
Today's sermon was quite timely. Pastor LT said that the words "servant" and "slave", in the Bible, could be interchangeable. "Slave", not like the way think of the word, but "slave" as in someone who willingly calls someone their master and serves them and their needs. Jesus says that "If anyone wants to be first, He must be the very last, and the servant of all" (Mark 9:35).
Tough life. But His disciples saw Jesus's servanthood, and now the whole world is changed.
I need to be both a slave and a leader, not just a slave. But how?
On the bright side, when we were making final deliveries today, even if it was at the last moment, a few of my guys pulled together to help :-).
It's nice to see some improvement, but I need to stop focusing on what I want to see, and let God take over.
Now, I will not lie, this "surprise" task is of epic proportion. There were only 8 men in LW for 37 girls (our guys:girls ratio is tiny). Since we didn't finish on Thursday night, I figured we'd finish up on Friday.
On Friday, I was surprised that no one could really help. I started to think that this could not be done, and I started to lose hope in my men. This is rare, I'm an initiator, someone who feeds off challenges and motivation. But here, I felt kind of hopeless. Why were my men not coming? I know that we're all busy with a lot of priorities, but surely, 30 minutes can't be that hard to spare... :-/
I luckily had one of my guys come up :-) and he brought along two other alumni. One of them told me when I was leaving, kind of as a joke, but not really, "You're not a leader, you're a slave."
I'm not a leader. I'm a slave.
Am I a slave because I do everything for them. Maybe I don't give them enough responsibilities to grow? Maybe I'm not trusting in them enough? Maybe I'm not leading because I'm not encouraging them to do work since I'm here. At the same time, isn't this how Jesus led? I want to lead by example, because I believe so much more in doing than just saying or forcing. When you do things, you live your thoughts and your life becomes what you stand for. But why isn't this leading style working for me? Why aren't most of my boys,for a lack of better words, "manning up?"
Is what I'm doing right? Wrong?
I'm confused. I want them to grow. I want them to take responsibility, learn how to manage time, learn how to serve others, go out and initiate things.
Today's sermon was quite timely. Pastor LT said that the words "servant" and "slave", in the Bible, could be interchangeable. "Slave", not like the way think of the word, but "slave" as in someone who willingly calls someone their master and serves them and their needs. Jesus says that "If anyone wants to be first, He must be the very last, and the servant of all" (Mark 9:35).
Tough life. But His disciples saw Jesus's servanthood, and now the whole world is changed.
I need to be both a slave and a leader, not just a slave. But how?
On the bright side, when we were making final deliveries today, even if it was at the last moment, a few of my guys pulled together to help :-).
It's nice to see some improvement, but I need to stop focusing on what I want to see, and let God take over.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
TFA vs Job + a rant about Las Vegas Education
On Facebook: "XXXX is sending letters to the state governor, rep, and senate to reconsider the 20% budget cuts in higher educational spending to come up with $147 million shortfall we have experienced. FIND ANOTHER WAY because it wasn't the first and won't be the last shortfall we experience. GET INVOLVED!"
Couldn't have come at a different time?
I'm having the toughest time deciding if I want to pursue Teach for America or go directly into my career path in the engineering/business world. Do I give back to my community, return to Vegas, take the opportunity to build upon my network of family and friends, do more for the school and the education system that I STRONGLY believe is wrong and underserved in MY community. Or do I go and seek the path that offers me stability, security, monetary needs, confidence in business, and somewhat of a set, professional life? As an engineer, will TFA hinder my ability to go into the field that I'm interested in, will it waste away my Bioengineering and Entrepreneurship education that is freshly in my mind if I just pause and teach for a few years, and would it make me a less attractive candidate for the future, or will taking TFA make me a better candidate, someone who's more involved, more real, more passionate?
My brain won't stop running.
Everyone's telling me to do Teach for America, don't do Teach for America. I'm getting bombarded with phonecalls and it's hard to sit down and think. What do I want? I prayed and I prayed and it seemed like I went with my gut and decided no. But then even when I say no, my no is so not confident that my recruiter picks up on it and offers me a lot more help and gives me a little more time to think about it. Why can't I run away from it?
And now, the facebook status. Something that angers me.
Vegas' education system SUCKS. I came out of it, and I will say, it really really sucks. We need to fix it and stop relying on the "jobs" we have that allow us to "not focus on education". This job security is unreliable. Vegas was named THE EMPTIEST city in the US after the Fall of 2008 and the subprime mortage crisis. We are a city which relies heavily on the tourism and services industry and as gambling and tourism and tips decreased, so did our jobs, our salary, and our education. Why in the world are we CUTTING EDUCATION? When EDUCATION IS THE SOLUTION! We can't rely on gambling forever, it IS our main industry, tourism IS our specialty, but we need diversification, we need jobs for the educated, we need to create an environment that stirs curiosity and the willingness to learn in our students and here I am hearing about the state cutting more and more funds and teachers when ALREADY we're at a shortage?
Wake up Las Vegas.
I escaped the system. I'm one of the few who left the state for college, did research, built technology, traveled to different countries for global volunteer services, enjoyed drinks and debates, went to random lectures, and got a great degree. But I didn't have an easy time, because my peers at this institution were significantly more prepared than I was.
Fix it Las Vegas.
These students DO care about their education, and you're stopping them from getting it. And most students will never even know about their full potential, because you're cutting them out.
Couldn't have come at a different time?
I'm having the toughest time deciding if I want to pursue Teach for America or go directly into my career path in the engineering/business world. Do I give back to my community, return to Vegas, take the opportunity to build upon my network of family and friends, do more for the school and the education system that I STRONGLY believe is wrong and underserved in MY community. Or do I go and seek the path that offers me stability, security, monetary needs, confidence in business, and somewhat of a set, professional life? As an engineer, will TFA hinder my ability to go into the field that I'm interested in, will it waste away my Bioengineering and Entrepreneurship education that is freshly in my mind if I just pause and teach for a few years, and would it make me a less attractive candidate for the future, or will taking TFA make me a better candidate, someone who's more involved, more real, more passionate?
My brain won't stop running.
Everyone's telling me to do Teach for America, don't do Teach for America. I'm getting bombarded with phonecalls and it's hard to sit down and think. What do I want? I prayed and I prayed and it seemed like I went with my gut and decided no. But then even when I say no, my no is so not confident that my recruiter picks up on it and offers me a lot more help and gives me a little more time to think about it. Why can't I run away from it?
And now, the facebook status. Something that angers me.
Vegas' education system SUCKS. I came out of it, and I will say, it really really sucks. We need to fix it and stop relying on the "jobs" we have that allow us to "not focus on education". This job security is unreliable. Vegas was named THE EMPTIEST city in the US after the Fall of 2008 and the subprime mortage crisis. We are a city which relies heavily on the tourism and services industry and as gambling and tourism and tips decreased, so did our jobs, our salary, and our education. Why in the world are we CUTTING EDUCATION? When EDUCATION IS THE SOLUTION! We can't rely on gambling forever, it IS our main industry, tourism IS our specialty, but we need diversification, we need jobs for the educated, we need to create an environment that stirs curiosity and the willingness to learn in our students and here I am hearing about the state cutting more and more funds and teachers when ALREADY we're at a shortage?
Wake up Las Vegas.
I escaped the system. I'm one of the few who left the state for college, did research, built technology, traveled to different countries for global volunteer services, enjoyed drinks and debates, went to random lectures, and got a great degree. But I didn't have an easy time, because my peers at this institution were significantly more prepared than I was.
Fix it Las Vegas.
These students DO care about their education, and you're stopping them from getting it. And most students will never even know about their full potential, because you're cutting them out.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Malcolm Gladwell
Today, I was one of probably 2,000 students who lined up early and waited in the cold just to hear Malcolm Gladwell give a guest lecture. If you don't know who he is, he's a writer for the New Yorker and author of 3 very famous best selling books. If you haven't read them yet, I highly recommend them, but back to the story!
They introduced him as a man who did so bad in school that he had a hard time getting jobs. People didn't think much of him. But he was good at one thing and he excelled at it - writing. He started conservatively and moved up until he wrote a few books. Time magazine listed him as one of its 100 most influential people (2005). People from CEOs to soldiers to college students relate to his works, and he has a powerful name known amongst book readers, philosophers, political figures, economists, psychologists...etc you get the point.
His whole speech was about two married anthropologist, alcoholic studies, and Yale. It was interesting, but not really important to me. At the end, he talked about how the NFL would probably not be a sport in the next 50 years, and especially not at Penn in 10-15 years (I'm writing this to see if he's right. OOPS, I'm diverging again.
The point is, this all got me thinking. I'm currently deciding between doing Teach for America or waiting for other job opportunities. They're both wonderful job opportunities, but one comes with more security, the other, more experience in an industry I'd like to eventually go into. One promises a life's experience that you cannot get anywhere else, the other promises good pay and a sure path into areas of business that I'm interested in. Teach for America calls everyday about how joining them is the best decision anyone's ever made and the other doesn't care if I join or not because so many people apply to be with them. I'm lost, because I feel like any decision I make will be a big, life-long decision.
But I looked at Malcolm Gladwell today and I wondered... when he did so bad in school and couldn't get many jobs, did he think he would have this much influence? I mean, the guy made the Goldstone Forum famous in one day after 10 years of small numbers. This year, people were standing in the back just to see him.
I'm not saying that success in that way is good. I'm not saying you should be that influential and that life is about all the attention. But I AM realizing that no matter what happens, what decision I make, that I will probably be okay :-).
I need to learn to trust God more.
This was a rant.
Good night. Retreat tomorrow :-D
They introduced him as a man who did so bad in school that he had a hard time getting jobs. People didn't think much of him. But he was good at one thing and he excelled at it - writing. He started conservatively and moved up until he wrote a few books. Time magazine listed him as one of its 100 most influential people (2005). People from CEOs to soldiers to college students relate to his works, and he has a powerful name known amongst book readers, philosophers, political figures, economists, psychologists...etc you get the point.
His whole speech was about two married anthropologist, alcoholic studies, and Yale. It was interesting, but not really important to me. At the end, he talked about how the NFL would probably not be a sport in the next 50 years, and especially not at Penn in 10-15 years (I'm writing this to see if he's right. OOPS, I'm diverging again.
The point is, this all got me thinking. I'm currently deciding between doing Teach for America or waiting for other job opportunities. They're both wonderful job opportunities, but one comes with more security, the other, more experience in an industry I'd like to eventually go into. One promises a life's experience that you cannot get anywhere else, the other promises good pay and a sure path into areas of business that I'm interested in. Teach for America calls everyday about how joining them is the best decision anyone's ever made and the other doesn't care if I join or not because so many people apply to be with them. I'm lost, because I feel like any decision I make will be a big, life-long decision.
But I looked at Malcolm Gladwell today and I wondered... when he did so bad in school and couldn't get many jobs, did he think he would have this much influence? I mean, the guy made the Goldstone Forum famous in one day after 10 years of small numbers. This year, people were standing in the back just to see him.
I'm not saying that success in that way is good. I'm not saying you should be that influential and that life is about all the attention. But I AM realizing that no matter what happens, what decision I make, that I will probably be okay :-).
I need to learn to trust God more.
This was a rant.
Good night. Retreat tomorrow :-D
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Finding the Source isn't the Solution
When I was back at home, we ran into a problem. - gnats.
They didn't crowd us by the masses, but there would also be one..two..three gnats every so often flying around my head, landing in my food, chilling in my bathtub. Every time I saw one, I'd kill it. Heck, it got so annoying that once, it landed on my food that was going into my mouth, and I just ate it with no hesitation.
I ate a gnat. On purpose. And it felt good.
You see, each gnat was a minor problem to me. It was annoying, and the longer I had to deal with this problem, the more annoying it got, until it reached a point where I got used to it. But I knew that this was a problem, and killing it one by one was obviously not working. I needed to find the source. What was causing all the gnats to come!?
Obviously, if I find the source and get rid of it, then I could get rid of all the gnats right?
Nope.
I looked online and found that these gnats were probably fungus gnats that are attracted to plants and soil in the house. My mom's favorite, ten year old plant was the source. We tried everything, sprayed pesticides, tried some vinegar/soap trap, hairspray, coffee filters, and even stopped giving it water so the soil would be unattractive to the gnats. It didn't work.
Finally, we told her to send the plant out. At least for a few days. But she was afraid it'd die. She would rather live with the gnats than part with the plant (I guess moms just like to grow plants when their kids move out). This caused some stress in the house because I always complained about the gnats and about how I hated it going up my nose.
The problem with these gnats is that if you don't get rid of it. Then they spread to other plants (they did). These plants gradually get "diseased" by the gnats and in the end, all the plants lose out, not just one. If we act too late, the gnats will spread and multiply and conquer!
Yes, that was a little dramatic, but it's true.
Sometimes, we think that once we find the source of a problem, then it's easy to solve it. But are you willing to go the extra mile to solve the problem?
It's one thing to know what's wrong. It's another to have the willpower to act upon it.
They didn't crowd us by the masses, but there would also be one..two..three gnats every so often flying around my head, landing in my food, chilling in my bathtub. Every time I saw one, I'd kill it. Heck, it got so annoying that once, it landed on my food that was going into my mouth, and I just ate it with no hesitation.
I ate a gnat. On purpose. And it felt good.
You see, each gnat was a minor problem to me. It was annoying, and the longer I had to deal with this problem, the more annoying it got, until it reached a point where I got used to it. But I knew that this was a problem, and killing it one by one was obviously not working. I needed to find the source. What was causing all the gnats to come!?
Obviously, if I find the source and get rid of it, then I could get rid of all the gnats right?
Nope.
I looked online and found that these gnats were probably fungus gnats that are attracted to plants and soil in the house. My mom's favorite, ten year old plant was the source. We tried everything, sprayed pesticides, tried some vinegar/soap trap, hairspray, coffee filters, and even stopped giving it water so the soil would be unattractive to the gnats. It didn't work.
Finally, we told her to send the plant out. At least for a few days. But she was afraid it'd die. She would rather live with the gnats than part with the plant (I guess moms just like to grow plants when their kids move out). This caused some stress in the house because I always complained about the gnats and about how I hated it going up my nose.
The problem with these gnats is that if you don't get rid of it. Then they spread to other plants (they did). These plants gradually get "diseased" by the gnats and in the end, all the plants lose out, not just one. If we act too late, the gnats will spread and multiply and conquer!
Yes, that was a little dramatic, but it's true.
Sometimes, we think that once we find the source of a problem, then it's easy to solve it. But are you willing to go the extra mile to solve the problem?
It's one thing to know what's wrong. It's another to have the willpower to act upon it.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
GPA
I woke up this morning and immediately checked my grades through my iPod. I thought that all the grades would finally be updated and that I could see my new, awesome GPA. Much to my demise, I saw that I got a B in a class I hoped to get an A- in. I was disappointed.
Shucks... I thought I could really do it this time I said. Why am I so incompetent?
I zoomed in on my iPod and then I smiled. The "B" was actually an "S" for satisfactory in my senior design class. That grade doesn't come out until the end of my senior year. My grade for the class I expected to do alright in hadn't come out yet. Dumb me. How did I mistake a S for a B?
Worse. Why did I devalue myself just because I got a B? Grades shouldn't define my worth. We live in a society or... school where GPA matters when it comes to jobs and programs but does that grade or number really tell people anything about me? About you? It sure seems like it does right now, but people who value you by grades or scores are in the wrong. I was in the wrong today.
Forget the grades if you don't do as well as you expected. Pick yourself up and prove them wrong. So what if you got a B instead of an A or even a C? Are you going to let one mistake on a big test ruin you? You are what you think you are :-).
Shucks... I thought I could really do it this time I said. Why am I so incompetent?
I zoomed in on my iPod and then I smiled. The "B" was actually an "S" for satisfactory in my senior design class. That grade doesn't come out until the end of my senior year. My grade for the class I expected to do alright in hadn't come out yet. Dumb me. How did I mistake a S for a B?
Worse. Why did I devalue myself just because I got a B? Grades shouldn't define my worth. We live in a society or... school where GPA matters when it comes to jobs and programs but does that grade or number really tell people anything about me? About you? It sure seems like it does right now, but people who value you by grades or scores are in the wrong. I was in the wrong today.
Forget the grades if you don't do as well as you expected. Pick yourself up and prove them wrong. So what if you got a B instead of an A or even a C? Are you going to let one mistake on a big test ruin you? You are what you think you are :-).
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Privileged?
While meeting with a friend over coffee tonight, I ran into an acquaintance whom I haven't seen in years.
Me: "Wow! Long time, what year are you in now?"
Her: "I'm not in college."
Me: *oops* "Oh... how old are you now?"
Nice save? I don't think so... haha.
I think it's wrong for me to automatically assume that everyone I run into goes to college. But at the same time, that's what I'm used to. All my friends and I went to and talked about going to college. But how do the ones who don't go feel when I just automatically assume that they went and ask them that question? Do I make it look like I'm better than them because I went to college and they didn't?
I was going to say...maybe some people are more privileged than others. It's no doubt that going to college helps prepare you for a better, stable future. But then, wouldn't that be me thinking I'm better than her just for going to college? People can be privileged and not go to college either. In fact, why must education be a measure of privilege or status?
Maybe I should be careful of what I say and assume. God has different plans for everyone. No matter what our differences, in the end, everyone will come together to glorify God :-).
What do you think?
Me: "Wow! Long time, what year are you in now?"
Her: "I'm not in college."
Me: *oops* "Oh... how old are you now?"
Nice save? I don't think so... haha.
I think it's wrong for me to automatically assume that everyone I run into goes to college. But at the same time, that's what I'm used to. All my friends and I went to and talked about going to college. But how do the ones who don't go feel when I just automatically assume that they went and ask them that question? Do I make it look like I'm better than them because I went to college and they didn't?
I was going to say...maybe some people are more privileged than others. It's no doubt that going to college helps prepare you for a better, stable future. But then, wouldn't that be me thinking I'm better than her just for going to college? People can be privileged and not go to college either. In fact, why must education be a measure of privilege or status?
Maybe I should be careful of what I say and assume. God has different plans for everyone. No matter what our differences, in the end, everyone will come together to glorify God :-).
What do you think?
Monday, January 4, 2010
Revenge
Today, at church, a 5 year old little girl started crying. An older boy was playing with her. She went in to give him a slap on the hand when she missed and hit the chair.
Funny thing about life: when a 5 year old girl cries in a room full of older kids and adults, everyone goes to her rescue. Of course, me, wanting to be her hero, goes to her and starts blowing on her hand. "The air that I breathe out of my mouth is medicine. You should feel better now!" She didn't stop crying. Then, I playfully said, "here, hit him back." I picked up her hand and acted like she hit him.
My church teacher said, "Don't teach her that!"
Stupid move. That's when it hit me. What am I teaching the kid!?
That revenge is the way to go? Why was that action such a natural instinct to me and why did I think that it would make her feel better? Aren't we supposed to leave revenge up to God?
I want to be a man of God. A man of God loves because God is love. I never realized that something so small could lead to big problems later on - especially to the children who are growing up. Not only should we learn to love in all circumstances, but we should also be careful of who we're influencing.
"Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good." - Romans 12:21
Funny thing about life: when a 5 year old girl cries in a room full of older kids and adults, everyone goes to her rescue. Of course, me, wanting to be her hero, goes to her and starts blowing on her hand. "The air that I breathe out of my mouth is medicine. You should feel better now!" She didn't stop crying. Then, I playfully said, "here, hit him back." I picked up her hand and acted like she hit him.
My church teacher said, "Don't teach her that!"
Stupid move. That's when it hit me. What am I teaching the kid!?
That revenge is the way to go? Why was that action such a natural instinct to me and why did I think that it would make her feel better? Aren't we supposed to leave revenge up to God?
I want to be a man of God. A man of God loves because God is love. I never realized that something so small could lead to big problems later on - especially to the children who are growing up. Not only should we learn to love in all circumstances, but we should also be careful of who we're influencing.
"Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good." - Romans 12:21
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