Monday, January 10, 2005
What will grey day...
I have reasons to feel down on Sunday. Actually, you dunn need many, one can be bad enough. But my inner conversation stopped me from feeling down.
First, I had running nose. Being easily allergic, my running nose resulted in high decibel sneezes. Popped an anti-histamine pill, and my nose is better controlled. I was really sleepy. Amazingly I didn't fall asleep during sermon. But I was 30% awake during cell group meeting. Was knocked out when I came home. Woken up by my wife at 6 pm to buy dinner. As I was half awake, I thot she meant 6 am and pulzzed why get dinner in the morning!
Pastor shared on vision 2005 and two of the exciting points were a Sat evening service and 40 Days of Purpose (40DOP) Campaign.
What got me down were 2 pieces of news. Learnt in church that my wife's friend (from her Mother Support Group) gave birth to a baby yesterday. But baby girl has no anus and may have down syndrome. The bay is now in ICU and doctors have to look at the X-ray to see where the rectum is and then decide how to operate. They have to made a small opening for her to pass motion at the moment. It is painful to hear this. As a father, I can imagine the pain the parents feel when seeing their baby in the ICU box and not able to hold their child. A newborn baby needs lots of cuddle and tlc, and this baby is not able to rec. it at the moment. And for her, the recovery and operation is not only life-threatening but difficult. I felt down when I heard this news. Then I saw this family who sat infront of me in church and I was reminded that their mother is still suffering from breast cancer.
Sometime, bad news like these and tsunami, stripped the conditions to be happy to minimal. Tsunami reminds me that to be happy is to have family and friends whom I love to be around me and well. The morning bad news remind me that being healthy is a reason to be happy. I think we human tend to crowd out basic reasons to be happy with many frills. We want the latest gadget, handphone, sound system, fashion, newer cars, bigger house, bank account, good food, visit exotic places etc. But they are really frills!
But to have loved one well and around and to have good health are no guarantees. Can one still be happy should this bare minimal be removed? The mother of the baby girl is a strong woman. She knew from the scan early in her pregnancy that the baby may have heart problem and other possible problem. But she trusted God that He will help her to be able to manage it and love her baby as she would with her other 2 children.
I think, the most basic reason for joy is that in midst of all pains, God is there to hold your hand, and may be, when need be, carry you through it. My inner conversation had God inside. I was prevented from being down.
"Even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I I feel no evil, for Thou art with me, for Thy Rod and Thy staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4
tse horng blogged at 2:31 AM
