Silver Linings

A lot has happened to me over the last 2 months, much of which I would not wish upon anyone, including my enemies (actually, I don’t have any!).

It took a lot of prayer and endurance to finish the exhausting but eventful Christmas season, which turned out to be a month of praise! We went into the community distributing our 2007 inspirational calendar, we sent and received back two Cambodia mission teams with news of breakthroughs and miracles, and we witnessed the baptism of several brothers and sisters on Christmas Day from both English and Chinese Congregations.

After all that excitement, Leng and I, together with another family, drove up to Fraser’s Hill on Christmas Day to enjoy five days of mountain air, leisurely meals, board games and bird-watching. We made wonderful memories of horseback riding, arrow-shooting and simply hanging out together.

The year would have ended on a beautiful note had we not pulled up at the Sungei Buloh Rest Stop along the North-South Highway on the way home on 29 Dec 2006. Our car got broken into in broad daylight and lost two notebooks, a whole camera system for bird photography with all our digital photos, as well as books, clothes and other things.

We were so shocked by the whole episode as we scrambled to do this and that, talked to this person and that person, that we totally forgot to pray. It was my god-daughter, bless her sweet heart, who said maybe we should pray. Out of the mouth of babes! As we prayed, a sense of peace and the Lord’s sovereign hand came over us, and we were able to collect our wits, do what we needed to do, and even begin to reflect on what the Lord was teaching us.

Through it all, we learned the danger of being complacent about safety. We were also reminded to put less value on things that can be stolen, damaged or lost than on our relationships, our memories, our values and our faith. All these can never be taken away. Our loss offers us a clean slate, a symbol of a new beginning in our lives.

If the thieves need the money to feed their babies, then bless them. If it’s to feed the vicious cycle of crime, then Lord have mercy. Maybe our gracious God can use the Bible and spiritual books they stole to convict them to give their lives to Jesus!

So what’s the silver lining? Re-prioritizing what is really important in life; rediscovering what we have taken for granted; seizing the chance to start anew; giving room for the mystery of miracles to take place.

Have you lost anything lately? Look for the silver lining, the blessings in disguise. Make them count!