He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

With a new year comes a new opportunity to pause and think about the year that has been. As I am reflecting on the year 2020, I am overflowed with gratitude for the blessings and amazing plan that God has given to me. 

During the Asian Seasoned Singles Conference in 2019, this verse caught my attention about FAITH, LOVE, and HOPE. 

Paul complimented the Thessalonian believers for:

· Their work produced by faith

· Their labor prompted by love

· Their endurance inspired by hope

I decided to walk my journey of faith based on FAITH, LOVE, and HOPE. 

The Start of a New Journey

As I looked forward to a better year in 2020, who could ever imagine the year started with the pandemic? I had been through a lot of stress and felt burnt out by work pressure due to the effect of the lock-down. When I suddenly felt like I was stranded in the desert, God revealed to me my purpose in my workplace and he fulfilled my dreams to have 2 co-workers baptised despite the challenging time. Today, I would like to share about these two special women who walked on this journey with me. 

A Renewed Hope

In Dec 2018, I invited Pey Wah to join the Christmas Bible Talk and she started to study the Bible. Being a single mother with 2 sons can be a tough journey. Although she had a rough patch in her previous marriage, she was determined to be right with God. During her Bible studies, she had to overcome her fear and she had to let go of the baggage in her life and surrender totally to God. Paul says to “throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles us” (Hebrews 12:1 NIV). This allows Him to take all that hinders her so she can run to God freely. When she let go of her baggage, she gave God a clean slate to do His mighty work in her life. When she studied the Cross study, she finally understood the unconditional love Christ has for her. At the same time, she attended the parenting class, which has helped her to grow in her relationship with her sons. On 30 July 2020, she decided to call God her Lord. From Pey Wah’s life, I truly experienced God’s love and His grace as I saw Pey Wah embrace the imperfection in her as a single mother and take the baby steps to grow to be more Christlike. She allowed God to carry her through the storm without letting go of her hands.  

We have this HOPE as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.

Hebrews 6:19

Faith Comes by Hearing

Jessie and I worked in the same department for 5 years. She was a strong believer in Buddhist teaching. At times, I wanted to share with her about God but I was intimidated by her qualification as a Ph.D. holder in Chemistry. When I decided to let God lead the way, God worked out an amazing plan to connect me and Jessie. 

One day, Jessie and I had some conflicts on a work matter. That was where God intervened when we sat down and resolved conflicts. At the right time, she openly shared with me that she wanted to help her teenage daughter to get back the momentum to attend a church. I took the opportunity to invite Jessie to join the youth class together with her daughter. Both of them came to the youth class and they were impressed by the dedication of the mentors and the lesson. On the following week, the whole family came to the church service before the lock-down in March 2020. 

Jessie and her daughter started to study the Bible online. For some reason, her daughter stopped studying the Bible, but it didn’t stop Jessie from seeking God. The bible stirred up the curiosity in her and she wanted to continue to know God at a deeper level. She eagerly examined the Bible by doing her research and reading. She does her journaling based on her reflection from Bible reading every day. The Bible became her source of security and it changed her values about life. She learned to forgive herself and others by embracing her weaknesses. She meditated on the verse to help her to fight through the struggles: “That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). By seeing the world through the lens of God, Jessie decided to break the chain of being a people pleaser but only focus on pleasing God. After attending the parenting class, she applied what she learned to build a better connection with her family. Her relationship with her family has grown tremendously. I am inspired by Jessie’s faith in trusting God wholeheartedly; not only is she listening to God’s voice, but applying it in her life.  

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 1:11