Six years ago, someone told me to “let go and let God”.
On the surface, I was doing well.
Hidden beneath the veneer, the reality was different. I was exhausted and desperately searching for purpose in life. I was also scared and clinging onto whatever I had.
That was when I decided to journey with God, to discover his goodness and promises.
What was there to lose anyway?
Our sovereign God was the one who knew then that my heart was ready. He wants a close relationship with us but he will not force us if we are not ready or our hearts are hardened. He will wait patiently for us.
God sent other Christians to journey with me. Somehow, they always appeared at the right time to encourage and guide me.
An ex-colleague of 15 years invited me to attend Alpha, a course for pre-believers.
My wife, a Christian, brought me to TMC and encouraged me to attend weekly services.
Christians in the marketplace started talking to me about the faith.
The journey wasn’t always smooth. I was sceptical and often fearful.
As the head of the household, I always believed that I had to rely on my own two hands to earn a living for the family. How could I then let go of this responsibility?
Can God really take care of our daily needs? Can God make sure my family is healthy?
The irony was that the more I wanted to be a responsible father and husband by doing well at work and providing for the family, the more I was pushing my family away with my short temper and irritable nature. There was certainly very little peace in the household or inside of me.
As I struggled, the only thing I could do was to pray to God. Step by step, I began to give up trying to figure everything out myself so that I could trust God with all my heart; in other words, exercise faith in him.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1, ESV)
I also started having a more thankful heart, whatever the circumstances. It taught me to accept and embrace God’s will, to be at peace with myself, be content with his divine timing and ways for me.
I was encouraged that my family saw and testified of this gradual change in me. This strengthened my faith and gave me the strength to persevere.
Given my constant complaints to God about how work was taking a toll on my energy and time, he challenged me to leave my job and take some time off to spend with him and the family. So recently, I did. I “owed” God for giving Him so little of my time in the past.
I still worry about what I am to do next. I cannot afford not to work.
But as I seek the Lord, He has started to show me opportunities. I am learning to trust him to open the doors. You have to let go of your earthly treasures, desires and man-made plans so that God can show you the plans He has for you.
“‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope'” (Jer 29:11, ESV)
The journey with God is not lonely. The wider community supports one another in the journey.
Therefore, it is important to serve, and extend a helping hand to others. Jesus gave the best example of serving others. If we want to imitate Christ, we cannot not serve.
Often, we detour from the path that God has designed. But as long as we are anchored in Christ, he will bring us back to the path in accordance with his will.
All of us have limited time on earth. When I see my heavenly Father, I would like to hear: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if some- one says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? (Jam 2:14, ESV)
It is hard to help others in times of our own suffering. Pain causes us to turn inwards. In such times, we just long to feel God’s embrace. But serving others in the strength of Christ can help us overcome our inner pain and be less self-centred.
I’ve always given the excuse that I will be more involved in church and outreach activities when I am less busy at work or retired. The truth is that there is never a right time. You can start small which is what I did by becoming a lector at services and befriending the less fortunate.
It is important for me to obey and finish well. As we mature in our journey with God, the fruit of the Spirit should also start to “ripen”.