Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Guaranteed Success

When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother, what will I be
Will I be pretty, will I be rich
Here's what she said to me.

Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be.

When I was young, I fell in love
I asked my sweetheart what lies ahead
Will we have rainbows, day after day
Here's what my sweetheart said.

Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be.

Now I have children of my own
They ask their mother, what will I be
Will I be handsome, will I be rich
I tell them tenderly.

Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be.

It's interesting how much truth there is in a simple song like this. On one hand, you could just throw your hands up in the air and say, "Well, everything is fated and whatever will be, will be. So I don't care about anything!" But the truth is in the fact that the future's not ours to see. And as it is written in Matthew 6:27, "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?"

The fact of the matter is this. We are not in control. We make decisions and they produce consequences but we are still not in control. We may plan and execute, but we have no control over the outcome. We have no idea how long we will live and what will happen in the next second.

This can be super disturbing to some. Let me explain. Someone can, like in the first example, just take the whatever attitude. "Since I'm not in control, what does it matter?" Or someone else can make the best of the situation and try his/her best to work around whatever happens. Strive for a goal and succeed, or not. So, depending on what they're goal is, many people in the world are like the latter. They aim to get rich, or do good, or stay healthy, or achieve great things, or be happy in life. But for all the work they put into heading towards their goal, they are not guaranteed success and the outcome is uncertain. One can spend his/her whole life aiming towards something, only to find at the end that it was all meaningless.

Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the LORD's hand
double for all her sins.

A voice of one calling:
"In the desert prepare
the way for the LORD";
make straight in the wilderness
a highway for our God. "

Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.

And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all mankind together will see it.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

A voice says, "Cry out."
And I said, "What shall I cry?"
"All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.

The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.

The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever."

You who bring good tidings to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
"Here is your God!"

See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and his arm rules for him.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.

He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?

Who has understood the mind of the LORD,
or instructed him as his counselor?

Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge
or showed him the path of understanding?

Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.

Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.

Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.

To whom, then, will you compare God?
What image will you compare him to?

As for an idol, a craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and fashions silver chains for it.

A man too poor to present such an offering
selects wood that will not rot.
He looks for a skilled craftsman
to set up an idol that will not topple.

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?

He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

"To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God"?

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

(Isaiah 40)

For those who know God and belong to him, it is a great comfort that we are not in control. His wisdom is far beyond ours and guess what? The wonder of it all is that he cares for us and wants what is best for us. And the only way to guarantee success in life is if we live according to his will and do what he wants us to do. What a blessed position that is! If the one who holds that future guides us, who can fail? It is a guaranteed success. True success is when something does well what it was designed to do ;)

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Beryl's Chocolate Factory

Teen's club outing to the chocolate factory yesterday. We arrived early in 4 cars and a van. Had to wait for half an hour before taking the tour which took about the same amount of time. I think the children enjoyed just going out for a trip and not so much where they were taken. After spending some time buying chocolates, we headed for the Bangi park where we had lunch and the children played under the scorching sun. I didn't organise the games i had planned as the sun was so hot, and getting them to stand in the sun didn't feel like the right thing to do. At least when they are left to run, they can choose to stay in the shade... I'm sure most of them went home with melted chocolates...