From 18206bba1924cb6e895358093939547d4e7cc7df Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Pheng Heong TAN Date: Sun, 3 Jan 2021 18:22:46 +0800 Subject: [PATCH] Add new story I plan to add line-breaks later --- religion/testi.html | 41 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 41 insertions(+) diff --git a/religion/testi.html b/religion/testi.html index c4f508e..efb8399 100644 --- a/religion/testi.html +++ b/religion/testi.html @@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ That stranger would drop me off in a place that was better-lit (by street-lamps)
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A longer story about God and me

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Another story: the cost of discipleship; or, the cost of pursuing God +

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+ In my mid-twenties, I felt a desire to know God and experience His love for myself. (Others have written about this yearning more eloquently than myself, so I trust I am not alone.) + +The question was, "How do I go about it?" + +I grew convinced that the teachings of Lord Christ Jesus - written in the Bible - could help me achieve my goal. + +So, over the later half of my twenties, I went on a pilgrimage of sorts. + +"Sell your possessions and give to the poor," the Christ said. + +And so I put my clothes to work, by giving them away to a local branch of Salvation Army. + +I wanted to sell a laptop Papa had given me. On my way to send it to a computer-shop, I realised I had left it at a cafe where I had been dining. I decided that was one way to give away my laptop as well, and let the laptop go wherever it had gone, instead of claiming it back from the cafe. + +I wanted to put my passport to work as well. I decided it had more use if I sent its paper for recycling, and so I did that. + +Naturally, I would face consequences, which I elaborate later in this account. + +My friends accused me of being idle and imposed their world-view of a conventional, worldly job upon me. After they read a verse from the Bible about how "whoever does not work is worse than an unbeliever", I decided to work among these friends. I had a little over SGD$450 in my savings then, so I withdrew it in denominations of $50, and gave one $50 bill to each of the nine "friends" who had imposed themselves on me. "God gave me this money, take it. I am working now, like how the apostles gave away the fish and the loaves." + +On a morning shortly after that, Papa and Mummy engaged some men to send me to Institute of Mental Health (in Singapore), where I stayed under lock and key for three months. + +Upon leaving that Institute, I stayed at what the mass media calls a "psychiatric shelter", where I still reside, at the time of writing. + +But today - aged thirty - I feel the peace and joy God has given me. + +Now it is time for me to bear fruits, so to speak. + +Mummy had damaged me with emotional and physical violence in childhood. (For example, she threatened to commit suicide unless my siblings and I behaved as she wanted). I chose to forgive her: a few months ago, I invited her to have a dessert with me, and I shared with her some photographs I had taken. (She liked two of those photographs, in particular). + +As the world turned to the Internet amidst the pandemic, I reached out to strangers. Sometimes my message was as simple as "How are you doing today?" Some have told me they find my messages helpful. And I enjoyed discovering brothers and sisters in the Christian family, through web-sites such as LinkedIn. + +This account of my pursuit of God is me bearing fruit as well. May it encourage people in this world to reconcile themselves to God, their maker - if they are willing to pay the cost of following the Christ. +

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