God's Love

It has been a long while that I posted my last entry (sound like every blog). I have already become a father! The journey was fun, exciting and tired because of the sleepless nights, but it is a joy to see my son growing each day. I began to understand the feeling,struggles and of course the joy that parents need to go through. What is more important also, I learnt so much about theology, or about God through parenting even from the beginning of my wife's pregnancy.

In light of Holy Week and coming Good Friday, one particular thought has been bugging in my mind - God's love toward this sinful world. In this post, I would like to share this thoughts about the co-relation of parental love to children (even to the unborn) and God's love to this is sinful world.

When my wife and myself were going through the pregnancy process, the doctor asked us if we would like to do a scan of the baby in the womb if the baby has the symptoms of down syndrome or any abnormal occurrences. But the doctor being a Christian shared to us that this scan would only cause uncertainty to the parents because if they really found something abnormal, abortion is not encouraged at least from ethics and faith perspective.

This has caused me to think, if as parents, we found out that the baby is abnormal and it will not affect the life of the mother, will we decide to keep the baby's life and bring the baby into the world? That is the real challenge. Of course it is easy to be said than to be done.

Somehow, our lives is likened to the abnormal baby that will cause a lot of problems, stresses and uneasiness to parents when the baby is born. I am saying this in the sense that we human beings are sinful and problematic people, abnormal in the sense that we have been deviated from the original plan of God - from God's normal plan. The real question is, "Has God given up on us? Has He 'aborted' us?" The answer is a CLEAR NO!

But we human often selfish as it is, will always think that if the abnormal baby is brought to the world, a lot of time, effort, energy and attention need to be given to the baby. In another words, it will be problematic for us and it causes a lot of inconveniences. And we would feel we lose our "face" because we don't have a normal cute baby. For these few reason, PERHAPS, we choose the convenient way. Often, the problem is not the baby but us! Abortion is just a temporarily solution with serious side effects. Forever you will be traumatize with the decision especially you do it consciously.

God knows we are problematic because of our sins. Yet He chose to sacrifice us and to "deliver" us so that we could be with Him. 

Charles Simeon Con't

I was thinking what are we going to do for tomorrow pastoral group. Either play a game or do some reflection. I decided to do a reflection on Charles Simeon. This person really inspired me a lot as I read more about him.

As I read what John Piper has commented about him, I was touched with his life and perseverance as a rejected-friend and rejected-priest/vicar. I wonder how can this guy can stand for such "persecution" surrounding him yet he still can have the passion to continue to preach!

John Piper says that "Simeon saw his suffering as a wonderful privilege of bearing the cross with Christ.": One striking witness to this was during a time when the university was especially cold and hostile to him. He reflected on his own name "Simeon" which is the same as Simon who was compelled to bear the cross for Jesus. And he exclaimed about that text: "What a word of instruction was here - what a blessed hint for my encouragement! To have the cross laid upon me, that I might bear it after Jesus - what a privilege! It was enough. Now I could leap and sing for joy as one whom Jesus was honoring with a participation of His sufferings." (Moule, 59f)

This person is really positive in thinking and during his hard time. I think we should have the same attitude as Simeon. We should see that it is a wonderful privilege of bearing the cross with Christ. We must be able to see that in time of our suffering, we are actually bearing the cross on our shoulder. Having faith that God will deliver us through times of suffering, we must persevere!

Isaac