The year 2017 has been an unforgettable year for me personally. It has been a year resembling riding a roller coaster; some parts were like climbing up slowly while the others are like sliding down so quickly. It was a year full of unexpected and memorable events such as able to attend an event which I yearned for 7 years, 2 of my best friends left Singapore, have a new meimei (little sister), first time to receive birthday cake from my close friends, attending the Refo500 convention at Jakarta. On the other hand, it was also colored with stains, depression and disappointments which despite it is a recurring events every year, 2017's was arguably one of the most difficult times.
This journey reminded me on how God is faithful to His people. He never promises that there would not be stormy weathers in the journey, but He promises that He will be with us all the way. He will provide help through the Word in the Bible, through the Words preached in the sermons and finally through His church community.
The year 2017 has taught me a lot of things about the church. The place where I thought would be the most beautiful, the most loving, the most caring community there can ever be. What could be better than people with the same believe hang out together sharing and strengthening one another right? But apparently that is not the case. The church is still sinners just like everyone else. A lot of carelessness, a lot of pulling others down, a lot of disharmony. Yet God still took care of His people. His grace sustains the church and kept it going. Despite carelessness, I found my best friends in my life there. Despite being pulled down, I found encouragement there. Despite the disharmony, the Word of God still ties us together.
I believe I am not the only one who has ever felt disappointed or bitter with the church. But as Paul pointed out in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, we often see the how we are afflicted, perplexed, persecuted and struck down. But we rarely see and be thankful to God that despite the condition, we are not crushed, not driven to despair, not forsaken and not destroyed. Thanks be to God! For He is faithful in keeping us as His children and guided us for the whole year.
As the count down for the new year in Singapore was celebrated with fireworks, I felt something was drifting apart. As each firework soars into the sky and explodes, I felt that something was slipping from my hand, something that I cannot hold for much longer. I realized it was the year of 2017, a wonderful year which was passing by along with the fireworks. I felt as if I was watching the fireworks in silence without any noise from the surrounding crowd. Just the sound of exploding fireworks and the year 2017 which was slipping away.
May 2018 be another year of commitment and a year where God use me more and more.
This journey reminded me on how God is faithful to His people. He never promises that there would not be stormy weathers in the journey, but He promises that He will be with us all the way. He will provide help through the Word in the Bible, through the Words preached in the sermons and finally through His church community.
The year 2017 has taught me a lot of things about the church. The place where I thought would be the most beautiful, the most loving, the most caring community there can ever be. What could be better than people with the same believe hang out together sharing and strengthening one another right? But apparently that is not the case. The church is still sinners just like everyone else. A lot of carelessness, a lot of pulling others down, a lot of disharmony. Yet God still took care of His people. His grace sustains the church and kept it going. Despite carelessness, I found my best friends in my life there. Despite being pulled down, I found encouragement there. Despite the disharmony, the Word of God still ties us together.
I believe I am not the only one who has ever felt disappointed or bitter with the church. But as Paul pointed out in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, we often see the how we are afflicted, perplexed, persecuted and struck down. But we rarely see and be thankful to God that despite the condition, we are not crushed, not driven to despair, not forsaken and not destroyed. Thanks be to God! For He is faithful in keeping us as His children and guided us for the whole year.
As the count down for the new year in Singapore was celebrated with fireworks, I felt something was drifting apart. As each firework soars into the sky and explodes, I felt that something was slipping from my hand, something that I cannot hold for much longer. I realized it was the year of 2017, a wonderful year which was passing by along with the fireworks. I felt as if I was watching the fireworks in silence without any noise from the surrounding crowd. Just the sound of exploding fireworks and the year 2017 which was slipping away.
May 2018 be another year of commitment and a year where God use me more and more.
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