I am lured to a life in a luxurious and spacious penthouse with a spectacular view of the sea, somewhat like what this picture suggests. On holidays and weekends, just take to the outdoors for a nice bath in the Sun's rays. After a day's work, open the doors to the sound of the waves crashing in. How lovely, how relaxing, how mesmerizing.
The truth is...
I can live like that for some time. But I know that should a Tsunami hit or a bomb were to fall in a war, my dream house would be reduced to ruins; formless, scattered, brought down from its pedestal.
I dream of driving this car. It is stylish, fast and powerful, and sleek. It gives me a good feel of control over it on the roads as I sink into its comfortable seat and inhale the therapeutic smell of the leather. The engine is silent, yet its sheer power and high acceleration speed surpasses that silent meekness.
The truth is...
I can drive this Audi for 1 year, 3 years, 6, 8 years. But I know that one day, it will be old, the engine will start rumbling, scratches and dents will tell its age and fateful trials. It will not be long before it makes its final drive to the junk yard. There, it will be left in a heap of other unwanted and discarded metal, alone, out of sight, glum, brought down from its former glory.
My eyes light up when I see nice clothes especially trench coats like this. I get excited with the mere thought of holidaying, especially to my dream spot in Alaska to see the Northern Lights.
The truth is...
After 2 years of wearing the same coat, my eyes will light up at the sight of another while this will lose its colour. It is a matter of time its threads will come apart, the material becomes thinner and holes will soon appear. I can be in ecstasy in the presence of the Northern Lights and take a million pictures to remind me of it when I'm back. But I know that over time, with decreasing marginal returns, the fervour once felt towards the enchanting lights will gradually lose its zeal.
I love cakes. Chocolate and raspberry make a perfect union. Birthday parties are always happy occasions also because there are always cakes and good food. It is more common to find a Singaporean who loves food than one who does not.
The truth is...
I can eat all the delectable food on this planet daily. But I know that there will come a point when I cannot eat them any more with an ill-stricken body. And even if I can still go on eating, how long can the delicious taste of the food linger on my tongue before it vanishes? 30 minutes? 3 hours? How long more can I sit there at the dining table to savour all the food in the world?
These are the things in life I dream of, I like and would love to have daily. Yet, while looking at all these lures and temptations to a good and comfortable life, I begin to think deeper and wonder if any of these above will really bring happiness, satisfaction, fulfilment and create for me a life worth living. In fact, we will come to realise that none of these is eternal when we look at the real truths hidden behind the exterior and surface pleasures they give us temporarily. They paint a plastic beauty of life, which blinds us to the reality of today's world, marked by increasing sufferings and oppressions. They mask God's will for us and we forget He's even present until we get a once-a-week reminder at Sunday mass.
Perhaps, there might be something we have tried to bury in our hearts for the longest time, about something God seems to be nudging us to do, be it to join a Church ministry, do mission work for a week overseas, to go for daily mass or even become a priest or religious. But yet, we are unable to give up the things in life we love and dream of to answer that nudging invitation to participate more fully in Christ's mission. Instead of "fighting" the temptations and lures of the secular world, which are very real and pertinent in our modern society, we might find it more effective to use the method of "Taijiquan". To go with the "flow", that is to accept the challenges we face because we just cannot pretend that the lures and temptations are not there or try to force it away. They ARE there, very real, accept them. But, take it one step further, turn them around and use it to our benefit. Stare at our dreams, our likes, our comfort in life, and make a loving decision to give them up for God, keeping in our minds and hearts the harsh but true reality that nothing of this earth can be ours eternally; only God is eternal. And when we come to know Him and discover how wonderful, loving, magnificent and mesmerizing He and His ways are, we will realise that nothing on this earth can stand in comparison to Him. And we will be able to put down the riches and beauty of this temporary life with a smile.
What are the things you dream of and yearn to have in your life? How attached are you to them? How much do you value them? Do they really last? Do they really give joy and fulfilment? If God were to ask you to lay them down for Him, would you, in the same way He laid down His life for us? John the Baptist, after baptising Jesus in the Jordan, said, "From now on, He must increase, I must decrease." Can we die to ourselves so that we can live in Him?
We pray that God will bless us with wisdom to see and perceive clearly His ways.
17 November 2010, Wednesday
9.42am
The truth is...
I can drive this Audi for 1 year, 3 years, 6, 8 years. But I know that one day, it will be old, the engine will start rumbling, scratches and dents will tell its age and fateful trials. It will not be long before it makes its final drive to the junk yard. There, it will be left in a heap of other unwanted and discarded metal, alone, out of sight, glum, brought down from its former glory.
My eyes light up when I see nice clothes especially trench coats like this. I get excited with the mere thought of holidaying, especially to my dream spot in Alaska to see the Northern Lights. The truth is...
After 2 years of wearing the same coat, my eyes will light up at the sight of another while this will lose its colour. It is a matter of time its threads will come apart, the material becomes thinner and holes will soon appear. I can be in ecstasy in the presence of the Northern Lights and take a million pictures to remind me of it when I'm back. But I know that over time, with decreasing marginal returns, the fervour once felt towards the enchanting lights will gradually lose its zeal.
The truth is...
I can eat all the delectable food on this planet daily. But I know that there will come a point when I cannot eat them any more with an ill-stricken body. And even if I can still go on eating, how long can the delicious taste of the food linger on my tongue before it vanishes? 30 minutes? 3 hours? How long more can I sit there at the dining table to savour all the food in the world?
These are the things in life I dream of, I like and would love to have daily. Yet, while looking at all these lures and temptations to a good and comfortable life, I begin to think deeper and wonder if any of these above will really bring happiness, satisfaction, fulfilment and create for me a life worth living. In fact, we will come to realise that none of these is eternal when we look at the real truths hidden behind the exterior and surface pleasures they give us temporarily. They paint a plastic beauty of life, which blinds us to the reality of today's world, marked by increasing sufferings and oppressions. They mask God's will for us and we forget He's even present until we get a once-a-week reminder at Sunday mass.
Perhaps, there might be something we have tried to bury in our hearts for the longest time, about something God seems to be nudging us to do, be it to join a Church ministry, do mission work for a week overseas, to go for daily mass or even become a priest or religious. But yet, we are unable to give up the things in life we love and dream of to answer that nudging invitation to participate more fully in Christ's mission. Instead of "fighting" the temptations and lures of the secular world, which are very real and pertinent in our modern society, we might find it more effective to use the method of "Taijiquan". To go with the "flow", that is to accept the challenges we face because we just cannot pretend that the lures and temptations are not there or try to force it away. They ARE there, very real, accept them. But, take it one step further, turn them around and use it to our benefit. Stare at our dreams, our likes, our comfort in life, and make a loving decision to give them up for God, keeping in our minds and hearts the harsh but true reality that nothing of this earth can be ours eternally; only God is eternal. And when we come to know Him and discover how wonderful, loving, magnificent and mesmerizing He and His ways are, we will realise that nothing on this earth can stand in comparison to Him. And we will be able to put down the riches and beauty of this temporary life with a smile.
What are the things you dream of and yearn to have in your life? How attached are you to them? How much do you value them? Do they really last? Do they really give joy and fulfilment? If God were to ask you to lay them down for Him, would you, in the same way He laid down His life for us? John the Baptist, after baptising Jesus in the Jordan, said, "From now on, He must increase, I must decrease." Can we die to ourselves so that we can live in Him?
We pray that God will bless us with wisdom to see and perceive clearly His ways.
17 November 2010, Wednesday
9.42am
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