One Moment In Time

Yap Pin Xiu, Singapore's double gold medallist at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics

'Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise making the best use of the time, because the days are evil' Eph 5:15-16

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics Games are both over. Both were held in Jul-August 2021 delayed by the raging Covid-19 pandemic. Even so the pandemic especially in Tokyo raged on during the Games. Many criticised holding these games at such bleak times. I was not one of them. I felt for the athletes, the time and sacrifice they gave to training, should not be downplayed. For  many these games gave them the opportunity of that one moment in time

'One Moment in Time' is the theme song of the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul Korea. The sentimental ballad expresses the very sentiments of the Olympian; the sacrifices and the crowning glory of an Olympic medal. It is exactly the pride that Singapore's paralympian swimmer, Ms Yap Pin Xiu must have felt when she received two gold medals. 

Each day I live

I want to be a day to give the best of me

I'm only one, but not alone

My finest day is yet unknown

I broke my heart for ev'ry gain

To taste the sweet, I face the pain

I rise and fall, yet through it all this much remains

I want one moment in time

When I'm more than I thought I could be

When all of my dreams

Are a heart beat away

And the answers are all up to me

Give me one moment in time

When I'm racing with destiny

Then in that one moment of time

I will feel, I will feel eternity

I've lived to be the very best

And I want it all, no time for less

And I've laid the plans

Now lay the chance here in my hands

Give me one moment in time

When I'm more than I thought I could be

When all of my dreams

Are a heart beat away

And the answers are all up to me

Give me one moment in time

When I'm racing with destiny

Then in that one moment of time

I will feel, I will feel eternity

You're a winner for a lifetime

If you seize that one moment in time

Make it shine

Give me

One moment in time

When I'm more than I thought I could be

When all of my dreams

Are a heart beat away

And the answers are all up to me

Give me one moment in time

When I'm racing with destiny

Then in that one moment of time

I will be, I will be free

I will be free

I will be

I will be free

This song captures the moments of personal achievements; feats that we should all recognise and celebrate. Yap Pin Xiu has achieved much and being young, she will achieve more in the future. Do you know that in 2018 she was a nominated member of the Singapore Parliament? She is a five-time Paralympic gold medallist, a one-time IPC gold medallist and holds two world records. She was awarded the Singapore Pinjat Jasa Gemilang (the national Meritorius Service Medal). She deserves her one moment in time.

The ancient Greeks have a word for this defining moment, Kairos (καιρός) meaning the opportune or critical moment. It defines time in terms of the meaning of time as distinct from Chronos (χρόνος) which can be defined as the movement (passage) of time.

Kairos suggests that time has value and is not just a quantity. In the New Testament, Kairos is used to describe the appointed time or the God-ordained time. For example,

'You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.' Romans 5:6 

'The time has come, He said. The kindom of God has come near. Repent  and believe the good news.' Mark 1:15

Indeed there are God-given moments such as the times when Jesus walked this earth. For many Christians, there is not one moment in time compared to the time when we received salvation and confessed Jesus as Saviour and Lord, 

"In the time of My favour I heard you and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favour, now is the day of salvation.' 2 Cor 6:2 

On hearing the Olympic anthem sung by Whitney Houston, we would have concluded that the singular acheivement, well deserved no doubt, is made possible entirely by human efforts. Not detracting anything from the celebratory moments of the Olympian medallists, it will do well to remember especially for Christians, to appreciate God's hand in all our greatest moments and achievements. 

'So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up.' Galatians 6:9-10

We should learn to recognise the God-appointed times, those times when His will and His times intersect with ours. That will be our one moment in time; God has made all things beautiful in His time.

In His Time

In His time, in His time,
He makes all things beautiful, in His time,
Lord, please show me everyday,
As You're teaching me Your way,
That You do just what You say, in Your time.

In Your time, in Your time

You make all things beautiful in Your time

Lord my life to you I bring

May each song I have to sing

Be to You a lovely thing, in Your time

Lionel

Photo from Straits Times

Take Me Deeper

 

'Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.' 1 Cor 9:24

Calvin Miller in the introduction to his book 'Into The Depths of God' told of a family visit made to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Calvin and wife snorkeled in the shallow waters whilst their son scuba-dived. Mr Miller later wrote, “Ask me if I’ve been there, and I will hastily answer yes. So will my son. However, the truth is that the content of our experience was vastly different. We will both spend the rest of our lives talking about that experience and our enthusiasm will always be exuberant. But only our son really knows the Reef; only he understood the issue of depth.” (Ref 1)

We live our lives in the shallows. This is the era where communication by Twitter and information exchanges by 30 sec sound bites are preferred. We are ever so busy, moving from one place to another, skipping from one assignment to the next; Zooming and sending emails. We scarcely have time for each other, to talk and make conversation. We scarcely have time for ourselves.

It becomes serious when we apply the same hurry and superficiality to the nurturing of our spiritual selves, our souls. Spiritual depth needs time, contemplation and discipline. It had better be; we are touching the lives of others. Our testimony and witness shape the lives of our friends. We cannot be play-acting, dwelling on the peripherals and hope to get away with it. To be authentic we must go deep; into the very depths of our souls. 

Think of a huge tree with spreading branches giving shade. We know instinctively that the roots of this tree must be equally gigantic growing deep into the earth; giving it stability to weather any storm. The Bible described a fulfilled man in Psalm 1. 

'He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.' 

Bishop Robert Solomon in his book, The Race, called for discipline to train the soul and thereby achieve spiritual fitness. (Ref 2) He wrote, "An athlete has to put in hours of training before he or she can hope to excel in their sport and win a race. Spectators only see the final results, and feel the excitement of watching a race or an athlete perform new feats - going faster, jumping higher or throwing further. But behind these achievements lie hidden hours of private discipline and the hard work of constant training."

St Paul also urged the training of the soul 

‘You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally. I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.’ 1 Cor 9:24-27 The Message

To get deep, we need a teacher to make the dive with us. That teacher is the Holy Spirit.

'The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along.' 1 Cor 2:10 The Message

Bishop Solomon calls this coaching, "An athlete has a coach who pushes to his maximum potential. Being human, the athlete in training has to manage his own doubts, laziness, pride, stubbornness and blind spots. That is where the coach comes in. The coach offers a different perspective as he observes the strength and weaknesses of the athlete. He gives feedback and corrects mistakes and bad habits that he finds in the athlete. He offers motivation, and encourages his trainee when he feels like giving up or when the going gets tough."

The practice of meditation can help us go into the depths of our souls and make the deep dive. Father Laurence Freeman in his book, Light Within, wrote "Meditation is the way to be fully open to the power of the Spirit. All these different parts of our being come together under the guiding influence of a power that transcends both thinking and feeling and unites them both at a higher level of consciousness. This is the power of the Holy Spirit." (Ref 3)

'Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given to us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.' 1 Cor 2:12-13

John Wimber understood this as he wrote the Spirit Song.

Oh, let the Son of God enfold you with His Spirit and His love

Let Him fill your heart and satisfy your soul

Oh let Him have the things that hold you and His Spirit like a dove

Will descend upon your life and make you whole

Jesus, O Jesus, come and fill Your lambs

Oh, Come and sing the song with gladness as your hearts are filled with joy

Lift your hands in sweet surrender to His name

Oh, give Him all your tears and sadness, give Him all your years of pain

And you'll enter into life in Jesus' name

Lionel

Updated article: 1st published 6 Jul 2009

Ref 1: Calvin Miller, 'Into the Depths of God' Bethany House, 2000

Ref 2: Robert M Solomon. ''The Race - Finding the Real Journey in Life' Genesis Books, 2008
Ref 3: Laurence Freeman, 'Light Within. Meditation as Pure Prayer' Canterbury Press, 1986

Deep Dive Photo by Edmidentity

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Jeremiah by Rembrandt

 'The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your Faithfulness.' Lamentations 3:22-23

The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, described this painting by Rembrandt of the lament of the prophet Jeremiah as 'The crestfallen Prophet Jeremiah rests his weary, old head on his hand. He laments Jerusalem going up in flames - in the background - whose destruction he had prophesied. Rembrandt heightened the sense of drama with powerful contrasts of light and dark.' (Ref 1)

A truly dramatic portrayal of the Lamentations of Jeremiah. 

Equally artistic but lost in English translation, is the Biblical Book of Lamentations. It is a collection of poems attributed to the prophet Jeremiah lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE by the Babylonian Conqueror, Nebuchadnezzar. Rev (Dr) Gordon Wong, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore, pointed out the intricate Alphabet Acrostic Songs of the first four chapters of Lamentations. 

An acrostic is a poem in which the first letter of each line spells out a word or message. An alphabet acrostic spells out the letters of the alphabet e.g. ABCDEF. Since the Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, Lamentations 1,2 and 4 have 22 verses whereas Lamentations 3 has 66 verses, with a triplet of 3 verses beginning with one letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Whatever the artistic rendering, we should not miss the Bishop's message in which he contrasted two opposing realities especially apt in these times; where there seems to be  hopelessness, God renders hope by His faithfulness. 

The Bishop contrasted Lamentations 1-3

'I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of His wrath; He has driven and brought me without any light; surely against me he turns His hand again and again the whole day long.'

with Lamentations 3:21-23

'But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.'

The Hebrew name of the Book of Lamentations is Ekah which can be translated as alas or how. Chuck Swindoll wrote, 'Lamentations pictures a man of God over the results of evil and suffering in the world. But at the heart of this book, at the center of this lament over the effects of sin in the world, sit a few verses devoted to hope in the Lord. This statement of faith standing strong in the midst of the surrounding darkness....'  (Ref 2)

These are bleak times too. The delta variant of the Covid-19 virus is raging unrelentingly worldwide and Singapore is no exception, notwithstanding the high vaccination rates. During such times, we are wont to ask of God, in the Singlish vernacular of Singaporeans "How Ah?" as the Hebrew title of Lamentations suggested. But rather than wallow in despair at the apparent staying of God's hands, it may do us well to read and re-read Lamentations Chapter 3. Then, between adversity and hope, we will be encouraged by the  faithfulness of God which has been showered on us time and time again and renewed every morning. 

• Lost in Suffering - 'I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of His affliction.' Lamentations 3:1

• Hope in Silence - 'Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust - there may yet be hope.' Lamentations 3:28-29

• Found by Love - 'For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though He causes grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast Love.' Lamentations 3:31-32

• Refreshed by Faithfulness - 'The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness.'  Lamentations 3:22-23

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father

There is no shadow of turning with Thee

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning, new mercies I see

All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside

Great is Thy faithfulness O Lord, great is Thy faithfulness!

Lionel

Inspired by a Sermon of Bishop Dr Gordon Wong entitled My Redeemer Is Faithful And True

Ref 1: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/SK-A-3276

Ref 2: https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-major-prophets/lamentations

Sleep Easy At Night

 

Sleeping Soundly

 'When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.' Proverbs 3:24 

Having difficulty with sleeping? It seems that getting a good sleep preoccupies health conscious people these days. The general advice is to get about 7-9 hours of good sleep at night. However many people, stressed by the pressures of modern day living, hardly get the sleep they need. 

The Singapore Ministry of Health's web portal, Health Hub, noted that Singapore is the 3rd most sleep deprived city, after Tokyo and Seoul, in a study of 43 cities. The Singaporeans' lack of sleep is partly due to a culture of working long hours and that this drive may impinge on our ability to get good sleep. 

Singaporeans trade sleep for more work, thinking that the wealth we can bring with more work will allow us to live life fully with great satisfaction. Never mind if we lose sleep. Some even see the ability to function with less sleep as a badge of honour. The MOH Health Hub warns that 'if you think that you are doing fine with less sleep, you are probably wrong. And if you work in a profession where it's important to be able to judge your level of functioning, this can be a big problem.' 

Sleep affects decisions but the reverse is also true, decisions affects sleep. This is what the Bible says in Proverbs 3:21-24 

 'Preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.' 

No one can guarantee that we will make good decisions all the time. The trick is to try to make those decisions in the will of God. Then peace of mind will come, when we learn to exercise sound judgement using the wisdom God provides.

This is the same observation and advice that St Paul gave in Philippians 4:6-7:

'Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.' 

Notice that St Paul spoke not only of peace of mind but also the peace of heart. This is transcendental peace, a peace that comes from above, a peace that only Jesus can give.

'Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.' John 14:27 

There is a dramatic account of a storm on the Lake of Galilee in the Gospel of Mark,

'Late that day, He said to them, "Let's go across to the other side." They took Him in a boat. A huge storm came up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink it. And Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, sleeping! They roused him, saying, "Teacher is it nothing to you that we are going down?" Awake now, He told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, "Quiet! Settle down!" The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass. Jesus reprimanded the disciples:  "Why are you such cowards? Don't you have any faith at all?" They were in absolute awe, staggered. "Who is this, anyway?" they asked. "Wind and sea at His beck and call!" Mark 4:35-41 (The Message)

Sleep in the midst of a storm? How is that possible? It is possible with the transcendental peace that Jesus gives. Then we will be  

• At Peace with God
• At peace with ourselves
• At peace with othaers 

This is the same message brought to us by the Christmas carol, Silent Night with its gentle refrain 'Sleep in Heavenly Peace.'

Sleep Well! 

Lionel