I was exchanging text with a sister yesterday reflecting on one of my recent FB posts. The conversation carried us to the discussion of how a close walk with God looks like. I think this is a constant quest for every Christian. So, I thought it would be neat to spend a few days to recap my own journey. I pray that God will use some of my personal stories to speak to you.
After my second child was born, my daily routines were mainly made up of mommy & me classes, cooking, diaper changing and baby talks. I had no time to read, pray or reflect. Occasionally when I had small time windows, I used that for kitty naps to catch up my much-needed sleep. The days had been so packed with mundane stuffs that the solitude time with the Lord was literally squeezed out. At times, the only prayer I experienced was the meal time prayer by my preschool boy.
One day, my preschool boy sang out a meal time prayer song VERY SLOWLY before dinner. I became so restless that I was complaining inside, "Hurry up!" I just wanted to get it done with and move on. It dawned on me, "My goodness, how did prayer get reduced to such a level to me?" It was around that time we had a reunion gathering that brought back many brothers and sisters whom we grew up together in the college years. As we chatted and caught up with each other, I realized that some who were serving so faithfully and zealously back in college days had wandered away from the path of faith.
The gathering along with the prayer experience with my preschool boy gave me a loud and clear wake up call. I needed to take a serious look at my spiritual landscape, or else, I had nothing to offer to my kids when they grew up. If I didn't do anything, they would soon discover how cold my heart was to the Lord. I needed a revival desperately, before my kids were old enough to sense my heart condition!
It was around this time, we came to River of Life. And one of the first messages that spoke to me was a sermon phrase by Pastor Tong: "Our God is a living God and a living God speaks!" That phrase stuck me and caused to think "What if my kids ask me when was the last time God spoke to me, what should I tell them?" I can't simply give them a decade-old salvation testimony. What if they ask, "Did God speak to you recently," would I be speechless?
It was out of this desperate realization that I seriously look into the art of listening to God's voice. God is merciful and He promises us that if we seek Him with all our heart, we will find Him. (Jeremiah 29:13). And I did . . .
So, the first lesson that I learn is: put down a very compelling reason to fuel your quest, and seek Him earnestly. When you get weary in your quest, come back and revisit this compelling reason and it will give you the energy to refocus. For me, the compelling reason was: I need to get back on my solid ground so I can pass down the spiritual legacy to my children as their role models.
. . . to be continued . . .