Love, and the outcome

Every first Friday of the month, my church cell mates and I distribute free bread to the residents of a rental block.  Sometimes we distribute other stuff, like masks, during last year's haze.  These are residents who qualify for rental flats, which by definition means they are low-income earners.  Our work has no strings attached - we just love the residents, and the bread opens the door to a trust relationship so that we can help them with any bigger problems that they may have.

We've been doing this work for more than 2 years, but we continue to learn new things all the time.  One of the most important lessons is that the residents don't really need our bread all that much.  The bread is great of course, but what they really want is simply to be loved, to know someone is on their side in tough times, and yes, in good times too.  Many of them are elderly, and not all of them have kids who have the opportunity, or sometimes the inclination to spend the time that these old folks deserve.

Last Friday, I visited one of the residents and found a stranger sitting in his house.  It turned out it was his sister, and she told me that he had suffered a stroke and was in hospital.  As I chatted with her, it dawned upon me that I knew so much about this uncle.  That he loved to eat pork knuckles.  That his cure for everything was garlic boiled in rice.  That he loved visitors and had, just recently, generously opened his tiny home to host a dozen relatives who came from Indonesia to Singapore on holiday.  That he had one son in Singapore and another in Melbourne.  I even knew about this sister, on whom he had spent his little savings to visit in Sydney, when her husband passed away.  In short, uncle and I had become friends.

So I just went to the hospital to visit him.  It turned out he had been moved from the regular hospital to the community hospital.  I had heard that his stroke was so severe that he could neither recognise anyone nor speak.  But when I got there, I found that he was alert and awake - praise God :)  He was in bed and couldn't speak clearly, and was frustrated by this, but I could so clearly see that he was happy to see me.  And I was happy to see him in so much better condition than I expected.

I showed him the pictures in the Straits Times on yesterday's National Day Parade (yes this uncle is one of Singapore's pioneer generation!), and told him how I went to the National Day Parade preview last week, and that this was the last Parade to be held at the Floating Platform at Marina Bay.  Then I told him about my plans to go to the new National Stadium to watch Singapore play Juventus, and how I hoped my son would pick up an interest in football.  Then we promised each other that we would look forward to the next bread distribution - and that by then, he would be at home and we would have a good time catching up.

Then I prayed for him, and told him how, if he was in pain or discomfort, he could call on Jesus' name to help him.  I told him how I had followed Jesus for all these years, and how Jesus had never ever let me down, or left me alone, especially in the sad and tough times.  We clasped hands, and I could feel the strength in his grip, and his wide open eyes, as if for the first time, he saw his need for our loving God.

The devotional that I use says this today:
Judgment Day is not just a thing we see in the movies.  It is not something that Hollywood made up.  No, Judgment Day is real, and it is something that Jesus spoke about often.  It is going to be sudden and violent.  The idea of Judgment Day may not sit well with you, and rightfully so.  It should not sit well with you.  It will be a frightening and sad day for many.  And so, knowing that this day will come unexpectedly, may it lead us to action now.  May it lead us to evaluate the sincerity of our faith. And may it lead us to share the Gospel with those who do not know Christ.

The name of a band I'm currently listening to encapsulates this sentiment really well.  The name of the band is simply "Love and the Outcome".  I am blessed to know the love of God.  So are many of you readers.  What is the outcome?  Are we merely hungry readers of the word, or are we led to action now?  If we are truly loved by God, and if we love God in turn, there is an inevitable outcome.  Do we see it?  If not, let's act now.  Join me on my Friday bread distribution.  Let that be one outcome.  Tell your neighbours and your friends and your family about how Jesus has been your rock and your strong tower.  Don't wait till they're in the hospital.

If you don't yet know Jesus, then come and see Him in action - drop me a line, and I'd love to show you how.  He is real, He loves you, and He will never leave you or forsake you.

Remember when, your hope is lost and faith is shaken
Remember when you wonder if you're gonna make it
There's a hand stretched out through your deepest doubt
We can't pretend to see the ending or what's coming up ahead
To know the story of tomorrow
But we can stay close to the One who knows

 We can trust our God
He knows what He's doing
Though it might hurt now
We won't be ruined
It might seem there's an ocean in-between
But He's holding on to you and me
And He's never gonna leave, no
He is with us, He is with us
Always, always

He Is With Us - Love and the Outcome

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