Lord, help me to care

Lord, help me to care

SIBKL/Elder Koon Tat/26/5/12

There was a farmer in a province in China who grew award winning corn almost every year. After he had won the red ribbon award for quality of corn for 4 straight years, the government dispatched their top scientists to his farm to see what he did that was so special. They did water samples and soil samples and observed his agronomic practices but noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Finally, they just asked the farmer directly what was the secret of his winning ways. “No secret”, he said. “Every year, I just share my best seedcorn with all my neighbors in the village. During flowering season, the winds pick up the pollen and swirl it throughout the entire village. My corn cannot improve unless my neighbors’ corn also improves. To receive the best, I must give the best. This farmer had given a superb insight into the connectedness of life.

To live in peace, we must help our neighbor live well. The welfare of one is tied up with the welfare of all. In Jeremiah 29:7, the prophet asked the exiled Jews to seek the welfare of the city where they went to. “Seek the welfare of the city to which I have caused you to go in exile, and pray to Adonai on its behalf; for your welfare is bound up in its welfare.’” Our prosperity is tied up in the community that we live in. That’s the carrot! However, the consequences of not taking care of our community can be seen in Ezekiel 16:49 “The crimes of your sister S’dom were pride and gluttony; she and her daughters were careless and complacent, so that they did nothing to help the poor and needy.” Throughout Scripture, God instructs us to care for the community. We are called to care because we have a God who cares. We need to care so that we will grow in Christlikeness. And the Word of God teaches us how as individuals we can become people who care.

In John 5, Jesus and His disciples encounter a man invalid for 38 years, who had been hoping in vain by the pool of Bethesda. Verse 4, which was only found in some manuscripts explains how the people believed that from time to time, an angel of the Lord would come and stir the water and the first to get in would be healed. This explains why there were so many people at the pool. Everyday, nobody helped the man until Jesus stopped by to help him.

There are 3 characteristics of Jesus that each one of us need to have – eyes that see, ears that hear and limbs that respond. The Greek word for see here does not merely connote seeing but to see with deep spiritual understanding and perception. Jesus saw a man in need and perceived a man in need. We need eyes that not only see physical images but the spiritual condition behind these images. Billboards try to capture our attention by appealing to the eyes. Foreigners looking at our billboards will think that Malaysians are obsessed with credit cards, cars and condominiums. The world wants us to see the things we don’t have but can have. If they don’t have 2 cars, some think they are only 1 step from poverty. People try to make us see things from their perspective.

In the news, the rich and prominent always take precedence. There is very little news of the poor. The world wants to hear about the president’s daughter’s new dog but not about the suffering of refugees and child trafficking in the third world.  Jesus sees the pains and sufferings and needs around us. He sees the things that break the heart of God.

Sister Tana saw the needs of the Myanmar refugee children in the city. She was concerned that every child should be protected and cared for. They were innocent victims of a country torn apart. So she started a Myanmar refugee school . From just 17 children, it has now grown to 900 children spread over 12 schools in Kuala Lumpur. 5 days a week, she and her team feed the children 1 meal. For some, that will be the only meal they have for the day. There is no greater joy than to help a little one reach his full potential.

Secondly, Jesus listened to what the man was saying. Though Jesus knew the man had been lying there a long time, he still asked “Do you want to be healed?” Could the man have become so accustomed to his lifestyle that he had no more desire? No! Jesus asked the question publicly as the answer was not just for Him but for the empowerment of His disciples. People may have condemned the man as lazy. Somehow, people tend to condemn the poor and marginalized as lazy, as being unwilling to work hard. The man told them “I want to get help but nobody helps me. They cut queue. They care only for themselves. They take advantage of my weakness.”

Do we take advantage of the poor and marginalized? Do we grab land from the natives or withhold a worker his wages? Jesus listened and paid heed towards what was being said. We need to come into the community and hear what the poor man is saying about his own problem. Many of the poor make an effort but live in a society that only cares about itself. That is the problem! Jesus let the man explain where the problem actually lies.

God is looking for people with eyes that will see and ears that will listen. My prayer is that the poor will say that because of SIBKL, I know God has heard my prayers.

Now brother Lian, a volunteer at a school for Myanmar refugee children shared his testimony.

( I am one of the Zomi people of Myanmar. I am weak, but 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 encourages me. “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” I was born again in 2005, but the flesh overcame me. I came to Malaysia, and for 4 years worked in restaurants, wine shops and pubs. I was ok with the salary but life was boring. I felt that life was not worth living. I believed that no one but my parents cared for me. Then I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. My parents asked me to help in a school in Pandan Jaya, and I decided to obey my parent’s will. I planned to help only until my parents left. I knew that children are important, that they are the future, and I was afraid to lead them. When I started teaching them, I realized their English and personality was worse than mine and I felt guilty if I did not teach them. After my parents left, I continued running the school but it felt too heavy for me and I was concerned with how poor I was. I faced many problems running the school. Then in January 2012, I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me, that Jesus would set me free if I surrendered the problem to him. Soon, the way I saw things changed. God took care of me and blessed us with much more than we could imagine. My bad habits like smoking and drinking went away. I believe I am doing God’s work. The salary is sufficient and I am satisfied. I thank God for touching me with the Holy Spirit. I told God “I am grateful for your many blessings but don’t bless me until I forget you” My fellow youths, I was nothing for God but He didn’t ignore me but lifted me up and called me to do His work. I want to live my life for others. Blessing works belong to young people, not just senior citizens. )

Thirdly, Jesus had limbs that responded. Until we act, we will talk about, analyze, dissect, wish well of the poor but do no good until we respond. Jesus responded. The man needed healing and Jesus healed him. There was no fanfare, no ulterior motive. The man did not even know it was Jesus who healed him.

In May 1942, during the 2^nd World War, the Japanese Imperial army introduced the Sanko policy of burning and killing everything to break the will of the Chinese people. This resulted in 1.5 million Chinese being killed. Among the many Chinese refugees was a man called Lee Tsung Dao. He was a brilliant scholar but was unable to complete his studies as he fled from place to place but always found the support of teachers who rallied around him to help him. Finally, in the Yunnan province of Kunming, he completed his studies in a year and a half and received his degree. One of his teachers recommended him for a scholarship from the Chinese government and it was given to him to study in the US. He applied for the University of Chicago, and after noting his grandfather had been the first rector of a Chinese church, the University gave him preferential treatment as it was their custom to favor those whose parents were church leaders or pastors. So he found himself in a graduate program in the University of Chicago studying Physics under Dr.Chandrasekhar. There were only 2 students in his class, and Dr.Chandra had the option of canceling any class that had less than 10 students. However, Dr.Chandra was a teacher at heart and believed that he should make a difference to every student that came his way. 3 years later, the 2 students graduated with a PHD. 7 years later, Lee Tsung Dao became the first ever Chinese to be awarded the Nobel prize at the age of 30. He was also the 2^nd youngest ever to receive it in 1957. Chairman Mao charged him with modernizing China and he set out to revamp the departments of Sciences in the universities. Among his projects were building Science academies, building the China High Tech centre and Modern Physics Centre. He played a key leadership role in setting the infrastructure and producing the manpower that was the foundation of modern day China.

His achievements were the results of unsung teachers along the way who were truly committed to their students. Man may forget but God never forgets. In 1983, Dr.Chandra himself won a nobel prize for his work on the birth of stars.

Even as we touch base with the community, there may be times when we are lonely but God has the right time for you! At the Great lakes, swallows teach their young to fly by pushing them to the end of the branch. The young protest the loudest at the end of the branch until they fall off and hang upside down. The parent then proceeds to peck at the feet until the pain causes the young to let go. Once they fall, their wings take flight and the swallow is off on its own. The adult swallow knew that its young would fly. It knew there was no harm in making its young do what it was designed to do. Flying is the natural action of birds. Certain death awaits those who never take flight as come winter, they will be frozen. Just as God made birds to fly, God made man in his image. We are never at our best until we do what God designs for us to do. He is a loving, giving parent. Some people cling onto the dead branch of selfishness but God knows that it is in letting go and caring do we realize we are designed to care. God help us care!