Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

“Other than to stay healthy and fit, what other benefits can a child gain from playing sports?”

Many, we’d say.

Here are some of them:

Social skills, which will help them in their growth as people, not just as athletes.

They make new friends and build their social circle outside school.

They also learn more about team work, sportsmanship, responsibility, leadership, confidence, self-discipline, commitment, hard work, and coping skills.

They learn to focus, to be less selfish, and to listen to instructions.

They learn to be mentally stronger, too.

A lot of things happen inside the head, before the game, during the game and after the game, and they need to control all this on their own during tournaments.

e.g.

“Oh, he’ll sure beat me. I can’t do this.”

“I can’t get my strokes right. I’m losing points. It’s over!”

“I will try to win this point!” *plans strategies in the head*

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It is a learning process. A journey.

It is not easy and it takes years.

Grateful to see Levi learning along the way.

Posts on social media show only a glimpse of reality. When it comes to parenting, obviously nothing happens in an instant.

We may have been teaching our children to:- proactively offer help or apologise, without being asked
– do assigned, regular house chores without being reminded
– not grumble when asked to help others
– treat siblings kindly

Just to name a few.

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As much as we hope our children are “transformed”, the reality is, many years of instilling values (with love, patience, wisdom and consistency, etc.) do not mean our children are automatically “changed from the inside out”.

One of the reasons is, we are dealing with shaping/reorienting/shepherding human hearts and tendencies.

We are not simply “modifying behaviours”.

We deal with humans, not robots, and all our heart tendencies are sinful – preferring wrong over right, self over others, receiving over giving, rights over responsibilities.

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So, what can we parents do then?

Just do what we can, as consistently, lovingly and patiently, as we possibly can.

Not forgetting to pray for each and every one of them.

Because ultimately, true repentance and change in their hearts (and ours), are the works of God.

IF there’s a change, it is by God’s grace alone.

IF we have daily strength to keep on going, it is also because of His help.

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Food for thought.

Imagine a scenario with me.

A man is scheduled to be a guest preacher at a local church. However, when the time comes for him to preach, he is nowhere to be found, and no one is able to contact him. Finally, after many in the congregation have already left, he arrives at the church, his suit neatly pressed and his hair well kempt.

Upon seeing him, the pastor who had scheduled his visit voices his growing frustration: “Where have you been? You were supposed to be here more than an hour ago!”

The truck ran me over, and that’s why I’m late.The guest nods gravely and replies, “I’m so sorry! On my way here, my car had a flat tire. As I was changing the tire, a lug nut slipped from my hand and rolled into the middle of the highway. Without thinking, I chased after it and then looked up to see a semi-truck going at least a hundred miles per hour barreling toward me. The truck ran me over, and that’s why I’m late.”

The guest’s excuse is so ludicrous, it is laughable! It is entirely unbelievable that a man could encounter a force as great as a speeding semi-truck and be completely unchanged by it.

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When one’s heart is transformed by the gospel, his life will also inevitably—without exception—be enveloped in changeTo a much greater degree, how unthinkable it is to hold that one could encounter the all-powerful God and be completely unchanged by Him!

It is ridiculous to assert that one could experience inward transformation by the gospel of Jesus Christ and yet not see that transformation reflected in his day-to-day life.

As the Apostle Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).

When one’s heart is transformed by the gospel, his life will also inevitably—without exception—be enveloped in change.

You will never find a man who has been made new in Christ (heart change) yet shows no evidence of this in his daily walk (life change)These two transformations always go hand in hand.

They are connected—like two sides of the same coin, as it were.

You will never find a man who has been made new in Christ (heart change) yet shows no evidence of this in his daily walk (life change).

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Am blessed by Paul Washer’s sermon.

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Read the full script here:
https://heartcrymissionary.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/HC-92.pdf

[‘These moments’: An attempt to capture moments within the week. No words. Simple. Special. Moments I wish to treasure and remember.]

Here are today’s personal reflections.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
1 John 1:5-6

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What does it mean when we “walk in darkness”?

Then these verses shed some light.

But anyone who hates another brother or sister is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.
1 John 2:11

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
1 John 2:15-16

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When we “walk in darkness”, our whole outlook on life is ruled by worldliness. What we do and say is based on what we like, not on what God likes or hates.

Hmm.

So, … what if we claim that we are a Christian, we go to church, and are even involved in church ministry, and at the same time, we:
– steal an organisation’s money?
– or, known as someone who likes to share dirty jokes and vulgar images with others?
– or, are easily offended and will consequently curse others at moments of anger?

I guess, the answer to the question above is the answer to THIS question:
“Can we be light AND dark at the same time?”
“Can an apple tree produce oranges as its fruits?”

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He went on to say, “What comes out of a person is what makes them ‘unclean.’ Evil thoughts come from the inside, from a person’s heart. So do sexual sins, stealing and murder. Adultery, greed, hate and cheating come from a person’s heart too. So do desires that are not pure, and wanting what belongs to others. And so do telling lies about others and being proud and being foolish. All these evil things come from inside a person and make them ‘unclean.’ ”
Mark 7:20-23

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God is light, and there’s no darkness in Him.

It means, those who have truly accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour will have THAT light in them.

When Christ’s love and holiness are already in our lives, we will naturally start to “despise” darkness, most likely, our “old, bad habits” (Mark 7:20-23)

i.e. When we “truly” have the light of God in our life, we would NOT feel “at peace” when we do all the things above, i.e. things that are against God’s holiness, righteousness, goodness and justice.

So, what if we feel there is “nothing wrong” when we do what Mark 7:20-23 says?

Hmm.

Perhaps, … perhaps we need to go back to the basic question of, “Have we truly repented and accepted Christ as our Lord and Saviour?”

“Have we read God’s Word and let it fill our heart and mind daily?”

It is never too late to repent and ask God for forgiveness.

May God have mercy on me, and everyone of us.

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A song that reminds me today of the need to be filled with the mind of Christ, day to day.

May the Mind of Christ, My Saviour

May the mind of Christ, my Saviour,
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and power controlling
All I do and say.

The littlest is turning 10 in 2 months!

Too fast.

I better write down some updates now before I forget all these details.

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She’s into baking and making her own videos.

She reads stories from books, records her baking process, then edits the clips herself using apps that I myself have never/hardly ever used.

(She knows about those apps from either her teachers or school friends, thanks to today’s online school.)

She does almost all her school homework by herself, and manages her school schedules well.

(I mean, she handles her school stuff on her own for the past 6 months or more. I know. I’m blessed.)

She talks a lot.

(Like me when I was her age, I guess, haha.)

She’s been having Mandarin lessons, over Zoom, with her cousin, Vincent, for about 5 months now.

*Grateful for that ‘Mandarin language exposure”, twice a week!*

She practices tennis with Daddy, regularly twice a week.

*Grateful for Daddy’s commitment and dedication!*

She often prepares food for the whole family.

Because she has skills and knowledge in quite a bit of areas, she can be rather bossy and sharp in her words.

(On this, I often remind her, “At your age, you can talk, but you must learn how to talk properly, otherwise, your words bring people down, instead of building them up.)

She doesn’t like to be rebuked.

If she’s done something, and told (however nicely!) that it’s not right and that she shouldn’t do it, she would potentially frown, grumble, or get defensive with her attitudes and words.

(This sinful attitude of the heart that sees self as “always right” is something which I have repeatedly shared with her. She needs to be able to detect her own “heart inclination”, realise how it is sinful, and ask God to help her change. I can only “show her” what she should do. The ultimate “transformation” of her heart is in God’s hands, and by His grace alone.)

Without a doubt, she is loved very much.

And I surrender this young girl into God’s hands, for Him to shape and transform.

With the gifts that God has blessed her with, I ask for God’s mercy and blessing for her, so that she truly has faith in Christ, and brings glory to God’s name as she grows up.

Amen.

Beautiful, clear blue sky in Jakarta this afternoon

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PS: Love the new and spacious KFC outlet just outside of Mitra Kemayoran Hospital.

Jesus chose to be silent
when flogged, mocked,
and crowned with thorns.
He was sinless.

When He finally spoke,
he said, “Father, forgive them.”

Amazing love for us who are unworthy
of such redemption and forgiveness.

May we give thanks to Him this Good Friday.

And learn to live for Christ every day.