Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

Food for thought.

WHO we truly are will be reflected in our words and actions, wherever we are – at work, at home, at church, in public places (online and offline), when alone, or when writing emails and text messages to others.

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“What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
Mark 7:20-23

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We like the image of Christ as “loving and forgiving”.

But we often forget that Christ is holy and God hates sin so much that the punishment of it is death and hell.

We often forget that Christ took THAT punishment instead, and that we, having received such immeasurable mercy, love and forgiveness, should then respond to the question: “How would I live my life day after day, having been saved and redeemed by Christ on the cross?”

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Added to that, Paul Washer’s sermon reminded me too, that however ‘good’ / ‘perfect’ we think we are on any particular time, it is ‘unrighteousness’ in the sight of our holy God.

Repentance, again and again, is needed.

No one is righteous. Not even one.

May God have mercy on us.

A little chat with Brie earlier today.

“Mommy, the other day when I was at the children pool (note: at our apartment), a boy around 5yo told us off. He wanted us to go away and play somewhere else!”

“Oh, then what happened?”

“I told him that the pool is for everyone. He left, came back sometime after, and told us to leave again.”

“Did you leave?”

“No. We were playing there. In the end, he just left. My friends and I left the children pool only when we wanted to play in the big pool.”

“Brie, I am proud of you for standing up and speaking up. You did the right thing. He shouldn’t speak like that to any of you. At the same time, we don’t need to be angry or yell back when someone asks us to do something that we know he shouldn’t. You CAN be at the children pool, and you do NOT need to leave just because someone told you off. Never be afraid to speak up if something is not right.”

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“Being Indonesian”, it is somehow more common to feel timid, to feel intimidated easilyBeing Asian, or should I say “being Indonesian”, it is somehow more common to feel timid, to feel intimidated easily, when faced against someone with “bigger power”, or someone from a different race (that is often believed as “more superior” than the Asian race).

I don’t know about you, but I believe, if we are wrong, we then must apologise.But if we do nothing wrong, then we should stand firm and speak up.

For example:
We’ve been queueing and someone yells at us, telling us to move to the back because he wants our spot.

Someone continually mocks us verbally and we feel uncomfortable about it.

Someone bullies another right in front of you and the whole thing looks so wrong.
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At times, we don’t need to make a big fuss, and we should just leave the scene. Not because we are “scared” or intimidated, but more because we choose to not make a big deal out of it, or we choose to stay away and not face someone with unstable mental / emotional condition.

Our children (and us) will face all kinds of “unique situations” day to day.

May God give us all the needed wisdom to face each and every one 

Can motherhood be measured by dollars and cents?
No.

Are mothers perfect?
Far from it.

Will the children always appreciate and grow up always thanking mothers for all that they’ve done?
No.

So why should mothers do what they do, if they are not always good at it, and may not always be thanked by the children / appreciated by the society in general?

Because being a mother is not a choice.

It is a gift. A calling. An honour.

A responsibility.And one day, we will be accountable to God for everything that we have done with and for the little ones He has entrusted into our care.

And let’s not forget, time flies.

Opportunities to be involved actively in these children’s lives will be gone sooner than we’d hope.

May God help us moms and give us the joy, mercy, and perseverance we all need every day.

Photos:
Year 2011:
Daily routines of sending Anya the eldest to school (Primary 1) on Singapore’s public bus, with 5yo Levi and 3-month-old baby Brie in tow.

Year 2021:
Activities yesterday with 17yo Anya, 14.5yo Levi, 9.5yo Brie.

Glad that Brie has found something that she loves to explore further.

Baking.

The pandemic, as much as we hope it is over as soon as possible, sure has allowed much more time for her to experiment and do things other than school-related works.

A blessing in disguise?

I guess so.

Parents, do you have expectations / tendencies (perhaps secretly, inside your heart) to want to see your children succeed / score high at school, that you compromise/disregard the children’s heart tendencies?

e.g.

– It’s IMPORTANT for my children to have high scores at school.
But, if along the way towards that ‘goal’, the child becomes easily envious towards others, prideful, and easily looks down on others who score ‘less’, then it is ‘normal’ and is okay.

– it is IMPORTANT for my children to behave well in public.
But, if behind closed doors they love to watch p*rnography, or if they have zero empathy towards the less fortunate, well that’s not good of course, but ‘at least these things are not seen’ by the public?

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Every individual has sinful heart tendencies, including ourselves and our children.

The question is, what do we do about them?

Have we actually been the one fuelling the development of such heart tendencies in our children?

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I’m writing this not because I’ve done it all and succeeded.

On the contrary, it is because this food for thought is for me, too.

And I hope it is for you as well.

May God have mercy on us all, and help us see what’s important in life, according to HIS standards.

The eldest turns seventeen!

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Our hope and prayer is for her to discover God’s calling and become a faithful following of Christ, living out her life to bless others and glorify her Maker and Redeemer.

Where she will physically be when she’s in university, what majors she will choose to do, the kinds of communities she’ll be in, the friends she will have, the works she’ll do, the family she raises, and so on … they are all in my prayers.

I know some parents say, “May all your dreams come true.”

To us, it’s not about pursuing “her” dreams, but more about discovering God’s plans for her, because what is the use of chasing “our own” dreams” if they are not blessed by the Lord Himself.

They will merely be dreams that will reap and gain nothing.

We pray too, that she strives to achieve the best in whatever she does, and experiences for herself God’s goodness and mercy in her day to day life.

Blessed 17th Birthday, dear Anya.

You are wonderfully loved.

making memories as a family.
is possible.
when traveling.or at home.
let’s find ways to connect.

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PS: one of our levitation photo series back in Dec 2019