A christian father's chronicle (Standing beside Joseph)

Michael Card (Joseph's Song)

Chorus 1

How could it be this baby in my arms

Sleeping now, so peacefully

The Son of God, the angel said

How could it be

Lord I know He's not my own

Not of my flesh, not of my bone

Still Father let this baby be

The son of my love

Chorus 2

Father show me where I fit into this plan of yours

How can a man be father to the Son of God

Lord for all my life I've been a simple carpenter

How can I raise a king, How can I raise a king

He looks so small, His face and hands so fair

And when He cries the sun just seems to disappear

But when He laughs it shines again

How could it be

Chorus 2

Chorus 1

---

One of the thing that I miss while I am away from home is to watch my kids sleep. They sleep with a certain peace that brings calmness to me. At times, I do wonder where did they obtain this bravery from? The world is a scary place to live in. ... I am reminded of Jesus' words...

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
(John 14:27)

Not a gift as from the world. An alien peace. A foreign peace. Not known among the common. Hearts not troubled. Fear evaporated. Calmness in the midst of a raging storm.

That's what I see when I sit besides my children while they sleep deep in the night. Just like how my Master slept his way through in the perfect storm.

Back to Joseph's song again... as I stand beside him, I ask the same question too: How can I raise a priest? For my kids are a royal priesthood ...

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
(1 Peter 2:9)

Any christian parent who does not understand the amount of trust and responsibility on who we are really raising... will really need more time to consider the task on hand! I am raising a child belonging to God. Raised for royalty. Bred in a simple home.

There is a line of wisdom in the quote in the movie Gladiator by General Maximus:

Brothers, what we do in life echoes into eternity.

Lord, how can I raise them as you intended them to be? Show me daily, and perhaps one day, my eyes may see this beautiful plan of yours....

It snowed

It snowed last night.... as promised, I took pictures for Theophilus.

Here goes, boy!



Here's Daddy before leaving the hotel...



And at the office's car park...



Daddy with team mate (Uncle Yeong Sheng)...



Wished you were around....

Reflecting on my achievements

Traveling allows me time to think. Moments of silence. Period of evaluation... at least on the flight. I am out of town, in UK.

Though the inflight entertainment on-demand movies are not that exciting. I was able to catch a nice movie (Gridiron Gang) Amidst all those conversation, I was also particularly taken by the conversation between Sean Porter and his mother. Upon her death-bed, she made a confession which I felt so akin to. In comparison to Porter, his mother's achievement is simply put as:

"... my achievement in life is you.... you are my greatest achievement...."

This also strikes a strange chord in a book:

On a final personal note, I want to repeat a question I constantly pose in my teaching: How many on their deathbeds wished they'd spent more time at the office - or watching TV? The answer is, No one. They think about their loved ones, their families, and those they have served.
(The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey. pp. 11)

Those statements speak alot to me, and I align with them. My greatest achievement is my family. My children. My wife. Building them up. Loving them. (I am fiercely proud of them).

At the end of the day, one of contribution to the community is to build a family that is secure and healthy and capable to love. That to me is achievement (not a bigger car, or a bigger house... even though they might come my way).