And attack it was, I am certain ... happening as it did, 3 days away from my India missions trip. I just thank God He protected us from worse harm. No one was in the house when it happened, all the family passports and important official documents were not taken. It's only money and things of the world that was lost- and that can be earned back and replaced anytime.
Still it hurt; any loss does, i guess. And in dealing with the hurt, i learnt something else; which just goes to prove God's word is true: that in everything He works for good for those who love Him according to His purpose. The break in wasn't a random bad-luck thing; i don't believe in luck, good or bad; i believe God has a reason for allowing things to happen in our lives, good or bad. But it was only a couple of days later, when i took that hurt in prayer to Him, that the lesson hit me. And it came only when a dear fren showed up at my gate directly after work the day she heard about the incident in the morning and handed me an angpow, insisting i use it for the missions trip that I was going for. It wasn't a big amount of cash. But what struck me was her heart. She of all people, she who needed money more than i, she who had bigger problems in her life to handle... here was someone who sacrificed her much needed little to bless me. I was truly humbled; I didn't expect this at all.
I had only informed close family and cell mates about the incident. I am thankful for all the prayers that have gone up to heaven on our behalf. Yet it is this little packet that brot tears to my eyes, when i recognized the bigness of the heart behind the smallness of the gift. Truly it speaks volumes more than the most saintly or powerful prayers offered. This was a prayer lived out in action. And i remembered how Jesus reserved the highest praise for a poor widow who gave all out of her poverty compared to the rich guy who gave out of his richness.
This gift coming as it did when i was struggling with the hurt, eased the pain of the loss, not becoz of its quantity, but becoz of its quality. And I learnt something else as well. Many times we are very quick and sincere to offer sympathy to others who suffer. But it stops there; most of the time. Its not that such gestures aren't appreciated; of coz they are, and of coz no one is obligated to go beyond that. We all have our own lives to carry on, and its perfectly understandable. I went thru this with my husband; after the condolences and the funeral everyone goes back home. That's to be expected. So it is with me as well; every Sat I minister to people on the street with problems much too big for me to solve; sometimes i feel so helpless; all i can do is pray for them and go back to my own comfy home.
...A few hours after my fren dropped by, someone else called me up and asked me point blank if i was really ok and how much was stolen; in not so many words financial help was being offered. And my heart thanked God that He would remind me there are people who go beyond the norm; not many, but 2 within 1 day restores my faith that there are human angels walking around with hearts of gold.
And having gone thru the experience, i would want to behave a little more like that. Instead of just offering tea and sympathy to someone in pain, i will also be asking, God, what else do You want me to do to help this person a little bit more?
"....Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?... James 2:16
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