As the food was being dished out, I sat down beside a young long-haired adult with giant sized tattoos on his arms. "Auntie, you tell me la, no money make IC, no IC, how to get job; pray so long also no use ", he rattled off in Bahasa. I asked him how much it would cost. He said the fine was $300, which meant he had lost his IC more than twice. So I asked again, how come you lost your IC? He admitted it was his own fault, but he continued, "How come I pray and nothing happens? What's the point of believing in Jesus like this? My life is still rotten." Hai, an old familiar tune I have heard time and again, from all sorts of people, in one version or another. So I asked the young man, "Do you know Jesus really?" He stared at me and shook his head. There you have it; if you think Jesus is supposed to make all your wishes come true, give you a good (read easy) life on earth and a fantastic place in heaven, then I can guarantee there's no point in your belief. I asked the young man whether he expected durians to drop from heaven, he said no, then I asked him how do we get durian fruits then? Smart chap that he was, he said durians come from durian trees, and that led to a basic lesson on botany...that durian fruits come from durian trees that come from durian seeds that need to be planted in the ground. And of coz he was also smart enuf to agree that no delicious durian could ever come out of rotten weeds. Finally i asked him what seeds had he been planting into the soil of his heart n whether his life was right with God. His eyes suddenly avoided mine; I had my answer, and he knew it. When he looked up at me again, I simply told him what I had learnt in my own life, that if i harbor sin in my heart, God doesn't hear my prayers; my sin builds a wall which stops my prayers from ascending to His throne; they bounce back at me, undelivered and unanswered. He nodded and walked away. I think this young man met the real Jesus today.
I caught sight of the second man out of the corner of my eye. He was a familiar face in the street alley; I remember him crying like a baby once a long time ago when I prayed over him. For the past 2 Saturdays, he had been avoiding me, and today he had pulled his cap right under his eyes. I asked how he was. He pursed his lips, and answered "Auntie, I don't want to see you" I asked why. His reply shocked me momentarily, "I see you, I think of God". I laughed, "I am not God. But I think it's good you think of God." He looked tortured. "I have done terrible things, drugs, drink, women, I can't stop..." he muttered. Again I asked, why? He answered simply with 1 word, "nafsu" - desire. Then I asked if he believed in Jesus. He said yes. So I took this sinner back in time to Calvary's Cross, and reminded him of what the Savior of the world had said hanging up there, "It is finished" - his sin is finished; God had chosen to forget about all the terrible things he had done, not simply becoz he said sorry, but becoz Jesus had taken it all. I reminded him some more that God's mercy is new every morning. Just as the sun rises afresh everyday, swallowing up the previous nite's darkness; there's always hope for a new tomorrow. My brother's eyes glistened as he nodded his head vigorously, as if to reinforce the truth of God's promise into his mind. A prodigal son came home to Jesus today.
I bumped into the third man at the medical station. He was another old-timer on the streets. Consistently he had refused to believe no matter how many times I shared with him the good news that Jesus loves him. But one day, he had approached me with a strange dream that kept recurring in his sleep. I never fancied myself an interpreter of dreams, but for once in my life, I was able to explain the meaning of this man's dream to him. Certainly it could never have come from me. He knew, and I knew God was speaking to him, and he responded then. Now years down the line, as I looked at his frail body, he raised his hand to hi-5 me. That's always been how we greet each other. I asked how he was; he said not too good, becoz of diabetes and high blood pressure. And when I enquired where he was staying, he shrugged. He asked if I had any XL shirt I could give him, because he had only the one on his back. I was sorry I couldn't fulfill such a simple request. But then with a smile, he said something which put everything into perspective for me today... "It's ok, sis, I still have Jesus, and He is good "
I still have Jesus, no matter what else I don't have, and He is good... Oh, the lessons of life that God teaches me, through the eyes of others in so much greater need than I....The poor don't need to understand complicated theological arguments about doctrine. They don't need answers to the hows, wherefores, and whys of God. Oh, the wonder that uneducated simple-minded folks can understand that the ultimate issues of life are about the state of our hearts, recognizing our need for forgiveness becoz we have sinned against God, (no matter how good we are), receiving grace, healing, and freedom in the love of Christ who died and rose again so that all who come to Him shall never perish but have eternal life. If I have that, it really doesn't matter what else I don't have. And if I don't have that, it really doesn't matter what else I do have. It takes 1 poor woman and 3 poor men to remind me all I ever need for every today is Jesus, the giver of Life.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...." Matthew 5:3
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