Did The Dream Die?

 My first birthday sms greeting came at 1 plus am on 6th May from my ex-boss... with comments that must be common amongst many today - "eyes swollen, heart-broken". Right into the wee hours of the morning after 5th May, a group of us had been huddling together in the living room of one of my cell-members' house; almost all had fallen into increasing despondency, our eyes glued to the idiot-box, recording the 'official' vote count, so excruciatingly slow in being updated. Incidentally, I learnt something new in the process- there is no better torture than watching TV on election nite, especially when coupled with concurrent, conflicting and confusing reports from smartie-fones, Ipads and wat-nots. We had started out with such high expectations, likewise I am sure many throughout the land of M'sia were riding on a wave of anticipated euphoria built up over many many months before, intensified by fantastic reports of mammoth crowds at this or that ceramah, here and there and everywhere in the weeks/days leading up to 5th May.

And now the bubble has finally burst-ed. And now the recrimination and rumination will start to roll in. Experts (and lots of us unwittingly think we are in that category) will analyse, assess and dissect the results. Many will cry foul (and that may very well be correct, correct, correct), others will plot action plans B, C, D-Z (and that should be the way forward), still others will say "I told you so". There will be those who bemoan the 'death' of democracy; I am sure the black box reading RIP democracy in contrasting white is being shared all over Fb pages. Heck, someone may even start planting black flags all over the road shoulders. And I am not saying it's wrong, misguided or whatever. I share the grief, I share the disappointment amongst millions of M'sians who dared dream a great dream for this 'tanah air tumpah darah-ku'.

So what happened? Did the dream die? Did all our prayers go to waste? Has God gone to sleep? Did He abandon M'sia? No, and I declare again, 1000 times NO. The dream is very much alive and kicking. What is inspired and born of God can never die, no matter who, what or how many attempts are made to kill it. Problem is our eyes are a bit skewed, and the human that we all are, when we don't get what we want, hope and desperately pray for, we lose the big picture.(And in case we still don’t get it, just look again and consider the final numbers)

In a sermon a week before election day, I shared a message about what must be the fave prayer of all Christians, from Mat. 7:8-11, where Jesus taught, "For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" We know God will give us 'good' gifts. The only catch is His idea of bread, fish, stones and snakes may be quite different from ours. When we fail to recognize this, we also fail to recognize that sometimes what appears to be unedible stones and poisonous snakes are actually bread and fish to God. And that's not only an erroneous but a dangerous assumption, because when the feast that's laid out on our tables doesn't correspond to our idea of a feast (in fact quite the opposite) , we will get disappointed at and/or angry with God (and everybody else who had a hand in dishing out the feast of coz). Conversely, it could be that what we consider to be yummy bread and fish are actually stones and snakes which would do harm, not good, to us, and that's why in His utmost grace and mercy, if only we knew, we would praise God He doesn't answer some of our prayers.

My husband's cancer and his subsequent passing away can hardly be termed 'good'; I certainly don't want (and don't wish it) on anyone; it's a very very bitter pill to swallow. But out of something so horrible, came God's salvation for my entire family. The unalterable, undeniable fact remains that His Word is true - "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Hm, who have been called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28). Likewise on the face of it, Jesus' dying on the cross was a total travesty of justice and all good 2013 years ago. But, But - and this is the Big But that makes all the difference ...out of death came resurrection life. Bread or stone? Fish or snake? When we grow 'new' eyes to see and appreciate things from His point of view, from His point of time (and God deals in eternity, not 5-year plans),we can rest assured ultimately God is good, God is great and God is faithful. Christians of all people should be the most optimistic of all for we have a living hope.

I wrote a few days before the election: "Yes, come 6th May, whatever the results of the election, I will have the best birthday present I have ever had in my 53 years of life as a M'sian citizen - a new government - a new hope realized, a vision come to pass of better things for a new tomorrow in the land of my birth. God bless Malaysia".

Today as I cross over into my 53rd year of life as a M’sian citizen, I can only say, It is done; I thank God for my birthday present - for the miracle begun in this beloved land of my birth. He has worked and is still working in M'sia. Henceforth our call surely must be to continue to pray along and work along  so that never again will it be 'business as usual' in M’sia. May there be no more delay in making that dream come true. God bless M'sia indeed.

And now, I am going out to celebrate!

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" - Philippians 4:4