God is in control.

Today in church, my friend Gabriel shared his testimony and I thought it was pretty awesome and well-written. For some context, he got news at the start of this year that there was a benign cyst growing in his brain that was affecting his vision, so he had to go for an operation to remove it. The delicate and risky operation went successfully, and today he shared his experience.

What I thought was really good was this part of his sharing:

"...the most difficult part was not the operation itself, but the period of uncertainty when I first found out that I had a growth in my head, and not knowing what kind of growth it was. It was difficult to ask questions like 'Would this growth be cancerous?' and because it was affecting my vision, 'Would I eventually go blind?', 'Would I require a major operation?'

... And as I prayed, 4 comforting truths came to mind, and I would like to share it with you.

Firstly, I was reminded that God who created me knows whatever is in my head better than anyone else can know.

Since he is in control, I do not have to worry.

Secondly, God who is willing to give his Son up for me loves me more than anyone else can love me.

Since he is in control, I do not have to worry.

Thirdly, God who cured me of my worst possible disease, which is sin, through Christ Jesus, is able to cure me of any other disease.

Since he is in control, I do not have to worry.

Lastly, even if God allowed the worst possible scenario to occur, I know that this life is not all that is, in Christ I have everything from now to eternity, and nothing can change that. Therefore, God is still in control, I do not have to worry."

I transcribed his full testimony which you can read here. Alternatively, you can download the audio file here. It's just a short 5 mins, so have a listen! (I did get his permission first before posting this!)

Indeed, God is in control of our lives. I do not have to worry. Amen to that.

Transcribed testimony

This is the transcribed version of Gabriel's sharing. For the shorter version/ the main points, please see the post directly above this, or click here. Or you could click here to download the audio file.

Good morning church! I just want to start by wishing all of you a happy Chinese New Year... I made it in time because today is the 15th day right? Haha :)

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Gabriel, and I am up here today to share my testimony and my thanksgiving. Many of you would know that i recently went for an operation, but just to provide some context.. some time at the beginning of this year I discovered that I might have a growth in my brain area, my brain region. I found out because my vision was affected. It was suspected that the growth  might have been pressing on my optic nerve. Subsequently it was identified to be a benign cyst and eventually it was surgically operated on and removed about  2 weeks ago. Thankfully the cyst was in a position where the operation could be done through the nose which is why you don't see any visible scars, because they went through the nose. But you also would be able to tell by my slightly more than nasal voice.

Yesterday grace was asking me 'how come after the operation you become so softspoken?' I didn't become more softspoken!! haha it's just that it's a bit more difficult ot talk now. the op went smoothly and i have been recovering well. I want to take this chance to thank God for everything that he has done throughout the whole period, for placing ppl in my life to help me , for placing ppl in my .life to pray and encourage. for how everything fell into place at his perfect timing. I just want to thank God for his mercy and goodness. I also want to thank the church for praying with me and for being such an encouragement to my family and myself. I want to thank especially the elders and the pastors who were praying and encouraging us all the way from the beginning. I also want to thank all of you who have shown love in one way or another either by visiting me at the hospital, at home, or dropping me an sms, whatsapp, and just coming up toask me how i am doing. I was just sharing in the 1st service just now that my mom jokingly said to me yesterday 'wa, how come you suddenly got so many mothers in church' thank you for all your concern, my family and myself would like to express our deepest appreciation for all your prayers and concern.

I also want to take this opportunity to share that through this whole experience , the most difficult part was not the op itself, but was the period of uncertainty when I first found out that I had a growth in my head, and not knowing what kind of growth it was. it was difficult to ask questions like 'would this growth be cancerous?' and because it was affecting my vision, 'would I eventually go blind?', 'would I require a major operation?' so these were very real questions that I was asking and it was frightening to know that something was growing in my head, it wasn't something that I faced before. So it was worrying. i meditated on Philippians 4 : 6-7. the passage reads "do not be anxious about anything, but by everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and minds in Christ Jesus."

And as I prayed, 4 comforting truths came to mind, and i would like to share it with you. Firstly, I was reminded that God who created me knows whatever is in my head better than anyone else can know. Since he is in control, I do not have to worry. Secondly, God who is willing to give his Son up for me loves me more than anyone else can love me. Since he is in control, I do not have to worry. Thirdly, God who cured me of my worst possible disease, which is sin, through Christ Jesus, is able to cure me of any other disease. Since he is in control, I do not have to worry. Lastly, even if God allowed the worst possible scenario to occur, Ii know that this life is not all that is, in Christ i have everything from now to eternity, and nothing can change that. Therefore, God is still in control, I do not have to worry.

It was still a struggle, I still definitely wanted the medical results to show that there was no problem, but I chose to believe that even if it didn't turn out that way, God knew what he was doing. and whatever God is doing, it's always good. and because of that, I believe I experienced that peace that transcends all understanding in Christ Jesus, and I did not despair and I was able to continue living life normally during that period of time. And so I thank God that he allowed the growth to be a benign cyst, and I thank God for the operation that went smoothly, but most importantly I would like to thank God for Jesus Christ, for because we believe in him, we shall not perish but have eternal life. And so can I invite everyone to sing the song 'In Christ alone' together as a church, because it speaks of how Jesus Christ is our hope, our life, our strength, our all in all. Thank you.

Why does God bless you?

A few days ago I wrote a blog about why I believe we should do good. Here, have a quick read through before continuing.

Or if you're too lazy, the main idea is that I disagree that we receive blessings because we do good and suffer because we commit evil. (Overly summarized, should read the post!)

Then on Twitter, one of my friends posted a link to this article that really disgusted me.

Why do you do good?

Something that my mum said angered me greatly and got me thinking about a few things.
For context, I did something which she perceived to be wrong.
She then said to me 'If you keep being like that, you will lose your blessings (from God)'

Ok, join me in a collective 'wtf' together. 1... 2.. 3. No? You don't see why it's ridiculous? Let me elaborate.