Purposing our emotions

This is a post I rediscovered while writing another post on emotions. I seem to have drafted this at the end of 2020 in reflection over the whirlwind of events that had taken place that year. I decided to upload it today in tbe hope that it helps others understand how our emotions can be used to bring glory to God, but also perhaps help reflect and heal from a time that now seems like a distant memory.

What a year 2020 has been. The world has been shaken with problem after problem. You can almost hear the sighs of relief as finally we reach the end of the year. The COVID-19 outbreak that has spiraled into a pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, US elections… these have been some of the main issues among many more that stirred the nations. But we are still asking the unanswered question – how long will this continue?

Habakkuk’s cry to the Lord rings true today as much as it did in his time:

How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?

Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?

Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong?

Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.

Habakkuk 1:2-3

There is so much evil and suffering in this world. You don’t have to look far to see the homeless on the streets, the marginalised immigrant population, hospitals full of sick and hurting people. Even with all this at our doorstep, social media reflects the constant comparison and self-idolatry of this generation. Pleasure and lust and self-satisfaction have become the greatest desired virtue. The world is indeed full of sin.

But what is my attitude towards the world? Are my prayers like that of Habakkuk, expressing righteous anger about the injustice I see and crying out to the Lord? Is my heart saddened by the state of the world, where the Lord’s name is either forgotten or cursed?

My response is apathy. I turn a blind eye, refusing to see it. I block out all the pain, the anger, the conflict, the sorrow that rises within. There is so little I could do, is it even worth trying? It is so much easier to keep my head down and get on with my life, ignoring everything else that is going on around me.

The opposite of this? It would be to appeal to the Almighty, to tell the Lord everything. Not to block out all emotions but using them to go to the Lord and pour my heart out to Him who listens. ‘Lord, look at this world. Do something! For Your name, Your glory, Your people – do something!’ A prayer like this stirs hope into our hearts, and allows His Spirit to guide us, submitting ourselves to work His miracles through us.

We are taught to think logically, to not let our emotions blind us, and we bring this into our prayer life. The result becomes a somewhat formal relationship with the passionate Creator who loved us to give His only Son. Yes, it is important not to let our emotions lead us, but equally we must not ignore them completely. God intentionally created us to have mind, body, soul and spirit deeply intertwined with each other – to function and reflect His image as a physical, mental, emotional, spiritual being.

So what does it mean to reflect His image with our emotions?

Empathy

The Lord Jesus himself was not afraid to show his emotions. He wept when his beloved friend Lazarus died, and he celebrated with the newly wedded couple in Cana. Emotions are a powerful tool we can use to come alongside people – to jump with the joyful, cry with the mourning, ache with the hurting. It unifies, encourages, comforts, and ultimately expresses love. It has a mysterious power to open hearts to receive that love, the love of God. In fact, it is not just ‘a nice Christian thing to do’, but Paul implores the Romans to do this – “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 15:12). We reveal Christ through our emotions.

Alignment with God’s heart

Throughout the Bible God shows us what He delights in and what angers Him. His anguish and sorrow, His joys and desires are beautifully expressed for us to learn His heart. As we grow in our relationship with and understanding of God, we need to allow our hearts to be moulded into the shape of His. To love what the Lord loves and hate what the Lord hates. And when we see the brokenness of the world we live in, we can ask the Lord what His emotional response is. Ask the Holy Spirit to help us empathise with Him – overlay our hearts over His and feel a fraction of what He feels to fuel and direct our prayers of intercession.

Let us be neither afraid nor controlled by our emotions, but submit them under the reign of the Holy Spirit for the Kingdom of God. Meditate on the word of God – seek the Lord’s emotions. What does He delight in and what makes Him angry or sad? Allow your emotional response to the world to bring you to your knees. Finally, ask for help from the Holy Spirit. In times of emotional turmoil, pour out your heart to the Lord. He hears and He knows. Wait on Him and He will provide.

Banana bread

My go-to recipe for this little treat that can be for yourself or to share with others. Also a great way to use up overripe bananas!

INGREDIENTS

140g butter – either softened at room temperature or spreadable
140g sugar – I like to use half caster sugar and half light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 mashed ripe bananas
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
140g flour – half self-raising, half wholemeal bread flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
Extras according to your preference – chocolate chips, walnuts, sunflower seeds etc.

Cream the butter and sugar together until somewhat formed, soft and light. Whisk in one egg at a time. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla extract to the mix, adding a third at a time. When whisking, make sure to keep it in one direction i.e. either clockwise or counter-clockwise.

Use a sieve to add the flour, baking powder and cinnamon a small amount each time, carefully mixing it in to the wet ingredients with a spatula. Again, try to keep the mixing in one direction and gently so it stays light. You can add any extra ingredients at this point depending on what you want, such as chocolate chips or walnuts or even sunflower seeds.

Pour your mix into a greased bread/loaf tin and bake in the oven for approximately one hour. Check it halfway and if the top has browned, cover it with aluminium foil to prevent it from burning the outside. Use a skewer (or metal chopstick if you’re my kind of Asian!) to check if it is baked through – poke it in a few different places and it should come out clean. Once done, remove from the tin and let it cool on a cooling rack. Enjoy hot or cold with your tea or coffee, and maybe even a friend!

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The secret of being content

Back from a long break! Update to follow. There has been so much growth, so many changes, and an overwhelming constant of God’s grace and goodness. I’ve been trying to find the headspace and energy to sit down and organise my thoughts into words so I can share the lessons I’ve learnt along the way. The creative juices are finally flowing – hope it encourages and blesses you!

To be content. To be satisfied. That’s what we want in life – whether that’s in our relationships, finances, material possessions, career aspirations, physical and mental health etc.. We set goals and seek to improve various aspects of our lives to fulfil our desires and reach a point of ‘enough’.

In his letter to the Philippians (so many nuggets of wisdom here!), Paul suggests something somewhat radical. He reveals that his secret to living a content life does not lie in the situation or circumstances he is in. Whether in plenty or in need, his contentment is unshaken because it is rooted in Christ.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4: 12-13 NIV

I thought I knew this. In the context of financial and material possessions, my family have indeed been blessed with times of abundance, enough to live a comfortable life, and times of relying on the Lord to provide the next meal on the table. I can confidently say that having plenty does not truly satisfy, but equally, as trying as it may be, being in need cannot ultimately take away the satisfaction we find in Jesus.

But recently God showed me that I cannot be content. I experienced a period of feeling unsettled, a lack of peace and a discontentment within my soul – completely out of proportion to the events leading up to this. I was confused as to why I was suddenly shaken up by something so insignificant and had no reason to cause me distress. I felt there was a reason behind this unfounded restlessness, so I asked the Lord what He was trying to teach me, what He wanted me to learn through this. In His loving faithfulness He answered tenderly but firmly, ‘You have become proud in your own ability to be content’.

God allowed me to experience this lack of contentment in order to show me that I cannot be truly satisfied without Him. I do not have the power within myself to be at peace in all situations, but I need Jesus to be my strength. To lean on Him at all times. In need and in plenty, in success and in failure, in sickness and in health, in singleness and in marriage – in every situation or circumstance, Christ is the source of our strength to be deeply fulfilled and satisfied. Without Him, nothing is ever enough, and we are unable to still our hearts to peace.

I surrendered to the Lord that night. ‘Yes Lord, I can’t do this without You. I need You Jesus to help me be content in every situation.’ An unexpected humbling of heart to remind me that without Him, I have not the power nor the strength to stand. That He is the One that has been holding me together all along. And that it is His power and strength that will keep me satisfied for eternity.

Writing this post has reminded me of a book I very much love called ‘Enough‘ by Helen Roseveare. It’s a short small book on how Christ is enough to meet our every need. Let me borrow her words from this book to encourage you to find your source of contentment in the Lord – for today and for eternity.

“Hallelujah! He has enough of everything I need. He is my sufficiency for every single day of my life, whatever it holds of joy or sorrow, blessing or challenge, of pleasure or pain.” “On that wonderful day, … there will be an utter fulfilment of all that his grace has procured for us. And more, there will be enough time to love him as we should, and to worship and serve him utterly as we long to do.”

Where are you headed this year?

As we reach the end of 2018 and the start of another year, it’s a great opportunity to stop and reflect on the past to help refocus and set the tone for the future. This past month has been a time of reflecting and refocusing, particularly as I approach graduation from medical school (as long as I pass my exams!) and starting work as a doctor. I recently prepared a Bible study for the local CMF (Christian Medical Fellowship) student group – although intended for healthcare students, I thought I would share my notes on here as it probably applies to all Christians, whatever their field of study/work.

Where have you been running towards this past year? What have been your personal, professional/academic, relational and spiritual goals? Have you achieved any of them?

Philippians 3:8b-14 tells us that Paul’s goal was to know Christ. To fellowship in his sufferings through identifying with him. To live in the power of his resurrection. To become more like Christ in his death and resurrection. To be one with him.

^8b… that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. ¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Our identity is first and foremost as a citizen of God’s kingdom (Phil 3:20-21). We must keep reminding ourselves that we are not defined by our work or study, our role in society, our achievements or failures; we must keep focused on eternity. Whatever work we do, let us remember that it is only a temporary role in which we serve the Lord. He has called us to run this race towards the completion of our salvation. It is not a personally-set target that we achieve through our hard work, but we run (note that we must still be active, not passive) towards a heavenward call from God to us, towards His pull of grace.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day busyness of life and lose track of where we’re actually going. When you feel like you’re surrounded by mountains of things to do, or things aren’t going the way you expected, lift your eyes to refocus on Jesus and remember why you’re here – to love and serve the Lord, because He loved us first.

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ²fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2

3 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ, who is your^[a] life,appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Colossians 3:1-4

We must daily fix our eyes on Jesus. A daily intentional refocusing at the start of the day. Our hearts are inclined towards self, pride, others’ opinions, achieving good results. We need to make an intentional effort to set our minds and hearts on heaven. To know Christ. To fellowship in his sufferings through identifying with him. To live in the power of his resurrection. To become more like Christ in his death and resurrection. To be one with him.

Were your goals last year in line with your higher calling? Do you need to shift focus or adjust your goals? What targets will you set yourself for the next year? How might you live it out? What might that look like in your day-to-day life at work, home, church etc? The rest of Colossians 3 is a good place to start if you’re stuck for ideas 🙂

I was surprised to find an article posted by Desiring God yesterday that ties in quite well with this post. Check out “When our waiting will be over” by Jon Bloom – it’s about a song that reminds us of the promise of Home we hold on to and stirs up hope in our hearts again.

Can it be Christmas all year?

Happy belated Christmas greetings! What was your favourite part of Christmas this year? Was it the gifts or the food? Time with family? The candlelit carol service?

The story of the Nativity is one we all know – perhaps one we are all too familiar with. Jesus, the Son of God, came as a human baby, born to Mary and Joseph in a stable, welcomed by animals, shepherds and foreign priests. An unusual but nonetheless familiar story. I asked the Lord for a fresh message this Christmas; to open my eyes to what He wanted to teach me about Himself this season. His repeated message to me was ‘Immanuel, God with us – the greatest gift’.

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:23

The Lord indeed opened my eyes to see that God’s gift of Immanuel has always been His desire – to be with His people. Countless verses throughout the Bible speak of God being with us. “Fear not for I am with you.” “I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” “The Lord your God is in your midst”. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

God was with Adam in Genesis. He walked with Adam and talked with him – like father and son, like two lovers. Sin separated them and broke this relationship.
The Lord established a covenant relationship with the Israelites. Throughout the Old Testament, He reminded them over and over again of this covenant. “I will be your God and you shall be my people”. He chose to dwell among them in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. He spoke to them through various prophets to call His people back into the covenant.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Jeremiah 31:33

Jesus, the Son of God, came in human flesh. He came as the Immanuel to live among us. He died as the ultimate sacrifice to save us from our sins, that we might be reconciled with God. He rose to life and ascended into heaven to prepare a place for His people.
God sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within all who believe in Jesus Christ, restoring His image in us and bringing us in closer unity with Himself. He works through us to bring His presence on earth today.
We look to an eternal and complete intimacy with the Lord, a forever of being in perfect relationship with Him – the final fulfillment of Immanuel, God with us.

This is an overly condensed summary but the point is: our most needed gift is His presence. We were created to walk with Him, to know Him, to love and glorify Him. Christ came to solve the problem of sin – the sin that separated us from His presence. So, yes it should be Christmas all year round for all who believe in Christ and hope in the promise of an eternity of Immanuel! For any who are yet to join the (stress-free) never-ending Christmas party, the invitation is open to anyone and everyone who wants to know and believe Jesus and what he did for us.

Homemade granola

I absolutely love making this for breakfast. Healthier, better for the environment (less plastic packaging!), and probably cheaper than buying it from the supermarket. I think it’s actually tastier too – you can personalise it according to your preferences!

Preheat oven to 175ºC. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl:

360g rolled oats
120g nuts – I like using almonds and/or walnuts
60g seeds e.g. sunflower, pumpkin, etc.
A pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon cinammon

Add wet ingredients to the bowl and mix well:

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
120ml olive oil
120ml honey

Spread the granola mix evenly on a baking tray. Bake for approx. 20 mins until golden. Stir it halfway after 10 mins and spread evenly again before placing back in the oven for another 10 mins.

Once completely cooled down, break into small pieces and mix in 100g dried fruit (I usually add raisins, but dried cranberries are also a great option). Store in an airtight container to keep and enjoy in the morning with yoghurt, fruit and maybe even a drizzle of honey!

Recipe adapted from https://cookieandkate.com/2015/healthy-granola-recipe/

Stir me to pray

During my time in Zambia, I read a book called ‘Living Faith’ by Helen Roseveare (short biography & podcast). She was a medical missionary to the Congo, and has written several books to encourage and challenge Christians by sharing her experiences. I could write pages on how inspiring she is – but that’s not what this post is about. I wrote my thoughts after each of the three chapters to help me digest what I had read. This series is about how God used this book to work at my heart and teach me a few important lessons.

Prayer is a major part of my relationship with God that I have been struggling with the past year. I know that it should be a natural part of my faith: like breathing, simply talking to God. But when it comes to actually praying, I get stuck. I don’t know what to say or how to pray – what is the ‘right’ way to pray and how to make my prayers more ‘effective’.

The Lord answered my cry asking Him to teach me how to pray. He is opening my eyes to what I need to learn to set me in motion. Helen writes that the purpose of prayer is not primarily to affect situations, but to learn and understand His will and purpose, seeking to bring my life in line with it for its fulfillment. Prayer is the means by which God works through and gives us all we need to live out His perfect plan.

The need for prayer is great, for those who do not believe in Jesus are perishing. We need a concern for the lost to constrain us to pray – this is where I have been lacking and what has stopped me from praying. I asked the Lord to reveal to me when and why I lost this compassion. I used to be so passionate about the lost! … It was because caring is costly. It is painful to feel compassion for those who are perishing, so I unwittingly chose not to feel at all. I must daily ask God to fill my heart with a concern; a compassion like Christ for those who are without Him. I must accept God’s burden, praying in faith that lives will be set free.

Another key thing to remember is that we do not need to understand why or how God uses our prayers to fulfill His plan. I struggle with this – I usually need to understand the mechanism of how things work before putting it into practice. I guess a helpful way to think about it would be like learning to drive. I don’t understand the whole mechanics of the car, but I trust that if I step on the accelerator it will go; if I pull the brake it will stop; if I turn the handle it will change direction; if I change gear it will allow me to change speed. I do not question how or why – I just do my part. Of course, it is not as straightforward as this, but it helps me understand that it is okay to not understand everything.

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Once we start praying, we must commit and persevere until it is answered – whether in visible results or a peace of mind. We must put the needs of those we are praying for above our own, particularly if it is urgent. Don’t count the cost, whether that be in sleep, food, energy, time. Continue believing when praying for longer than 10 minutes. Maintain earnestness. This comes from a heart that is willing to care and love, to suffer with them. Prayer can be painful.

Pray for those who are sick, for God’s healing hand. Lord give me the faith to believe! Do not be discouraged by those who are not healed – simply accept His sovereignty and move on. ‘Our task was to obey and serve to the limit of our God-given ability, trusting Him with the outcome’. Our obedience to the urge of the Spirit to pray, even if specific needs are unknown, may be the channel through which God wants to act on their behalf, for He knows their exact needs. Prayer can be powerful.

When we pray, God may not answer in the ways we anticipate, nor at the time we expect. But when we pray with a heart willing to be available to Him, seeking His will and acting in obedience, He will work out His perfect, pleasing plan. Prayer will turn into praise.

Stir me, oh stir me Lord, till prayer is pain, till prayer is power, till prayer turns into praise. Stir me, till heart and will and mind, yea all is wholly Thine to use through all the days. Stir till I learn to pray exceedingly. Stir till I learn to wait expectantly.

Stir me to go

Just before I began reading this chapter, someone suggested to me that I consider medical mission in the farming villages and rural islands of Korea. Out of curiosity, I searched what the medical needs of these communities might be. They seem to be a mostly elderly population with local access to basic healthcare, but often unable to reach better services until too late. The needs in Korea will likely increase, with a growing population of refugees, foreign workers, and their families. Unification of the two Korea’s will create an even greater population requiring both practical and spiritual help. All this stirred my heart, but I refused to be moved by it. I prayed, “Lord, do not stir me”. I was afraid of being called to Korea – I did not want it.

As I started this chapter, I was afraid I would be pushed into a corner, forced to submit; but the Lord is good and kind and gentle. The chapter was not an urgent call for missionaries, but of how God guides us in life. I was comforted by the fact that often God only asks us to follow Him one step at a time. The ultimate location of where God wants us to be is usually not as important as it seems. We tend to over-complicate this journey of following God’s plan for our lives; when in reality, it is much simpler.

Helen Roseveare challenges us that we must: a) be 100% certain that He has a complete plan, and b) be 100% available to God for whatever that plan might involve. Seek grace to obey Him, as revealed in His word, and He shall guide us. One example she gave was of a boy being called to a people he did not want to go to. She counselled him to simply hold it in his heart and thank the Lord for wanting him in His service. She comforted him saying that when it comes to, God will help him love the work and the people he will serve. What great grace and comfort! He does not push us beyond what we can take. We must simply obey in faith, as He reveals to us His will, one step at a time.

Stir me to give

During my time in Zambia, I read a book called ‘Living Faith’ by Helen Roseveare (short biography & podcast). She was a medical missionary to the Congo, and has written several books encouraging and challenging Christians through beautifully honest accounts of her experiences. I could write pages on how inspiring she is – but that’s not what this post is about! After each of the three chapters in ‘Living Faith’, I wrote down my thoughts to help me digest what I had read. This series shares how God used this book to work at my heart and teach me a few important lessons. I hope it encourages and challenges you too!

Dr Helen Roseveare unravels story after story of how God provided for every need in answer to prayer: sometimes in cash, other times as the exact material needed, much like the answered prayers of George Müller.

God often met their needs through stirring other people’s hearts to give. These people then chose to listen to His Spirit and obey. He stirred Helen’s own heart too, to give her all to Christ in her time, strength, and resources – her everything.

I see that many aspects of her situation in the Congo were similar to what I have seen here in Zambia – financially, culturally, perhaps even spiritually. I wonder if anyone here is praying like she did for every need – specific prayers uttered in complete trust.

Helen’s honest stories of failure, disappointment, disillusionment, and weakness encourage us that it is a constant learning process, even as it was for her. Many of these struggles she had are so similar to mine. Her stories, along with my experience so far of medical mission in Zambia, have shown me how crucial it is to wholly rely on God – generally in life, but particularly so when on the mission field.

On returning from Zambia…

We left for Zambia with the aim to learn, but also hoping to help with the workload and encourage the Zambian staff and international missionaries. We wanted to give our hands and feet in medical service, but the reality was disappointing. Although the official national language is English, we soon found out that this did not really apply to most of the local people who exclusively spoke Tonga – even some of the staff from other tribes had to learn the language from scratch!

As we settled into our new routine, we began questioning why we were there. Yes, we were learning about Zambian culture, and how medicine is different there in many ways. But what was God’s purpose for us in this time and place? How could we be useful in a place where we could not communicate with the locals? We were only there for 4 weeks – insufficient time to learn enough of the language for medical work!

Praise the Lord – God still used us for His glory in unexpected ways.

The Lord revealed to us on our very last day in Zambia how He had been working through us. He showed us that we had been able to give! We had spent time building relationships with some of the Zambian healthcare students on placement there. They too had left the comfort of their homes and university life to spend a number of months learning at this hospital. These friends truly blessed us by expressing how encouraged they were by the friendship and fellowship we shared with them, particularly during what could have been a lonely and difficult time. Praise the Lord for working through us to edify and build each other up! (1 Thess 5:11)

Be open to the creative ways in which God wants us to give – it may not always be how we expect or want to be used. Physical work and financial support is needed, but so is encouragement and our genuine interest in others! Let us remember that sharing the love of Christ should be the heart behind all we do, ‘whether we eat or drink’. (1 Cor 10:31)

My favourite lunch!

This is a filling, balanced meal in sandwich form. I learnt this one from my mum 🙂 I like to have a variety of flavours and textures in a meal, but also try to make sure it is nutritionally balanced. Tasty and healthy = satisfied!

The ingredients are ham, sliced apples, lettuce, omelette, cheese and ketchup. The only prep you really need to do is cooking the omelette. I like to add cheese to the omelette or grill it onto one side of bread. A simple, satisfying lunch ready to go. Enjoy!