Get Wise To Satan

Its inevitable that in life we will face situations that end in argument. Be it with our spouse, close friend, workmate or random stranger...there will be instances where disagreements will occur, differences in opinion will come to head...and ultimately things will get heated. I strongly believe that the way that someone conducts themselves in an argument shows a lot about their character. There are those people who will get very nasty and attack the other individual on a personal level. There are those who are skilled in the art of debate and can argue their point of view very succinctly. And there are others who will just give in and let the other person win.

Realistically there is nothing wrong with having a dispute or argument. I feel they can be quite healthy for a relationship. They actually show that there is still a pasion in the relationship between the two people. The problem a lot of the time when we do get into this position is the thoughts that begin to form in our mind. We can start to have images of how we would like to harm the other person, its like a spotlight is directed right on all that persons flaws and failings, our mind is clouded by distaste for the other person and our tongue is poised to unleash that anger on them.

At this moment we need to press pause and ask the question....are we listening to the devil or listening to God??

The dangerous thing is...we so easily can let the Devil not only speak into our mind...but actually take hold of our minds. Those thoughts of hatred towards the other person, those images of reaping revenge upon those who have hurt us, those words of anger that we want to throw at the one who has betrayed us...none of these things are from God, they are all from the Devil.

We must understand the simple fact that the devil is exceptional when it comes to justification, rationalization and highlighting other people's faults. Its remarkable how easily I can allow my mind to get wrapped up in the justification in my mind of why I should take revenge on someone who has hurt me. Thoughts of how supportive I have been to that person, memories of all the help I had provided them and constant reminder of what that person did to hurt me will take my mind to a place that is no where close to what God wants us to be.

This is why we must recognize what seeds the enemy is planting in our minds. This starts by putting on the brakes...taking a time out...and basically looking back over what is going through our minds.

It comes back to what you allow to fill your mind with on a daily basis. Are you feeding on Gods word daily or are you content to allow your days be plastered with elements that are unpleasing to God. This is by no means to say we are to give up all we have and go into full time ministry with no contact with ungodly people. I just mean that we need to look at what is guiding our ship....what fuel are we living on? Like my favourite analogy...if I goto the gym, work hard then go out for and chow down on fast food each night...Im going to ultimately perform poorly in the gym and not have the necessary nutrition and energy needed to perform at my optimum.

Sometimes we need to go further than just stepping back...we need to look at ourself on the whole. Are we filled with pride and unable to compromise, unable to see our own faults/mistakes? Have we become so self-absorbed that the needs of others has become irrelevant. Have we become so focused on reaching our own goals and needs that we are neglecting others...neglecting one of the most important commands God has given us...to love one another.

This all calls on us to take a stand and not allow ourselves to be controlled in a negative and harmful manner. We need to be vocal in our objection to the enemy! Daily we need to be quoting scripture, we need to be mirroring the characteristics of Christ and above all else love others unconditionally! This will all lead to a life that is pleasing to God...a life that is successful & fulfilling!

But why would we want to do all this? Why dont we just remain self-centered and strive for things that benefit ourselves? Well simply put...when we carry out the will of God, we open the door to unimaginable blessings!

But as soon as we allow the devil in, even just slightly, we are placing our selves in a position where we limit Gods ability to fully bless us. Each day we need to ensure we are wise with the decisions that we make, we need to ensure that we are conducting ourselves in a way that is not only healthy to our own wellbeing, but also healthy to those around us. And the great news is...God has given us the wisdom required to live an extraordinary life...we just need to learn to give God time and be prepared to listen to Him.

For the Lord gives skillful and godly Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:6)

Setting The Bar Too High

Most of us try to do our best in life...to make the right choice...to succeed in areas of difficulty...to rise above the rest...to ultimately bring joy to those around us, those that we hold dear. Or are we trying to please those people around us? Are we trying to satisfy the demands of people who play significant parts in our life? I think a lot of the time we are just trying to uphold the expectations people have on us. Those individuals, be it family or friend...they expect things from us...and ultimately if we dont achieve what they desire, we are looked on as a failure, as a disappointment.

Why do we care though? Well for me its that I care the person. Some might dispute this...but I do care...and if every move I made was visible...you would see that. But this isnt about defending myself or proclaiming how wonderful I am. When we care about someone, we dont want to disappoint them, so we do our utmost to ensure we dont let that person down. The horrible emptiness that can be felt when you look at someone who you care about, and all they have for you is the look of disappointment. All because you failed to reach the expectation they have on you.

But where do these benchmarks come from? How are they set? Why is it that people will have next to know expectation on one person, but on someone else they expect the world? I hear a lot of people suggest its about trust...when you trust someone you raise the expectations on that person. But I dont feel that is the only aspect. The lifestyle that someone leads...that can dictate expectations. As a society we hold Christians at a higher morale standard than Atheists...but then how often do we hear/see/witness Christians making incorrect choices...and what is the result...disappointment in that person, they are outcast, not worthy to associate with. But did they really fail that badly? Do they honestly deserve that treatment?

Ultimately I believe one of the main dictations of expectation that people will place on another is their track record. If we are nice today, people expect us to be nice tomorrow. If you are the one to always phone a friend, its an ongoing expectation that you always be the one who makes first contact. If you are the one who organises the plans, ultimately the other person will leave it all up to you with the expectation  that everything is under control and they need not worry.

This is quite sad when you think about it. What happens that day you dont smile, or you dont make the first call or you forget to make the plan...you are a disappointment. So basically...despite the fact you have done so much in the past...you miss one and ...BANG... the past is irrelevant.

This highlights the simple fact that we are easily taken for granted in life. By nature its very easy for us to fall into the trap of complacency, failing to recognise what others are doing for us, or more accurately undervaluing what someone does. I think this is something that we are all guilty of in some way or another.

But its not till that day when its not there...when you are without that thing which has always been given to you...that you realise how lucky you were all that time.

What is it that you have been failing to fully appreciate? Is there someone in your life that works away tirelessly, but you have not given them the due appreciation they truly deserve? We all like to be appreciated...especially when we have performed an action that demonstrates our care/love for another.

Mission 2012 - Cooking Up A Storm

Entry Thirteen of my China blog:
Day Thirteen…some really crazy dreams last night, in particular the final one where i allowed another person to drive my car which resulted in my car being totalled just as I woke up...I guess these are the things that come with owning a new car!

Morning devotional and breakfast were pretty standard and then we were off to the center. I have started bringing the Kindle to breakfast to get some reading done while chowing down on the limited selection of foods on offer. Reading is one of those things that I actually really enjoy, but I just cant find enough time to fully enjoy it. As part of this trip I planned to take some time to myself and get some serious reading done...so I have loaded up the Kindle and Im working my way through whats on offer.

Today was considerably colder than the past couple of days so it was straight to the boys room with no messing about! The weather on average has been fluctuating between -1 and 1 degrees….so not a lot of difference…but today felt a few degrees lower than average.

Today as we entered the room, we were met with such joy and happiness, the kids were so excited. Not because we had brought anything particular with us or that we were going to take them somewhere specifically nice. They were just happy to see us and that was shown by the hugs we got entering the room. One boy in particular kept saying (in mandarin of course) "thank you for coming". 

How often do we show this kind of gratitude in our lives? How often do we just take the things people do in our lives for granted, without a second thought for what they have done for us? Its unrealistic to think that the kids realise that we have flown across the world to spend this time with them, but regardless of that, they are just happy to see us, happy to spend the days with us.

I guess you could also take it to another level…how often do we complain we are bored? These kids have very little variety in their lives. Day to day life goes by under a pretty standard routine. They cant spontaneously decide "lets go shopping" or "what movie would be good to watch?". Their only choice is…"where do I sit today?". That mind sound ridiculous…but its the unfortunate truth. We are so blessed…but we fail to see it on so many levels. I am so blessed and I continue to complain. God has blessed me so abundantly in life. Its said that its harder to pray when things are going well, as we can naturally become complacent. But the reality is…during the good times, this is when we should be praying just as much if not more. We should be singing the praises of God each and every day! Everything is given to us by God, whether we choose to believe it or not. And those things that we dont have that we still strive for…there is a reason for not having them too. God loves us more than we could ever full appreciate and for Him to not give us something that we desire suggests that there is a pretty good reason for it!

Anyhow back on track, the morning was as per usual with the music session. I spent the latter half of this time with one girl who really likes to hug people…tight! She is so happy when someone will just hold her, she would be no older than 4 or 5. Such a beautiful girl, such a tragedy that for the majority of her day she is left alone…sitting on the floor. This is by no means the fault of the carers in the center, they have 10+ kids to take care of simultaneously, if not more. No the tragedy is the fact that she is missing out on a childhood of love and compassion. When we are down, we go to our loved ones for support….but again do we value this as much as we should. Do we realise what we have in front of us before its too late?

After music we went back to the boys room, but I was quickly called away as DangKou was really upset today, screaming at the top of his voice. So it was down to the Therapy room, which always calms him down and brings a smile to his face. As I had a bit more time to play with, we spent approximately an hour in the Therapy room before I took him back up to join the rest of the kids.

Lunch time came and it was same old, same old. Picked up my laundry and had nice 45 minute rest before it was back on the bus to the center

Now on Tuesday, the afternoon didnt run as smoothly as would have hoped, so today we were super organised with our planning. We planned for colouring for 30 minutes and a whiteboard game for 30 minutes, before they would all head off to the kitchen and we would have the cooking class. The colouring went well, with all the children actively involved and having a good time. It was good to see them quiet, but as we drew near to the end you could sense they were getting a little restless. So it was time for the whiteboard activity, this involved me up front drawing on the whiteboard and the kids guessing what the picture was of. Usually it was an animal of some variety. Now let me start by saying that Im probably the worlds worst when it comes to drawing…but still I managed to draw the likes of a Cow, Sheep, Butterfly and even an Elephant. This was actually a really fun activity for all, the kids were really involved the entire time, attention span wasnt an issue and there was plenty of laughs. One thing in particular that stood out for me was that XiaoPang, who is a young boy who is confined to a wheel chair and has very little control of his limbs, he was one of the boys that got the most answers right and was smiling the whole time. That brough happiness to my heart…seeing him happy like that. For most of the day he is left out, for most of the activities he cannot join in due to his condition. But this was a time he was joining in, lauging and having fun. Knowing I brought joy to one child makes this whole trip worth it. 

One thing that came up this week was the fact that certain areas have food donated to them while others do not. One example is that a local bakery donates bread to the girls room, while the boys miss out. This means at morning tea time, when the girls are eating their baked goods, the boys go without. I have to admit that the girls are of course very cute and when volunteers come in for a day, they inevitably get drawn to the girls room. But the boys deserve as much love as everyone else. This isnt a girls vs boys debate, its just me saying that each child is special, each child deserves to be loved…especially the undesirable ones.

At 3:30pm it was time for the cooking class, so we all filed down in pairs to the kitchen for the class. This was run by Poh Suan and she was teaching them how to cook fish with noodles. This was an awesome idea, with the keys being to teach the kids hygiene and safety (in particular with knives). All the kids had the opportunity to participate in preparing and cooking the food, from washing and cutting the vegetables, to preparing the noodles and fish. All the kids were really excited throughout the exercise, especially at the end when they got to eat the food! This was an excellent idea and really demonstrates that despite their disabilities, these kids have so many skills. They are more than capable, despite what people think they cant do.

In life, we all want a chance. When we make a mistake, we always want a chance to fix it, to do it right. When we go for a job interview, we want a chance to show them we can do the job. But the harsh reality for these kids is…they will never get a chance in life. They are stuck in that center for the rest of their life. I know that sounds really depressing…but its the truth. But they deserve so much more. I was thinking on the way back from the center today that if I had the capacity…I would adopt one of the boys, in particular HeZhong. This boy is more than 20 years old, he is one of the boys that helps most around the center and in fact is quite shy…especially when the camera comes out. But he is so kind-hearted, each day when we arrive, he runs up to me and shakes my hand and says "thank you for coming" in mandarin. He loves to laugh and hug you. But his whole life has been confined to a welfare center and because of his mental disability, this is where he will remain. Its my prayer that God will work a miracle in his life…for he deserves much better than this. While with my own knowledge, I cannot see a way that things can improve…but with God all things are possible. So I will continue believing that God will intervene in his life.

After the cooking class, it was end of the day so it was off to dinner and then worship meeting to wrap up an eventful day.

Mission 2012 - Reflections To Date

The entries that I have been posting were all written at the end of the day. We would have finished dinner, possibly gone for a massage and I would finally be wrapped up in bed. At this point I would take time out to reflect on the day, the activities that we had performed, what had been successful, what we could have done better...and ultimately what was God speaking to me about.

The trip is much more that "helping the children" in Sanmenxia. Its about drawing closer to God, listening to His word and ultimately carrying out his will. There is not one person in the universe that God has not mapped out a purpose for their life. You may or not believe it...but thats the reality...the thing is its up to us to either fulfill that purpose or play things the way we want.

This doesnt mean in any way that God simply treats us as workers that are striving towards a goal that he is instructing us to work towards. That is so far from the truth...the reality is God loves us. Simple as that...and as a result this means God only wants the best for us. This is clearly evident in the plan for each of our lives...our Father in heaven wants each of us to lead extraordinary lives...all we need to do is listen to His calling and use the gifts he has blessed us with.

This brings me back to the children in Sanmenxia. A lot of people will say things to me like "I admire what you did" or "thats a really nice things you are doing for those kids" or "you are a really great person to do that kind of thing". Im not trying to talk myself...actually quite the contrary. For the truth is...I cannot do any of it without God. God gives me the job that pays for my trip. God gives me the courage to travel to a foreign country, God gives me the passion to work with these children and ultimately God gives me the wisdom in terms of handling each situation that comes my way. It is all God...not me!

But the problem when doing something like this which can ultimately lead to a high profile is...you can get caught up in the moment. Both times I have travelled to China for mission we have appeared in the newspaper, we have been photographed incessantly and had video cameras follow our most mundane moves. People want to meet us, people want to treat us for dinner...and probably most common...people stare at us like we are movies stars...or circus animals...depending on how you like to perceive it.

It is throughout all this that I need to be giving it all to God...and thank him constantly for what He is doing through my life. This is the calling that God has given me and I am grateful that He chose someone as broken and simple as me to do such amazing things. There are moments where I reflect and honestly find it incredible that I was able to make it through and achieve what I did. But the truth is...I didnt "make it through"...I had God empowering me, guiding me and ultimately using me for His amazing plan.

Mission 2012 - Half Day Means Massage Time

Entry Twelve of my China blog:

Day Twelve…today is our half day at the center. I slept in this morning so I only had 10 minutes to shower and get dressed…but I still made it to the morning prayer meeting in time. A quick breakfast afterwards and it was off to the center.

As we were only going to be at the center for half a day, we didnt plan too much today and went along with what the teacher had in store. As normal it started with singing, and I spent this time with WenKou on my knee and then the rest of the session with Wei Hao, simply tossing a ball as he had lost interest in the singing activity for the day.

Afterwards I spend some time with WenKou in the Therapy room, today we introduced a couple of new activities to him, with some success. He has the right idea with most activities, just needs some guidance at times. But you can definitely see he is making progress.

Afterwards I spent some time with SanYing helping her study English, she is just so intelligent. Its really sad at times to think that she is stuck in that place. She is so beautiful and smart…she deserves much more.

We wrapped up at 12pm and headed back to the hotel. I quickly grabbed what I needed for the afternoon in town and we were off to eat some delicious spicy noodles and do some shopping. After shopping it was off to get a massage…and facial! While the massage was quite good…they decided to do 刮痧 (gua sha) which is also known as "coining" to us English speaking folk. Basically the results speak for itself….it was a touch painful. Apparently the more red marks you end up with, the more unhealthy you are. So according to that…im about to die!

The massage and facial were done and it was time for dinner. As it was a free afternoon, we choose a restaurant which is along one of the main roads close to our hotel. Looking like a classy place, we gave it a try and werent disappointed. Chicken, beef, prawns and even FROG…we ate so much and were totally satisfied as we left.

As we left, looking at our watches it was already after 9pm and we were remarking how fast the day got away from us! It was straight back to the hotel with us and to bed ready for the day ahead of us.

Mission 2012 - Breakfast Appreciation

Entry Eleven of my China blog:

Day Eleven…Im getting into the habbit of having breakfast after the prayer meeting as it affords me another 15 minutes sleep in the morning…that is something I really need at the moment! When you go into the breakfast place each morning, they present you with a few mantou and a hardboiled egg, which is cooked in some kind of soy sauce. Untill this morning I never ate the egg…probably because I was too lazy to take the shell of and get soy sauce over my hands. But this may sound silly…this morning I decided I would eat the egg. Every day the kids in the welfare center are served up such simple meals, with relatively low nutritional content unfortunately. But they eat it up like its the best meal they ever had. They dont complain…they dont throw any away. They are just happy to get what they have been given. I wont let this post turn into a self-reflection post too much…but I just have to say that this is an area in my life I really need to focus on. Am I happy with what I have been given or am I just always asking for more and more? Am I grateful for what I have been given or am I just looking for the pieces that are missing? I feel God is really pressing this topic to the front of my mind and its something that I know during this trip I will see great changes in my mindset.

Off to the center at 8:30am and we commenced the morning as per usual with music, song and dance. Pretty uneventful morning that went off without a hitch, I even had time to take WenKou down to the Therapy room to do some exercises which led right into lunch time.

Lunch time was the standard affair and shortly after it was back to the center. This is where the fun begins… This afternoon it was our turn to run the class. We commenced with making bracelets using string and beads and this went off without too many headaches. But at the end of this we were going to do some exercises using the whiteboard…but wouldnt you know it…NO WHITEBOARD MARKERS to be found ANYWHERE! In the space of 10 minutes while we searched high and low for where the teacher had placed the markers, the kids went from well behaved to totally out of control. It is summed up by Fu Rui coming up to me with a texta in his hand AND a LOT of texta across his forehead! So ultimately the afternoon was free play time for the kids…lesson learnt is dont forget a whiteboard marker!

The day ended with the kids calm again, watching some tv. We headed off to dinner at a supposed "Shanghai" style restaurant…but according to our Shanghai team member…the food on offer was far from Shanghai-nese. But it was good all the same. As per usual I ate my fair share and was pretty full as we made the walk back to the hotel.

Tonight was my turn to lead the evening worship meeting…something I have NEVER done in my whole entire life!! The two songs I chose were: Hope of all hearts by Planetshakers and This is our God by Hillsong. I opened by just sharing on how grateful I am for all that God has done in my life, especially as we are here in Sanmenxia it really highlights how awesome God is and how much we are blessed. I guess it went well…

Mission 2012 - Week Two Begins

Entry Ten of my China blog:

Day Ten…Monday morning, we commence a full week at the center

The morning is as per usual, all the kids march down to the room which holds the Piano. This is music time for them and its something I find majority of the kids really respond to quite well. It commences with the teacher playing the guitar for the children and they sing and clap along. After about 5-6 songs we move into a time of dance, where we join hands and form a circle then dance to a number of different songs. A lot of fun and a lot of laughing. 

It was during this time where I came across one little girl in particular. I vaguely remeber her from my last trip and she usually sits off to the side and is not too involved in the activity. So it was during this time I invited her to join in the dancing, but she automatically wanted to be picked up. As I scooped her up with one arm, while trying to keep dancing with the kids at the same time, Elsie informed me that the carers had told her this girl really likes to hug…and I soon discovered that for myself. She put her arms around me and would not let go. Its time like this I begin to reflect on how truly fortunate I am. It might sound like a broken record…but I have been blessed with so much…much more than I deserve. Simple things like a hug…we can take it for granted. While this little girl had her arms wrapped tightly around me, it underlined the fact that these kids only want to be loved…nothing more. They never did anything wrong, they never hurt anyone. While this girl isnt exactly in the area Im assigned to, I felt God had brought her into my path for a reason. I hope that during my time in Sanmenxia I can make a difference in her life, show her the love of God.

(Unfortunately there were no photos taken of this little girl...one of the disadvantages with not being able to take photos ourself within the center)

After dancing, it was back to the main room, where we sat the kids down and went through a basic lesson with them. Today was "square", "circle" and "triangle". The kids were then tested to see if they could differentiate between the shapes when given pictures at random. Before we knew it, lunch time was upon us and it was time to go for lunch.

Same place for lunch, but we finished just after 1pm which gave us just under an hour to rest up before going back to the center…much needed rest time!!

We got back to the center just after 2pm and the afternoons activity was…OUTDOORS! Now remember its winter in China and the temperatures have been in the minus region more often than not! But outdoors we went…and first activity once we got out in the courtyard was…running laps! While this is easy enough on its own…when you have a child who is tired and doesnt want to run anymore holding your hand…meaning you have to carry them…while still running…you soon get pretty tired!

After running, it was time for ball games and other team exercises. This was honestly so much fun. Being able to see the joy on their faces as we played various games with them. This is what they should be doing more often….this is what the deserve. 

Back inside, we were all a little tired from all the running around, so once back inside it was a chance to take rest and the TV was turned on. While this isnt used too frequently, it is a good option every now and then as it gives everyone a bit of a chance to relax. 

Before we knew it, it was time to go for dinner. The days in the center truly fly by so quickly! Tonights dinner selection…Hot Pot! Luckily it was right around the corner from our hotel, which made it super convenient.

Another amazing day at the center in Sanmenxia. So much fun and so many laughs!