Sunday Reflections

Reflection 1:

I tend to remember stories during sermons as they help me remember points better. That and acronyms. Anyway, pastor at Wesley shared a story.

He was on a farm stay in Perth, where he witnessed the farmer snipped off the tails of the lambs. Obviously it must have been a painful experience for the lambs which whimpered and scampered away with bleeding behinds after the job was over. As a Singaporean who never witnessed that before, we would respond in shock and disgust at the "torture" of the lambs. But the farmer went on to explain the reason behind cutting off the lambs' tails. The tails are located near the area where the animal excretes, and when the faeces get stuck to the tail, it would start to cause infection, and potential death to the animal. It would also render its wool not good for use.

I dunnoe why, but when I heard that story, tears just came.

Perhaps the story struck a cord in my heart.

Of how sometimes we experience pain, but we don't realise that pain is essential in the moulding of our character, in developing us to become someone useful.

Reflection 2:

After church, I had lunch and coffee with my aunt. She mentioned, while we were at TCC, how it is that it had been a long time since she sat down and did nothing. "Welcome to a time of luxury," I told her. Yesterday when i was out with my mum, she was always in a rush. Crossing the traffic light when it wasn't green man yet, rushing here and there. I told her "Slow down! We're not rushing anywhere! Take time to smell the flowers!"

I think its frightening the way people rush from one task to the next. Rushing to socialise and meet friends. Rushing to complete an assignment. Rushing to have a life filled with activities. Perhaps they feel that being constantly on the move equals to "living life". But to me, living life means appreciating the slower moments, the seemingly insignificant moments that we just want to get it over with. The quiet sunset, the sound of wind, the words of a book, the sip of coffee.

Reflection 3:

While waiting at the busstop for the bus home, who should I meet alighting from a bus but my old churchmates J&L. Just that I dunnoe if I should call them "old churchmates", coz they left TSBC even before the saga... but still, i knew them from TSBC. We used to be in the same fellowship back in those days. In fact, I've always had a soft spot for J coz I'd never forget how it was him and ben who were really friendly to me when I was new to the church.

Anyway, I was surprised to see them. I wanted to say hi... but somehow I stayed rooted.

I watched them walk away from the busstop, hand in hand, until they were out of my sight.

I dunnoe why I didn't call out to them. I should have.