Yes... today is my birthday... It was with mixed feelings that I begin my 32nd year on this planet. When I look at the year past, I just can't help but feel sad. I could still remember vividly where my wife and I went for dinner on my birthday last year. I could still remember what she bought for me and when and where she went to buy. Things are so different now. It's never the gift or the cake that I remember... but the people who spent my birthdays with me.
The Lord giveth and taketh away... even though I am alone this year... He is ever so faithful and gracious to provide many people who really make my day. There are bros and sisters-in-Christ who celebrated for me on Tuesday... there are friends who sent it their messages from all over the world... there are my students who are always there to give me the encouragement that I needed... there are my current students who never fails to bring a smile on my face... there are my colleagues who celebrated for me as well, my parents, my sister... best friends... Looking at the long long list, I cannot help but give thanks to Him.
For all those whom I mentioned (you know who u are), I am really touched by your kind words and actions... your care and concern... your love and friendship... Though I am sad yet I am comforted... that feeling is just so strange. Perhaps like the photo of the yellow flower, taken after the rain... Does it look sad or do you see hope in it? I see a bit of both... perhaps I would like to focus on the hope. There is always a rainbow after the storm... and I'm looking forward to that rainbow.
It was during this very difficult time that I realised that the greatest satisfaction comes from giving. It's about giving whatever you have to offer to your loved ones, your friends, those whom are important to you and even strangers. Through giving encouragement to others, I find myself encouraged. I believe that God is using this period to train me and to mould me. Just like what one of the sisters once said to me... now it is also my favourite poem...
When God wants to drill a man,
And thrill a man,
And skill a man
To play the noblest part;
When He yearns with all His heart
To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall be amazed,
Watch His methods, watch His ways!
How He ruthlessly perfects
Whom He royally elects!
How He hammers him and hurts him,
And with mighty blows converts him
Into trial shapes of clay which
Only God understands;
While his tortured heart is crying
And he lifts beseeching hands!
How He bends but never breaks
When his good He undertakes;
How He uses whom He chooses,
And with every purpose fuses him:
By every act induces him
To try his splendor out--
God knows what He's about.
It is with this hope that I begin my 32nd year and it is my sincere prayer that God will continue to guide my footsteps in time to come.
20 comments:
yeah. i like how u remain positive. it is always hard to let go. sometimes, we may nv let go at all. yet perhaps by focusing our time and energy on other things, we wun think so much and get sadder. so there! happy birthday. (:
there's a silver lining in everything. =D
anyway, i've got an old song for u. it sounds kind of cheesy~
http://www.geocities.com/euphoria_3e/MontyPython-AlwaysLookOnTheBrightSide.wma
the title says it all...always look on the bright side~
keep smiling!
and happy 32th birthday mr choy!
~weijing 4E'03
u are welcome for the poem. I am not the writer ;) but glad that God uses whom he chooses to write poems that can be of great blessing, and when one receive of that blessing, what then? PASS IT ON! ;) It's hard to be strong, but Keep our focus, the Lord is watching out for us as he always does.
Hold the ford brother! There will be a time when you look back as we always will when we have cross the valley into higher grounds, and in confidence as ever that the Lord is with us.
yep , u do hav a long long way to go , so continue to stay positive :D but , really , i had wish for u to be more "happy-sounding" lehx .. put that as one of ur new yr resolutions as well bahx ..
cheers ..
just try to keep the open mind...smile on...
mr choy, i've seen lots of nice pictures of scenaries and people. i'd like to see your self portait. most great artists have self portraits. =D
i am tian yong, one of the people who took part in scrabble competition last year.. i am a J1 now, and i was also a RVian.. i read your blog, its really powerful and encouraging that you remained steadfast in the Lord despite the circumstances. Cheer up and rejoice in whatever you have! I speak by faith that God will definitely raise your spirit up! God is a God of miracles and healing! Keep going for Him, who knows, He might just surprise you in your life! I was deeply encouraged by your faith. I am proud to have such a teacher in RV, God bless.
hey mr choy. i m a ex rvian student n i chanced upon ur blog. juz a msg to u always look on the bright side or life k =). haha stay happy forever. n i m glad that rv still haf dedicated teachers like u!!!!
heyx! just got to know your blog via xueli's blog. =) u know u will always have my fullest support,juz like how you have been giving to ur students =) *Take care*
Xuefen =)
hahaha hey i chanced upon your blog.
anyway i was a rvian not too long ago. haha though you've never taught me, i know you're one of the best teachers rv ever had.
:D
haha rock on.
er though now its alil too late..
but happy birthday nevertheless
stay youthful :D
live strong
well..im an ex-rvian and througout my 4 years in rv, the impression you gave me is tt u are a very nice and sincere teacher who is always there for us...happie b'dae to u though u may not know who i am..
tc
im an ex rvian.
take care mr.choy.
god bless.
haha hello im an ex-rvian too.. glad tt u look towards the Lord for strength and comfort. anw keep going! just to let u know that there are many behind u.. happie belated belated belated bday=)
".. but hope that is seen is not hope, for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance." -Romans 8: 24,25
Hey Mr Choy!
Haha its Vivian, the one you couldn't recognise. Sad la. TT__TT Anyway, like you said it today, now dy/dx>0. Life will only get better for you. I'm sure God has his plans for you, and I'll keep you in my prayers. =)
You know, today our class were talking at dinner and we suddenly remembered how you once calculated how much the Hum Chim Peng seller can earn. HAHA. Thanks Mr Choy, for all the great stories!
Hello
Your flower picture does suggest sadness only because you cheated it of any vibrance and rich color tonality. Just look at that thing. At the very least, a polarizer to assist? Since you've mastered the use of aperture for DOF effect, try tilting your camera to give the picture more angle. As it is, the flower looks flat out, with no hint of perspective! Besides, your lens is probably not fast enough to give it the light it needs. What macro lenses are you using anyway?
Good chap, try going out earlier for photoshoots! Or perhaps wait out the clouds? I see little (to none) hope in the picture, but there is still hope for your skills! I'm amazed yet again by the natural impulsion of every amatuer photographer who sets forth in increasing the world repository of flower pictures. Perhaps you could try some portraiture shots of pretty SLL (sweet leng lui) models? Singapore will be more willing to provide! That, would please my eye as well as uplift your broken spirits!
32 is a great year to be alive. It is however a lousy year to be wallowing in any sort of negative emotions. Get rid of that baggage man!
You have about a decade left before the next big depression AKA mid-life-crisis kicks in. So you really want to work hard to buy that Porsche at 42, don't you? :) I'm not here to make fun of you dear friend. Pick yourself out of the blue. Stop musing with these 'God has a plan for me' proses. I argue not their truth, but OBVIOUSLY they offer little help to you. I say, time for some hard knocks! Did you ever attend Operations Management 101? If competition robs you of your customers, its high time you added on to your core competencies and switch competitive priorities! The very definition of MAN-ness denies you the luxury of any more Christian-style-pity. Take your place among the living. TODAY!
You were robbed of something. And you're doing nothing progressive about it. Change lah! I expect to see 'energicia' in your stride, great Chow Yun Fatt style and courage befitting a Christian man! (who has every reason to be confident in GOD, not that Chow Yun Fatt is anywhere near Christlike). Now, its nice if you could begin discussing the merits of Nikon vs Canon SLR systems here, the use of a tripod (which do you swear by, Bogen? The one you got better bloody come with a decent ball head).. You'll be surprised by how the natural vibrations of carbon fibre frames wreck havoc in long exposures. And for God sake, more light and color in your pictures!! Good luck.
hey there.
sometimes we gotta fight for our own happiness.
lord giveth and taketh away.. but lord don't grant happiness. unless you try, you put an effort, to get what you want.
be strong.
hello.. this is a passer by... happy birthday! heard that u are a good teacher =)
hi mr choy (: this is shengqi, pls say u remember me! saw you when u came to hwa chong last month, glad to see you're still e same old u (: happy birthday! kp holding on to your optimistism! (: (:
hi mr choy, i'm an ex-rvian (graduated 2005), happened to chance upon your blog. although you never taught me before, i feel that you are one of the most passionate and caring teachers in rv. God bless you and rejoice in Him!
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