The King and the Ring

A king asked one of his most trusted advisers to search far and wide for a ring that would make a happy man sad when he looked at it and a sad man happy when he looked at it. The king was convinced that no such ring existed but still wanted his adviser to search for it. So his adviser set off and travelled far and wide but was not able to find such a ring. Discouraged, he rested in a small village. When he looked around him, he saw an old man who was selling trinkets and the like. He approached the old man and asked him if he had such a ring. The old man then rummaged through his bag and took out a simple gold ring that was engraved with four words. He offered it to the adviser, whose face immediately lit up. The adviser thanked the old man and bought the ring. He then made his way home. When he reached the palace, he proceeded to have an audience with the king. He told the king the good news and showed the king the ring. The king looked at it and scoffed and laughed. How could such a simple ring have so much power? But when he looked closely at the ring, he was chastened and turned reflective. For on the ring were these words: This, too, shall pass.

Thank you

Another birthday has passed, and I am reminded again of how blessed I am. Reflected on the many wishes, lunches, dinners and all the company, and came up with this image. My birthday wish was a long and fulfilling life for everyone who is connected to me in this life.

The eye is the lamp of the body

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full 

of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

- Matthew 6:19-24

The unanswered questions

Last week, I woke up late and decided to attend another church's service. A lady was sitting beside me and she started tearing when the worship began. After the sermon ended, I felt led to turn to her and ask her if she would want me to pray for her. She looked a bit shocked but told me of a personal tragedy that had occurred to her just a few weeks ago. So I prayed for her but it  was also quite emotional for me, and I had to stop once in a while to compose myself before continuing to pray for her. After I finished, she thanked me. I told her that it will take some time for her to grieve and for her to be patient with herself, and I also asked her to go up for prayer over the next few weeks. She then asked me if I attended the church and I said no, and that it was one of my rare visits to another church aside from my home church on Sundays. She thanked me again and said she hoped to bump into me some time in the future. When such a tragedy happens, it is difficult to make sense of it. We need to trust that God is in complete control. After leaving the service, I went for a long walk to regulate my emotions and also reflect on many of the unanswered questions in our lives that we will never get an answer to until we meet Jesus face to face. When I returned  home, I put on paper that Sunday experience.