Daddy was on the way back from church today that he noticed the early darkening of the evening that signals the changing of the seasons again. Daddy always enjoys the walking down Chang De Road alone as it is a time of reflections and walking and talking with God. Here’s Daddy’s reflections and thoughts:
This is the fourth autumn that we are in Shanghai. Time really flies and it has been almost three and a half years since we left Singapore to work and live in Shanghai. God has been faithful all this while, from having paved the way for us in Shanghai by surrounding us with friends and a church which made integration into new life easier, to providing for us financially and blessing us with two wonderful children of our own.
Through these years, by God’s grace, we were given opportunities to be of service to Him and to draw closer to His Word, which enabled us to grow spiritually and to mature in His wisdom. Whilst we sometimes still do wander off the narrow path, but by God’s grace, we are always able to find ourselves back onto the path again.
As with the changing of the seasons, many things have changed over the last few years. The first batch of friends who came alongside us to Shanghai have now either all left or are planning to leave, with Wan Pin and Fiona being the most recent couple to relocate out of Shanghai (By coincidence, we met them whilst Daddy and Mummy was firstly scouting for a place to stay and happened to view their old rented place. They definitely provided a lot of help to us when we first came to Shanghai). In fact, we are very much on our own now, save for our colleagues, cell group, and a handful of remaining friends.
Over these years, we are thankful to be able to experience alongside our Chinese friends the pride and the challenges of China. We have seen how China has grown from strength to strength, from the recovering from natural disasters like the snowstorm and earthquake to the unrest from Tibet and Urumuqi, to the launching of Chinese rockets into space, to the hosting of the 2008 Olympics, the celebration of 60 years of nation building, to the preparation for the 2010 Expo. Even the landscape around us has changed dramatically with skyscrapers now towering in Nanjing Xi Lu when there were few back then.
Three and a half years down the road, with the birth of Shannon, it appeared that we are standing at the cross-roads once again, seeking God for a new direction for the family. Subsequent to the financial crisis, the world has become a more uncertain place, as the economy and job situations do not look as rosy as in the past. Companies have restructured and are becoming more cost conscious whilst placing greater expectations on employees. On the flip side of things, there are more days than in the past that we feel that our energy levels are not as high as we wish they are, not to mention that 24 hours a day never seemed to be sufficient.
Even though we have been praying for a new direction for some time, God seems to be silent in His replies. I must admit that waiting can really be trying from a humanly perspective. Finally, during my walk with God today, I was reminded of His promise in Isaiah 40:31: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on the wings of eagles; they will run and not feel weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
It was a reminder that even as the world changes so rapidly around us and whilst we may not know what tomorrow brings or how our job situations may change, we can still place our hopes in the One who never fails us, that all things will come to past in God’s perfect timing.
For now, all we need to do is to continue to trust Him and to lean on His strength. To God be the glory.
