Seeking to express VS seeking to impress, both have very different roots.
I can be an insecure follower of Christ who is unsure about where her salvation stands, doing her best to impress the world with her do-good deeds, administrative skills and talents.
Or, I can be a secure follower of Christ who has locked in her identity solely in how God sees her, and carries out her day to day life yearning to express the joy and freedom that comes with knowing who she is in God’s eyes.
I was in Sydney for a week, and there were so many things that happened that I never had the time to sit down and reflect on all that has happened.
One of the things that I can still remember very vividly is the homeless community in Sydney city.
The reason this is probably one of the things I remember most is because of the feeling it left and is still leaving inside me. Even as I am typing this right now, I feel a strange kind of aching hollow in my heart and my eyes are watering. I remember slowing down every time I see a person, with all the belongings that they have packed into one cardboard box, or a supermarket trolley. I remember trying to catch a glimpse of their face, only to be dismally greeted a head hung low to the ground. Actually, scratch that. I don’t know if I can handle seeing them. I don’t know if I have the strength to look into those eyes, eyes that will remind me of the disparity in where we stand. To see the eyes that aren’t worrying about whether they get a high distinction in an exam or not, they are desperately praying to any being that they will survive the next hour. I wonder what they have been through before? I wonder if they have ever been surrounded by the laughter of a family that loves them? I wonder what brought them to that corner in the city that is their wretched shelter? I wonder if they have ever felt the warmth of a home in the cold winter nights? I wonder if they ever had hot chicken soup to calm their soul? I wonder if anyone has ever reached out to offer them an embrace? I wonder if they understand what love is, in a world that seems so bleak? I wonder where they find the strength to go on living on the streets, day after day, relying only on that tiny sliver of hope? I wonder where their substance of hope comes from? Is it dependent on the possibility of grace in humanity? Maybe, just maybe, they are waiting for someone to show them grace?
And in case anyone was wondering, I did not give any money. Why? I don’t know. I did have money, and I could give it to them. I wanted to say hi, I wanted to give them a smile, I wanted to buy them something to eat. I wanted to do many things in my head, yet I didn’t. Maybe I was scared. My paranoia held me back. What if they were to attack me? And yet, what good is this justification to any one of us? I go home feeling dejected because I held back the love that is not mine to keep, and she remains loveless. If there was one thing I wish I could have done in Sydney, it would have been to offer my company to that lady wrapped in a blanket on the busy street in heart of Sydney.
Jien-Li introduced me to Tristan Prettyman more than a year ago, and because Jien-Li has really awesome musical taste – you can trust that this is a really nice song! This one is a collaboration between Tristan and Jason Mraz, called Shy That Way. As per Tom Felton stuff, absolute sucker for the acoustic stuff! Unfortunately, I have bad baaaaaaad self-discipline when it comes to practising the guitar :)
Found this blog, and it’s gold! This person is mad talent, and I thought I would share the love.
One day I will be as cool as this man!
This is a song and video done in collaboration with at least 150 Malaysian artistes, celebrities, film-makers etc a couple of years back. It was made to remind Malaysians (‘rakyat’, which means citizens) that we’re all united in the heart! My favourite part about this song is the timing at which it came – during one of Malaysia’s more tumultuous periods. I know it’s quite old, but it has quite a timeless message.
Anything wrapping around the concept of unity always gets to me!
