The life style of the world is nothing more than endless secular pursuits. Ladies of the affluent social cluster are fascinated with beauty, body shaping and shopping. The retired are focused on travel planning, health care concerns and tips, Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS), or spending quality time with their grandchildren. The sick and poor are paralyzed in bed with nowhere to go. The middle-aged people are busy pursuing fame, fortune and career achievements. The youth focus greatly on their studies and professional skills. There are others who do nothing but fool around and still others who indulge themselves on the virtual reality of the Internet, secluding themselves from the real world like very young babies do.
No one could have imagined that the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 would suddenly stop this fast-spinning wheel, that is our lives. It changed the busy mundane life that almost everyone in the world was accustomed to. The extended self-quarantine days at home, which was an amazing arrangement from God gave us more time to rethink and rearrange the order of life. Even for a person who lives alone such as myself, I now have the luxury to pray and read the Bible intently every day. I feel God is right by my side, and I am able to live a simple but fulfilling life that is full of joy.
When I was engaged to my husband back then, my father gave him a bible as a gift and inscribed Psalm 128 on the inner pages:
Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!!
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;
Your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.
The Lord bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!
May you see your children's children!
Peace be upon Israel !
This is the greatest blessing a person who fears God can receive in his life. A few years ago, when my daughter was engaged, we also quoted the same verses which carried the blessing and expectations from my father down to our son-in-law. The passing down of our faith has become our family treasure and tradition.
Family is the very first place for a person to grow and learn. A few years ago when my aging parents were still around, I grasped the opportunity to go back to Taiwan to live with them for a period of time every year. Watching their regular routines of life, I witnessed them participating in the morning prayers in the church chapel everyday, rain or shine. They have been praying regularly for the faith of their children's families every day for decades. By doing this, they have set good examples for me to follow. Not only has it become my daily routine as well, but I also expect to pass this on to the next generation: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
There's a sister I know of who died around the age of 50. Before she died, she exhorted her children to keep the three "must-dos":
1. Do fear God
2. Do respect the elders
3. Do make sure you hold fast to your faith to the end
Children are an inheritance from God. When that day comes we shall all give our accounts to God, He will surely ask, "Where are the children I have entrusted you with?"
God will not be asking how much education your children have received, how many talents they have acquired, what positions they have, and how much money they make. What God wants from you is related to your faith and your life of worshiping God reverently and loving others. His blessing to husband and wife is to raise godly offspring. It takes a lifetime of learning to lead a God-fearing life. Just like a newborn baby who has a lot of potential to be shaped in any certain way, if parents can set good examples, constantly educating and encouraging your children in cultivating their faith while they can still be shaped, and leading the family in spiritual pursuits, the family is bound to be a blessed one. It will be one that can serve the Lord together.
A wise and humble person shall learn through the Bible that one needs to rely on God in his whole journey of life. Whether your life is abundant or destitute, it only lasts for just a few short passing years. With the passage of time, our physical body ages and decays day by day. If we are fortunate enough we will experience the so-called old age. At the moment when we are facing the final curtain of life, do you and I have eternal life in our grasp? Furthermore, the end is near, and the Lord will be coming soon. On that very day, may we all be among those who have been blessed by God. May our children all walk according to the will of God, raise God-fearing offspring, receive the true blessings in Christ, and lead a well-lived and fulfilling life.
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