I've not heard about Rev. Paul Scanlon throughout my 6 years of Christianity so I wasn't expecting much from today's service, thus I was genuinely pleasantly surprised by his charisma and wit! He also spoke of a message which is so real and applicable to our lives, and I am deeply impacted by his words.
"Kissing the frogs before we meet our 'prince'". Yeah, living in a real world, survival is of utmost importance. Never be a spiritual loony who prays mindlessly daily for manna to drop from the heavens. God listens to our prayers, but we must do something physically concrete so that He can move through our actions.
It could never be more timely than this cos' I just started work as a data entry clerk, and the job requires me to perform mundane tasks. I'm earning less than some of my female peers who are younger and have lesser qualifications. A typical Singaporean male's ego would never accept it, but I did (cos' I'm no typical Singaporean :P). It's nothing fantastic but at least I can have the means to pledge for the upcoming Arise and Build, so I thank God for the opportunity, no matter how small it is.
"The rejection I face can be my new direction". I started making a stand for my own beliefs 2 years ago, and not surprisingly, I've ran into criticism and ridicule. I began to see things in a clearer light. The flaws of the Singaporean society, the ill trends within the youth circle, or just simply the vicious cycle of life. Some people may think I'm a sadist who loves making an ass of people for nothing, but being critical is my way of moving forward in life.
I've been a simple nice guy for 20 over years and it brought me nowhere. It's only when I stepped out of the shell before I could see the vision for my life. I reckon the rejection would only escalate, and it'll push me to the direction which I yearn for, which is to live a life away from Singapore in Japan.
Alot of people who don't know me well think that I'm a naive, ignorant fool who blindly loves Japan. But truth is, I've taken courses which educates me about the harsh reality of Japan, and I know the situation clearer than anyone. Then again, as Rev. Paul Scanlon said, the challenges at every stage of our lives are meant to be conquered.
Don't belittle yourself because what others say about you. Pursue your dreams with confidence.