THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

Last Wednesday Santy and I heard that Linda, her good friend who is undergoing cancer treatment in Singapore, is now in hospice care. There is nothing that the doctors can offer to her. But, what was encouraging was when she broke the news she sounded upbeat—no traces of discouragement whatsoever.

Thursday, when Santy wanted to talk to her, her son could no longer wake her up. But, later in the night Santy was able to “talk” to her. Her son put the phone over her ear and she was still able to call Santy’s childhood name albeit in a very weak tone. As I write this, we have not heard anything—which is good news. In times like these no news is always good news.

What comes to mind when I think of Linda is something stronger than courage. It’s perseverance. Courage is great but without purpose and hope, it can turn into recklessness. When it is directed by purpose and hope, courage transforms into perseverance.

One of the favorite verses of Corrie ten Boom is Ephesians 6:13-14, which reads, “After you have come to a standstill, still stand your ground.” That’s perseverance; that’s courage that is guided by purpose and hope. We have come to a standstill—we can’t move forward—but we do not back down. We stand our ground because we know there is a purpose and hope for standing still.

As we celebrate the 36th anniversary of our church, I would like to thank God for two things. Firstly, I want to thank Him not only for blessing our church but more importantly for being in our church. Secondly, I want to thank God for you, who have stood your ground in this church and in life, even after you have come to a standstill.

Pastor Paul