THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

One of the most honest persons I have met was Oom Tek Bien. He did not mince his words; he told it as it was. Nowadays that kind of honesty is a rarity; we are more accustomed to saying things we don’t mean and expressing feelings we don’t even feel, just to make others happy. That’s why having Oom Tek Bien around was like inhaling a breath of fresh air.

But, there is another quality of Oom Tek Bien that, to me, was also like a breath of fresh air. He loved his wife, Tante Daisy, so dearly. Every morning he got her up and ready—a task that could take a long time. But, he did it cheerfully because he loved her. A lot of times he came late to Bible Study for that reason and he would apologize to me. I told him, there was no need to apologize and it was perfectly fine for them to arrive late. We all understood.

Bill McCartney was a famous football coach at the University of Colorado. His team won the national championship in 1990. But, his achievement was not only on the football field. As a Christian he cared deeply for his fellow men, so he co-founded a national men’s movement, Promise Keepers, to bring men back to the life God has called them to be. But, his busy schedules took him away from his family and he didn’t like what he saw. In 1994 he quit coaching.

Please listen to what he says, “If you really want to know about a man and what kind of character he has, you need only look at the countenance of his wife. Everything he has invested, or withheld, will be there.” Bill McCartney dropped everything he was doing when he saw his wife’s unhappy face. I think you all would agree with me that every time we saw Tante Daisy walk with Oom Tek Bien, we saw a happy face. Through her face, we knew his heart.

Pastor Paul