First Love

I had the chance yesterday to attend the ICA church in Macau. Having been to the ECC church for the past few years, it was a little strange not to be in the ECC enviornment but it was very nice. Having also finished the SATs this past Saturday, I was very excited to go to Macau though it would only be a day trip.

Waking up early in the morning, knowing soon I’ll be out of HK enjoying the beauty of Macau was a nice feeling. ICA Macau was a small church, but very welcoming. When we walked in, my parents and I were immediatly welcomed by the Senior Pastor of the church. Worship was good, being in a place where there are no one I know near me (except for my parents), being in a unfamiliar place praising God.

There were definitely a few surprises as well which made it all the better. I will continue praying for God to work in my life as well as others. Pastor Olinto’s sermon was one that I needed to hear, to reinforce my faith. The day before, I was talking to a friend about faith and doubting the holy spirit, doubting ourselves and our faith.

The reason we doubt all leads back to not knowing God’s word, not knowing God well enough. we could go to youth group, go to church and act like everything is well, but if we don’t spend time  on our own reading God’s word, we’re always going to be doubting.

Faith is like driving a car at night with the headlights on. It only allows you to see your life up to a certain point, then it’s dark again. If you stop your car and stay put, you’re never going to go further. You have to keep it moving in order to see what’s next. When you stop, you start doubting.

Have you ever tried walking through a dark underground tunnel with no lights? This underground tunnel wasn’t just a straight in and out. It was like a maze, there were stairs, and exits leading to the different parts of the park that we were in. Except some of the exits were blocked with a gate. It’s exactly like our journey with Christ. You only had minimal amount of light (with the phone) to keep going a little bit further, but you can’t see the end of the tunnel. Sometimes you astray and instead of walking straight to the end, you go up and down the stairs and find different temptations and walk on a different journey only until you find out the end of THAT journey is blocked with a gate, only to go back and trust all over again.

Christ is like our first love. It’s important to keep it going, to read his words, to spend time with him so the relationship doesn’t get dull and boring. There is no short cut to the end of the road, to the end of the journey. We have to live life not questioning but taking each opportunity that comes our way to reach out to others and to show them God’s love.

If only I can go to Macau more often.  It is such a beautiful place.

Have a good week,