1st entry - Hello 2006, Goodbye 2005

I am of the impression that many fellow Bloggers have taken this opportune time to reflect on how the past year fared for them and how they would like the new year to be different. I wanted to do a similar thing except that something unexpected happened and it made me so upset that I was afraid I might end up bitching about my life and some of the people I met in 2005. In the end, I decided to calm myself down by reading God's Word. After all, I thought that if there was someone who could understood me completely and provide me with appropriate counsel, it would be my Creator.

He did not disappoint me. Praise be to God, the Everlasting, the Holy and the Almighty One!!!

Some of you might be thinking - what actually happened? Well, I was reflecting that all of humanity(including myself) is foolish.

I asked myself: why is it that what we cannot have or do not have (yet) is always perceived to be "better" or more highly prized that what we already have? Yet when we have it, do we cherish it as much as when we didnt? Is it a case of feeling that whatever we have is never enough? What we think we need or must have is often only what we want to have, but which may not necessarily be important or essential; compare for instance a "grocery list" to a "wish list". Logically, what we need is more crucial to us than what we want. What we want, however, can sometimes take precedence over what we need. Can this be the reason for us being unhappy when we have everything we need but not everything we want? If we eventually manage to get something we want, why do we still feel that its not enough? Why are we always seeking something else to make us "complete" and/or happy? And even when we have everything we want, will we be absolutely certain that we will be "complete" and/or happy? Or will we crave for more "wants" to be satisfied? Can we ever be satisfied? If so, when?

According to King Solomon, nothing on this earth will ever make us truly "complete" or happy. Wealth is never enough to make anyone happy for any length of time. Leaders are never satisfied with any amount of progress made. Artists are never content with what they have created, constantly seeking to improve and perfect their creations. Lovers can never find the perfect partner or the perfect love in any relationship. Indeed, Solomon sums it up succintly: "All man's efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied" (Ecclesiastes 6:7)

One may wonder why then do we still foolishly seek what we do not have? Why are we all caught up in the futile game of "chasing after the wind" (Ecclesiastes 1:14)? What is the meaning in all our quests? I think the answer is that all these quests either lead us astray and further away from the path that God intended for us, or take us one full circle back to the starting point of our quest. In other words, all our quests lead us nowhere. The reasons are that we are easily blinded by our own stubborness, emotions and/or selfish pride, and that we are easily taken in by the subtle lies of the Evil one: "You will never be happy until you have this or that. You will be happy when you have this or that."

Solomon's advice is twofold: firstly, be content with what we have as well as what we dont have, and always be thankful; secondly, trust in God with what we cannot achieve using whatever gifts that we have been given, including our possessions(s), strength(s) and wisdom. "When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore a man cannot discover anything about his future." (Ecclesiastes 7:14)

Is it wrong to seek more wealth, more wisdom, more progress, more pleasure or more happiness? Solomon asked for wisdom, and even he observed: "For with much wisdom comes much sorrw; the more knowledge, the more grief." (Ecclesiastes 1: 18) Is he saying that being wise is no better than being stupid? Absolutely not! "I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realise that the same fate overtakes them both." (Ecclesiastes 2:13-14) What then should we do? Is it a case of "damned if we do, and damned if we dont"?

God's amazing counsel to us, to tell us not only how to avoid the pitfalls of embarking on futile quests that are ultimately meaningless but also to persevere in doing the right thing in the right way, is revealed in Solomon's concluding remarks: "Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Like a mirror has 2 sides, God's counsel comes in 2 complimentary parts: to do the right thing and then to do it right.

Firstly, before we seek something, we should consider first to search deep within our hearts (our conscience) whether what we are seeking is right. Be wary of advice that urge us to "just do it" like what the famous Nike advertisement advocates, or to do something "so long as it makes you happy" - these people do not have to take responsibility for our decisions, or suffer the consequences of our mistakes - we do. God is not against our quest for greater wealth, wisdom, progress, pleasure or happiness - far from it in fact, as these are God's gifts to us. God only wants us to consider Him first. He knows only too well that it is satan's forte to take something good and turn it into something bad, and that we easily fall into temptation to seek gifts and forget all about the giver. That is when our quests become meaningless, a "chasing after the wind", and God allows this to make us realise our own foolishness.

Secondly, when we have chosen to follow God, do so in faith. We only need do our small parts to seek Him wholeheartedly with whatever gifts that we have been given - even this is difficult enough for most of us, because of temptations that have the potential to lead us astray. We do not need to worry about things that are beyond our control; we cannot afford to anyway! For instance, we do not need to worry why the righteous are maligned and why the unjust go unpunished. Neither should we lament that the innocent are suffering while the guilty are prospering. In other words, we should just accept what we cannot change, and trust God to do the rest.

The 2 points above is summed up in Jesus' own words: that seeking God's will is the right thing (if not the only thing) to do: "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33), and we should do it right (with the right attitude/ approach): "do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34).

My friends reading this Blog, I wish you well in 2006. Do the right thing, and do it right, and you will be well. :-)