Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Anyway, what do happiness and unhappiness mean?
They depend so little on circumstances and so much more on what goes on inside us.

(Christians) must not fear men. Men can do them no harm, for the power of men (ends) with the death of the body. But they must overcome the fear of death with the fear of God.

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

To you who are troubled today

When you feel lost,

you are not alone. 

I was once like you, feeling so alone in this whole universe.

It's not that I have no family members, just that the one I loved most passed away and I thought no one will ever love me again with that unconditional love.

It's not that you lost your purpose for living. 

It's more of you never know what you live for.

You think you are useless, hopeless, good-for-nothing and everyone will be better off without you.

You feel like you have lost everything and there is nothing more that you want or need.

You think you have tasted enough of life's bitterness.

You think that's what life is all about: agony, tragedy and nothingness

Yet inwardly you are screaming for help.

Just like me.

No one wants to die when life is smooth-sailing.

Remember your own laughter and those beautiful memories?

Now everything seems dark and gloomy like the weather recently.

But have you seen the sun shining?

Like you, I couldn't see.

Tears became my best companion.

As you read this, you may be crying.

Today you cry tears for yourself but one day, you will cry for others.

You will cry tears of joy when you come to know the One who stir your heart for others.

Come out of the house.

Do the things that make you happy, that make you remember that you need to take care of yourself too.

Come out of your world.

See the people out there who are battling issues like you.

You may think you are weak, you cannot care for others.

But that's how I recover.

That's how I remember I'm not in the worst situation.

Your situation will change.

You cannot see it now, just like I could not see it then.

I keep thinking about that Primary 5 schoolboy.

If he could visualize and trust that he could overcome that period of darkness with support, he would not have killed himself.

I grieve with his parents. 

Most parents want the best for their children, doing the best they can, even if it is not the best method.

I think about the two JC students and the NUS-Yale guy who killed themselves.

What would life be like, few years later from now, if they had say no to the voice that pushes them to the brink?

But isn't life a series of gains and losses?

Isn't life supposed to be full of ups and downs?

Are we meant to be happy and successful all the time?

I remember the tears of a father mourning the death of his son who killed himself.

I will never forget the tears of my own elderly father and my siblings at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

I didn't die and so I witnessed the pain, the trauma caused to our loved ones when we hurt ourselves.   
At the door of death yesterday, could I foresee the abundant life today?

You can overcome this.

Seek help today.

Helplines

If you have thoughts of ending your life or are in emotional distress, you can get help from:

Samaritans of Singapore 
(24-hour hotline)

1800-221-4444

Tinkle Friend

1800-2744-788


Singapore Association for Mental Health

1800-283-7019


Care Corner Counselling Centre (in Mandarin)

1800-3535-800

Mental Health Helpline

6389-2222

连根拔起

No one wants to pull out the roots. Extremely painful. But infection spread, the organ swells and the professional said, in some cases, it can lead to death.

Be grateful to the person who sees the root of the problem and pulls it out. You may hate him for a while, too painful to move but after that decisive action, infection stops and healing starts.

#连根拔起

Resilience

Having taught students for more than a decade, every student is very different. What is prominent is that the resilience level of kids is at an all time low, considering that it is low in adults too.

Parents should definitely adjust their expectations according to the child's ability in his studies, remembering that each child is gifted in his own way and it really may not be academically.

A choice needs to be made. Is the child's life / health more important than your expectations?

Building up a child's resilience is most crucial. My students won't even fill in the blanks and make mistakes unless I keep assuring them that I would rather they make mistakes than to give up.

The fear of failure cripples our kids.

As parents, perhaps the greatest gift we can give them is every opportunity to pick themselves up after a so-called failure.

Sleepers, wake!

Sometimes I feel really tired explaining stuff to people but I remember you guys, D, L, J, S.

Your tireless sharing since I heard you guys on the last quarter of 2014 onwards woke me up, just like this cd, nearly a decade ago.

“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5)

#exactlytwomonthstoadecadeinLove

Faith works

I will not take for granted you guys, especially Jane and the team for bringing me to India twice, the first time not even knowing me and how bringing along someone on a wheelchair can be inconvenient to the group but faith-building in all of us. Even I didn't know what I was getting myself into since a broken bone in a foreign land is no joke.

Sincerely thanking you guys for the beautiful memories for I know, I should only go with a team that has faith to bring me, making sure that I too contribute in whatever way I can.

Thanks to Melissa too, you are the other team!

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

(Hebrews 11)

My rock-solid faith

Was a case study for a group of would-be licensed pharmacists.

Three times I declared that it is my faith that made me well.

To proclaim my Christian faith in a secular setting is awesome!

To show a life changed through Christ is to prove the existence of my Lord.

I pray that I will have many more such opportunities.

Even if stones are thrown, I have a Rock!