A Time to Pause

Life has been hectic of late. While I absolutely loved the travelling adventures in June, I did come home to a very busy life. I struggled with a sense of disorientation and perhaps, discontentment. And before I know it, July is almost gone!

I continue to remind myself that life is filled with ups and downs; otherwise, we would not be able to fully enjoy the ups and grow up during the downs!

This weekend has been a time of literally doing nothing - it was as a result of reading a blog entry by the senior pastor of Christian Life Gospel Center about taking time out to "pause."

Does this necessarily mean that we need to change whatever we are doing? Possibly, but I think God actually wants to go deep and look into our hearts. It is not so much what we are doing but why and how we are living. I believe God is taking us to a place where He wants to work on our "being" first so that our "doing" comes out of who we are i.e. our being. I feel as if God is doing a work of re alignment in our lives and that involves coming back to our first love as many have shared. But I think more than that, He is re-creating us and teaching us new ways of living and being. It's a deep work and we must make the time and space for God to dig deep and work in us.

In my moments of "pause," I was reminded of the movie "One Night with the King" which I recently saw with a group of friends. The story was about the bible character Esther, a peasant girl who became queen for such a time in history when her obedience to do what is right in God's eyes, despite the danger of losing her own life, saved a nation. The secular story of Esther is void of Christianese, yet it speaks volumes about God's sovereign move towards directing man's and the king's hearts toward fulfilling God's plan for his people.

In today's context, this was (once upon a time) my story within the corporate jungle filled with infamous characters surrounding money, sex, and power! It's a difficult story to tell and lest I cause you to hold your breath too long to the point of suffocation, let me assure you that I came out of this slightly scathed but definitely victorious. I survived to someday tell of God's sovereignty and faithfulness to his people ...

But today is not the day to tell this story! My story will have to wait for another time. Rather, the nuggets of truth that comes out of moments of "pause" was beautifully expressed by another this past Sunday. It was not a story of Esther, rather a story about the modern-day dealings with once-upon-a-time passions destroyed and made alive once again.

Take a moment to "pause" in life. Take time to listen to this! (Sunday Celebration Service, 22 July 2007)

Lil' Can Can Dancer ...

During one of my travels down south to Singapore for a wedding dinner, as well as for the Great Singapore Sale, I had the privilege of meeting the three-year-old daughter of my childhood ballet friend, Hsuan.

Back in the 1980s, we used to spend our weekends playing and dancing at the ballet studios, while our mothers taught ballet classes. We trained in classical ballet, modern and tap every weekend for what must have been 10 years ... did our homework, gallavanted around the SS2 Square throughout our Saturdays and Sundays. The ballet studios was our weekend home.

More than 15 years later ...

Hsuan is now happily married to a Frenchman and residing in France. She's been there many years but I have yet to visit her. I must save up to go visit her and experience the major tourist activity of lining up for hours to purchase Louis Vuitton bags at THE LV Champs Elysees, where international peoples (majority women, I am certain!) line up to purchase the object(s) of their deepest desire! I was told some tourist even pay others to stand in line and buy LV bags on their behalf, as each customer is allowed to purchase a maximum of two bags at a time?

Actually, I am not altogether certain I like carrying LV bags, especially when everyone seems to have or carry one ... I guess I don't like to be like everyone else! I am inclined to carry bags that not many people have - not that they are overly expensive or ugly bags, rather the limited editions or beautiful (sometimes quirky) bags that perhaps, didn't quite make the A-list of socialites' must have!

I digress from the little girl I meant to write about. Helene, is absolutely the most beautiful little girl, exuberating with life and mischief, whom I met at the wedding dinner several weekends ago. She wore a "pretty in pink" type of frilly dress and had matching shoes to fit the occasion.

Coming from a family of dancers, Helene was unabashed about her natural ability to move ... yes, she was quite happy to climb up the stairs and onto the stage to share the limelight with the wedding cake, bride and groom at anytime!

At times when everyone was busy eating the Four Season's Hotel's famous Chinese dishes, Helene would be on stage flapping her dress skirt, cleverly fanning her skirt up and down to reveal her matching pink panties and proportionately long legs. She reminded me of the lil' can can dancer ...

When I "grow up," I would like to have a baby girl just like Helene, and perhaps the girls will grow up to dance together, just like their mothers did once upon a time.