Dear…..
‘Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.’
Proverbs 16:24
Sunday is a day of rest, and it was also yesterday morning that my son and I laid to rest, Harry, my son’s pet crab of four riveting days. A gift from my neighbor, it started with two crabs, but one just decided to huddle and depart in a hurry, leaving only the feisty Harry. And feisty Harry was, for it spent most of its time standing upright, trying to claw its way out of its less than glamorous plastic box. And this was no dumb crustacean, for it pushed and cut the slice of carrot, its food, to use as a leg up, into the centre of the box, for up there was the gate or rather promise of freedom, for that was where the gap in the cover of the box was. And standing on its “hind legs” its ability to pull itself up would have put many a soldier to shame and if not for the narrowness of the gap, it might have found its way to perceived freedom instead of being discovered stuck halfway up the box.
‘If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you…’
1 Corinthians 16:22-23
Moving away from Harry the crab, coincidentally( though never intentionally disrespectful for we named the crab on Friday), the Sunday papers carried a very prominent interview with the other Harry, our present Minister Mentor(MM), Mister Lee Kuan Yew(see attached link to article http://www.todayonline.com/Commentary/EDC100913-0000046/Days-of-reflection-for-the-man-who-defined-Singapore). I doubt many of the present generation(post 1980s) truly understood nor appreciate the great and miraculous work that MM and his like minded first generation of Singapore’s post independence leaders did in transforming us from the backwaters of a neglected and abandoned colony of the British, into a modern first world country
'Search for peace, and work to maintain it.'
Psalm 34:14
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Antioch of the East some might like to believe we are. And a modern Moses we could be blessed with. But moving beyond these postulations, it has always been insightful to read the thoughts of this giant of global leadership.
MM shared about the angst of watching his wife, his lifelong partner and muse, suffering in her illness, which was more challenging than politics. And how only through meditating upon the word “Maranatha” that his Christian friend shared with him, brought him the peace to allow him to sleep. And the reason he asked this Christian friend was because he saw the peace and tranquility in this person’s life despite the loss of his beloved wife through cancer. Truly, the world must see Christ in our lives.
‘I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night.’
Psalm 63:6
Peace and joy is what God promises to all who seek Him, and when does that lead one from being a seeker to believer and eventually follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, only God knows?
As my interest was pique, upon reading these comments from an avowed agnostic and secular man like our MM, I decided to look up the verse that MM mentioned as in 1 Corinthians 16:22 and before the word “Maranatha” which is an Aramaic word was the Greek word “Anathema”
“Anathema” was previously used to refer to being set apart for the gods. But eventually took on a negative connotation to mean being banished or excommunicated.
What about “Maranatha?” It means “our Lord has come or it could be as a request as “Our Lord, come”
And as MM himself mentioned, he has been told that there are various interpretations. From what I read on the web, if reliable, the two words taken together could be taken to mean positively as
“a gift set aside to God at the coming of our Lord.”
Or it could be interpreted negatively as
“one being banished and that the Lord cometh to execute judgment upon the sinner”
I am no Bible Scholar and in fact, I am not much into the intricacies of life’s many pursuits, so before we tripped over on interpretative nuances, lets come back to more simplistic matters of life and death and everything in between and what has it do with Harry the crab??
“Crab and clap” were two words ingrained in my psyche thanks to a stern but kind teacher when I was in Primary Six. I often tripped over my “r’ and “l” and so had to, in front of the entire class, endure a few minutes of practicing to pronouncing the two words right. Embarrassing it was, but on hindsight, Mister Lee my teacher(and I recently found out, was the dad of my ex colleague) did the right thing, to nip the wayward vocal bud at its onset, and I guess my issues of life is now no longer with the “r” as in “crab” or “l” as in “clap” but rather, to be sure that all these years of doing this word based ministry is no “crap” and that truly, your heart will “clap” in joy, as the Word of God ministers to you, as it surely would if it is from God and we will like MM, asked “God to come”
Harry the crab was also a very determined spunky chap. It relentlessly pursued the opening in its “prison” much as it has been quite futile. But is not life the same for many of us who seek with our all to attain that “financial freedom” or whatever seems “right” based on our finite understanding? And while many die disappointed, having never fully attained “utopia”, yet others who literally managed to claw out successfully, find that in reality, it is just another delusion and an elevation to a different set of struggles in this broken world.
It is no wonder peace and joy is near but never within reach.
'Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father Who is in Heaven...'
Matthew 10:32
Harry the crab died with its pincers fully outstretched, as if welcoming the Lord with open arms. As Christians, much as we also often fear diseases, troubles, loss of control and definitely death, the Spirit of God will teach, and minister to our very being and assure us that truly, God will give us peace on Earth and eternal joy in Heaven, and we must welcome His very presence with our arms and hearts wide open, always. This is what God will give us, when we begin to truly live out our lives as ordained by our Maker, to seek Him with our all and to live a holy and sacrificial life acceptable to God our Father
'in peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.'
Psalm 4:8.
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(14th Sep 10)
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