The awkward merger between Soldier and Student

I returned to the use of my old Nokia phone today, because the new red one that cost me $65 was a useless blend of plastic and unknown substances that could not make audible phone calls.

It was good, because it was a reminder of where I was in August and it preserved the numbers of important friends from before NTU and during Army. I also made several short reflections in the saved messages, while I had not grown sensitive to the power of the Blackberry:

- I am looking for someone to share a life with, raise children and worship God together. 

- Why do we read the Old Testament? Because the LORD our God is the same yesterday, today(and forever). How He deals with men is always out of His righteous justice, love, mercy and kindness. 

-Flew over Greece, Lebanon, the mountains, Naples and other landforms, over oceans and all.
(while en-route to Rome, Italy)

And today, I met a new person who was neither a commando nor a commander, but a private soldier and he was so arrogant and severely deficient in the department of respect; for even the seasoned Warrant Officers and the Officers. I suspect S3 picked on him because of his irreverential posture.

My thoughts were these: is there a need to compete egos with proud people? What is the basis of his constructed ego? Is it competence, popularity or public affirmation? 

Pride or the lack of humility is mostly ignorance. One does not know his proper place relative to his seniors, his betters, and his elders and while having a false view of himself, behaves as if the rest are beneath him.

We are a generation who lack respect for those who are our elders, our peers and those who are placed socially lower than us.

My baptism was not spectacular nor especially special. It was a necessary obedience. But it was significant, and according to my mother, it was "irreversible" and that I could not offer incense to my grandparents later in time. I believe she had more to say and mourn about, but they will come later, when she can find the words to say.

Like Jimmy says, sometimes non-believers have a better sense of how significant something like this is. I was not expecting a party or a swarm of well-wishers. But I was glad to have my OCS buddy Ahbi, my spiritual brother Jeremy Loh and my elder brothers in faith, Tze Liang and Daniel Lim come to the service.

I'm really glad Jeremy took a good HD video, that I could re-visit in later years to see the amazing growth in Christ since Dec 2011 and give thanks appropriately. Tze Liang and Daniel were good Christian brothers when I was in the BB that showed me the amount of patience, kindness and gentleness a man can have, learning in the pattern of Christ.

My aunt and cousins and my sisters came as well. It was a good time to be with family, and we had many laughs after at the Soup Spoon, especially now that we were more grown up and understood humour better. We talked about forming committees in the family for feasts, and taking over the decision making for birthdays and mothers' day. I think these days will come soon. Leticia and co. helped me pick out cards that I would use to write to friends.

I really appreciate the good gifts that add to my Christian library and how my cell mates came to the later service out of their usual schedule. I am glad we may fellowship and grow together. It was a good day and I realized that it was the proper timing and proper place to be baptized. To wait no more, but be baptized!

In so many ways, I do not expect God to help me. And this way, I forget He cares, and undermines His deep love for me. There is a need to remember He loves us and that we are now worthy because He has loved us. The Lord is my first love and I must return to Him, and remain with Him.

Lastly, I was also dreaming of the disconnected future and succumbed to imagining events that were not due for a long time. Today, I could almost hear the Lord say, "these things I am preparing for you. You must not think about them before time".

I need to learn to obey and ask for His help in so many ways. Although many times I am so unwilling to pray, I know enough that so many (all) things are subject to Him and I must recognize and plead for His grace. I also know that prayer has the power to bring about change.
So we must pray.