MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore (7 November 2011 afternoon)

 

The five photographs above were taken with my Sony Ericsson Elm mobile phone camera (5 megapixels).

1 Corinthians 13 - Rearranged as a concrete poem

The following poem is adapted from the New King James version of the New Testament in the Holy Bible.

                               Love suffers                   long and is

                                       kind; love does not       envy; love does not

                                   parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave

                             rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks

                             no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the

                        truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,

                       endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are

                            prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues,

                              they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will

                                 vanish away. For now we see in a mirror, dimly,

                                         but then face to face. Now I know in part,

                                             but then I shall know just as I also am

                                                     known. And now abide faith,

                                                          hope, love, these three;

                                                                 but the greatest

                                                                       of these is

                                                                            love.

MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore (5 November 2011 evening)

Still waters and pastel skies

An Inspiring Quote

Many of us love witty one-liners, especially those that are inspiring and memorable. I have a few favourite ones, such as “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away”. This quote may sound clichéd to some people, especially if they occasionally receive mass emails from well-meaning friends and acquaintances, sharing PowerPoint presentations that feature captivating photographs captioned by words of encouragement, including this particular quote.

I remember the first time I read this quote at the end of an inspirational PowerPoint presentation some years ago, I thought that it was an apt description of what life is all about. However, the quote did not immediately sink into my memory, perhaps because it is not a direct quotation from the Bible and I tend to pay less attention to anything that is not from the Bible. “After all,” I would reason to myself, “only the Bible is God-breathed and refreshes our spirits, unlike man’s words.”

Nevertheless, after having read this quote a number of times in inspirational PowerPoint presentations, I began to meditate on it, and I now see it as a revelation from the Lord that each day is a gift from Him. I also realise that a revelation does not have to be based on actual verses from the Bible. For example, Eugene Peterson’s quote “Learn the unforced rhythm of grace” is a paraphrase of Matthew 11:28-30, and it is recognised by Christian ministers as inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Knowing that each day is a gift from God has changed my perspective of life. I am learning to cherish moments that bless my heart, such as the presence of my loved ones, or the beauty of nature around me, or simply “God-moments” – whether in my family, church or workplace – that remind me of the awesome love of my heavenly Father. My heart’s desire is to live a long, good life and experience heaven on earth on my way to heaven.

(Written in May 2010)