Going Against the Flow

"Fifteen hours!!  I can't remember the last time I was ever stuck in a seat for fifteen hours...."  I muttered with dread as I struggled to put on my running tights.  No, I wasn't planning to go out for a run.  I donned the pair of shiny skin-hugging Spandex tights to make sure that my legs wouldn't swell up during the torturous flight to Taiwan the Monday after Thanksgiving, a necessary journey as my mother was scheduled to have major surgery there later that week.  I had been to Taiwan several times over the past years, but I recalled that the non-stop flights used to be considerably shorter in duration.  Given the recent increases in fuel prices, I figured that the airlines were making the planes fly more slowly to save fuel.  Thankfully, the return flight was a shade under twelve hours of flight time, more or less similar to my previous experiences.

The discrepancy between the westbound and eastbound flights between Los Angeles and Taiwan appears to be largely caused by the jet stream.  During the flight to Taiwan, the on-board video display indicated that the plane was facing a 70 mph headwind, while the same display on the return trip showed a 100 mph tailwind.  Crunch the numbers, and the three-hour difference in flight times seems quite reasonable.  Incidentally, wearing tights underneath my pants turned out to be a good thing, as my feet and legs did not swell up during the flight.

Shortly upon my return from Taiwan, I went to the gym to use the indoor swimming pool.  As a novice swimmer with only two months of swimming practice, I was constantly tinkering with my technique, and was adjusting my arm position, stroke rate, breathing, head position, and leg kicks as I struggled across the length of the 25-meter pool.  I noticed that when I was swimming well, that I would swim across the pool with fewer arm strokes and less fatigue, and I used that to gauge my fledgling aquatic skills.  After several pool crossings, I noticed that I would invariably swim slower in one direction compared to the opposite direction regardless of what I tried.  This perplexed me for a while, until I realized that the pool was shooting out water from one end and draining from the opposite end, effectively causing a directional current, so that I was sort of swimming upstream one way, and downsteam the other way.  I couldn't really feel the current while standing in the water, but the little bit of flow accounted for a difference of about two arm strokes.

Moving against the current requires more effort, whether one is flying against the jet stream, running against the wind, or swimming upstream.  It is often necessary to go against the flow in order to reach one's destination; however, many of us in life become distressed and think that we're headed the wrong way when we face strong currents against us, whether they are in the form of dissenting opinions, unpopular ethical or moral choices, risks or tangible losses.  We tend to believe that we are "in God's will" when things are going well, and when we face challenges, we fold and quit, and rationalize that God wants us to go another way.  Unfortunately, God does not always work this way.

After Jerusalem fell to the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon, the prevailing current of the times beckoned Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah to eat and drink assigned portions of the best foods from the king's table, but they stood their ground, and refused to be defiled by the royal food and wine.  Going against the flow meant that they alone among their peers had to endure three years of consuming nothing but vegetables and water, and they were eventually rewarded for their faith.  This same steadfastness later caused Daniel to be thrown into the lion's den and his friends to be thrown into the fiery furnace, but also to be delivered from them.

One must sometimes go against the flow and go with God in order to discover His will for our lives.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

Rules of the Road

I stood on the sidewalk of a busy intersection, and as the traffic signal turned green and the pedestrian “walk” light appeared, I carefully looked both ways before proceeding to cross the street when the coast appeared clear. About one-third of the way into my street crossing, three motorscooters making left turns zipped across in front of me while a large truck made a hasty right turn behind me, spewing dark smoke in my direction. After I made it across the street, I found that the sidewalk was impassable due to dozens of motorcycles parked there, so I continued my trek on the side of the road, sharing it with what appeared to be half of all vehicular traffic in the city (the other half was going in the opposite direction). A hundred meters past the intersection, a truck was parked on the side of the road with a door swung open wide into the street, forcing me and the motorscooters into the fast lane of the road briefly. A bus honked as it closely brushed by me while I skipped across a small pothole. I approached another intersection, and noticed that nearly all the vehicles that were waiting for the light to turn green started to move forward several seconds before the light signal actually changed.

Remarkably, no one on the street, whether pedestrians or motorists, seemed particularly upset by the apparent chaos that reigned on the road. I did not hear any cursing or swearing, and the honking by the bus driver seemed more out of habit than driven by emotion. It was business as usual...

...in Taiwan.

Most Americans who visit Taiwan (or most other densely populated lands, for that matter) would have been quite terrified by such street encounters. However, I have learned over several visits there that the secret to safely navigate Taiwanese streets on foot is to recognize and follow local rules (mostly unwritten) of the road – e.g., stay out of traffic if you can, don't make sudden moves, don't assume that a green “walk” light means that vehicles aren't going to make turns into your path, trust that that when you see motorcycles or cars approaching you closely, they are generally not going to hit you but will pass in front or behind you (you can't tell, so just keep moving carefully at the same speed and in the same direction!), and when vehicles are stopped at the red light, they are not actually waiting for their light to turn green...they are simply waiting for the green light in the other direction to turn red. Walking like an American pedestrian in the busy streets of Taiwan would be terribly difficult and scary; conversely, behaviors that are acceptable in Taiwanese roads will easily get you an encounter with a police officer in a typical American town. The rules are different, and following the wrong ones will get you into serious trouble.

Similarly, there are “rules of the road” for worldly success, as well as separate principles for living victoriously in Christ. To succeed in the worldly sense, one is often reminded to study hard, work hard, get a good job, climb the corporate ladder, make lots of money, keep up with the Jones, enjoy life, avoid pain, look out for “number one”, protect reputation, achieve ends/goals by whatever means possible, and to accumulate lots of stuff, because as the saying goes, “He who dies with the most toys wins”. However, adhering to such principles will frustrate those who wish to live according to God's prescription for success. The Bible reminds us to:

Love the LORD our God “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5)

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

(James 1:2-3)

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

(Romans 12:1-2)

We are also commanded to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, seek first the kingdom of God, humble ourselves, be compassionate, be thankful, and trust that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

It is often too easy for us to neglect God's words and get caught up in the traffic and cares of achieving worldly success. We need to remember that as Christians we may not die with the most toys, but we ultimately are the winners, as our treasures are in heaven.

Rag Dolls, Used Underwear, and Purity

I have frequently performed medical procedures on young children under anesthesia, and have seen many tattered rag dolls, teddy bears and blankets being wheeled in with the patients into the operating room. The operating room staff always treat each of these special objects with utmost respect – they ask the child for the its name, promise to take good care of it, and make sure that it is securely at the child's side as the anesthesia is administered. We know that each of these treasures, though nearly always worn out and sometimes unattractive, is a child's source of security and comfort, and nothing in the world is good enough to replace it. The child does not want someone else's special doll or teddy bear, even if it is bigger, prettier and more colorful.

Most of us eventually would lose our attachments to these special toys and security blankets; however, we continue to find within our possessions objects of unique affection and significance that we treasure to the consternation of others. It might be a soiled, faded and stinky baseball cap that has been worn at every fishing trip for the last 20 years, or a special gift from a loved one that does not appear particularly attractive to the uninitiated. These are our belongings that no one else wants, and if they belong to others, we don't want them. They are kind of like underwear.

I never gave much thought to the significance of one's underwear until a few years ago, when I discovered in my pile of cleaned laundry a pair of white briefs that clearly wasn't mine. My family and I just recently returned from a vacation to Cancun, and I must had inadvertently taken someone else's Fruit of the Loom at one of the swimming pools. Oops. By then this wayward pair of underwear had already been thoroughly washed and dried, but the first thought that came to mind was that I would never, ever consider putting on underwear that has been worn by someone else. It wouldn't have mattered whether this was designer label, premium quality stuff – the idea of putting on something that had intimately caressed and protected another person was repulsive and unthinkable. Used cars and computers, no problem. T-shirts or shoes, maybe. Loin-covers, no way.

I wonder whether the reason we make such distinctions in our treatment of special rag dolls and baseball caps is because God made us that way in His infinite wisdom. When He gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites in the desert, He declared,

“You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)

God's people were solemnly charged not to worship the gods of the Egyptians, the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Canaanites, or any other people. Today, God continues to command us, as creations in His own image, to place Him above all things, before all things. Through our special possessions in our lives we learned that not all things are equal, and we treat certain ones with special affection. Having developed this tendency to distinguish between the special and the common, God then demands that we treat Him and His name with highest honor and respect.

In addition to giving God the highest place in our lives, he also commanded that we give special consideration to some individuals above all others. He commanded that we honor our fathers and mothers, and in the seventh commandment, “You shall not commit adultery.”(Exodus 20:14)

When I obey God's commandment against adultery (or any form of marital infidelity, for that matter), I am agreeing with Him that marital union is the most sacred of all human relationships, and that I must allow nothing to break it – not an old flame, not someone else who is younger or more attractive, not someone else who seems to understand and respect me. It is a union that no one else can truly understand. The thought of committing adultery should be unthinkable and repulsive...kind of like sleeping with someone else's smelly blanket instead of my own. Actually it's more like wearing someone else's dirty underwear.

May it never be.

Allergies

I see a lot of children with food allergies in my pediatric gastroenterology practice. Most of them turn out to be babies with cow milk allergy, and the usual culprits for the reactions are regular infant formulas made with cow milk, or cow milk protein from a nursing mother's diet that somehow ends up in her breastmilk.. These infants usually aren't very sick, but can have worrisome symptoms such as fussiness, excessive vomiting, poor weight gain, rash, asthma and bloody stools. Treatment is typically quite straightforward, as symptoms tend to subside within a few days after the offending milk is eliminated, either by changing to a “hypoallergenic” formula or having the mother completely eliminate dairy products from her diet while breastfeeding. Eventually, virtually all of these youngsters will develop a tolerance to the milk, and most will be able to drink regular milk later in childhood.

Unfortunately, not all food allergies are similarly benign, as certain foods are notorious for causing potentially life-threatening reactions. Children with serious peanut allergies have been known to develop lethal swelling of the breathing passages with exposure to even traces of peanut butter on a knife, and I have a colleague whose son had several trips to the emergency room due to walnut and shellfish allergies. One of my patients has severe allergies to most food categories, environmental allergens, latex and several medications, and has nearly lost her life repeatedly despite her and her parents' utmost diligence in protecting her against accidental exposure to known allergens. This girl takes her allergist's diagnosis of specific food allergies as warnings that are as serious and solemn as God's words to Adam and Eve against eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that “when you eat of it you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:17)

Most Christians tend to regard sin, i.e., transgressions against God's commands, rather casually. True, we realize that it is bad, we feel bad about it, and we sometimes suffer real consequences from our disobedience. However, because we also know that the penalty of our sins had been paid by Jesus on the cross, we forget the seriousness of sin too easily. We treat sin as minor reactions that manifest as a flare of eczema or runny nose, and fail to see it as a life-threatening event, for which we are without hope except for the atoning blood of Christ. My patient with the multiple severe allergies take daily medications and carry emergency drugs, including potentially life-saving injections, at all times. However, she realizes that the medications do not give her license to willfully violate her allergist's advice and eat something that is on the “forbidden” list. Her life might be spared by her medications and care at the emergency room and intensive care unit, but she still suffers real pain, and the fact of her survival from these attacks certainly does not diminish the seriousness of her disease. In the same way, we ought to regard any sin or temptation to sin, however minor it may seem in the world's eyes, as seriously as if it can kill us, save for God's grace and mercy. Only then will we truly abhor sin, and properly appreciate the price that Jesus paid for our transgressions.

“Flee from sexual immorality....” (1 Corinthians 6:18)

“Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.” (1 Corinthians 10:14)

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”

(Romans 6:23)

Alighting Arthropods

Most of us have ambivalent views of insects. We are generally happy that honeybees pollinate flowers and provide us with a form of sticky sweetness that we mix in our food and drinks, but we also learn not to aggravate them, as a bee sting can be quite painful, and in some cases, even deadly. We enjoy watching beautiful butterflies fluttering among the flowers in the garden, but would rather not be bothered by flies, mosquitoes, ants and termites, for they land on our food, suck our blood, transmit diseases, bite and destroy our homes. Locusts devour our crops, but in some places, people return the favor by eating them. Suffice to say, humans and insects have a...complicated relationship.

It is perhaps this complex experience we have with insects that some of us have such difficulty remaining indifferent when one is within arm's length. We may shoo the fly or gnat, swat at the mosquito, stop and admire the butterfly or ladybug, squish the ant, take pictures of the dragonfly, duck from the approaching Japanese beetle, touch the caterpillar, or catch the grasshopper. A nearby nest of hornets may strike fear in our hearts and raise our heart rates and blood pressures. Insects stir within us responses of fascination, admiration, fear, aggression, and/or disgust, and it is generally difficult for an insect to get very close to me unscathed...

...unless it approaches from my blind side. I have been in Taiwan lately to visit my mother, who is recovering from an elective surgery, and last Sunday decided to visit the Bread of Life Church in Taipei. My mother gave me only general directions on how to get there by bus, but did not know the times of the church services, other than that there were probably several services each Sunday. I found the church after a short bus ride and a considerable amount of walking, and spent a couple of minutes standing by the entrance on the sidewalk to study the schedule of events. As I pondered my choices, I felt an unusual sensation on my neck, which initially seemed like an itch, but within a few seconds grew in intensity, and reminded me of what it felt like when I once allowed a small praying mantis to crawl on top of my head for fun. Ugh! I realized that some insect was probably crawling on my neck, so I shook my neck in an attempt to get rid of it. It was still there. I shook harder, now having the appearance of someone having convulsions. The thing appeared to have come loose, but now it dropped out of my neck and started to head down my back inside my shirt. I shook, I twisted, I reached behind my back, I looked like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, I...

...somehow managed to flick the thing out of my back, and saw to my surprise and slight horror a fully grown cockroach dropping to the ground and rapidly taking off toward the nearest tree. The cockroach was about two inches long, and if memory serves me correctly, these Taiwanese roaches can fly, though not very well – I used to see them banging against walls and windows and making crashing sounds. The poor cockroach likely mistook my neck for a landing pad, and I could have killed it; however, there was no harm, no foul for either of us in the end.

Many would have totally freaked out by such an experience. I'm talking about shrieks of terror, total loss of reason, panic attacks with hyperventilation, stuff like that. I've seen people react like that to cockroaches that weren't flying or landing on necks. I was actually more concerned when the bugger first started crawling down my back, as I couldn't tell initially whether it was an insect, a lizard or a small rodent, and became relieved that it was “only” a cockroach. I do not fear cockroaches because I know that they don't bite or sting, and that I am much bigger and present a more serious threat to a cockroach than it is to me during close encounters. On the other hand, my reaction would likely be much more severe if a scorpion or a poisonous snake made a surprise landing on me.

Christians often experience (figuratively, of course) similar close cockroach encounters during our earthly journey. Things may suddenly and unexpectedly happen to us that cause us anxiety, fear and pain. It may be a financial crisis, a false accusation, a lawsuit, an acute illness, or loss of a family member or close friend. However, when we size up the situation clinging on to God's promises, these situations take on new appearances as our perspectives change. Instead of being fearful of adversity, we remember to...

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

Instead of worrying about harm that may befall us, we remember that...

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

So, what was God's purpose in allowing the cockroach to scamper down my back? I wonder if it was a test to see whether I'd still go to church that morning (I checked out the English service there – lots of saints, no roaches on the floor). In any case, it made for an interesting story to tell.

Standing Beside a Supermodel

It was Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year in the U.S.  I went to work that day instead, hoping to avoid the crowds and save some money by not spending.  The plan worked well until my wife Karen called me, frantically explaining that our son, Christopher, was hanging on for dear life to a new Martin acoustic guitar at the local Guitar Center store, refusing to leave unless she was willing to exchange for it with its purchase price.  Christopher was still a novice guitarist with only two years of experience, but his skills were advancing rapidly, to the point where it was time for him to upgrade from the old Yamaha that I bought during college.  It was somewhat of a coincidence that I just casually chatted with him about Martin guitars a few days beforehand.  Hearing also that there was a 15% discount in effect that day, I approved the transaction, and reassured Karen that it was a wise choice.  I went home that evening fully expecting to see a beautiful, brand-spanking new Martin acoustic....

It was nowhere to be found.  Karen and Christopher were rescued from the purchase by a man who introduced himself as a guitar aficionado, who claimed to have an even better Martin guitar at his home with twice the worth, and that he was willing to sell it for about the same price.  Karen agreed to have a look at the instrument, and asked me to accompany them to the man's house the following morning.  The guitar was there as advertised, in excellent condition, with a beautiful satin finish, a distinct, clean tone and very easy, low action.  I was hooked as Christopher started playing, initially gently and carefully, until the owner urged him to play harder and truly put the guitar to the test.  $550, hard case included, seemed a steal.

The seller explained that he was hoping to sell the guitar and upgrade to a much more expensive Gibson model, and that he was also willing to sell his other guitar, a fine Gibson “Baby-Jumbo”, for about $1,600, clearly out of our budget.  He let Christoper play with it as well, and it was literally love at first sight.  It had the lovely, intricate Gibson design, dark glossy finish and a tone that seemed darker, warmer and considerably more complex than that of the Martin.  It was so beautiful that the Martin guitar looked kind of, uh, ordinary, in comparison.  We ended up buying the Martin, but if we tarried any longer, there was no telling whether we'd take the offer on the Gibson.

Back home, my wife and I affirmed that we made a good purchase as Christopher filled the room with the crisp sound of his new guitar.  It was no Gibson Baby-Jumbo, but it had the distinctive Martin sound and look.  The problem of having it next to the Gibson guitar earlier that day was that it made the beautiful Martin seem like the homecoming queen standing next to a supermodel.

We are often like pretty decent guitars and homecoming queens when we regard our own righteousness.  We frequently hear people say that they are not saints, but at least they don't kill people or commit other heinous crime, and that they work hard, so God should be pleased with them.  However, God is holy and perfect, and no righteousness by our own merits will ever satisfy Him.  The prophet Isaiah, who likely was as humanly righteous and blameless as possible, cried before God's presence,

“Woe to me!...I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:5)

The apostle Paul, who lived impeccably according to Jewish law prior to his conversion, regarded his own fleshly righteousness as “a loss” compared to “the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.” (Philippians 3:8).  It is by God's mercy that if we believe in Jesus, we not only have received forgiveness of our sins, we also have received his righteousness as well.

Otherwise, even the supermodel cannot stand before the beauty of God.

Glenn Duh

November 30, 2010 

Private Collections

My father had always enjoyed collecting things.  He collected postage stamps like many people in his generation, and later also hoarded a considerable stash of foreign coins that he acquired through many travels abroad.  I was quite familiar with his old stamp collection, as I used to marvel at this mounted display of World Warr II-era stamps from the Republic of China, and was particularly impressed by his collection's portrayal of the destructive force of inflation during wartime, as the stamps' denominations increased from the equivalent of pennies to literally hundreds of thousands of dollars over a few short years.  Throw in a few thousand more stamps from other countries and handfuls of foreign coins, and you can get yourself a pretty good education in world history, georaphy, economics, politics and nature.  Dad got me hooked on stamp collecting, and eventually entrusted his old stamps to my care.  He often reminded me to take good care of them, as they would eventually be worth quite a pocketful of change.

Throughout the years, Dad also collected other things, and I'd often notice him purchasing various trinkets not out of necessity, but simply to add to his collection.  However, I did not realize the extent of his habit until after he passed away unexpectedly four years ago, and I was left with the task of sorting out his stuff with my grieving mother in Taiwan.  Yes, he bought a lot more stamps - the folders would fill up an entire bookshelf, and he had a bunch of coins neatly separated by countries into little plastic bags.  Those did not surprise me.  Neither were the thousands of picture postcards and hundreds of collector (i.e., unused) Taiwanese and Japanese phone cards.  However, I also saw that he had 7 or 8 working pedometers (I'm sure he only wore one at a time), no fewer than a dozen bibles in 4 different languages (various translations of English and Chinese, as well as Taiwanese and Japanese), cabinets full of expensive, aged cognac and whiskey, hundreds of books that were of mostly local political interest, and several hundred magazines in dozens of titles on politics, food, history, travel and culture.  I was fairly certain that he did not read most of what he purchased, but they looked impressive on the bookshelves, and the glossy photographs and quality paper stock gave the magazines the illusion of lasting value.  I did my best to preserve the stamps, but had neither the time, energy nor space to handle the others, and they have larely been discarded or given away, or will soon be.

In the Bible, a rich young ruler asked Jesus what he needed to do to obtain eternal life.  Jesus replied that the man needed to sell all his possessions and follow him, and he went away sad because he could not part with his many possessions.  Ironically, Dad has eternal life now, as he became a Christian during his later years, but he had to leave everything behind for his loved ones to clean up.  The experience of handling my father's earthly stuff has caused me to view my own things in a new light, as I no longer have much desire to focus on my collections.  Sure, I still enjoy finding postage stamps that I have not seen before, but I am no longer obsessed with increasing my philatelic cache.  I want to make sure that I spend more effort on things of eternal value, so that my loved ones won't have to throw away all my stuff after I complete my earthly journey.  I'm tossing away my old magazines, and I am only keeping one subscription.

Why the magazine subscription?  I need to keep my mind occupied in the bathroom....

"Do not store for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." (Matthew 6:19-20)