Paternal Affection

"Hey Chris, hope you have everything you need for next week.  Give yourself a hug from me.  Love ya!"

I sent my son the above text message 3 days after my wife and I helped him to move into his college dorm room, shortly before his first day of classes at Indiana University.  I realized that Chris was probably too excited about moving out of the house and starting college to think about much else, but I wanted him to at least realize that his old man cared about him and was thinking of him.

My son did not respond that day, nor the next day.

On the third day, I sent him another message, knowing that it was his first day of school, and that he had an 8 a.m. music theory class:

"Congratulations on getting through your first theory class.  Hope things are going well."

He would have received the message about an hour and a half after the class, and I knew that he had 3 hours between classes that day.  Still no response from my son for the next several hours.

I started work that morning in a melancholic state, wondering whether my son and I were not merely physically separated by distance (nearly 2,000 miles between Los Angeles and Bloomington, Indiana), but that our hearts might also be rent by a great divide.  I longed for some acknowledgment from him, if only a simple "Yo!" or a smiley in response.  It was God's mercy and provision that I had a very busy day in the office, which supplied necessary distraction.  Thankfully, my son eventually responded later that day, and my mood was restored after a few minutes of messaging with him on the computer.

Just as I wished to communicate with my son during those days, God also desires to fellowship with us and commune with us, and created us in His image so that we can do so.  How often have we spent an entire day living under God's blessing, enjoying the goodness of his provision, guidance and protection, and respond with nary a thought of thanksgiving, living as if He does not matter and does not exist!  May we be eager to seek the Lord at the beginning of our days, as the psalmist wrote,

O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.  (Psalm 5:3)

But I will sing of your strength;
I will sing aloud of your steafast love in the morning.
For you have been to me a fortress
and a refuge in the day of my distress.  (Psalm 50:16)

May we seek our heavenly Father as Jesus did before the break of dawn,

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.  (Mark 1:35)

Lord, forgive me for failing to acknowledge you and not remembering you until the end of the day.  May I daily live under your presence, and realize that outside of you there is no good thing.

Standards of Living

"Hi Glenn!  Nice tie you're wearing - is that a Ferragamo?"

Audrey, one of the pediatricians in our department, took some fancy at the new tie that I wore to work that day.  The necktie had a shimmery light blue background and a repetitive pattern of tiny grey dolphins wearing yellow caps.  I thought that it would be something fun to wear when spending time with young children and their parents in the clinic, but I didn't know what she meant about it being a "Ferragamo".  I often pride myself in living significantly below my expected standard of living, and have never purchased an expensive necktie before.  The one I wore was discovered at a thrift shop in Tokyo during a family vacation, for the price of about a hamburger, French fries and a soda.  I would eventually come across some very nice looking Salvatore Ferragamo ties at airport duty-free shops, and was shocked to find that a single necktie at the store cost more than my shirt, necktie, trousers, belt, shoes, socks and wristwatch combined.  I was content to settle for my Ferragamo look-alikes that was purchased at less than one-twentieth the price.  Besides, if I actually wear one of those very expensive neckties, does that mean that I also need to buy expensive shirts and suits to match?  That would get very costly very quickly.

While I am very reluctant to sport any kind of "status symbol", I do enjoy looking at other people's expensive toys.  "Ooh, that watch must cost at least $20,000 (mine was for $49.95)...wait, check out that guy's newest electronic gadget...whoa!"

As my eyes wandered around town, suddenly a distinct roar of a sports car's engine caught my ear as a silver Ferrari passed by.  I would later find the same car parked only a few hundred feet from my home.  Hmm, there much be a very wealthy person in the neighborhood, or someone who knows a very wealthy person, I thought.  A couple of days later, the Ferrari was replaced by a Maserati, and the next day by a BMW, and a few days later by an Audi R8 sports car that costs more than some pieces of livable real estate.  Not only was there a wealthy person in the neighborhood, it was a wealthy person who liked European sports cars.  Was I jealous as I slowly drove past the vehicle du joir in my Toyota Prius?  Nah.

It is usually considered wise not to live an extravagant lifestyle, and indeed, in The Millionaire Next Door, authors Thomas Stanley and William Danko noted that the typical American millionaire lived considerably below their expected standards of living and eschewed the lifestyles of the rich and famous in order to accumulate earthly wealth.  The Bible also contains many verses that urge us to use our resources wisely.  However, such rules do not apply when it comes to spiritual riches for the Christian.  In the opening verses of Ephesians, the apostle Paul exclaimed,

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.  (Ephesians 1:3-4)

God has blessed those whom He chose with "every spiritual blessing".  God, the infinite source of all things, has made us who are Christians spiritual billionaires and gazillionaires, and as long as we abide in Him, we have no fear of these blessings being depleted.  Yet, we often live considerably beneath our spiritual means.  Why do we despair and worry when God has given us joy and peace?  Why are we stingy with our concern and prayers for others when God has sent his one and only son to die for our sins?  Why are we impatient, intolerant and angry?  Why do we try to live as if we would be annihilated and cease to exist after our earthly existence is over?  May we remember the richness of our spiritual blessings, and move up to a higher standard of living for God's glory.

Squiggly Image

"Oh, this one's going to be hard..."

Years ago, my family was playing a game of Pictionary with some friends from church, and it was my son Christopher's turn to do the drawing.  Pictionary is a guessing game that is similar to charades, where one person draws pictures to provide clues to a secret word or phrase that others must guess correctly as quickly as possible.  As an example, if the word is "chicken", the person who knows the word will try to draw a chicken, while the others blurt out what they think is being drawn until someone says "chicken!".  Sometimes the word or phrase is easy (most people know how to draw a chicken), but others can be practically impossible, and requires all the creativity and imagination that one can muster.  It appeared that my son would have to pull out some trick out of his sleeves for this one.

Tension filled the air as the timer went off.  Suddenly my son's eyes brightened as he approached the large piece of paper.  He drew what looked like a canoe.

"A boat!  No, a ship...a dinghy...an aircraft carrier!"  I started to yell mindlessly as the little vessel started to take shape.

He shook his head, and kept drawing.  Now he started to draw what appeared to be a person on the boat.

"Man on the boat...a sailor!  No, pirate?  Captain Hook?"

No luck so far, and the timer ticked on.  What could it possibly be?  Meanwhile, my son started to put some squiggly hair on the person's head, and drew a hat on top.

"George Washington!"

My son stopped drawing and fist-pumped into the air.  "Yes!  You got it!"

The air stood still for a second before everyone else in the room let out a collective gasp of shock and awe.  It seemed beyond understanding how I could correctly guess the words "George Washington" from the drawing of a person with squiggly hair and a hat standing on a boat.

"It wasn't that hard to figure out.  Chris was drawing Washington crossing the Delaware!"

It just happened that my son and I recently saw a reproduction of that famous 1851 Emanuel Leutze painting.  Chris' rendition of the man on the boat was not much closer to George Washington than Peter Pan or Alice in Wonderland, but a little intuition led me to the proper conclusion.  It was, albeit an imprecise one, an image of the first President of the United States of America.

In a way, we are all somewhat imprecise images.  On the sixth day of creation, when God created man, it was written,

So God created man in his own image
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27)

Sometimes it's hard to imagine that there is much in us that reflects God in any way.  We are blemished, selfish, arrogant, shameful and without self control.  Some of us are tall, short, fat, skinny, funny looking or without fashion sense.  A well known pastor has often said that if you don't think that God has a sense of humor, just look at all the people around us.

Yet, despite all our shortcomings, each of us still bears God's communicable attributes.  God is beautiful and creative, and we enjoy the beauty of His creation.  God is righteous, and our conscience tells us what is right and wrong.  God is the source of life, and we value life and admire those who save lives.  God is community as a triune Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and we are made not to be alone, but to live with those we love.

May we always remember to live our days as if we are created in God's image, though we may appear only as little squiggly lines when compared to our Creator.  May we also value each and every person, regardless of what we see, as someone who also bears His image in an unique way.

Ceaseless Pursuit

"Hmm, even you are among the 'tribe with their heads lowered'?"  My mother remarked somewhat indignantly in Chinese after I casually pulled out my smartphone to check the latest basketball scores while waiting for our food at the restaurant.  I quickly took a glance around, and indeed, my wife and kids were all gazing intently on their phones as well.  My mother happened to not have a smartphone, and when she made the remark, I wasn't sure whether she was upset about our phone use, or that she wished to also have one herself.  I put my phone away and managed to keep it in my pocket through the rest of dinner; however, there wasn't a whole lot of conversation with all those heads lowered.

Our seeming dependence on these phones have become so prevalent that I've heard several versions of a tasteless joke that involves a person who has a phone surgically implanted on his or her hand.  Our phones wake us up with various ringtones, buzzes and pings during the night, and it occupies our attention throughout the day, whether we are in the toilet, in the car, at work, at school, and unfortunately, even at church.  We have become so dependent on our phones, that temporarily removing our children's phones as a discipline measure is now considered cruel and unusual punishment for some.  Our chats, status updates, tweets, posts, selfies and shared photographs of that incredible lobster dinner or chocolate cake are the fruit of our worldly desires, and we crave their transient pleasures that unfortunately do not satisfy.

Although smartphones did not exist when the books of the Bible were written, and our forefathers were not aware of the kind of hold that such devices have on our lives, there are numerous biblical references to things that we ought to be utterly dependent upon, which are worthy of ceaseless pursuit.

Jesus commanded,

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  (Matthew 6:33)

The apostle Paul wrote,

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.  (Philippians 4:4)

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  (Colossians 3:16)

pray without ceasing, (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

So, we need to seek the kingdom of God and pursue righteousness before all else, rejoice unconditionally, have God's word infiltrate every fiber of our being, and pray always.  That takes a lot of time...all of our time.

We ought to resist checking our phones in bed and the first thing when we arise, when we sit around or walk (or drive), and literally having them stuck to our bodies.  Only then will we have room in our hearts to observe the greatest of all commandments,

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  (Deuteronomy 6:5)

Not just some of the time...ALL the time, and EVERYWHERE:

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:7-9)

It's like having God's living word surgically attached to our bodies.

Voluntary Participation

"OK, Dr. Duh.  Looks like that's it for the questionnaire.  You seem to be a good candidate.  The next step will be for you to get the necessary blood tests..."

I listened quietly to the voice of a young woman on the phone.  I may be a doctor, but that doesn't make me enjoy the thought of having needles stuck in my arm any more than most people.

"The test results will take several days, but if you turn out to have a serious infection, we will notify you as soon as we receive a positive test result.  After you clear this phase, we will contact you about the two options that I mentioned earlier..."

Neither of the options that she mentioned sounds like much fun.  For the first option, I will need to get an injection every day for 5 days, which will make me feel ill as if I have influenza, and then I will have to sit for 4 to 6 hours while a machine sucks blood out of one arm and puts it back in the other.  The second option involves me being put under anesthesia while someone sticks a thick needle into my bone to suck out a bunch of stuff, and I was reassured that most people manage to make it back to work after several days.

"Dr. Duh, do you have any questions?"

"No.  Thank you."  Actually, I was sort of wondering how I got myself into this in the first place.

"Great.  I will send a consent form to you by e-mail.  Make sure you read it through, sign it and return to me...and please remember that your participation is purely voluntary.  If at any point you wish to withdraw from this process, please let me know immediately so we can look for other potential matches."

The phone call was from the National Marrow Donor Program.  I gave two blood samples at a church bone marrow drive 20 years ago in response to an urgent plea from the family of a dying young Asian woman with cancer who needed a bone marrow transplant.  The person on the phone informed me that my marrow may have finally met its match in an older man with acute myelogenous leukemia, and that it may potentially save his life.  Unfortunately, donating one's marrow involves some inconveniences, and not a little discomfort.  Needles, medications, more needles, and maybe a couple of holes in my hips.  I was reminded that I don't have to do it, and if I refuse, no one would know, as all records are confidential for my protection.

What am I to do?  For possibly saving someone's life, I guess a few holes in my body is worth it.  Needles...ugh!

Nevertheless, anticipating a bit of discomfort is nothing compared to the earthly experience of our Lord Jesus, who knew from the beginning that he came to do the Father's will:

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me, but raise it up on the last day.  (John 6:39)

Jesus came to save every single soul that the Father has given to him, and he knew well that it was not going to be an easy task:

And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."  (Luke 9:21-22)

Anticipation of what was to come caused Jesus unspeakable anguish.  He would have to give up himself voluntarily in obedience to the Father's will:

"Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.  Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done."  (Luke 22:42)

And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  (Luke 22:44)

As I shared news of the phone call with one of our pharmacists, she told me that it's wonderful that I get to save someone's life, and that she also participated in the program and was hoping to get a call some day.

Bring it on.

...but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:8)

Heavenly Reunion

I started to teach Sunday school at church a few years ago when our youth pastor asked me whether I’d be willing to help out with the 8th grade class.  I agreed, thinking that it was only a temporary assignment, and, as they say, the rest is history.  The youth pastor recently offered me to teach the 12th graders, and I am very eager to take on this challenge, not only because my son happens to be in the class, but also because I became a Christian 30 years ago, during the summer prior to 12th grade, and my first Sunday school teachers, Tien and Cheryl, were both medical students. This therefore is an opportunity for me, now a full-grown physician, to give back all the life-changing ministry which I received back then.

One of the great joys of Sunday school ministry is that I get to see many of my students continue to grow and mature in the Lord. I remember hearing testimonies of people with near-death experiences recalling being at the threshold of Heaven and being greeted by significant people in their lives, including parents, grandparents, other loved ones, and Sunday school teachers. Hopefully, if I get there first, I’ll be among the ones to greet my students. It will be sooooo exciting to see them saved by grace, justified by Christ's righteousness, sanctified, and with glorified, imperishable bodies.

Unfortunately, I am also tormented, knowing that many of my students will not be there, because they have rejected the faith of their parents and the Gospel message. I know, because at least once a year I would ask my students questions like, "Raise your hand if you are a Christian", "If you die tonight, do you know for certain that you are going to Heaven?", "Do you believe the message of the Gospel?", and "What is the Gospel message?" The responses have unfortunately been very disappointing. Many highly intelligent, academically, athletically and musically accomplished children of God-fearing parents either do not care about God, do not have any desire to live under God's presence (as if we even have a choice to hide from God), or openly reject the message of the Gospel. I often ask myself whether it is because of something I said or shouldn't have said, and am afraid that I might have caused some to choose Hell rather than Heaven, to choose temporal, sinful pleasures instead of eternal life under God's presence. I feared for my own soul, as teachers are admonished by the apostle Paul that they would be judged more strictly. Woe to me if I cause one of these young ones to fall!

Thankfully, the Lord addressed my anxieties via the words in John's gospel. For many years I didn't like the book of John as much as the other gospels, because it seems so tedious, and Jesus' words and prayers just went on and on and on through those really long verses and chapters. However, as I studied God's word more, those words came alive and became so meaningful.  It recorded these words of Jesus:

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of the Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.  (John. 6:37-40)

Jesus came to earth in order that every person that God the Father ordained before the creation of the universe to be saved would be saved. Christians are the Father's gift to the son, and Jesus promised that not even one of those that the Father gives to him would be lost. Not even one! That is great assurance for me, because whether my students believe depends not on my providing convincing arguments about the Gospel, or being clever and funny, or being a good salesman for Jesus. It is God's work and His doing. When I teach, I am only an instrument in the Master's hand. It matters not whether I am a paintbrush, a pencil, a chisel, a shovel or a sledgehammer in God's hand, I need only to do my job faithfully. If my students truly understand the depravity of their condition, truly repent, truly believe that Jesus came to earth to die for sinners, that he rose from the dead, and that Christ's righteousness is imputed to those who believe and call him both Lord and Savior, all the glory belongs to God. It is nothing that I have accomplished.  Conversely, if they do not believe after I have given my best efforts, I need not despair of my performance. To paint a picture you need the canvass, a bunch of paint, brushes, solvents and all sort of stuff. If God meant me to be a pencil for the first sketch, I may be indispensable, but also be totally invisible in the end. The important thing is not me, and it is not people. It is God. I only need to worry about being the best pencil or sledgehammer that I can be, to be used for His glory.

And, I look forward to having the most joyful Sunday school reunion when we the Lord calls us home!

Fan Support

"Hey, you are wonderful!...I admire you!...You are great!...I love you!...Thank you for being who you are!..."

It was a cool June Sunday morning in San Diego, and this thin, graying man in a T-shirt and running shorts appeared to have been belting out these phrases like a recording for at least half an hour by the time I passed him.  Oh, please, don't say that you love me.  That would be awkward....

"Sir, you are an inspiration to me!"

"Thank you!"  I quickly responded as I breathlessly ran past him.  Whew, that was close.  I didn't know who this man was, but I had seen him at roughly the same spot at the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon several years in a row.  26 miles and 385 yards is a beast of a distance for a race, and this man was on a mission to make it just a little easier. He had no clue who most of the roughly 30,000 runners were, but no one seemed to complain.  As the race unfolded, other spectators also yelled out words of encouragement.  "Looking good, Glenn!"  (I had my name on the race bib)  "Good job!  Keep it up!"  "It's all downhill after another mile!"  "Nice legs!"

When people ask me why I'd put my body through the torture of marathons, I often reply that it's cheaper than psychotherapy.  You pay a nominal fee, then go run down the street to have people say that you're wonderful, you look good, and pretend that you are some sort of a big deal.  Bands play for you.  Japanese taiko drummers rouse you with thundering rhythms.  During a half-marathon in Los Angeles, we were greeted with bone rattling pulsations by a high school drum line as we emerged from a tunnel.  The sensation was surreal.

However, those drums, bands and encouraging fans paled in comparison to the Wellesley College girls near the halfway point of the Boston Marathon.  Runners, from elite athletes to back-of-the-pack qualifiers, are greeted by the "wall of sound" that is audible more than one mile away, and the sound rises steadily for several minutes until they are met by a screaming frenzy of college women waving arms, banners and "kiss me" signs.  The reception is reminiscent of the Beatles appearing at the Ed Sullivan Show.  I seriously want to qualify for Boston again, if only to relive the thrill of the Wellesley sonic boom.

Jesus did not run marathons when he lived among us in the flesh, but he was no stranger to being the attention of large gatherings.  As his reputation grew, great crowds followed him as he healed the sick, taught about the kingdom of heaven, and fed many thousands of men, women and children with only a few small loaves of bread and some fish.  Crowds also appeared days before his crucifixion, laying down palm branches before him and crying "Hosanna!"  Yet, Jesus did not come to earth to receive admiration, praises and glory from men.  He came with another purpose:

For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.  (John 6:38)

Jesus' life on earth was an act of obedience to the Father, such that...

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  (Philippians 2:8)

Jesus never succumbed to pride as the crowds gathered with increasing strength.  Instead,

But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.  (Luke 5:16)

May we be eternally grateful for Jesus' single-minded submission to the Father's will and love for us, such that when crowds gathered one last time around Jesus, shouting "crucify him!", he responded in near solitude on the cross with the words, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."  (Luke 23:34)

Should we not seek to please God, rather than to merely hope for the praise of men, and of a few thousand screaming college coeds?