Remember your roots

It has been a while since I last blog... too much going on lately with convocation, parents visiting, and festivities. I am glad to be back in Waterloo and enjoy some quietness. 

Definite it has been a great privilege to study in UW, and even though there were many times that I complained about school... it is really a gift that I take for granted because the majority of people don't have access to this level of education. In my family, I belong to the first generation to study in an university, so there are many reasons of celebration, joy, rewards, and expectations. At the same time, I am reminded that I should be grateful for my dad who has supported me financially all these years. It is hard to really to give back to my parents who are wishing the best for me and sacrifice a lot for my well being.

Being at convocation, there is a lot of "self-praise" statements from people saying that all the graduates are to change the world, and have a lot of potential, and are smart, etc. In a way it is true =P, but I remember something that was taught to me at a very early age. 

My dad used to tell me a lot of stories about the living conditions in the past that my grandparents had to endure. I even went to China to visit my "homeland' which is a very small village. And there is a very small house (about the size of the living room or UWP) and apparently 10-12 people used to live in that house. Definitely, living at that time was tough for my family.

It is very natural to wish the best for the children and to hope that their living conditions will be better. I am definitely very privileged... I live in a room that is comfortable, I have food on my table, lots of commodities, etc. A lot of time it is so easy to take these for granted and to take pride in our worldly successes. But when I remember "my roots", the place where my family came from, I have to be humbled. I have to be thankful with what I have, and to walk in humility because God is the one who gives and takes away.

Similarly, we are to walk in humility always in midst of successes in ministries and spiritual battles. We are really blessed because we were once alienated from God, and we deserve all His wrath because of our sins. But the exceeding amount of grace from God is too intense that we are given a new life. I love the contrast that is shown in the next verse: 


"All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." - Ephesians 2:3-6


Understanding how undeserving we are, and grasping how good God is is a way I get to "measure" the immeasurable grace. The pastor's wife from my home church wrote me an email congratulating me and also emphasizing in the same lesson:


This is only the beginning of your professional life...so remember to humble yourself before the Lord and before others, that you might continue to learn much and find grace before Him and men. Remember the life of Joseph, that in the face of trials and problems and dangers, he had never depended upon himself, but on the Lord for he knew to whom he belonged. As you advance in life, never forget where and when the Lord picked you up, and your humble beginning. Always give credit to Him from the bottom of your heart and be sincerely and humbly serving Him, for your every step and every breath you owe to Him. If He ever prosper you, remember your origin with a thankful heart to Him, and continue to be humble and walk with the Lord without departing from His side. Be careful not to allow fame nor fortune cloud your sight nor your mind, nor allow it to become lord of your life.

Obsession for Soccer

So the FIFA World Cup started today!!! I am so happy because I like soccer, I follow it, and it is the maximum level of competition in soccer. This event takes place every 4 years. It is such a big event, probably one of the largest sports event, very comparable with the Olympics in terms of popularity and attention (not particularly in Canada).

My favorite team is la Argentina! They are playing tomorrow, and they have a group of very talented players. But they have to work on "playing as a team" and not depending on their star players. One of the 3 things that makes my heart beats faster is seeing Argentina playing soccer =P. 

At this point, Spain is definitely the top favorite because of its recent victory in the Euro Cup. And also because they have players of high quality specially in the midfield. Besides them, Brazil and Netherlands are potential candidates, though they have some things to work on. Italy is relatively weaker, but they are a team that is made to win in adverse situations. England, Portugal, Germany are other big names, but I personally think that they are ok. 

Soccer is indeed the most popular sport in the world (once again, not in Canada). Since it is so popular in the rest of the world, it can exert great influence, both in good and bad ways. I was reading the National Geographic a long time ago, and I read that a truce was made for a night in a civil war in an African country because their national soccer team was playing. It is very interesting how a soccer match can unite a country despite the internal warfare. In many developing countries, soccer is the game for the poor (since you only need a ball, or make a ball out of newspaper), and it is perhaps the way for people to make a living or to escape from delinquency. 

It can be funny at times. For the current World Cup, the government of Honduras decided to give official leisure time during the time-slots when the Honduras national team will be playing to allow the workers to watch the game. Guatemala played the famous Brazil during a friendly match, and Guatemala tied the game in the very last minute, and it lead to a great celebration involving firecrackers all over the country. So funny because I myself was very happy when they tied, haha.

Also, obsession for soccer can lead to tragic outcomes. There are soccer fanatics that cause vandalism during the games that have cause people to die. There is a particular case in which a player got killed because of scoring an own goal. It is unbelievable. How can a soccer game able to infringe morality causing people to do such bad things?

Similarly, it is important for all of us not to be mastered by anything that will lead us to bad behavior. It is so easy to put God aside when we find something that we really like at the moment. And when we notice, our sinful nature takes over, and we forget to live in congruence with the Spirit. Many of the things that can distract us in such ways are very small harmless things like board games, movies, music, sports, etc. I am not saying that those activities are bad, but that we should continue showing our Christian character in every situation.

Abyss of Pride

Full metal alchemist is such a great manga, definitely one of the best I have read. All-time favorite. Very original storyline, strong and interesting characters, genius way in introducing the concepts of seven particular sins, and the portraying of the human nature in desiring more and more worldly pleasure no matter what, that will lead to their own destruction. The manga is ending soon, and I can't wait to see the epic end!

But yeah, pride is one of the sin that is talked about. And it is one of my biggest struggle. There are so many times that I refused other people's help because I wanted to rely on myself. There are times that I feel hurt when my efforts aren't recognized. There are also times that I don't want to admit that I am wrong when I am in edgy situations arguing with friends. There are probably more things that I might not even be aware of. At the end of the day, if I let pride consume me, exalting myself, it will eventually lead to my own destruction.

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." - Proverbs 16:18

Fellowship, DGs, accountability partners are so key to keep you on check, and to rebuke you when you're too full of yourself. But the focus is to learn from our Lord, Jesus, who taught that greatness is found in humility. Jesus became the perfect servant even though He is God, and He obeyed even to death on the cross for our sins. And now He is exalted on high! 

There is this interesting theological review from a pastor of Mars Hill Church about Iron Man 2:

Calibration

As students, we are familiar with the term calibration. When you go to a lab (either chemistry, physics, or engineering), there are instruments that are used to measure something. For example, a balance is an instrument to measure weight. It is known that after many uses, the balance needs to be calibrated periodically in order to keep its accuracy in the measurement.

We are prone to sin, and it is by the amazing power and grace from our Lord Jesus Christ that we can repent and are transformed day by day into his image, walking away from sin. But there is always a warfare in myself between the spiritual desires to please God and the fleshly desires to please me. I find that my sinful nature is like gravity, pulling me to do things I don't want to do. It is only by God's grace that I know Christ loves me and that by the Holy Spirit there is power to transform a wretched man like me.

That's why it is so important to be in constant alignment with God. It is essential that we know Him more and more, that we study His Word frequently, that we are rely on His power everyday. Also, personally I find very refreshing to spend time reflecting on my recent actions to examine myself and to realize that God's grace never ceases to amaze me.

Just like the balance needs to be calibrated periodically, our minds and hearts need to be calibrated constantly so that our minds are aligned with God's mind, and our heart beating at the rhythm of the gospel.