Praying with Wrong Motives

I was experiencing a very unsettling feeling. I had just approved a submission proposing to reject an appeal. Although I initially wanted to accede to it, we had concluded after much internal discussion that rejecting it was the legally more defensible position to take. 

But when we put it up, a very astute boss at the next level asked us to try to find out one more detail from the overseas authorities to back up one of our statements. We agreed to do so even though we felt the overseas authority would not reply in time, and to our surprise they did!  And from the surface looks of it (we are still trying to decipher a lot of technical charts and explanations they gave us), it looks like we may have to reverse our position...

Now this is a mortifying position to be in for a policy department, to put up something which later you realise or your bosses point out is actually the wrong position.  I mean, correction of English, better nuancing, reorganisation of arguments, I can handle, but to have to reverse your recommendation, is like being told you are doing your job entirely wrong. My first reaction was to pray that in dissecting their replies we would be proven right, that we should still reject their appeal.

However, it so happened my QT today was on James 4:1-4 'What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.'

I certainly identify with the' desires that battle within you' part - I dearly desired to be proven correct because to be proven otherwise would be bad for the reputation of my policy outfit and for me as well. The part on quarreling and fighting, I felt like I was quarreling with myself and trying to find arguments so that I should be right. But I was quite convicted by the end, that I had to pray for the right and best outcome to be achieved because that is the right thing to do, and not to pray to save my own face. Because to pray like that would be to 'ask with the wrong motives'. 

In fact I was reminded that my prayer just before our discussion with the bosses was that we would collectively come to the best outcome, although I had not anticipated that this would mean having to eat humble pie! 

Now I have to come to terms with the fact that we may have to go back to tell them we are reversing our position, and to be ok with that, because if I didn't have to care about my own reputation and career, that would be what I would gladly do.  Perhaps I should pray for courage, moral courage to do what's right, to seek to please God only and not man, and to do what seems painful as an offering to God, a living sacrifice. 

I am always surprised at how the Word of God always comes in a timely manner to remind me.... 

The Best Online Children Christian Service

One of the good things that came out of this Covid situation is my discovery of Treasure Box, this wonderful online children's service that is much much better than the children's service at my church. After watching 6 episodes or so, my kids now look forward to watching it on Sundays rather than groan and run away from us when we reach church. And I will always remember the first 1 - 2 episodes when all 3 of them bowed their heads and said the sinners' prayer together. It was a sight to warm a mother's heart for sure.  

I also really love the episodes where Uncle Elvin and Auntie Esther play act very funny scenarios to illustrate the lesson of the day, be it Uncle Elvin not sharing his wang wang biscuits or sharing in a very stingy way, or their funny games making the kids turn left or right while closing their eyes to show the importance of paying attention, either to the sermon or the Holy Spirit. Anyway it's great fun. I also remember them trying to walk through a Liberal sprinkling of powder without getting any on their feet, to show how hard it is to go through life without sin, and the kids loved how he went around 'shooting' love at his family members. They are really inspired in their lessons and their acting (especially Uncle Elvin's) is a joy, as he has a naturally warm and genial face that can take on a lot of expressions realistically (shocked, sly, sad, happy, etc). I also love their mission statement, which is to rebuild family altars throughout the land, and help parents bring up children in the Lord. Oh so needful!!!

I also realised for kids, it's probably better to have a topic that will relate to them (like what is sin, what does love look like, why they should obey authorities), and teach them bible verses on it, with relatable and poignant illustrations, rather than just going through bible stories and trying to draw some overly general or cheem lesson through it. My kids usually can't articulate what they learnt in Sunday school but for Treasure Box, even I can remind them of the lesson the rest of the week because the lesson is so memorable.

I love how the Treasure Box services really break down the lesson to a very applicable action they want the kids to do the rest of the week, or to make something meaningful that will impact their week or their life at home or change the way they view something. Their relatability and application to the Singaporean or modern day living context is top notch.

A very wonderful resource for all parents who want their kids to effectively learn Christian principles and values!