Rescue

She was cornered
Even though a fence separated her from the ferocious dogs
their barks still threatens her
In fright, she slipped off the edge
For a moment, her claws tried to hang on but to no avail
The dogs above her barked menacingly still

She quivered in the shadows
Hoping the darkness will swallow her
And protect her from the enemies
All of a sudden, a hand reached down
More terror? She wondered
It was instead a hand of comfort and rescue
She was lifted from the shadows
And gently placed on the grass

Who is this saviour of hers?
It was a stranger
A man on his way to work
Who saw the predicament she was in
Took the trouble to stop
And lifted her from her troubles
She purred in gratitude

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Slow

I noticed her as she came out of the car
A middle aged woman with a heavy luggage

I paused for a while, slowing my pace
The words however did not come out quick

The strain upon her hand was obvious
She shifts the burden from one hand to another

For a moment our eyes met
She smiled, a gentle smile indeed
I smiled back albeit with some guardedness
This was a stranger after all

Should I?
I debated within me
It didn’t seem so heavy
She’s managing it well
What if I did offer
And she rejected it?

The notion of rejection chills my bone
I passed by her and proceeded my way

The Holy Spirit tapped on my heart
I was reminded of the story of the Samaritan
How the priest passed by an injured man

I hung my head in shame
I’m sorry, I whispered
Please help me to be quick to act in love

Mentored

These past few days I have been sitting at the feet of women; women who have the courage to be authentic, women in different stages of life, women who above all love their Savior and God.

As I sat there listening to their stories and heart songs, I find myself grow quiet within. It was almost like a breath of fresh air, to walk away from the strife, control and envy to quietness, submission, love and gentleness. Here are women who are not perfect but found their rest in the Only One that truly satisfy.

As I see how they love children, submit to their husbands, work hard at what they are responsible for, there flows such a sweetness that it makes my heart glad.

Father,
teach me to love like these women do
teach me to be content when the world screams for me to buy more, to have more, to look for more
teach me to always encourage
teach me to inspire
teach me to submit even when the world says demand your rights
teach me most of all to love You above all else
teach me that the greatest joy and satisfaction is not found in my many purchases, neither in my career or in the arms of a man
teach me to hide myself in You
teach me that only You complete me

Most of all, teach me to be like You
To have Your heart
That loves and cares

Teach me

The little girl

 

Haltingly she read through the passage, sometimes stopping for a moment or two when she came across a difficult word. Yet she tried, mustering whatever knowledge she has in phonetics to piece individual alphabet with its sound to construct a word. What tenacity.

 Sometimes she smiled with a tinge of embarrassment when I corrected her pronunciation. I smiled too, wanting to let her know it is okay.

Often she stopped to ask the meaning of a certain word. This tutor unfortunately is no great teacher. I did my best to explain, mustering whatever mandarin or simple English I could. She repeated after me. I could almost see her mind depositing the word into her memory.

As I walked out to the gate after the class, I spotted her looking out the window of the car. She waved shyly, a smile forming on her lips. I smiled and waved back, glad to have just that 15 minutes with her.