In June 2022, on the day of my eldest son Jean-Luc's sports day in school, the parents were invited to the event for the first time after the pandemic lockdown was finally lifted. On that very day towards the end of the sports day event, the parents were invited to join the parents' race. I have never joined a parents' race before this so it was my first. I didn't know about the race before the sports day so on the day I was wearing my slip-on sandals. I thought what could have gone wrong if I joined the race with my sandals and furthermore I used to be a school athlete, all should be fine. So I joined and ran as fast as I could with the rest of the mothers. While I was running ahead of some mothers, I suddenly began to fly up in the air and I thought, "Ok, am I having a flying Scotsman moment here." I was hoping that when I landed I would land at the finishing line but unfortunately I landed far short from the finishing line and landed on my left shoulder first and had been in pain since. Each time I helped my children change into their clothes by lifting the clothes off their arms and head, I would experience excruciating pain such that I had to writhe in pain on the floor. If I slept in a certain position, it would trigger the pain.
I prayed and declared healing since the day of the accident. I didn't see any doctor or chiropractor as I thought I would give it a few weeks or a few months, hopefully the pain will stop but it did cross my mind whether this is going to be long term. Anyway, I decided not to be negative but to trust in the Lord by His word that "by His stripes and by His wounds we are healed." I kept on listening and watching healing sermons and each time the pain came, I would say, "Jesus heals - Yahweh Rapha, Hallelujah!"
In November 2022, during one of the Sunday services, my church pastor had an altar call for anyone who wanted to come forward to be prayed for. My husband and I decided to go forward and let one of the pastors pray for us with an anointing oil. The pastor laid hands and prayed for my husband's health and walking then he prayed for healing on my shoulder. After the prayer I still experienced some pain but I chose to surrender my cares and prayer to the Lord. I just continue to trust God that what He said He shall accomplish.
Five months passed since my pastor prayed for us and in February 2023, I suddenly realised that I no longer experienced any pain on my left shoulder. Whatever I do and however I sleep, the pain no longer exists. It just went away and never came back since. As for my husband, since January 2023 he has been walking faster and quicker. Our God heals and He does answer our prayers. He has the final say for our lives. We can trust in His word.
Since September 2023, I have had both my children attending school full time. I have been itching to get back to work for years now but decided to put my career on hold until my youngest son attends school full time. It has been 7 years since I left work to look after our two children. So I've been looking for jobs more actively since the end of September. I thought maybe I needed to upgrade my skills or get some more qualifications or certificates to boost my chances of getting a job but God told me, "Just as you are. Trust in me." So when I saw a job advertisement at the end of October to work for the government, it just jumped out at me as if the position had got my name written all over it. I applied for the job and went for the interview at the end of November. I really enjoyed the interview and met with very nice people even though I had to go through very detailed security checks, etc. Initially I was told I didn't get the job after weeks of waiting to hear back from them, but they said I was a strong candidate so they'll put me on the reserve list. My husband told me that's actually a good sign as he has never experienced "you're a strong candidate and we are putting you on a reserve list" throughout his working experience. I was disappointed not being picked for the job but my husband and I continued to pray for the right job to come about. I lacked the drive and motivation after I was told that the job I really saw my name written all over was not given to me. Anyway, I chose to still believe that God has my best interest at heart and will surely bless me with the right job and a better one shall surely come about.
Two weeks after I was told that I didn't get the government job, the government contacted and congratulated me that they've decided to offer me the job. I was so surprised even though I knew that job was for me. So now they have run all my background checks and asked when I can start work and I'll be starting work with the UK government in the last week of this month after the school holiday. Praise the Lord! God always has the final say. I can't take credit for it as I didn't take up any additional courses to upgrade my skill or qualification than what I've already got and with 7 years of non-employment gap so all I can say - "nothing is impossible with God and I can only give Him all the glory, thanks and praise!"
Matthew 14
30 But when Peter saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
30 But when Peter saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Sunday, 22 October 2023
Delayed With A Purpose
By Josephine Lim Weston
Last Tuesday, after I dropped off my children at school, I went to do some grocery shopping. I only found one item that I wanted to buy at this particular shop but there was a queue with only one checkout till. In front of me was this couple - the woman kept going back and forth on the shop floor while the man queued. They discussed between themselves about £60 of shopping and how they would divide up the payments. Anyway, I was thinking they've got lots of shopping and I've only got one item so I was wondering if they would be so kind as to offer to let me go through ahead of them, but no offer from either of them as their minds were too occupied. When their turn came, the man and the woman were busy packing their shopping into which and whose bags etc and then they paid and left. Now it was my turn and I looked near the window of the checkout till a shopping bag full of soft white rolls then I remembered those could possibly belong to the couple that was leaving so I quickly called out to them, "Excuse me, excuse me, are these (white rolls) yours?" "Oh yes, they are. Thank you so much!" the couple said unreservedly.
Now I know why I had to be "delayed" and not offered to jump the queue so I could notify the couple and save them the trip of having to come back to the shop again.
Beginning of this year, I decided to bring my children to a stay and play session at a community centre. We were slightly late so we missed the earlier bus as my younger son was walking quite slowly. So we got on the later bus, not long after we had sat down at the back of the bus, my eldest son Jean-Luc was so sharp and alert that he said to me, "Mummy, there's a phone ringing." I thought it was the bus driver's phone or some kind of alert call for the bus driver. Jean-Luc then pointed to me and said, "Mummy, there's something light up in between those chairs and it's ringing." I couldn't see anything from where I was seated so I had to move my body and head near to Jean-Luc then walked down to the front and checked the seats and true enough a smartphone was tucked in between the small gap of the seats several rows in front of us. I quickly answered the call and told the caller yes I got his wife's phone and he could come and meet us at the community centre. So the man came and picked up the phone from me and was very grateful.
On that particular Tuesday, the bus was quite empty as we were the only three passengers seated on the lower deck of the bus upon boarding so thank God we were on the bus that day and missed the earlier one so the man and his wife would get to reunite with their smartphone.
Ecclesiastes 3
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end.
12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and do good while they live
In January this year, Jean-Luc attended a new school (H) after we withdrew him from his first previous school (C). His new headteacher (of school H) spoke to me about moving my youngest son Janick who was in nursery at that time at a Christian school (BJR) to the same school as Jean-Luc as they greatly encouraged that, saving me the time and hassle and it's good for siblings to be in the same school. I told the headteacher that in fact BJR is our first choice, being a Christian school as we are Christians and Jean-Luc is on the waiting list trying to get into BJR so the headteacher tried to convince me that his school is also based on Christian values, etc. Well my husband and I had the conversation a few times that we might eventually have to make the tough decision of having to withdraw Janick from the Christian school to join his brother Jean-Luc in school H when I eventually return to work if making two journeys to two different schools prove too much for us. But in my heart, I waited on God. Jean-Luc also prayed every night that he would get a place in BJR, joining his younger brother as he too likes BJR school a lot. So we persisted and we continued to fetch our children to two different schools from January this year to July. We kept trusting in God that all will work out together for our good. Jean-Luc didn't get a good school report card from his previous school C but he finally got a very good report card from school H at the end of his primary school year 2. Praise the Lord! A day after Jean-Luc finished his school term for the year in July with school H, we received a call from BJR, his first choice school which he had been on the waiting list for more than one and a half year, the school was happy to offer a place for Jean-Luc in year 3 starting in September. What wonderful news! We were told so many times by the BJR school administrator over the years that Jean-Luc might not be able to get a place at BJR at all throughout his primary school education due to the long waiting list but God always comes through and He is faithful to answer our prayers and give us the best. Jean-Luc told me that now he's happier and feels safe in BJR. We too can feel the peace and the presence of God in the school.
With all the delays faced by Jean-Luc in trying to get into BJR turned out to be a delay with a purpose for God that now I have the experience based on my personal encounter with 3 different schools and how they are run and managed that I'm able and equipped to advise other parents. I have helped lots of parents by giving them advice about schools and they couldn't be happier and grateful for my advice. The delays in life with a purpose from God will benefit us all ultimately.
So don't be disheartened if our prayer requests get delayed, because it's delayed with a purpose and God's timing is perfect. Let us continue to trust in Him and, in His time, He will make all things beautiful for us.
In His Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo-rGzx2OZk
In His time, in his time
He Makes all things beautiful
In His time
Lord, Please show me every day
As You're teaching me Your way
That You do just what you say
In Your time.
In Your time, in Your time
You make all things beautiful
In Your time
Lord, My life to you I bring
May each song I have to sing
Be to You a lovely thing In Your time
Lord, please show me every day
As You're teaching me Your way
That You do just what you say
In Your time.
In Your time.
In Your time.
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isa. 40:31)
Psalm 37:23
23 The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD
who takes delight in his journey.
24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,
for the LORD is holding his hand.
1 Samuel 2:9
He guards the steps of His faithful ones.
Saturday, 7 October 2023
God Can Turn Our Misfortune Into Blessing
By Josephine Lim Weston
Saturday, 7th October 2023
On 3rd June this year, we met with an accident. A car behind us rammed into our car on a busy highway with a very loud bang. The back of our car was badly damaged but thank God none of us was injured and neither the driver and passengers in the car behind us. As the driver came out from his car to show us his car insurance policy documents, I could see a big terrifying devilish tattoo almost covering his entire right arm. The driver and his two adult sons were pleasant and well mannered. After we took down his insurance details, we left the SOS emergency lane and soon made our way to the next service station. When we were there I could see quite a number of people with satanic and devilish tattoos on different parts of their bodies. Some even wore a devil T- shirt. Prior to the accident, I didn't realise or see much of those tattoos but this has prompted my heart to pray for these people.
Due to the car accident, while waiting for the insurance companies to sort out our compensation, etc we had to stall our plan to have our extension decorated and other jobs required for the house as we were told by the insurance company that due to the severity of the damage to our car most likely it's now a write-off and unsafe to drive it any further. So we looked online to see how much it would cost to buy a car and wow the car prices have gone up so much and are very expensive! Cars that have higher mileage than ours are more expensive than our car and there is no way that the insurance company would compensate us enough to buy a car. Anyway we prayed and kept trusting God for the best outcome from this unfortunate incident. In the meantime, the insurance company provided us with a hired car until compensation was reached.
While waiting for almost 2 months to hear back from our insurance company for compensation, we decided to call our insurance company to inform them we are going away to visit our family the next day, as a result they hurried the process and got us the compensation and told us that our car is not a write-off and they will compensate us for the repair. Within a few days we received the promised compensation into our account and further compensation for the supposed value of our car.
So all that's left to do once we got back from our holiday was to have the car repaired. I thank God for my wise husband as I was very tempted to get the car repaired while we were visiting family during our 2 weeks holiday as we saw there were several bodywork repair garages around but my husband said if there's problem after the repair it will be a hassle and impossible to drive the car back to the garage in Stoke-on-Trent from our London home.
Back home in London, there was this car bodywork repair company that demanded that we give him £150 upfront as an inspection fee to take a look at our car to give us an exact quotation. So we did some research and found this should not be the case. When we returned from visiting family in Stoke-on-Trent, I found on google search a few more bodywork companies but two companies with very good customer reviews said to my husband they do not cover our area hence we are left with one company on the list and he was happy to repair our car and gave us the quotation straightaway upon seeing the pictures of the damage and he arranged to repair our car on 4th September. The quotation given is a few hundred quid cheaper than the other quotation we received thus far but it's still way cheaper than buying a car.
On Thursday 24th August, which was my younger son Janick's birthday, I was very busy the entire morning trying to untangle the rainbow yarn that my eldest son Jean-Luc had tangled all around after playing with it. It was a very time consuming task and an eyesore to me that I was really determined to get it untangled once and for all and get this yarn off my to-do list. It was past 1pm when my husband (who was working from home that day) suggested that we go out and have a meal together at a cafe in a supermarket. So we did after I got the yarn untangled successfully (otherwise I usually prefer to cook or make a simple lunch for everybody). After we had our lunch and did some shopping, while exiting the supermarket, some newspaper on the newsstand caught my eye so I decided to pick one up. The next day in the late evening before I went to bed, I decided to read the newspaper and I saw at the back few pages of the newspaper there were several bodywork repair companies being advertised so I looked them up on the internet and read the reviews and told my husband about one of the companies and we called the company the next morning and coincidentally we actually wanted to bring the kids to Crystal Palace Park and Farm that day and the repair shop is near to the place. While we were there, the owner of the garage looked at our car and said it's not severe and easily repaired, no new parts required and we should get our car back in three days and gave us a quotation straight away at a fraction of all the quotations we have received thus far. God is so good and that the repair work done was very good and we're impressed. Praise the Lord!
The compensation we received from the insurance company due to the "unfortunate" accident turned into a blessing that we can use the money to pay for the car repair and the balance to pay for the decorations on our house and revamp our back garden. If not because of my cheeky oldest son who played with the yarn and got it all tangled, we wouldn't have gone to the cafe that day and I wouldn't have picked up the newspaper with the contact of the good auto bodyworks repair company. See how our faithful, loving and very good God can turn our misfortune into blessing!
Ever since my eldest son Jean-Luc started nursery and into his primary school, school has always been a tough experience for him. He had difficulty settling into his first former school C, which failed to provide him with the relevant support. They gave him all sorts of labels and biased against him due to his condition which they failed to diagnose. Jean-Luc was very active and easily distracted. All the teachers admitted he is smart but lacked focus, concentration and needed constant reminder every now and then with other behavioural issues. Due to the discriminatory and unkind treatment Jean-Luc was receiving from his first former school from nursery to year 2 as they were so unwilling to seek adequate help and support for him to cope with his behaviour (the teachers, deputy head teachers and head teachers expected us parents to be the magician that whilst we're at home we could raise the magic wand and make Jean-Luc behaved himself at school), my husband and I decided surely we will never ever enrol our youngest son Janick into the same school C. So we enrolled Janick into a very good Christian school nearby.
Janick is very happy and loved by all his teachers in the Christian school (BJR). He loves going to school. Jean-Luc also wanted to join his brother in the same school but unfortunately he had been on the waiting list for more than one and half years and there were several people on the waiting list in front of him and even the school administrator told us all the time whenever we called to check from time to time, she said Jean-Luc might not be able to get into BJR at all throughout his primary years due to the long waiting list for his particular year. Jean-Luc prayed everyday that he would get a place in BJR and he even said to me, "I want everyone from my previous school to come to BJR as well." He said to me further, "Does it mean if nobody leaves BJR, l'll never get a place in BJR? I don't want anybody to leave BJR." I said if that's the case, I don't know what to do except to pray and see what God can do for you. So Jean-Luc was stucked in his school (C) for a year while waiting for a space in BJR but it got too much for him that it's affecting his emotions and mental health as well as pressure from his school that we decided to withdraw him from the school to homeschool him. He's much happier and more relaxed. He was getting better with his education too until we were told and recommended a potential good school not too far from Janick's school. So we applied and Jean-Luc was offered a place there and started attending the school H beginning of this year. It was a fresh new start for Jean-Luc and this was what he needed: a new environment, new teachers and friends. He got a bad report from his previous school C but he got a very good report card from school H at the end of term in July this year. A day after Jean-Luc completed year 2 in school H, I received a phone call from BJR school that they are happy to offer a place for Jean-Luc and we're over the moon when we heard this as it's a miracle that this has finally happened to Jean-Luc after all his faithful prayer to a very faithful God. So we thank God for all the misfortune that Jean-Luc faced with school C that both our children are now in a better school where they are properly educated and supported and Jean-Luc brought with him a very good report card from school H to BJR instead of a bad report card from school C. BJR even has breakfast club, many choices of after school clubs and twilight club cater for working parents so we can drop our children off early in the morning in school before school starts then go to work and go fetch our children after we finish work after normal school hours whilst school C has no breakfast and twilight clubs.
Do know whatever "misfortune" we might faced in life be it a car accident, unsupportive school, rejected job application or interview, rejected by a potential suitor or friends, missed bus or train, or whatever misfortune we might faced like a tangled yarn that I spent almost whole day trying to untangle will all lead us to better things and blessings God has in store for us. Trust in God and He will not let us down.
Romans 10:11
For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him (God) will not be put to shame.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:28
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.
Tuesday, 20 June 2023
Maturity and Compassion That Come With Every Trial
By Josephine Lim Weston
Tuesday, 20th June 2023
More than a month ago I suddenly experienced tightness and pain in my knee. I suspect it could be due to all the walking, sending my two children to two different schools and having to pick them up at different times as well as climbing up and down the stairs in our house while carrying my youngest one. He loves to be carried so he could hug and kiss me and vice-versa. (Yes, I know, I no longer carry him down or up the stairs as I've told him - mummy's knee is painful.) My husband, upon hearing of my knee condition and that I was going to make an appointment to see the doctor, suggested to me to take Vitabiotics Jointace turmeric supplements. He was taking it at the time due to the pain on his knuckles. So, I started taking it just within days, the pain on my knee was gone. I'm still taking it from time to time when I feel the tightness just to maintain the health of my knee and prevent it from getting worse. Around that time, one of my beloved aunts sent a forwarded message on WhatsApp and I realised it was already midnight in Malaysia and she still hadn't gone to bed, so I advised her to sleep now. She said she wanted to catch up with all her WhatsApp messages. Well anyway, I told her health is more important. The next day due to my experience with my knee condition, I was compelled to share about it with my family and relatives in Malaysia via WhatsApp and after starting to take the supplements, my knee's condition improved, and pain was gone. Upon knowing this, my aunt who slept late, decided to buy a similar supplement and has been taking it since. She told me she felt better and no more pain. She thanked me for sharing my experience and encounter. I told her every trial that we go through in life is not only to add to our knowledge but most importantly to make us more understanding and compassionate towards others and help them.
When I was suffering pain in my knee, I was walking slower than usual. Last time when I was still working, commuting, and rushing to work, there were some people who were walking very slowly and some blocking mine and others way and that really annoyed me, but now with what I had been through with my knee condition I understood why people are walking slowly hence I am becoming more compassionate and patient with them.
When I was still a child and leading up to my adulthood, I never liked naughty children. Sometimes I blamed the children's behaviour on their parents who failed to discipline them properly. When I was a Sunday school teacher and a youth leader, I faced some children whom their parents told me had some behavioural problems and they wanted my help to advise their children, so I began to develop compassion and kindness toward those children. Now that I have two boys of my own and they can be cheeky and drive me up the wall lots of times, I now fully understand what those parents had gone through. We tried our very best to help them to be in their best behaviour, but it went in one ear and out the other. My church members have been very supportive and encouraging towards me and our children as now they know the condition of my eldest son, but by the grace of God, my eldest son has improved quite a lot in terms of getting physical with other children so thank God for that. Jean-Luc's headteacher and teachers also have been more supportive, understanding, and kinder toward him after they were made aware of his condition.
Few weeks ago, a friend that we got to knowin the park was sharing with me that he was going to write a new will as he hasan estranged relationship with his younger son. He said he doesn't believe inGod and blamed God on lots of things including stillbirth children and otherdisasters in the world. He believed that due to the big bang we were allcreated, and somebody must have created God, so I told him if somebody elsecreated God then that person is the real God. Anyway, I shared with him aboutmy younger son who was born more than 2 months premature and had to undergosurgeries and I also suffered two missed miscarriages prior to the birth of mytwo sons. Those experiences made me appreciate my children more - gifts God hadgiven us. Now I understand what lots of women who have suffered miscarriageshave gone through or are going through. Because my youngest son Janick had toundergo surgery and he is due for another one, but on the waiting list now, Isaw the kindness, compassion and respect of his surgeons/consultants, nurses,etc toward me and Janick. That there are good doctors around who are kindenough to go beyond their assigned job and hours to check on their patientsthat they are fit enough to discharge before they head home after performing somany surgeries in a day. Trials make us appreciate people and life more. So, atthe end of our conversation, he agreed and said that he is likely to wait forme in heaven and we shall surely see each other there. I said, "Amen,surely indeed!"
My mother in-grace (my mother in-law) - I like to call her, shared with us that she was seeing things in the spirit, and she said why God allows her to see those things and we wondered why but last month finally we found the answer and that got to do with the medication she has been prescribed with that has proven to cause hallucinations. So, we have been encouraging her to pray and be Christ focused. Try to reduce taking those medications if possible or request for alternative medicine. So now we know if people are seeing things, it doesn't necessarily mean they are spiritually weak or God might be punishing them, no! It can be the result of some medication as one of my mother in-grace's carers shared with her that she herself experienced hallucination when she took some painkillers. Trials also make us less judgmental but more knowledgeable and compassionate.
I have also learnt that I need to thank God for Jean-Luc with all his imperfections especially regarding his behaviour because it's not easy being his parents nor his teachers. At his former school, the headteachers, deputy headteachers and teachers failed to recognise or diagnose him and had been biased towards him no matter how well he did his schoolwork that during that period of discrimination he was demotivated and demoralised to the extent that he found school too tormenting and unhappy eventually affecting his studies since then. Because of how Jean-Luc felt in that former school, we decided not to enrol Janick into the nursery there but to a Christian school nearby. That meant I had to send my children to two different schools because there's no vacancy for Jean-Luc in year 2 in that Christian school of which he is still on the waiting list. Finally due to the pressure imposed by the deputy headteacher and his class teacher at that time we were left with no choice but to withdraw Jean-Luc from that school to homeschool him until we found a better new school that he's attending right now who is more understanding and supportive toward him. Thank God that due to the trials that we faced with his former school that now Janick is in a better school loved and nurtured by his teachers. We have also heard from several parents whose children are still attending Jean-Luc's previous school that the nursery in that school has now closed and they are going to merge year 5 with year 6 classes together as many teachers left and they claimed they have no funding, etc. See how God had gone before us and pave the way for us that Janick's place in the Christian school is secure and will commence his reception class in September without interruption from potential closure or merger.
1 Thessalonians 5:13-18
Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
James 1:2-4
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:12
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
Saturday, 1 April 2023
Bless Your Hands
By Josephine Lim Weston
Saturday, 1st April 2023
Sometime at the beginning of March, I received a phone call from Jean-Luc's teacher saying that Jean-Luc suddenly slapped a child while they were playing and chasing each other around. This is the second time it had happened and I told the teacher the slapping seemed to occur when chasing is involved. It seems to trigger something inside him. So after school, Jean-Luc's class teacher and headteacher came and talked with me and the headteacher said from the first time he looked and observed Jean-Luc he suspected that Jean-Luc might have some degree of autism because he has seen a lot and dealt with a lot of autistic children. He and his team will be doing the necessary assessment and provide him with all the support he needs.
On our way home from school as I was dealing with Jean-Luc's slapping incident in my mind and heart, the Lord prompted my heart to bless Jean-Luc's hand. To speak blessing and not rebuke or correct him anymore. So since then I told my husband to pray and bless Jean-Luc's hands day and night and as often we can.
I would lay my hands on both of his hands and say, "These hands are blessed hands. Hands that are gentle, kind, helpful, generous, creative, talented, gifted, diligent, prosperous, capable and anointed. Whatever these hands do will be a success." We also bless his spirit, soul, body and mind and as Jesus is so is he - kind, wise, discerning, lots of common sense, etc.
Since we started blessing his hands we have not heard any more of the unpleasant incident.
Two days ago, on my way home from the shop, I bumped into an elderly woman who lives near our house. She told me that if ever I see her walking past next time and if she fails to smile or acknowledge me don't get offended as it was due to the accident she had in 1999 that she got knocked over by a car and hit the front window of the car and landed on her skull first, since then she has moments where her memory of people's faces just blank out. She said her memory is not that good anymore, etc. So I encouraged her to be careful of what she says to her brain. Bless and don't curse or say anything bad/negative about it. I told her of my son's story and about the slapping incident that since we started blessing his hands the slapping incident had stopped. It's so powerful what we say to ourselves. So she told me that's what her son who also reads the Bible said to her too, "Mum, be careful of what you say (about yourself)". Sometimes it requires an outsider to reaffirm what your loved ones have been telling you all along.
So if there's any part of your body or behaviour or character that you think are weak, start speaking blessing over it, day and night and as often as you can. Don't belittle or condemn or speak negatively about it anymore. Try to speak positively or words of hope over it and begin to see it happening in your vision as you speak blessing, positivity and hope over yourself, your loved ones and others. Bless and not curse.
Ephesians 4:29 ESV
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Proverbs 18:21 ESV
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
God Sent (The Significance of the Insignificant)
By Josephine Lim Weston
Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Zechariah 4:10a
Do not despise these small beginnings
A smile, a wave, a simple hello, an act of kindness, a word of encouragement, etc may seem irrelevant to some but wow what that might lead to!
At the end of November last year, we decided to withdraw Jean-Luc (my eldest son who is six years old) from his former school. My son wasn't happy with the school and had been asking us to change schools for him and he wanted to attend the same school as Janick (my youngest son who is three) or another school but both schools had no vacancy in year 2. So we decided to homeschool him and he was much happier and improved leaps and bounds in his education.
About a week into homeschooling him, while on our way back from our shopping trip we met a woman with a friendly shiny metallic grey dog. Jean-Luc loves dogs and has always wanted a pet dog and this little dog captivated our attention and the woman owner was very kind to let Jean-Luc play and stroke her dog. She then asked Jean-Luc, "Aren't you supposed to be in school?" I then answered on Jean-Luc's behalf that we withdrew him from school and currently he's being homeschooled. So she listened and wanted to know more why we decided so and I told her about the school without mentioning the name of the school and she straight away told me the name of the school that I was talking about. Also she said she had heard the same story about the school and she even gave me the list of schools that are no good in our area, but most importantly she told me that there's one school in particular which is good - Hawksmoor Primary School as now it has been taken over by an outstanding school trust and her granddaughter is a student in that school. I thanked her for that information and promised to look into it. And so we did, and both my husband and I researched about the school.
The next day, we greeted a mother who was walking her kids to Janick's school. We became friends after I decided to make the first move weeks ago by saying "Good morning" to her one morning (after seeing her walking past our house several times with her children and she always looked stern). Wow what a simple greeting can do in breaking down walls and creating friendship. We have become friends and I found out how helpful and kind she is. So we talked on the way to school and I told her about Hawksmoor Primary School, the school recommended by the woman we saw the day before. Then this friend of mine told me yes she heard about the school too as her friend's children attend Hawksmoor and said the teachers are nice and that it would be a good idea to try out the school. So we did. We decided to apply to the school for Jean-Luc. Guess what? Jean-Luc got accepted into the school and has been attending since 4th January. By the grace of God, he's happier and more excited going to his new school everyday now. His teachers including headteacher, deputy head teacher are kind, well mannered, caring and very supportive.
It's always good to be kind and friendly to people around you, especially those you meet daily as you walk around your neighbourhood or on your school run or wherever you are whether in your office building, shopping centre, market, etc. You'll be surprised what that might lead you to.
My children are friendly and I remember while Jean-Luc was in school and Janick was still too small to attend nursery school, we went on a walk in the park with him. While walking back home, we saw a man with his little daughter walking toward our direction. We have seen each other on numerous occasions on the school run when Jean-Luc was attending the previous school and never said hi to each other as he looked stern. Out of nowhere Janick, who was only 2 years old at that time, suddenly ran up to him with a big smile on his face and this man couldn't resist the smile of Janick and straightaway picked him in the air and was so delighted and happy, the biggest grin replaced his stern looking face. Since then we have become friends and he was kind enough to let Jean-Luc play with his German shepherd dogs and they like Jean-Luc too. He was very protective of our children too whenever we met.
A few months ago while I was on my way to fetch Jean-Luc back from school, I saw him walking towards a bench and sat down. Due to his name (I will not mention his name here), it reminded me of the story of a man in the Bible and God prompted in my heart to say this to him as I walked past him, "The Spirit of the Lord is your strength." He looked at me and said (with sadness and downcast replaced by a glimmer of hope and awakening), "Thank you. Thank you. Ok, ok." I didn't say anything more than that and I left and we bade each other goodbye. A few days after that encounter, our mutual friend walked past our house with his dog and I told Jean-Luc about it. He was so excited to see the uncle and invited both the uncle and the dog into our house. So the uncle took the opportunity to tell me what had recently happened to the man that I said the Spirit of the Lord is your strength to him just a few days after the incident. It was sad what happened but weeks later I met up with the man again and I said we're supporting you in prayer and he was stunned and he confirmed that that timely word I gave him just confirmed it's from God as he knew I didn't know at that time what had happened to him.
Wow, how significant it is for doing an insignificant act of friendliness and kindness that many of us might not even regard as important.
Guess what just happened yesterday? On my way back from the shop, I bumped into the woman with the little grey metallic dog for the second time after not seeing her since the beginning of December last year. She could still recognise me and I said to her, "You're God-sent! My son is now in Hawksmoor Primary School and he's happier going to school everyday." She was so happy to hear about Jean-Luc and I asked her the name of her granddaughter as I got a feeling whenever my son mentioned certain names that that could possibly be the woman's granddaughter and true enough she confirmed her granddaughter's name exactly what's in my heart. Her granddaughter had helped Jean-Luc a few times when he got injured at the playground and brought him to see the teacher.
Let's be people who do the insignificant little act of kindness and who knows what that might lead to. We or them might be God-sent. Never will we underestimate the "insignificant act of kindness" - a wave, a smile, a greeting, a helping hand or a kind words of encouragement.
Proverb 21:21 "Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor."
Ephesians 4:32 - Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Thursday, 22 December 2022
God Can Turn Our Troubles Into Blessings
By Josephine Lim Weston
Jeremiah 31:13
“Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance,
And the young men and the old, together,
For I will turn their mourning into joy
And will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow.
At the end of last month we had a meeting with Jean-Luc's (my 6 year-old son) teachers and supposedly it was to inform us about the mentoring plan they wanted to do with Jean-Luc. (On the same day we also had a parents' evening with Janick's (my 3 year-old son) teacher at another school 5-10min away.) But when we turned up for the meeting one of the teachers was kind and eager to find out the problems or triggers to Jean-Luc's behaviour while the other two teachers (whom I greatly respected) were not really keen to help and they had their faces empty of empathy but just want to get on with disposing of responsibility and putting all the blame on a 6 year-old child to change within a stipulated time frame. They did not want to talk about Jean-Luc's academics at all but target him just purely on his behaviour. The teachers even pushed me to quickly sign a form to give them consent to carry out whatever form of punishment necessary, that will tarnish his school record and reputation so a 6 year-old boy will face up to the consequences of his behaviour. This was exactly what the deputy headteacher said to us. One teacher who was there really wanted to mentor and help Jean-Luc but she was being outnumbered by the other two who didn't care anymore about the wellbeing of a child who was crying out for emotional support and empathy. Things happened so quickly and drastically that I said to the teachers, "Can I have the form and read it properly before I sign because I have parents' evening with my younger son's teacher at another school in 10min time? I really have to go." So they quickly made a photocopy for me and off I went with Jean-Luc to another school to meet with Janick's teacher. A sigh of relief and joy that Janick's teacher was really happy with Janick's progress in school and he's really enjoying school unlike Jean-Luc who didn't quite settle in and was unhappy with his school.
So that very evening my husband (who joined both meetings virtually) and I had a good look at the consent form from Jean-Luc's school hence we decided we had endured enough mental and emotional stress and torture from the school that left us with no choice but to withdraw Jean-Luc completely from his school. In fact we know this is the right thing to do as we have always wanted to homeschool him for sometime now and the school was fully aware but discouraged us from withdrawing him initially but we knew for sure it was the right thing to do and God allowed this trouble to happen so Jean-Luc can be taken out from a place of insecurity and trauma to a place of love, calmness and support enabling him to learn better and hopefully realise his potential. Jean-Luc even said to me that he wants to be homeschooled and he's happier now than ever. He is also very sociable and friendly, likes to talk to people that he meets when we go out for a walk or to the shop, etc. He loves dogs and can spend hours playing with them.
Months ago, while I was showering Jean-Luc, suddenly he told me, "Mummy, there are families with two fathers." Then a few weeks ago after Janick had done his poo and I had cleaned him, Jean-Luc walked in and said, "Mummy, do you have a willy?" I said, "Women or girls don't have willy." He said to me with his cheeky smile, "Women do have willy otherwise how do you wee." I then explained to him but he insisted and said some women do have willy. We are aware that gender and sexual diversity and diverse family units are being being taught in primary school right now since the children are five years old and so we are glad to be homeschooling him for now.
If Jean-Luc hadn't been in trouble in school my husband and I would have had enrolled his younger brother Janick into the same school. We would have missed out on the opportunity of placing Janick in a better school elsewhere whose headteacher, deputy headteachers and teachers always have time to provide the pastoral care to talk to both parents and students with joy, care, love and mutual respect and most importantly teach them Christian values. Jean-Luc has been on Janick's school waiting list for more than a year now as there's no vacancy for him at the moment. So we shall see how the Lord leads henceforth.
We are grateful to God how he turned our troubles into blessings like what happened just few weeks ago when Jean-Luc accidentally pushed and misaligned our kitchen drawer that we had to remove everything from the drawer and give it a good cleaning and tidy up then I discovered I already had a new cake slicer and a pair of kitchen scissors I bought some time ago among other things. If the accident hadn't happened I wouldn't have made the discovery nor tidy up the drawer.
Also recently Jean-Luc accidentally flipped his brother's magnets' alphabet box over scattered the letters everywhere so that we finally found his missing eraser.
Thinking back about the lockdown due to Covid-19, many of us couldn't go to work and had to work from home. Also children had to be homeschooled. During that time many parents struggled with homeschooling but praise be to God that's the turning point for Jean-Luc especially from being someone who couldn't read and write to being able to read and write at the age of three years old. It builds our confidence as parents to homeschool him as we had done it before during lockdown that he was awarded Star Worker of the week twice (once during lockdown and another when he returned to school shortly after) so we have the confidence to educate him at home this time.
So whatever troubles we face and are going through right now do know as a child of God we can never be defeated but it's going to become a blessing to us for a story to tell of God's goodness and faithfulness in our lives. He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 13:6). Like Mary who was chosen to give birth to baby Jesus when she was still a virgin betrothed to be married to Joseph, she was willing to go through the trying times because she knew God has better plan in store for her and all of us that the Child to be born would bring blessing and eternal salvation to a darkened world (Luke 1:26-38). Like Joseph who was betrayed by his brothers and sold to be a slave in Egypt but by God's favour and gift of interpretation of dreams he became the second most powerful man in Egypt to manage the seven years of fruitful harvest so he could also provide for his family back home during the seven difficult years of severe famine.
Always remember God can turn our troubles into blessings.
Luke 1:37
37 For no word from God will ever fail.
Here are Jean-Luc's photos showing him using stickle bricks to make fancy glasses and magnifying glass cum body scanner among other things that he did all by himself:
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