Monday, 20 December 2021

In Your Darkest Valley Remind Yourself "Jesus Loves Me"

Blessed Assurance in the Goodness of God
By Josephine Lim Weston

In recent months, my five year old eldest son Jean-Luc has behavioural problems in school. His teachers said academically he is very good but just his behaviour needs improvement. We have tried everything we know how to help him with his behaviour but still there doesn't seem to be an overnight cure or quick fix for it. Almost two weeks ago we were called to meet with his head teacher. We told the headteacher and his teacher that Jean-Luc is fine at home playing with his brother and there's no hurting or any sort of hitting at home at all. His headteacher was very understanding and said in the school setting things are different and so he and the teachers will put in place measures to help Jean-Luc with his social skills and behaviour. It's not that Jean-Luc is anti-social, Jean-Luc is very warm, friendly and talkative to people he meets. He would hug his classmates' parents and even hug our church members. He is a very affectionate person but also can get quite temperamental when his classmates snatch something from him and do something that triggers the threat or dislike button in him.

We have prayed, declared and spoke positivity over him and applied all the tips we learnt from parenting experts, etc to make his emotional wellbeing cup full as much as possible prior to school but when he is at school we can't control or see what happens but we can only pray. He has his ups and downs in school and seems like there has been improvement and then the next day he 's back with his behavioural downfall again. Even in the midst of all this and the problems he faced in school, it doesn't change who Jean-Luc is - he is still happy, cheeky, friendly and just being who he is. He told us two weeks ago, when he saw his father get baptised in water that he too wanted to get baptised. So when I and our church pastor asked Jean-Luc why he wanted to get baptised, he replied, "So that I will stop doing naughty things." I didn't tell him this so where he got the revelation I don't know.

When we are in our darkest and seem like a never ending valley, we can feel so discouraged and helpless but God wants to remind us that He is still with us and He loves us. Look at the positive side of things and remind ourselves of the goodness and faithfulness of God. With Jean-Luc's situation in school, our relationship with his headteacher has become closer. Most days, even fully aware of what Jean-Luc had done in school, his headteacher still would come and greet us in the morning and after school, waved his hand at me and Jean-Luc and said good morning or goodbye with a quick smile as he's not a smiley person for years until recently. We used to have our disagreements with the headteacher but instead of making our relationship distant it has in fact drawn us nearer as we open up and break down the barrier between us with constant communication on hard subjects and still maintain respect, openness, love and forgiveness for each other. We could see that Jean-Luc's class teachers and assistant teachers are fully aware that he is a bright and affectionate boy and they are supporting him right now with his behaviour.

Always remember this as we are children of God, in all the troubles we are in no matter the length of time, we will emerge a victor of it all and never a victim eventhough it might seem like it.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.

Even though we might think that the circumstances and situations we are in seem irreversible and nothing can be done about it, or you have been hoping and praying for a miracle for years and years, do not lose faith. We have nothing to lose if we stay on course in faith but you have all to lose and are defeated already if you lose faith.

Romans 4
18 In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; 20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. 22 Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness.

I remember when I was on my one week solo birthday trip back in 2012 in Wales. There was no public transport after 5pm (I got to know about it only then), it was dark in autumn and no street lights in the village that I was staying in. I had just visited the Snowdon mountain during the day and was making my way back to my caravan, not only it was dark but it was wet too due to the rain. I decided to walk all the way back to my caravan by myself and heard the hissing sound and all sorts of sound coming from the bushes around me as I walked. I began to pray and meditate on Psalm 23 and saw myself like Daniel in the lions' den and would not allow fear to overwhelm my heart instead walking with Jesus and being aware of His presence and love for me every single step of the way. I convinced myself that I shall surely arrive back into my caravan safely very soon. Sure enough, more than one hour later I arrived back into my caravan safely and praised Jesus for His faithfulness and goodness to me. It was one of the best and memorable trips of my life - just me and Jesus and getting to know the villagers there.

Below are pictures of beautiful Wales and me at the summit of Snowdon:
Romans 8
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring charges against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So I want to encourage all of you, whatever challenges and mountains you are facing right now, stay on course in faith. Continue to trust in the Lord that no matter what, all things will still work out for your good. Give thanks to God for his goodness and faithfulness in our lives. Last week was the final week of school for Jean-Luc as he's now having his school holiday, his teachers did minus his dojo points everyday because of his behaviour but when I approached his teachers on different days regarding Jean-Luc, his teachers were very kind and supportive in their response that they didn't want to complain about him but said overall he has been good.

Let us continue to uphold one another in prayer that we will not lose faith and that in our darkest hour we know and we know that we know that Jesus loves us no matter how impossible our circumstances might be. If Jesus said, "Nothing is impossible with God" then believe Him that nothing is impossible for Him. If He asked us to trust Him and not to be afraid and discouraged then we must take His word for it and not be afraid nor be discouraged but trust in Him. Trust in the faithfulness and the goodness of God. He has been faithful to us thus far so why should we doubt Him?

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)