Besides my blog, I keep a diary. What have I written in my personal diary for the last twelve months? Some days there are interesting stories, other days the pages are blank -nothing worth writing, just monotonous routine. Yes, house cleaning, laundry, sweep and mop floor. How simple life would be if we just follow a regular routine with fixed hours, fixed times for meals and very little original thinking to do. Life can be dull and monotonous.
Everyday I read and study God's word, preparing Bible studies for the Adult Bible Class and cell group, plus preparing sermons when invited to preach. But invitation to preach gets less and less these days. There is a time to preach there is a time to stop and listen to others preach.
But some days are exciting. Visiting a new places, meeting interesting people, reading an interesting book. Yes, my diary and blog too contain some interesting entries. Visiting old places and missing the old landmarks and finding new ones.
Some dark days too, strong reactions to persons or circumstances, deeply hurt by remarks and actions of others. Better for me not to dwell on those days. One day I'll go through the diaries and destroy those pages. Human beings annoy each other at times deliberately or unknowingly. I must be an irritation to many people and my friends are too polite to tell me. Lord forgive me.
The year is at an end. Yes, I've been up mountain tops, sunk in valleys of depression and gone through mood swings. Yet when I am out with people, I have to put on an appearance. What hypocrisy! But culture demands it. That's how I was brought up to maintain a stiff upper lip and don't show your feelings.
Ministry brings joy to our hearts. We paid our last visit of the year to Grace and Mary, both in their seventies and handicapped. Many years ago they used to attend Salvation Army meetings, in fact Mary sang in the songsters. With change of officers (pastors) they have been forgotten. In recent years TOUCH community services belonging to FCBC (Faith Community Baptist Church) have been fetching them to church. We are glad there are those who care for the needy elderly.
Thank God whatever the day brings, I take everything to the Lord in prayer. I give thanks to my Heavenly Father who is always there to sustain me.
The old year ends, and I pray this prayer, "Help me learn from my own mistakes and the mistakes of others, and help me start the New year worthily. I need your wisdom and your grace. Amen"
Let me share a poem written by a old friend of ours - Commissioner Harry Read.
The Old Year
I look with gratitude on this old year,
I have good cause to show that gratitude.
So many times I've seen God's loving care
A problem turn into beatitude.
Though ill the wind has seemed at times to blow,
And difficult indeed the course to hold;
All needed grace has then begun to flow,
And mercy rich, and mercies manifold.
It's true, I've sometimes worked below my best;
Have failed to work to my capacity.
Yet God has always love to be expressed,
Encouraged, strengthened and established me.
His goodness has o'er shadowed all these days,
And I looked backward, with a heart of praise.
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