From Administration
Image Source: mjcmjc.com
This Sunday, January 25, will be notable for a reason not to
be proud of. It will be the first time that there will not be a Sunday weekly
available. I do believe that in the recent years, this had never occurred. The
fact that we won’t be issuing one tomorrow is regrettable but in so many ways,
unavoidable. But I take responsibility for it.
The past week and a half has been a blur. Everyday there
seemed to be something very urgent to attend to. My family saw not only my
mother being warded but also my cousin.
My mother had fairly sharp abdominal
pains that just wouldn’t go away with even powerful analgesics and therefore we
had to have her brought to the hospital and as it turned out, she had to have
her chemo sessions halted because her body resistance had worn down, her
intestinal peristalsis had become intermittent and she basically needed to
restore her body strength. Her stay in hospital remained even today but we’re
prayerful that she will be out within the next day or two. But that wasn’t all.
My cousin broke her leg amidst her own puddle of wee right
next to her bed and in the early hours of the morning, the home (where she
stays) called us. Bleary-eyed, we rushed to the home and knew that in her
condition, only an ambulance would be best charged to take her to the hospital.
Eventually she had surgery where they placed a stainless steel rod into her left
thigh bone but it gets worse. It seemed she is also osteoporotic, which means we
could be encountering more issues in the future.
My cousin is mentally quite challenged but now she’s decided
to give up control of her bowels. In fact as we were able to see in the last
few days (in hospital), she has more or less given up many other faculties of
her life including listening to instructions or obeying them. Her diabetic
condition has worsened beyond my imagination, resulting in the abandonment of
oral meds and the adoption of twice-daily insulin injections.
So for much of this week, our family had two in the hospital
to visit, to look after, and to manage. Between the two of them, it turned out
that my cousin was far more of a bundle to cope with. And in between these
days, I still had to teach my classes at the language centre while I attend my
divinity course interstate for two days a week. There is also my aged and
medically-dependent father who also isn’t a breeze to handle.
Between my wife and I, this week has been an incredible week
but we stay thankful that the Lord continues to uphold us. Paul reminds us in 1
Corinthians 10:13 (NASB), saying, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as
is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond
what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way to escape also,
so that you will be able to endure it.”
I take courage in being assured that when things get really
tough (or ugly), I have a God whose love I can count on, whose reliability I
can never fault and whose plans for me I can never surpass.
Knowing that being caught in a week of seemingly endless challenges,
I have found only narrow passages of time to catch my own breath but when I do,
I know I am blessed that despite the incredible giants that I had to face, I remind
myself of the inspiration of Caleb (Numbers 14). In short, I shall never be
shadowed by my giants. In God’s Name, I shall overcome.
With regret, there will not be a Sunday Weekly tomorrow. I
sincerely apologise for this but normal programming should resume for next week
and beyond.
Khen Lim
Editor-at-Large
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