O Come let us adore Him

The King of Kings, born in a barn and laid in a trough made for animal food.

May Christmas be a reminder of how we are to live. Servants of the one who did not seek his own glory, but in everything sought it only for the Father.

May we live like He did - humbly surrendering all to the Father from His first breath.

the extremes

It's been said a lot that "When Jesus is all you have, Jesus is all you need."

Personally, I would say the other extreme is also true. 

When you have everything you could ever want, you realise Jesus is all you need. 

In my own life, it has been the case that when I have everything I wanted, God revealed that Jesus was so much better. Not to say that I'm not thankful for what He has given me. But that's exactly what the things we have are, a gift from Him, to use for Him. 

I was talking to a friend about a uni course I wanted and my anxieties I had about it after he said that it was the *crown emoji* compared to other things. This conversation occurred more than a year ago but it popped up into my mind the other day. What he said next was: Jesus is the real *crown emoji* and you got Him already. I remember back then, it was hard to accept. "Easier said than done," I had thought. Now that I got into what I wanted, I have to say that he was right. I've realised now that Jesus is the real *crown emoji*. 

new book

I recently started reading "Counterfeit Gods" by Tim Keller. So far it has been extremely challenging as he deals with idolatry and the different idols of our modern society. He (so far) has dealt with parents idolising children, romantic love as an idol, money and success. He uses examples from the Bible to highlight the sinful core of our idolatry and how we can overcome it and then brings it all back to the gospel and how it alone allows us to conquer idolatry. Highly recommended.

"Lay your deadly 'doing' down 

Down at Jesus' feet. 

Stand in him, in him alone,

Gloriously complete."

humility

Once again, I tried to plan my life out and once again, God came in and turned it all upside down to remind me that He is in control and I am not.

I had come to terms with not being offered a Co-op Scholarship. I knew that the degree I was in suited me and I knew how I could glorify God through it.

Then today I got a call offering me the scholarship I had previously longed for. What to do?

I've decided I'm taking it (after consulting many brothers and sisters). I remember I prayed ages ago that God would use co-op to humble me rather than build my pride. And he did. I don't feel proud of myself now. I am simply in awe of God's plan. I know that in everything, He desires that I become more like His son and in Him, I intend to do just that. In the offer that He gave me, not the one I earned for myself.

My Mum texted me this:

"I think it is much better that you get it now than before your motivations and purposes are much more intact now. If you would have got it the first round you would be too overconfident."

I think she's right. God gave me time to really solidify who I was in Him before being thrown into a world where I am constantly defined by my achievements and ambitions. 

guidance

Over 2014, I had numerous struggles and moments of hardship when it came to choosing a career. Some of those I have documented on the blog some I have not. But overall, I learnt to put my identity and my security in Christ and all that He has done for me. In hindsight, I can really see God working through "ordinary" means to guide me onto the path He chose for me. Let's start at the beginning.

My first blog post was about how I was feeling worthless in terms of the world, forgetting my worth in God. This came up when I was keen on cadetships and those sorts of things and was at the beginning of my path so far, not really knowing (despite accepting) why I was failing to succeed at all the things I wanted to and all the things I thought I COULD succeed at.

Months and months later after I had put a lot of effort into trials and into a flawless scholarship application, I hit another road bump which convicted me. I realised that everything I was doing and everything I planned to do in a career in investment banking was all for me, more specifically, for a shining resume that employers would love. Not, as you notice, for God or His kingdom at all. I could say that I wanted to be a witness to those in my industry and blah blah but I knew deep down that was not the intention. I came to terms with this but was increasingly uncomfortable with my the present career choice. People I respected warned me about the dangers of IB, an acquaintance who worked in IB suggested I choose a more socially responsible career path etcetc.

This lead to a decreased interest and drive to achieve the scholarship that I had originally wanted so much. I didn't get it and to be honest I wasn't too disappointed because it saved me from pursuing a path that would likely lead me away from God rather than too Him.

During the post-HSC break I also began reading a book that I had been real keen for: Every Good Endeavour (Tim Keller) which explores work from a Christian perspective. I really expected the book to convict me and tell me not to value work too much and or whatever but what I actually encountered was very different. The book talked about what work is supposed to be, how sin has changed that and how to work in view of this. Something hit me in particular:

"[A] revolutionary way of looking at work gives all work a common and exalted purpose: to honour God by loving your neighbour and serving them through your work"

This hit home particularly because IB pretty much doesn't have a social role - it doesn't fill a social need. The whole point of work, even from a secular point of view, is to fill a social role (though work has evolved to become a way for people to gain for themselves). After this sunk in, IB lost all its appeal and I am so thankful for the way that God used the book to shape me. 

The course I had chosen after finance really grew on me after that - Actuarial Studies/Economics (which I will be studying next year). My career path would actually allow me to love people and serve society. If I become and actuary, I'll be calculating insurance so people can protect their families if they pass away or their cars or their health. If I become an economist I'll be analysing data that will help organisations to determine how to deal with and lower unemployment so people have better welfare. This is so much more appealing even if they have a lower paycheck and possibly demand less respect than investment banking. 

I am so thankful that God has guided me onto this path. This journey has really taught me about how God's guidance. Often we wonder how we could possibly know what God wants for us and this experience has really taught me that God shows us this through the way life happens for us. Everything is under His control and everything works for God. 

Another thing that happened was that on Nextgen I missed a call that was likely to be a scholarship offer. I do not think it was a coincidence that I missed the call and I did not chase up on it. It made it very clear that that scholarship was not for me. I had already accepted entry into a course I believed God wanted me to study and that was more than enough for me. 

I am also SO THANKFUL for how God used my brothers and sisters to guide me through the way they encouraged me and rebuked me as I went through this struggle. They were there each step of the way to help me to see what God wanted and to help me through my struggle. I am so so so so thankful that God put them in my life. 

Because of this experience, I am confident that God will guide me through other decisions in life simply through the way life happens.



:)

instant gratification

People say that our generation is iGen. Originally I thought this referred to us as the "Apple" generation but then a friend mentioned that we are the generation of instant gratification. (get it. IG iGen...Instant Gratification).

I couldn't agree more. Being a very impatient person I had always thought that I was impatient by nature. Only recently have I realised how much of the instancy has (probably) affected me. On a recent to trip to the US I realised that impatience and IG syndrome everywhere. When you wait in line for rides, there are things to entertain you, there are different kinds of fast track lines and programs, at the airport there are chargers EVERYWHERE. Nothing ever stops and everyone wants everything NOW. I also observe the workings of this culture in my brother, who is very much growing up in the iGen. I feel although the premise of instant gratification is that if I can't get it now, I don't want it at all. Just then, my brother and his friend, both iGens were trying to find a key to move into a different part of the house but upon not finding the key, opted to stay in the part they were already in.

Even moreso, instant gratification is seen as one of the "hallmarks of the good life". I see this as I watch the entire series of gossip girl (my guilty pleasure) and the way they portray the privileged youth of the Upper East Side is that they get everything they want instantly - cars, sex, luxury. Tim Keller quotes Andrew Delbanco's book Real American Dream

"installing instant gratification as the hallmark of the good life...What was lost...was any conception of a common destiny worth tears, sacrifice and maybe even death" 

This is to say that with the rise of the culture of instant gratification, the goals of society as a whole is lost. While there were previously goals such as the rise of a country or to build a community, these ideals no longer exist and we are left with only a quest for "personal success and power". Because we can get anything we want as soon as we want, there no longer remains a need for anyone to work for something greater. 

I also read an article recently that was talking about the "nine start-ups to watch for in 2015". Some of them were described as "instant gratification on steroids." Here is an excerpt:

"The rapid rise of Uber (and its reported $17 billion valuation) has created an investment rush into services that can provide everything from dog-walking (Swifto), alcohol (Drizly) to cleaners (Exec.com) in ways that are faster and easier than ordering a pizza. I even heard an entrepreneur pitch to provide, I kid you not, “on-demand hugs”. It’s instant gratification on steroids, built around the idea that customers want everything faster, better and cheaper."

The need for instant gratification stretches from faster flowers to job flexibility in the here and now.

"Millennials are less willing than baby boomers to make their work lives an exclusive priority, even when offered the prospect of substantial future compensation. They want job flexibility in the here and now, along with opportunities for training and mobility, and better and more frequent feedback and rewards."

The article goes on to talk about how PwC is adjusting to this change which then further enforces the culture. The more institutions adjust, the more the phenomenon is going. 

The internet is a classic example of our generations need for instant gratification. Immense amounts of information at our fingertips. We use instant messaging instead of email because we want INSTANT replies (as the name suggests). We flick between tabs when we're bored looking for something to entertain us (example: I just flicked to read through someone's twitter). 

This just all shows how counter-cultural Christianity is because it is all about DELAYED gratification. We suffer in this life and sacrifice things for Christ in the certainty that there is a perfect life in the future. 

My prayer for my generation of Christians is to stay true to God's call that we be patient despite the world around us adjusting to our ever increasing patience.

Very interested in this topic and intend to read more :))



Sources:
Every Good Endeavour, Tim Keller
http://www.afr.com/p/boss/nine_start_ups_to_rock_your_world_evV0BCaRmemfmginzUr61L
http://www.afr.com/p/boss/how_to_engage_with_millennials_JfqZBkE1jSQtuXQo1ii9EJ