God Honours Those Who Honour Him
I've just returned home from my interview! The location was at High Street Centre, a short distance away from the Funan IT Mall. But I actually had a bit of diffculty finding the entrance to the building. As per normal, I was asked to fill out an employment application form. My interview session was 2.50pm and at about 3.15pm or so, my turn came. I went in, expecting to see the usual number of 1-2 interviewers. But woosh!! I saw 6!! Yes! 6! The executive director of TPFSC was seated at the head of the table, and on his right were 2 ladies, and on his left were 2 ladies and a man. All these interviewers are either executive directors or personnel in charge of the other centres run by this organisation. One of the directors is the one in charge of running the centre where I had my field placement, SMFSC.
I really didn't expect to see so many people. It was rather intimidating when I first stepped in. I felt as if I was attending a Board meeting. I just tried to relax as much as possible and keep a smile on my face. I politely answered all their questions as best as I know how to, and a few of them filled me in on the operating hours of the centres. One of them noted that I played the guitar (and she knew I was from City Harvest Church because I stated so in my resume), so I told her and the rest of them that I have cell group meetings on Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons. They told me that while other FSCs operate half day on Saturdays, they operate a full day on Saturdays till 6pm. They also operate till 9pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and advised me that it would somehow affect my church activities. The job is a 5-day week one, but the staff will take turns each week to do just 1 of the weekday evening shifts and 1 of the Sat afternoon shifts. I just listened and nodded as the information kept coming. At the end of the interview, they told me they will inform me of the outcome next week.
Deep inside me, I have always wanted a job that allows me to serve God actively in church and cell group, without compromising on my committment to God. Because I believe that God comes first before career. God honours those who honour Him, and God has proven this fact again and again and has shown me His faithfulness through the years of my life as a student ever since I was 15.
When I came to City Harvest Church in the middle of 2002, cell group at that time was held somewhere near Redhill. A few months later, it was announced that cell group venue would be changed to Boon Lay! My initial reaction was one of shock and disbelief. Boon Lay is so far from my place! And I wasn't exactly coping very well emotionally in NUS at that point in time, and was rushing for time to keep up with all my lectures and tutorials. To travel to Boon Lay on Saturdays for cell group was a stretch of my faith. Initially, I thought I could probably use some free time on Saturday morning to study first, then go for cell group in the afternoon, and then go home after that. Once in every two Saturday nights, however, I had ushers' support duty in church. However, for some strange reason, I found that I was never able to do much studying on Saturday mornings, let alone Saturday nights after reaching home. That got me even more anxious. Once, a few days prior to submitting a very challenging individual term assignment, my cell group leader (at that time it was Sis Selena) wanted to hold a prayer meeting on Saturday at her house in Boon Lay though there was no cell group meeting that week. I struggled and actually asked her if I could be excused. She was very understanding about it, yet she still encouraged me to come for the prayer meeting, because it wouldn't take long and I can go home after that to continue working on my assignment. So, I went for the prayer meeting in the end. And by the grace of God, I completed that assignment a few hours before my deadline and scored an A-/B+ grade for it! :)
When my semester exams for 2002 (November) were approaching (in Year 2 of NUS), I thought of skipping cell group on those weeks when I was having exams, so that I could have more time to study. However, the more I thought about it, the more it didn't feel right. Before cell group meeting one Saturday, I again felt like skipping cell group. But I called Sis Selena and told her that I would still go. But I mentioned that I had an exam paper the following week on Tuesday and that I haven't finished studying for it. Ironically, I added that I wasn't sure if I should go for cell group, and said I feel kind of bad to miss it. She told me gently that coming to cell group is a choice I make, and by coming to cell group, it isn't just about me getting fed and blessed, but that I am there to be a blessing and an encouragement to the other members. After hearing what she said, I told her that I would be there for cell group and I did turn up in the end... For me, that decision I made at that point in time was a great struggle. I was overwhelmed with anxiety and fear. In my heart, I was thinking, "God, I am going to cell group. But what about my revision? What about my exams? Will I have time to finish studying? Will I pass my exams?". But since I had purposed in my heart that attending cell group is part of my committment to God, I continued to press on, no matter how tough it was. And the truth is, God never short-changes us. That semester, I cleared every single module, got 'B+' for 2 of my social work modules and a 'B' for a sociology module that I didn't even expect to do well for! I was thankful to God for His grace! God is faithful. And after going through this episode of my life, after experiencing God's faithfulness and goodness to me, my faith in God went up another level. No longer do I think of skipping cell group when exams come. Rain or shine, exams or no exams, I will be there. The same goes for church service. Because God honours those who honour Him :)
As for job-hunting, I believe God has already provided a good job for me, His best for me and the right one for me, one that allows me to place Him first in my life :)
I really didn't expect to see so many people. It was rather intimidating when I first stepped in. I felt as if I was attending a Board meeting. I just tried to relax as much as possible and keep a smile on my face. I politely answered all their questions as best as I know how to, and a few of them filled me in on the operating hours of the centres. One of them noted that I played the guitar (and she knew I was from City Harvest Church because I stated so in my resume), so I told her and the rest of them that I have cell group meetings on Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons. They told me that while other FSCs operate half day on Saturdays, they operate a full day on Saturdays till 6pm. They also operate till 9pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and advised me that it would somehow affect my church activities. The job is a 5-day week one, but the staff will take turns each week to do just 1 of the weekday evening shifts and 1 of the Sat afternoon shifts. I just listened and nodded as the information kept coming. At the end of the interview, they told me they will inform me of the outcome next week.
Deep inside me, I have always wanted a job that allows me to serve God actively in church and cell group, without compromising on my committment to God. Because I believe that God comes first before career. God honours those who honour Him, and God has proven this fact again and again and has shown me His faithfulness through the years of my life as a student ever since I was 15.
When I came to City Harvest Church in the middle of 2002, cell group at that time was held somewhere near Redhill. A few months later, it was announced that cell group venue would be changed to Boon Lay! My initial reaction was one of shock and disbelief. Boon Lay is so far from my place! And I wasn't exactly coping very well emotionally in NUS at that point in time, and was rushing for time to keep up with all my lectures and tutorials. To travel to Boon Lay on Saturdays for cell group was a stretch of my faith. Initially, I thought I could probably use some free time on Saturday morning to study first, then go for cell group in the afternoon, and then go home after that. Once in every two Saturday nights, however, I had ushers' support duty in church. However, for some strange reason, I found that I was never able to do much studying on Saturday mornings, let alone Saturday nights after reaching home. That got me even more anxious. Once, a few days prior to submitting a very challenging individual term assignment, my cell group leader (at that time it was Sis Selena) wanted to hold a prayer meeting on Saturday at her house in Boon Lay though there was no cell group meeting that week. I struggled and actually asked her if I could be excused. She was very understanding about it, yet she still encouraged me to come for the prayer meeting, because it wouldn't take long and I can go home after that to continue working on my assignment. So, I went for the prayer meeting in the end. And by the grace of God, I completed that assignment a few hours before my deadline and scored an A-/B+ grade for it! :)
When my semester exams for 2002 (November) were approaching (in Year 2 of NUS), I thought of skipping cell group on those weeks when I was having exams, so that I could have more time to study. However, the more I thought about it, the more it didn't feel right. Before cell group meeting one Saturday, I again felt like skipping cell group. But I called Sis Selena and told her that I would still go. But I mentioned that I had an exam paper the following week on Tuesday and that I haven't finished studying for it. Ironically, I added that I wasn't sure if I should go for cell group, and said I feel kind of bad to miss it. She told me gently that coming to cell group is a choice I make, and by coming to cell group, it isn't just about me getting fed and blessed, but that I am there to be a blessing and an encouragement to the other members. After hearing what she said, I told her that I would be there for cell group and I did turn up in the end... For me, that decision I made at that point in time was a great struggle. I was overwhelmed with anxiety and fear. In my heart, I was thinking, "God, I am going to cell group. But what about my revision? What about my exams? Will I have time to finish studying? Will I pass my exams?". But since I had purposed in my heart that attending cell group is part of my committment to God, I continued to press on, no matter how tough it was. And the truth is, God never short-changes us. That semester, I cleared every single module, got 'B+' for 2 of my social work modules and a 'B' for a sociology module that I didn't even expect to do well for! I was thankful to God for His grace! God is faithful. And after going through this episode of my life, after experiencing God's faithfulness and goodness to me, my faith in God went up another level. No longer do I think of skipping cell group when exams come. Rain or shine, exams or no exams, I will be there. The same goes for church service. Because God honours those who honour Him :)
As for job-hunting, I believe God has already provided a good job for me, His best for me and the right one for me, one that allows me to place Him first in my life :)
posted by Sabrina at 6:30 PM
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