As I reflect upon my struggles during 2007, I can’t help but want to
testify how God has led me through so many challenges as I juggled my
various roles as a wife, a mother and a worker. Personally, I find it
tough to handle all these roles simultaneously.
2007 was an overwhelming work year for me. At one point, I was
overseeing 7 big projects and 10 small ones. Due to my heavy work
commitment, my children rarely saw me at home on most weekdays. Everyday
I would start with a word of prayer, without which I could not imagine
how I could have coped with all the stress! It brought great comfort to
me to be able to talk to my Heavenly Father and commit all my burdens to
Him.
Although I am blessed with many helping hands at home (my in-laws and my
mum stay with us), I still felt miserable about not spending time with
my children. As a mum, my heart naturally goes out to Reuben as he was
preparing for Primary 1 in 2008 and given his medical condition, we
needed to pay more attention to his progress in school.
I asked the Lord to grant me a job that would give me better working
hours so that I could help Reuben cope with P1. God was truly gracious -
my prayers were answered. Soon, job offers started to come in from
friends and people I used to work with in previous offices. It was
really amazing! I even met my ex-boss at our Church Christmas
celebration in Shangri-La. He was an old school friend of Uncle Quek Shi
Kui. He too asked me to consider working for him again.
After much consideration and with many prayers, I took up a job that had
minimum overtime hours so that I could finish my work on time to be with
my family.
In March 2008 I started my new job and had more time for my children. I
began to see how much Reuben needed my coaching and encouragement. He
continues to struggle hard to learn how to read and this is the root
cause of his problems in mathematics. But at least now I am able to
coach him everyday. Together we take small, manageable steps daily.
As I write this, my heart is filled with thankfulness. I stand in awe of
our mighty God, knowing that my sacrifices at work would be a blessing
to my children. Of course, I still struggle with my daily challenges but
knowing that my Father will be by my side walking this difficult road
with me makes a great difference! I am able to stay focused on what I
would like to accomplish with Reuben and commit him into the Lord’s
hands.
Through all these, I found myself drawing nearer to God. I would like to
share some verses that helped to lift me up during my difficult moments:
Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Psalm 61:1-4
Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.
We all face different challenges and heartaches in life but it makes
such a great difference if we choose to trust God and allow Him to lead
the way.
The lessons from SSS2 are applicable to the real life situations that we
face. Thank God for all the SS teachers who prepare and teach the
lessons to us faithfully each week! May we keep growing in our faith and
encourage one another to walk by faith and not by sight.
Evelyne Wan
Aug 2008