freedom has come early for thousands of students. 10am to be exact. those PMR candidates taking 7 subjects sat for their last paper today.
my daughter will be hanging out with her classmates at the mall, that's a certainty - a fast-food lunch, a movie & more girl-talk after that. but what's the long term plan, if any?
for the long vacation last year, she planned to learn the guitar, improve on her chess & practise the piano more regularly. unfortunately & rather expectedly, none of the intended endeavours got beyond 1st base.
i suspect this year will not be much different but not because of a lack of effort. her calendar is pretty much lined up with stuff till the end-december. she'll be going back to penang in mid-november, attending a youth leaders' camp end-november, helping out with vacation bible school early december, having our family vacation mid-december & before we know it, it's christmas & she'll really be literally flying the cage after that.
but i have a plan for her. well, actually, i hope to carry out God's plan. despite all that running around & activities that clogged up our lives, many times we fail to hear His voice beyond all that background noise.
because we do not remain still. always moving, always doing, always distracted. must encourage her to keep still - long enough to feel His presence & feed on His words. when she can do that on her own, without my prompting, i will have accomplish my holiday task.
never mind the guitar, chess or piano.
"Be still, and know that I am God;" psalm 46;10
16 comments:
hi Doc, my girl finished her Pmr today too.. now she is with me in the office.. will take her back during lunch time, she is happily chit chatting away on the pc.. today is her birthday too.. yes, activities for tonite are lined up for her but tomorrow, the next day and the next... no plans as yet till dec.. in no time, she will complain being bored...
Be still in the presence of Our Lord..
what perfect timing - a birthday to mark the freedom!
blessed birthday greeting to the birthday girl!
"Be still and know that I am God". I have had a good experience during my recent Lead Like Jesus Conference in Singapore.
Here is the instructions for an experience in solitude and silence -
Find some place where you can be totally out of contact with all kinds of human noise (TV, cell phones, faxes, voice mail, that secret pile of paperwork you thought you would work on, books, magazines etc) for a minimum of 30 minutes.
If sitting in your room is likely to put you to sleep, take a walk; don't talk to anyone.
If you are seated in a comfortable position, place your hands on your knees in a down position. If walking, visualize yourself in this position. In harmony with the position of your hands, mentally put down everything that you are concerned about or expending energy in trying to manage or control. Be specific-naming each one as you mentally put them down.
When you have exhausted your list - take a couple of deep breaths and turn your hands, physically and mentally, into an up position and quietly received what God reveals to you.
Have no expectations or agenda for this time with God. Let it be His to fill!
And it was really, really good experience!
Yan,
thanks for the info. it must be an uplifting experience when God speaks!
at last she can relax her mind..
Wenn,
yes, she can, to the point of idleness!
if there is a magic wand to put everything standstill even for 5mins, it will be just great even for adults too but as it is the clock ticks...tocks...
Children are so hyperactive & demanding these days, nvr mind I don't have kids but just looking at my nephews & nieces, I'm lucky in a sense I don't have to worry endlessly. Being a parent today means having to keep up with times.. a real challenge.
ms45,
true, kids can sap every ounce of your energy esp when they're younger, but things should get easier the older they get.
learning to let go - in my opinion, that's the skill that will win you half the battle.
wait till they become teenagers another set of problem then into young adults which a good friend finds his adults "kids" are more of a pest these days.
yup letting go, it gets easier as time goes by but the emptiness is like a broken hardboiled egg shell sometimes
ms45,
my daughter has exhibited some teenager-related traits, some of which are less than desirable. but that's where we as parents come in - as guides & mentors. we can advise but at the end of the day, it's really up to her.
the apron strings are slacking as the days pass.
wa...
reminds me my PMR n SPM last day..
haha
PMR geog and history..all objective questions..i have checked answers and daughter has ony one wrong for geog and all correct for history..really praising God for that but desiring so much more for daughter to know God intimately and for her to always testify as in Ps 52 v8.
She also wishes to learn the guitar.. I like the idea as it is a portable musical instrument.
Just me
Mich,
reminds me of mine as well!
Just me,
ai yoh, why so "kan cheong"?? what is done, is done already, the rest is up to God.
the guitar is a very people-friendly instrument - can be self-taught, easy to learn & very mobile.
She is the "kan cheong" one so I have to keep pace with her... there are always the good and bad aspects of it , I guess.
But more importantly, keeping pace with God's timing in our lives, during each season.
A friend's son was also "kan cheong" because his dad promised him a Manchester United t shirt...for my daughter, nothing is promised and she didn't ask for any reward.
Just me
Just me,
is it not "like mother, like daughter"??
kids who study hard for themselves, without demand for reward, are a rare breed these days.
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