God gives and God takes away

This Christmas, three of my friends encountered very different life-changing experiences.

First, just before Christmas Day, I was elated to hear that a close friend of mine was going to become a mother. My longstanding prayers for blessings have become that of thanksgiving, and now I can only ask for the pregnancy to be uneventful, and for a happy and healthy child to be born.

Second, on Christmas afternoon, I witnessed a friend’s baptism. I was delighted to hear that she had accepted Christ, and humbled that I had played a part in her journey.

The last piece of news, at the tail end of Christmas day, was sobering. Another friend’s father had passed away. The only consolation I could think of was that he would no longer be suffering. But it is still hard to accept.

Taking some time for reflection, I started to see a linkage between three seemingly unrelated events happening during this time.

For those who believe in God, it is a stunning reminder of how He can easily bless some of us who keep on persevering and seeking - yet, on other occasions, leave a void in the lives of others who have also been struggling on bravely.

There is no human way we can comprehend it all. All I can tell myself is that He has a plan for each one of us, and even though some of us cannot accept what seems like cruel fate, there is a higher purpose that has yet to be realised.

My thoughts are with many of you, my friends, as we move into the new year. Have a happy and spiritually healthy 2012.

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