I was thinking about the questions raised during the Chicken and Egg conference...

Why didn't God give us all the details of Heaven? Why didn't the Bible tell us about His plans for the angels?

Let us consider this analogy:

If you were to write a civics textbook, instructing people on how to lead their lives, would you include chemistry, physics, biology, or even maths in this textbook of yours? Would you tell the people abt protons, electrons and all the teeny-weeny things that constitute this universe?

God's purpose is not to give us facts on this (perishable) world. God's purpose is to teach us how to be good christians. Frankly, anything other than that is unimportant.

I was thinking about the grapefruit sorbet we had in Estivo...

The guys didn't want to eat it because it was sour and bitter. But I liked it partly because of that. The other flavours appeared to me too sweet, or rather, they only had sweetness in them. They didn't have character.

Have you ever been through a period of intense pain and suffering, then looked back and said 'That was such a wonderful experience'? Have you ever had your vision clouded by sorrowful tears, but felt that the world was now beautiful in its grey melancholy? Have you ever felt that this chapter of your life was meaningful enough to be written into a book?

I wonder if I'm perverse.

But really, we have to be grateful for our sufferings, for they help us change for the better. Humans are like lumps of clay; without molding and sculpting by sharp instruments, without the oven's fiery heat baking us, we would never become intricate Ming vases. We would remain ugly and useless, stomped on by every passing feet. It is through the Potter's hands that we can live a life of meaning and beauty.

Beautiful Lord, wonderful saviour
I know for sure, all of my days are held in Your hands
Crafted into Your perfect plan

Take me, mold me, use me, fill me
I give my life to the Potter's hand
Call me, guide me, lead me, walk beside me
I give my life to the Potter's hand

Do not blame God for your sufferings. Thank Him for them.

'The most beautiful things are those you cannot possess.'

Have you ever pressed your nose against a shop's glass windows, admiring items that you cannot afford? Have you ever done badly in your exams, and longed desperately for an A?

As you pine (and maybe whine) for all these unobtainable things, do you know that the most beautiful thing of all is well within your reach? All you have to do is ask, and God will give it to you.

Yes, the most beautiful thing of all is God's love.

Jesus died on the cross for us. He was the King of kings, yet He was willing to come down as a man of mere flesh and blood, to suffer immense pain, humiliation, and injustice for us. Who are we to warrant such a gift? Sinful creatures, absorbed in our worldly troubles and pleasures, to the point of losing our sense of purpose to God. Are we worth the suffering of the perfect and untainted One? I should think not. Yet He was perfectly willing to sacrifice Himself for us.

How beautiful the love of the Lord is.

Let us constantly remind ourself not to pine too much for worldly things, but to cherish the gift that God has so kindly bestowed upon us.