Reflections for the moment #34 Nelson (2 sep 09)

Dear…

'Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.'
Hebrews 11:1

"Nelson" was the name that the Lord placed in my heart this morning. It is not an uncommon name, though through all my life, I probably only know 3 gentlemen of that name, The first, as some on this mail-list might recall was the closest to my first experience in the early 1980s of an ABC(an American born Chinese) though it turned out that his gregarious nature is more likely due to having done his degree in the States and his own inanimate nature. He is an SBC(not the old Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, but rather Singapore born Chinese).

The second Nelson is an ex-client but still dear friend, whose encouragement led me to almost immigrating to Australia back in 1998, but God has other plans for me, and in not proceeding as planned, what I gave up in terms of right of permanent residency in the land of the bushfire, God brought me back unto His presence, or at least the beginnings of my return to Him.

And straddling these two extrovert Nelsons is another Nelson that again some will have make acquaintance of. A quiet man, and a man of faith, but now somewhere in Perth, Australia and may he respond to the Lord's leading wherever God places him.

'Let your conversations be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have; for He hath said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.'

Hebrews 13:5

Almost cliché to state the obvious, but life indeed is unlike the quite definite and fixed routes one can easily obtain from Google maps, when planning to go to a specific destination. The only certainty of life is that besides death, there will be a diversity of emotional experiences, and no one is immune from moments of joy(no matter how sparing it might be for some) and overservings of pain and agony and disappointments, and in between, anger, envy, frustrations and fears, and whatever myriad emotions that human nature can evoke in response to its environment.

Man is sinful, and the world we live in is a fallen world ruled by the fallen angel, Satan, need one say more.

'But this thing commanded I them, saying, "Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, no inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels,and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.'

Jeremiah 7:23-24

The short, almost obnoxious(if historians are to be believed) but brilliant General and Emperor of France, Napolean Bonaparte(1796-1821), truly believed that he was born a part(don't mind the pun) from the common man, and with great disdain and brilliance, set about from the ruins of a France going through the throes of revoluton, to conquer the stodgy and self serving monarchies of Continental Europe.

I don't know Admiral Nelson personally,(though like the pigeons at Tralfagar Square, I have touched his statue when in London), for reincarnation is not a tool of my faith, but Napolean did literally meet him in the flesh and with great grief, for the defeat of the mighty combined French/Spanish naval fleet by the British Admiral Nelson, put an end to Napolean's plan to bring the stubborn British bulldogs to their knees, and put a dent on his till recently mighty conquering ways.

Short or almost ugly most of us might think we are not, but are we no different in the way we live our lives, all conquering like Napolean, leaning upon our own strengths and wiles, desiring to achieve what we by our own finite understanding pine for?

Much as most of us might not be active participants in the present delusory madness of stockmarket and property price appreciation. "Rainbow chasers" many of us are, even if you might not realize it, for a pot of gold the end of the rainbow might offer, but unless I remember otherwise, none of us can really determine where the end of the rainbow is.

But is life not the same? We seek the temporal, yet choose not to admit to that brevity, and rather ignore the need to ponder about what comes after, and if eternity could be real as God has oft reminded all, believer or not.

Admiral Nelson has his statue, that the pidgeons gladly leave their droppings on. Quite an ignominy for a once great man, but who knows where he is.

Napolean was exiled a 2nd time to the volcanic island of St Helena, and died a broken and possibly poisoned man. And besides historians, only madman who dreams of empire building will try to resurrect his ideals, and for the few of us who love watches, we know his sister better, by virtue of(at least in my mind) one of the prettiest ladies watch, aptly titled, "The Queen of Naples" by Breguet in honor of Napolean's sister.

And what about all the other Nelsons I know? None are on my mailing, though I am still in close contact with the one who lives amongst the kangaroos. I believe he is moving closer to Christ, as life brings him closer to our Maker, the one and only Sovereign God.

What about the other two nelsons, and the many other tom, dick, harry and marys in our lives? Man plans, God directs. And it should be our prayers that when God make them ready, we are ready to journey with them, with our Lord Jesus Christ as the sole focus of our life's journey.

'I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.'
Philippians 3:14

God Blesses

Eng Hieang
(2 Sep 09)