Look Forward with Readiness

Is 2022 a changing season for you? Bro Loy Nghee takes us with him on his personal journey as he shares his thoughts.

We have our personal journey and in it, there are changing seasons. It is important we must not take things into our own hands and remain well connected with God, Who always has the same desire for us – emerging in and out of every season with success and contentment. Our circumstances may be different and developments evolve during each changing season. And while these circumstances and developments are replaceable, God in our life must not. 

When DORSCON Orange was raised in February 2020, I just completed a two-year bond for a postgraduate sponsorship, which is very uncommon for the civil service to be awarding it to a 55-year-old. In the same two years, there were favors when former bosses called me to consider some roles in my previous workplaces. Well, I choose to be retired… and be re-fired for God!

Being Reflective

I am:

Thankful to have been gainfully employed in three eco-systems; military (20 years), Singapore Home Team (10 years) and private sector (5 years). The thinking and working processes for each were varied. Each move required a reboot and recalibration to fulfill the strategic objectives of the organization and so, the unlearning and relearning were no mean feat. 

Grateful to have been a lay person with ministry involvement that spans longer than my employment. As a youth, I served on the worship team – beginning as a musician – at various stages till 2010. There was also children ministry, specifically Children Church till 2006 and a decade with Royal Rangers. By 2007, church-level responsibilities got regularly up-sized to pastoral responsibilities, including the re-development of our church building, management of budgetary issues and major events.  

My ministry in this season has grown beyond the call of my local church. With this difficult pandemic that fell on all of us, the involvement requires me to engage AG churches and ministers at many fronts, the common one is helping them to cope with the ever-changing safe management measures driven by COVID 19.

Looking back, the constant in my life is change. The other constant, is possessing a preparatory framework to deal with these changing landscapes which, as a young man. Here are some tips I have gathered from the Bible.

Being Ready

To set the context in Matthew 24:3, the disciples started the conversation as they were keen to know what is needed before His next return. To this, the Master responded that it requires more than just observing the calamities ahead (Matthew 24). He too, calls out for actions at the individual level; to be equipped, productive and deliberate in helping the less fortunate and weak (Matthew 25). What does this mean?

To be equipped takes efforts, including inconvenient or unsightly ones. It was not pretty for the five wise virgins, while dolled up for a wedding, to lug flasks of oil along but they were rewarded (Matthew 25:4, 9 and 10). In preparing myself for pastoral duties, I headed to a Bible school in 2008. It was an embarrassing start, as I was late in a term paper submission which resulted in an ‘immediate failure’. But I pressed on.

To be productive is to be fruitful which can only be yielded by hard work, as well as working smart with resilience and relentlessness. Taken literally, the outcome ought to be two-fold. The two wise servants were so motivated to succeed and, more importantly, have their Master, well pleased (Matthew 25: 21 and 23). Make-it-happen is my working attitude and whatever it takes, I will get there. Seven years on, I thank God for completing the Master in Theology. 

To be deliberate in helping the weak reminds me to give attention and be generous, with a compassion for the less fortunate and weak. But, more often than not, I can get too consumed with myself, failing to spare a thought for others. Matthew 25:45 is a good reminder to keep a keen eye for opportunities to lend a helping hand regardless of our current circumstances. 

Being On Course

I am blessed that this new season does not start at ground zero for me. There were successes and contentment carried forward from past seasons, like being loan-free, having a supportive wife of 35 years and children established in the market place, as well as our ministries! In addition, we were blessed beyond words when God expanded my family with a grandson. At the threshold of being classified as a senior, my health is yet to be an obstacle to the things I look forward to do for Him! 

What will 2022 be like? There will be new endeavors ahead, as well as unplanned and forcible ones. In charting your personal journey, hold on tight to God, knowing He wants you to have a life of abundance (John 10:10). But you have to make His Word intentional and better still, as a blueprint or compass to direct your journey. With it, not only will you be prepared to ace your season with success and contentment, you will be on course for His second coming!