A Better Life

Illustration by Lauren Monaco

“God does not promise better life circumstances but a better life."
Tim Keller from his sermon, A Christian's Happiness

This sermon is so multi-layered and multi-faceted that I have been mulling over it for weeks. What I am about  to write is not a summary of the sermon, some phrases and thoughts may be borrowed from the sermon, but the bulk is my own take on Keller’s teaching on Romans 8:28-30.

As Christians, if we are taught correctly, we know that our joy rests not in our life situations. We also know intellectually and experientially that bad things happen as much to Christians as to non-Christians. We face unemployment, illnesses, tsunamis, broken relationships, betrayal…and death like every one else. However, even though I have undergone difficulties in life, I had held subconsciously to the notion that I was somehow better protected from life’s troubles because the almighty God is with me and loves me.

This sermon has caused a paradigm shift for me. There is no doubt in my heart and mind that God is with me and loves me but it’s slowly sinking into me that God does not promise me or any of my loved ones better life circumstances but a better life.  At the end of the day, I have to ask myself: do I crave good life circumstances or a good life? There is a vast difference between the two and the former does not necessarily bring about the latter. For if we really think about it, when we are comfortable, we often do not feel we have a need for God or anyone else; we are also apt to become proud, autonomous, self-absorbed, and self-deceived. However, when life gets difficult, we quickly realize our limits and start looking beyond ourselves. The bad things that God allow to happen to us are so we can be cured of the things that would eventually destroy us, such as our selfishness, self-centeredness, and pride. I am glad Tim Keller made the effort to note that bad things are not blessings in disguise, as some are fond of saying. I always felt that that undermines the pain the individual is going through. Bad things are really bad; they are painful, hurtful and destructive. Jesus hates alienation, heartaches, illnesses, death so much so that He was willing to come into our broken world and experience all that ugliness for Himself and then destroy them once and for all. Keller also rightly noted that Jesus did not go through all that suffering so we His followers will not have to go through hard times but that when we suffer we might become more like Him. Through our suffering, God is transforming our inner essence to be more like His Son, shaping us to take on His qualities of truth, nobility, radiance, beauty, courage…so that we can live our lives with incredible compassion, love, power, integrity…just like our Lord Jesus. Through the difficulties He allows in our lives, He is growing us up to be more like Jesus, to live our lives like Jesus, for at the end of the day this is the better life.

Another thing that stood out to me from the sermon is how much I expect things to go well in this world, forgetting often that it is a broken world that we live in where things by all accounts should go wrong and fall apart but by the grace of God. I am not saying that we should be morbid and fearful in how we live, but that we should be lifting up routine praises and thanksgiving that things are as good and lovely as they are for when anything, and I mean anything, goes well, it is a miracle of grace. A happy marriage, good friends, pretty flowers, sustained employment, a safe flight, good health…are all miracles of grace. And just like sufferings are not limited to non-Christians, these miracles of common grace are not limited to Christians.

I hope you will take some time to listen to this remarkable sermon.

Romans 8: 28-30

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22

Illustration by Lauren Monaco

Camille Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor is one of my favorite concertos. I grew up listening to it, but in the last three years, it has become one of my top favorites. Our daughter Kathryn chose the first movement of this dynamic concerto as the finale for her senior piano recital. I will never tire of viewing the recording of her performance. She will however never allow me to post that on my blog!

So, I'm bringing you the next best thing--Arthur Rubinstein performing the first movement of the concerto, accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra with conductor, André Previn. Of course Arthur Rubinstein looks nothing like Kathryn! Regardless, it is a high calibre recording of a superb performance by the legendary artist. The movement starts slow and builds with increasing degrees whereby by the middle section, the fingers move so fast they seem to be flying off the keys (my favorite section).

I hope you will come to enjoy this concerto as much as I do!

I Got Mail

Painting by Steven Alfred (1823-1906)

I rarely receive handwritten letters these days, living in our technological age where emails and text messages rule the day. But three weeks ago, I received an aerogram from Dr. Tow, the man instrumental in how I became a Christian. As I read his handwritten note, it was as if God was assuring me that just as He had His eye on me when I was little, plucking me out of a pagan world, He continues to have His eye on me during this time of physical conundrum.

Dr. Tow had heard about my eye issues and was writing to encourage me and to tell me that he’s praying for me. He will always hold a special place in my heart, especially now that my father has died. As I sat next to him at my niece’s wedding in Singapore this past summer, I was reminded of how gracious God has been to our family in bringing Dr. Tow into our lives. Through the faithful service of one man, three generations of our family have come to know God.

When I was about seven, my mother underwent major surgery. After being discharged from the hospital, her surgeon, Dr. Tow, would come by our house daily to check up on her. He would end each visit with prayer, gathering my father and us children around my mother as he prayed. None of us were Christians then. My mother was a Taoist/Buddhist (we had a whole room in our house dedicated just to the worship of the various deities), my father was of the persuasion that all religions lead to the same God, and us kids were just a confused lot! On his last visit, when my mother fully recovered, he asked my parents if he could take us kids to church. My parents were so touched by his arduous care of my mom and his sincere faith, they readily agreed. Besides, they were happy to expose us to what they thought was just another source of good moral grounding. For years thereafter, Dr. Tow and his wife would come by our house every Sunday to take us to church, having first dropped off their own children at church to make room for us. We attended Sunday School, and later sat with his family for worship. It was at that church that I heard the gospel and was baptized, with Dr. Tow present.

Decades later, when my parents were in their 70s, on separate occasions, Dr. Tow was once again present when they were baptized. For my father’s baptism, our whole family was able to fly home; I can still see my father with my mind’s eye on that Resurrection Sunday, his face beaming, one hand grasping the Bible, the other Dr. Tow’s hand after his baptism service. Such a perfect picture of joy and peace in spite of his physical debilitation. We were sadly not able to go home for my mother's baptism about a year later. But what's important is that my father got to see her be baptized. My father's greatest concern when he became ill was that my mother was not a Christian. Parkinson's and dementia may have robbed him of a lot, but they could not take away his love for my mom and his God, and the knowledge of the Truth that ultimate life and hope can only be found in Christ Jesus. In spite of several near death encounters, God kept my father alive just long enough for him to see my mother baptized before He finally ushered him Home this day 13 years ago!

When my father became housebound, it was once again Dr. Tow who came by the house regularly (the same house but this time without the altar room) to read Scripture to him. On the morning my father died, it was Dr. Tow who arrived first to comfort my mom.

The mercy and love of God to bring this obedient child of His into our lives, and the faithfulness of this child of God in ushering God’s grace to us.

Abraham had his call out of Haran; Ruth had her story of rescue; Zaccheus, Paul, Cornelius, Augustine, John Wesley had theirs. This is my family's. What is yours?

And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” - Luke 19:9-10

Cinema Paradiso

Yo Yo Ma, courtesy of the Boston Symphony

Keith Lockhart, courtesy of the Brevard Music Center

Chris Botti,courtesy of chrisbotti.com

Two of my favorite musical artists are Yo-Yo Ma and Keith Lockhart. They are not only incredible musicians (is there ever a doubt about their talents?) but they also serve to bring back delightful memories of family outings when our girls were little.

We first heard Yo-Yo Ma live at Carnegie Hall when Lauren was six. It was an afternoon children's concert that Mr. Ma is in the habit of giving to extend music education to the young. I remember watching Lauren, her big eyes taking it all in, glued to his performance and his easy banter with his young audience. On the way home on the train to Connecticut, music to her parents' ears, she told us that she would like to learn to play the cello like Yo-Yo Ma!

When we lived in Winchester, Massachusetts, we would regularly take the girls to performances by the Boston Pops, with its effervescent conductor Keith Lockhart. His energy (and youth at the time) so captivated our girls' imagination. Those were such memorable family excursions, not only of the performances themselves, but the exploration of the magnificent city as the four of us made our way across town from where we parked our car at the Public Gardens to Symphony Hall. How precious were those family times, and how gracious of God to allow us such happiness.

I now leave you with this soulful rendition of Cinema Paradiso (please click) by Yo-Yo Ma and Chris Botti together with the Boston Pops and conductor Keith Lockhart. Although Chris Botti is not part of our family collective memory, he has become one of my favorite artists, since first hearing him on a PBS special. He has unequivocally altered how I look at the trumpet and jazz! Enjoy!

There is Never Loneliness

Photography by A. Monaco

"Where a people prays, there is the church; and where the church is, there is never loneliness."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)

I am living the beauty of Bonhoeffer's well-crafted statement with the onset of my double vision condition. For the past few months, I have not only experienced the closeness and intimacy of God’s presence, but the love and support of His people - from the women in my small group in Dallas (whom I’ve met with for weekly bible study and prayer the past eight years), to my new friends at the church we worship at when we are in Chicago, to old friends from high school and college Christian fellowships, church friends from our Connecticut and Boston years, as well as friends from seminary and my daughters’ school…they all pray for me (most of them quite ardently) and those nearby come around to provide my husband and me with delicious meals, give me rides, do my grocery, or just to check up and chat.

The common thread connecting me to all these dear friends is our union in Christ. I know that sounds awfully “theological” but I can’t think of a better way of phrasing it. It is indeed our connectedness to Jesus that first brought us together and it is He who binds us together. They love and support me because they first love and have been loved and supported by God.

I am never alone because God is with me and He surrounds me with His people who prays for me, and loves and cares for me.

1 John 4: 7=11
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix

Painting by Gerard van Honthorst (1615)

It's my husband's birthday today. He so enjoys going to the opera. Since we can't go to one at the moment, here's Olga Borodina singing the moving aria Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix from Camille Saint-Saëns' opera, Samson and Delilah, to commemorate his birthday. And Elina Garanca giving an equally moving performance of the aria.

Happy Birthday, dear! Enjoy!

Heaven and Contentment

Painting by John Constable, "Haywain"

I was listening to a sermon by English preacher Thomas Watson (1620—1686) recently and was struck by this statement: A contented Christian carries heaven with him, for is not heaven where we repose in God? (paraphrased) This got me thinking about contentment and heaven.

Being contented at the end of the day does not lie in our circumstances. We could be the smartest, or the prettiest, or the richest, or the healthiest person in the world and yet be discontented. Contentment lies however in knowing that no matter what assails us (and as I grow older, I realize that life sadly does offer up many blows and disappointments) we can turn to someone who can defend us, provide for us, and carry the load for us. Remember when we were little, how we had few worries because our mom and/or dad took care of everything? And when we had a scrape, they would fold us into their arms and bandage the wound with tenderness? My parents are no longer able to offer me that kind of comfort and security but God can and does so with greater power and tenderness. Power and tenderness may be polar opposites, but necessary qualities to offer peace in the midst of difficulties. God folds me tenderly into His arms, covers me securely in His bosom as He powerfully turns life’s blows into songs, allowing my cries to slowly turn to sniffles and eventually to quiet rest. The greater power lies not in fending off sorrow but in turning sorrow into joy. The greater evidence of tenderness is visible not in smooth sailing but turbulent hours of life.

So what is heaven? It is in short a place of rest in God. An atheist would not want to be in heaven for the very presence of God (if there is such a being) would irk him horribly. A self-directed person would also not care to be in heaven for he would rather rule in his own domain and control his own destiny than rest in arms of God.

If heaven is a place where we repose in God, then hell is but a place of restlessness without God.

A person can indeed carry heaven with her, just as she can easily carry hell. Which then are you carrying this day?

Jesus said to his disciples: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33