How about her?

On my way to the Bishan Mrt every morning, I will pass by this old lady selling tissue. I've never spoken to her before because I was in a rush everytime and God spoke to me one day, "How about her?" Ouch.

So i met this lady today and bought a pack of tissue from her and talk to her. She spoke to me in Mandarin and then(I don't know why), she talked to me in cantonese which makes it even easier to 'click'. She already had 2 operations because of her cancer and now she had to raise money for a third one. That is why she's selling tissue.

"What to do?", she said. "The amount of money I received from the welfare organisation is only enough for my flat rental and everyday usage. Cancer medication is not cheap and nowdays, if you do not have money, it's bye bye Singapore." I also found out that she's a Christian, but sadly, a disappointed one.

She was saved because a pastor had mercy on her and paid for her medical debts and led her to Christ. She was then about to commit suicide when her friend refrained her and introduce her to the pastor. Sadly, she is now fending for herself. "Ya. They pray for me but when it comes to money, no one will help", she replied when I asked whether her friends have prayed for her for healing. Is this the church today?

Look around you and ask yourself. When is the last time you have treated a poorer friend or stranger to a meal? When is the last time you have given money to a more needy person in church or in your circle of friends? We have missed out a lot. We forgot that there are poor ppl in Singapore. We fail to see that the person sitting next to you in church is a poor person who needed help. We hoard our money and find out what is the best investment and fixed deposit interest when our treasures are actually in heaven and the best 'investment' are to the poor.

As we all know, different churches have different approaches when it comes to welfare and sometimes, certain ppl don't "qualify" for help. But how about on a personal level? Surely as an individual, we can do a lot. The church comprises of ppl, you and me, who can help the needy. Please, don't take on the mindset of "Oh, I pay tithe you know. The church should be the one paying for this person's welfare wat", "The church have a welfare system right? Let the person 'settle' with the church on his case" and with these excuses, we avoid our responsibility to the poor. Let's take away the mindset of always depending on the church(as an organisation) to do every single thing. We don't have to wait for another evangelistic service or program to evangelise, and we don't need to wait for another 'love campaign' to give to the poor. Let's do what we ought to do as an individual - preaching the good news, giving to the poor, loving each other. After all, is not the church us?

Coming back to the lady. "Do you attend church nowadays?" I asked. "Not really. I don't feel like going these days", she replied. We chatted a while more and before I left, I gave her some money and tell her it's for her to "buy food"(It's the polite cantonese way of giving someone money) And she said,"Oh. Thank you so much. God bless you" and I replied, "God bless you too". Jesus is still in her heart, but I pray that she can experience the fullness of Him through our acts of kindness. My friends, Jesus is speaking to you today, "How about her, how about him?"