Tip 94: Seek and you shall find grace

I was initially going to title this post as Hunt for Opportunities. Believe me, I'm a hardcore opportunist, or in Hokkien dialect, kiasu. Though, an eye for opportunities do make a difference between someone who seeks and someone who does not. This past decade, I have hunted hard for many opportunities and won many competitions, obtained a full expense paid scholarship with allowances to do my MBA in Hawaii, got a job in Tokyo in a foreign company even when my Japanese language fluency was low, managed to get a yen based mortgage at attractive rates to an apartment at a bargain in central Tokyo and recently got an assistant manager position in a Japanese company in Tokyo. Yet, the more opportunities I received, I am beginning to learn that these are all to be regarded as grace from God that He has so richly blessed me with to share with others. The more I receive, the greater the need to give that God imposes upon me, or expects from me. The more opportunities I seek, the greater the need to be humble that all is from God and that He chooses to give to fulfill His Grand Master Plan. The more I seek after opportunities, the greater the need for me to look at it through a bigger picture that there is greater value to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and God's plan through those opportunities began to be clear. And even if those opportunities were not obtained successfully, or circumstances change that I lose these opportunities even after hard work, I began to have an attitude of thanksgiving and trust in God for I remember God is guiding me always. Then, I realize that all men includng me are indebted to God for His Wonderful Grace.

At church today, Dub Jackson, the founding pastor of Tokyo Baptist Church, shared that he was once a fighter pilot and was devastated to see the destruction of Tokyo. Later, a simple act of giving out a track at Shibuya made a young men believed in Jesus Christ. That man was Commander Mitsuo Fuchida who led the attack on Pearl Harbor. He later became a missionary and co-auhored the book, From Pearl Harbor to Golgotha. On my way back, I had a moment when God convicted me that we are all under the grace of God, be it a fighter pilot, a trader at Wall Street, a missionary serving the hungry. None should boast of their lives as all are sinners, each depending on God for daily guidance. All do not deserve God's grace but He gave freely to all who seek. As a daddy, we seek after a happy family and means to provide for our loved ones. Yes, we can do it by ourselves, yet God determines the outcome. We can commit to God everything instead and He then guides us in our doing and living through His peace in our hearts, through faith in God and in love and goodness. We still do what we do best - some have an eye for opportunities while others have an eye for avoiding risk. God uses us to then to prepare His masterpiece. At times, we are moulded to learn valuable lessons about humility, giving and living sacrificial lives. In all, opportunities to live this life is from God who so richly bless even when we do not deserve it. I will write more in future posts of why I do not deserve many things, as it would bring God glory and reduce my pride. But that's what grace is about - that we do not deserve it, so we can live better lives of love.