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BWP - Humility, humanity and hope: the greatest gifts for children
Stories of hope in Singapore: Known as the “Wandering saint” of Singapore, medical missionary-turned-university don Dr Tan Lai Yong tells us how he teaches his children humility, humanity and hope through failure. Read one of our most-read stories from 2019.
Never Forgotten
Egged on by my children to prove I’d endured years mastering the basics of piano, I sat down and started playing the C Major scale. Having played very little piano in nearly two decades, I was surprised I remembered! Feeling brave, I proceeded to play seven different scales by heart one right after the other. I was shocked! Years of practicing had imprinted the notes and technique so deeply in my fingers’ “memory” that they instantly knew what to do.
There are some things that can never be forgotten. But God’s love for His children is far more deeply imprinted than any of our fading memories—in fact, God cannot forget them. This is what the Israelites needed to hear when the exile left them feeling abandoned by the Lord (Isaiah 49:14). The Lord’s response through Isaiah was unequivocal: “I will not forget you!” (v. 15). His promise to care for His people was more certain than a mother’s love for her child (v. 15).
To assure them of His unchanging love, the Lord gave them a picture of His commitment: “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” (v. 16). It’s a beautiful image of God’s constant awareness of His children; their names and faces always before Him.
Still today, we can easily feel overlooked and forgotten. How comforting to remember that we are “etched” on God’s hands—always remembered, cared for, and loved by our Father.
Anthem of Hope
Today’s Bible Reading: Amos 5:6
But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream. -Amos 5:24
In song lyrics conceived during turbulent times, the Black Church has voiced messages of strength to persevere. In the struggle against social injustices, voices lifted, chanting through the ups and downs of cultural oppression. Rhythms echoed from Africa to plantation fields to pews of…
More Than a Victim
Today’s Bible Reading: Luke 4:20–24
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” -Isaiah 61:1
“Ain’t I a woman?” abolitionist and former slave Sojourner Truth challenged in 1851,…
“When Spider Webs Unite”
Today’s Bible Reading: Joshua 1:1–5
When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in. -Joshua 6:5
Sometimes the day laborer, housekeeper, and janitor are seen yet unseen. In December 1955, the world saw common folk bring segregation…
Lord, Break My Chains
Today’s Bible Reading: Psalm 139:23–24
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. -Psalm 139:23
I attended a funeral, and one of the relatives powerfully praise-danced to the song, “Break Every Chain.” I prayed for the people attending the service and then I heard another song in my heart: “But it’s me, O, Lord, standing in the need…
Freed, Indeed!
Today’s Bible Reading: John 8:39–47
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. -John 8:36
Renowned Reverend Dr. James H. Cone penned some final thoughts in The Cross and the Lynching Tree. The Black Liberation theologian upheld that the cross and tree were symbols of suffering, oppression, and death—intertwining experiences of Black Americans and Jesus Christ.
Cone recalled his childhood in…
