Weekend plumber

So recently I had to become a 'tukang paip' (plumber) as I finally had a go at the kitchen sink facet, already 10yrs old, it had sprung an irritating drip which I've ignored until the kitchen master (wifey) brought up this drippy issue again. 

To prep,  I had taken a flash picture of the underneath to analyse what it looked like.  Looking at the pic I noticed what looked like a 'crack' in the cylindrical cement hole. That picture froze me. 

It played into my fears that somehow the foundation has shifted and the cement crack just played into my fears. (too long a story..) 

In the end when I finally got under the sink to 'cho kang',  I saw it wasn't a crack but just an uneven finish which gave an illusion it was a crack. 

Haiyah!

The point of this post is NOT to actually believe everything we see;  our eyes and emotions can deceive us, play havoc and amplify our fears. We shouldn't fall into this trap. 

Fears, anxieties, and doubt is not what our Father wants us to 'see'. Instead we should intentionally see and focus on His goodness over our lives. 

Bcos He lives and has a good plan for us,.. we also live in his blessings. 

A simple life lesson played out under the sink. If you feel like life is sinking (no pun intended) and hopelessness has taken hold, it may not be what you think ...turn your eyes.

Our Hope is Jesus. 

Sekian terima kasih!

The Lalamove delivery guy.

Do you believe things happen by chance at random or is there some divine hand at work that bless/ help us even ahead of time.

Just few days ago my sister who is visiting from Canada texted to let me know that she'll be spending a few days at our house after cny, which is a nice welcome for us. . She is in spore now and  hasn't visited Malaysia since pre covid and I looked forward to spending some time with her.
But the problem is the only 'guest' room was Mike's old room which has a working air cond ( it blows cold) but rather loud as result of some hardened rubber bushing on which the a/cond compressor sits on.
Knowing my sister is very averse to any noise at bedtime I was prepared to change for a new aircond. But the problem being just a week before CNY, all the air condition service ppl are no longer available. My usual air cond guy even on any normal period would require 5-7 days pre booking in advance. Over the phone,  all he said was that the bushing which the compressor sits on is hardened and therefore can no longer cushion the vibrations effectively..."change your a/cond lah so old already", but even that had to be .. "after cny"
Yeah, they are that busy !
Thanks a lot, but by then I wouldn't need to as my sister will only be here a few days.

I mulled over this problem.
And I'm am stuck for a solution.

Even ordering for a new air condition at this time  ( so near the festive period) is going to be a big ASK for them to install.

Should I go hunting for any a/cond guy able to come at a moment's notice.. suddenly the days to cny seem very short and  everyone is just rushing. An air of frenzy everywhere .. they always say the Chinese New year rush starts 10 days before already.

Only a few days ago,  I used Lalamove to transport a item. In passing, the delivery guy, an Indian man mentions that he's only doing this part time as he is actually an air con man.

I retrieved his number and  took a chance to give him a call  and to my surprise  he said  he'll come to look at it, which is already more than what my regular guy was willing to do.
When he came he took time to open up the compressor,  examine the unit.  Alas he confirmed both the bushing AND the compressor were the culprit (even though it was blowing cold).
Its just makes a noticeably loud drone sound.

While he was mulling the problem,   I mentioned to him I had a spare compressor just sitting idly. Immediately he was keen to look at it to see if we can switch the compressors.
And after taking some time to check that the compressor worked, he did exactly that. He switch the compressors.
(Ppl who  are willing do that extra mile are just so precious, few and far between.Today's contractors rather they spend YOUR money purchasing a new air cond instead of taking time to examine a problem to see what is the best solution. (They just want to solve our problem the quickest way for them, holding us at ransom since we need their help).

To cut the long story short he solved my problem! The air cond runs much much quieter  now and cold too, and I've won over a situation without having to fork out unnecessary money to get a new one installed.

A new air cond would hv cost at least Rm1300. In the end, he only charged me Rm200. I happily gave him extra, for his uncommon attitude.

Frankly,  I think he is God sent.

Take no thought.

Some sermon notes I jotted down 
and printed . 

Sometime in 2023 I must hv  jotted this lil sermon note and i printed for keepsake at my workstation. I wanted to have it in front of me so I may ponder on it regularly, that it might sink into my spirit.

Today is the 2nd day of the 2024. As I cleared the work station .. it was staring at me (again) the words no less weighty.

"Be anxious/care for nothing. Take no thought"

How does one function on this mode?

We are all creatures of planning and preempting the outcomes with plan A, B, and C etc etc. It is opposite to our human nature; we want to dissect, analyse our problems cos we want to be in control and navigate the outcomes with our ability, strengths and influence.

That's just who we are.

But God's ways are completely the  opposite to our human ways.

The scriptures tell us.. "when i am weak, then I  am strong.." 

In all practicality, it is only when we are weak (in resources, in our influence, in our mental fortitude) ONLY then do we depend on Jesus.

Thus only when the carnal mind knows its limits, only then we allow the spirit- man to take preeminence. Only then, we start to put our tripartite man in the correct order,  the spirit (1st), soul and body. 

But there another prong at work and that is to be at rest in him. "Be anxious for nothing". 

We can rest in him and not be anxious when we are convinced of his grace (goodness) towards us. 

It's wonderful to establish that "truth" in our minds, but when facing dark periods will our mental ascent  (agreement) be sufficient..?

Rather we will only experience this truth when the peace in our spirit spills over to the soulish (mind). 

Grace at work. 

 

To feed the spirit is life. To feed the carnal mind (flesh) is death.

And when we practice this (ie.faith) we simply magnify His place in our lives. 

And it pleases our Father. 

For the most part, 2023 has been challenging for me when at times in my real estate business, I was exasperated and felt the losses. Inspite of what my eyes and emotions were telling me.. I constantly encouraged myself of God's faithfulness and his Grace towards me. I was deliberate NOT to dwell on the negatives but instead strengthen my spirit man every chance i got.. i spoke in tongues and fed on  sermons that fortify my spirit.

Then towards the end of the year, things suddenly turned around and i ended year well. And I marvel at how it all came about. 

Dwelling on the carnal mind activity adds nothing to us, in fact it only depletes the trust we have in our ONLY source and hope. 

Jesus. 

When we understand and embrace the above truth, we glorify the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, and it empowers us ( as believers) to pursue our race well, and to bear and to overcome all of life's  circumstances, bcos it is GOD who is bearing it with us (and for us). 

As we begin this new year, let remind ourselves again we need to be deliberate to live our lives from our spirit man, then we will hv peace. The enemy will war at us from within but we will prevail when we fight from the place of victory.

Jesus' got this. 

Blessed 2024!