So it was this lake: the lake that took the life of my aunt who I only saw in those old and dusty photographs. In those pictures, she looked so alive, full of personality, young and energetic. But the Lord has His plan and His own timing that, at that moment in time, seemed to go against all our human logic and thinking—all of our self-planning and self-desires. To live is a privilege, one that we should treasure every moment of our lives. Every step of our walk, we should tread with careful feet, watchful for the Lord's fingerprints around us. The day was dreary as if the Lord wanted me to recall this moment of my family's history in a sober condition. The rain fell on us as we waited on the docks—the pitter-patter of the rain seemed insignificant until it started falling from my eyes. I could not help but recall the fragility of our human lives—the uselessness of man in the face of God. As some saints gathered and fellowshipped under the cover of brightly patterned umbrellas, the others retreated to the overpriced coffee shop to purchase some well-needed refreshments for their upcoming voyage, as if preparing themselves for the coming storm, which eventually took its shape at the meeting and fellowship with the church in Taichung, lack of air-conditioning and all. I glanced over at my mother as she waited silently under an umbrella. I could tell she was deep in thought, praying to the Lord that the church may have a safe journey as we rode above the death waters of Sun Moon Lake. Life is short. The rocky boat with "no federal regulations for safety," as Jeff would and did say after refusing to enter the ark (which he was then forced onto by the hands and voices of many brothers), was equipped with 32 life jackets, fully-sealed and wrapped within their original casings. How comforting. As we sailed on, the rain fell harder and the fog swallowed up our forward path. We were physically blinded and limited, free from our own self-calculations, forced to fully entrust ourselves into the Lord's hand. As I gazed into the enveloping clouds covering our vision, I felt helpless, fearful, and yet captivated in the Lord's quiet speaking through His old creation. I was safe inside His ark and with me were the people I loved and held dear to me, the called ones to stand for His testimony, the ones floating safely above the death waters, the faithful followers of the Lord. If I was to die, I would gladly die with my brothers and sisters beside me. Indeed, the heavens have truly drawn near. As we landed on the other side of the lake, the rain stopped—an act of grace from the Lord to show us that He was with us. Even on ground, our steps weren't so solid. Our view was shrouded by the fog, distracted by the other tourists who looked at us in confusion. The path branched into three and we were forced to decide in the spur of the moment which way to go. Phil wanted to go racing up the thousand wet steps in front of us—an accident waiting to happened. Others wanted to go left. But the Lord went right and so we followed. And there we tasted some of Taiwan's most famous tea eggs, the first of many tastings to come. At that moment, I simply let go of my own concerns and worries and trusted that the Lord would provide. And just like that, the Lord started reigning—again. The Lord stopped all of our plans again and we rushed back to the boat, His ark for our journey home. "Praise You Lord, we’re safe in You!" In retrospect, it seems weird that all I ended up "doing" at Sun Moon Lake was eating a hard-boiled egg soaked and boiled in soy sauce. Some things we just can't control in life. The Lord wants us to place our lives in His hands and trust in His plan. Our human lives are so fragile and weak, out of our own control.Tomorrow can be much different from today. There is no guarantee what will happen in our lives. It is in these times I can come back into the ark—the church—return to the Lord's hands, abide in Him, and trust what He has planned for me. It is also in these times that His resurrection life can be a reality to us. May we journey on with You, Lord! In the church! "Thank you, Lord, In Your eyes we find grace, And with open hearts we come to You. Regardless what our friends might say to us or do, O Lord Jesus, We love You!" -Samuel C *On August 25, 1990, my aunt died in a shipwreck on Sun Moon Lake while leading a tour for Shell oil company.
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