Crash course

"While we worry about how fast we grow, God is concerned about how strong we grow. God views our lives from and for eternity, so he is never in a hurry...

"... Today we are obsessed with speed, but God is more interested in strength and ability than swiftness. We want the quick fix, the shortcut, the on-the-spot solution. We want a sermon, a seminar, or an experience that will instantly resolve all problems, remove all temptation, and release us from all growing pains. But real maturity is never the result of a single experience, no matter how powerful or moving..."

-- The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren

All the times when I've most needed Him, He's always proven faithful. And yet, when He most demands my attention -- given me the time and place -- I stand Him up.

Like a crash course, my Bible-reading is always more intensive in my time of need -- a week before the examinations, when Mom and Dad are in the operating theatre, when I am afraid and alone in the dead of the night -- and its frequency plunges afterwards, during what should be a season for me to give thanks and celebrate His victory. That's the irony of unfaithfulness.

And yet the greater irony is that even in the face of obvious unworthiness, God is still faithful (2 Timothy 2:13) -- God still loves (1 John 4:10), God never fails (1 Corinthians 3:8).