彩虹小品

IN YOUR LIFE, I SAW…I SMELLED…

By:                              Paul Lai
Translator:             Jimmy Chan

I Saw a Beautiful ‘Rainbow after the Rain’ Picture

You have a firm faith in God.  He raised you up from the deep valley in life.  Your life is full of energy, vitality and joy, which is truly inspiring to all who know you.  God has poured spiritual blessings to many through your life which is a rainbow after the rain.  You basked in the sunshine of God’s favour in the midst of the storms of life which, in the grace of our God, turned your tears and smiles into a beautiful rainbow.  Indeed, storms and tears are like rain which must precede the rainbow.

The late Rev. Dr. Samuel Tang, a renowned Old Testament Chinese scholar, once said:  “Finally the rainbow appears after days of rain; the storm has subsided”.  And as the English idiom goes:  “Every cloud has a silver lining”.  Difficult times are like dark clouds that pass overhead and block the sunshine.  However, when one looks more closely at the edges of every cloud, the sun can be seen shining there like a silver lining.  The cloud will eventually go away and the rainbow will come out with the sun rays.  They all speak loudly and clearly about the bountiful and abundant grace of God.  “As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance.  Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (Ezekiel 1:28a&b).  The rainbow symbolizes the beauty of God who is the source of peace and consolation.  Yvonne, after going through all these hardships and with God’s unfailing promise, you are a true ‘rainbow after the rain’, manifesting an abundant life reflecting God’s radiant glory.

I Also Saw the Treasure in Your Earthen Vessel

Our life is just as fragile as a clay pottery vessel, easily broken when hit or dropped.  Yet the Apostle Paul said: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7).  The value of the pottery depends on what is inside.  As for us Christians, we are earthen vessels filled with Christ our Lord, not gold or jewelry, as our treasure.  What we can show the world is that Christ lives in us, and so we are not defeated by our afflictions but have victory over them.  Yvonne, you are “afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing” (2 Corinthians 4:8), because our Lord Jesus is with you.  One of the original Greek words for “suffering” also refers to the childbearing pain of women which alludes to a temporary birth pain accompanied by the hope for the newborn and followed by an overwhelming joy when the child is born.  In the same way, our pain on earth is only temporary as we have glory of God afterwards.  Yvonne, I recall the other day you told me:  “Last year, when Sister ‘L’ from our church returned to Hong Kong to visit her mother, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer.  We gave her a call hoping to give her some comfort, but in the call she soon told us:  “Now I know believing in Jesus was really having a treasure inside.”  We were touched by what she said, as she was a young believer and yet realized the treasure of having Jesus in her life.  In contrast, some believers have accepted Jesus for a long time and yet often take Him for granted; only when there is a need or prayer ‘request’ do they call upon Jesus’ name.  When there is nothing they lack, they simply ignore Him or put Him at the back of their minds.  Indeed Yvonne, I saw you have put Jesus Christ at the very centre of your life and respected Him as the Lord and King.  Consequently, people recognized that your life is actively revealing the image of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I Smelled the Aroma of Christ

Yvonne, to you to live is Christ, and you have manifested the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. (cf. Philippians 1: 21; 2 Corinthians 2:14, NASB)

Indeed, the good disposition and qualities of Christ are revealed in you and shared with others like a sweet aroma.

The following is an excerpt from an article written by our family dentist Dr. Nicky Leung in memory of Yvonne (written in Chinese and translated to English): “Yvonne was always amiable; her smile has impressed and impacted us in a miraculous way, for it leads each of the staff in our clinic into God’s abundant blessings to enjoy His joy and peace despite our stressful working environment.  Even in times of distress from your sickness, you two still bear spiritual fruit and reflect godly characters.  Your teaching has influenced and nurtured countless disciples of Christ, including pastors and their wives and missionaries.  Your lives have truly reflected God’s love, peace and joy”.

Dear Yvonne, you and I are indeed sometimes like Paul who was “afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing”.