Hello friends! We’ve  come to the last episode of the series. Today, let us hear from Joyce and Valerie.

Isaiah 30: 18 says, “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him.”

One evening while walking in a park, Joyce saw two fathers with their young children. One chubby little boy was encouraged by his father to jog with him. He obediently followed his father. After three and a half rounds of a semi-jog he plonked himself heavily on the grass verge with perspiration dripping from his forehead and his chest heaving from the exertion. What would daddy do? Well, his father jogged towards him, sat down beside him and patted him on the head with a smile. Then Joyce heard him say, “Well done, son! Rest a bit and we’ll go a few more rounds, ok?” After just two short minutes, the little boy got up with daddy keeping pace and a close watch over his son.

Joyce remembered the times when she had grown spiritually overweight and sluggish in her journey of faith. She said, “In our discipleship journey, we tend to pick up emotional baggage that clutter our lives, weigh us down and obscure our view of God. These could be worries and burdens, or they could be distractions that we allow to enter our life. These unhealthy loads hold us back from following the Lord fully.” She thought about the seed that fell among thorns in the parable found in Luke 8: 14 which Jesus told His disciples, “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures and they do not mature.” But our God knows where the thorny path will take us, and in His love, He puts us on the training track.

In the same park, another father was teaching his young daughter to fly a kite. The gusts of wind were ferocious. Her kite was flying this way and that, out of control; and the little girl didn’t have the strength to hold onto the string. She squealed for help, “Daddee!” Quick as lightning, the father ran to her side, held her hand and gently relieved her of the painful struggle. After he took over, the kite danced gracefully up, up into the sky.

Joyce remembered the days in Kuching, Sarawak, where she and her husband served as missionaries. Joyce had a vision for training women in friendship evangelism. Her methods were radical and unconventional but achieved great results. She organised fashion shows, aerobic workouts, beauty makeovers, hair styling contests and food bazaars. Joyce referred to these methods as her ‘kite’. At these events, many friendships were formed, and the gospel of Jesus Christ was shared easily and in non-threatening ways. However, back home in Singapore, not many church people see the value of such methods. People simply didn’t feel the need to go to such lengths to connect with the world. Also, many felt that her methods were too worldly. The gale of opposition tugged fiercely at Joyce’s kite. At one point her radical vision was almost snatched out of her hand if God had not intervened. Thank God He did! He promptly moved in and took control of the situation and keep her ‘kite’ flying. Requests came from non-church organisations and corporations looking for trainers who could talk about communication, team-building, grooming and good fashion sense. Joyce was head-hunted.  Doors to train Christian women in friendship evangelism were opened wide and unexpectedly, Joyce received invitations from various churches in both East and West Malaysia. “My Father has taught me that when the wind gets too strong, and can’t be fought, He will come alongside to take my kite and keep it flying in spite of the strong gust. In fact, He harnessed the wind to keep my kite afloat. How awesome is our God!”

Seeing the two fathers’ interactions with their young children, Joyce heard the Holy Spirit teaching her the dance step: learn to walk before you run. She learnt to come to terms with her limitations and move towards Jesus to find her true centre. She discovered that she’s not confined to a local church or a denomination in her quest to bring that dance of healing to her fellow women visionaries.

Today, the dance continues as women leaders learn how to use their unique, God-given creativity to sow the gospel seed into their communities and marketplaces. “It’s a new dance. It’s a freedom dance! It’s a dance for all women who dare to dream big in their obedience to the Great Commission to take the gospel to regions beyond.” Remember, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1: 6)

Valerie’s Dance

Psalm 16: 5 & 6 say, “Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.”

Valerie is a keen learner. Her dream was to obtain professional qualifications which would give her a voice and status. But that was put on hold when she fell in love and married David. David is a kind and understanding man and he encouraged Valerie to continue her dream of getting a recognised professional degree. While on the threshold of getting on with her pursuit, Valerie discovered she was pregnant. It was a difficult pregnancy and a difficult delivery. After Hsien Rong was born, Valerie decided to be a stay-home mother to attend to his needs. Life then was nothing but napkins and milk bottles within four walls. Instinctively, she knew she was giving up her dream and the luxury of financial independence for a long time to come. The period lasted nine long years.

Hsien Rong was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome when he was in Primary Two. Asperger’s Syndrome is a mild form of autism that impairs the boy socially and emotionally. As Hsien Rong cannot verbalise his emotions, he often behaves in an extreme manner which includes trying to harm himself. A child with special needs has to have the constant attention of an adult to understand him and process issues with him. Of course, the lot fell onto Valerie’s lap. She had some very trying and difficult moments with Hsien Rong in his growing up years.

Valerie began to entertain negative thoughts and self-doubts as to her suitability as a mother. She struggled with a deep sense of guilt and shame, magnified by bouts of self-condemnation. At one point, Valerie told David that she wanted to get back to work or to enrol in a professional degree to stay sane. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she discovered she was pregnant again.

She went through the full term of her second pregnancy with great anxiety. Thank God that Sze Huei was born healthy. She had dewy eyes and a tiny mouth just like a fairy-tale princess. It was such a relief Sze Huei was born normal. But Valerie’s dream of studying and returning to the job market was deferred again. She lived with frustrations daily as she cared for the children at home. Her dream seemed to grow dimmer and dimmer.

Then she read the book Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas. He pointed out that the purpose of parenting is found in 2 Corinthians 7: 1, “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” Oh, there’s hope! Valerie’s eyes were suddenly opened to see the truth.

She is not alone! God is with Valerie every moment, every day. Hsien Rong and Sze Huei are precious gifts sent by God to mould her to become more like Him. When she is raising her children, she knows that He is perfecting her character day by day. It is His love that sustains her. Valerie finally surrendered to God’s call to be a mother and homemaker wholeheartedly. She has come to embrace this call as the highest qualification she can ever get and God has seen it fit that she should be bestowed with this privilege.

Her joy and relief was inexplicable. She felt as if she was freed from the dungeon of despair. She is free to dance!

One day, Valerie was reading Genesis 21 about the story of Hagar, the slave girl who bore Ishmael for Abraham. Valerie could identify very much with Hagar. Hagar had no hope of a good future. She was also worried about Ishmael’s future. She saw how her son was rejected and was dying but she met the God of great love and mercy. God’s assurance came to Hagar very clearly, “‘Arise, lift up the lad and hold him by the hand; for I will make a great nation of him.’  Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink. And God was with the lad….” (Genesis 21: 18-20)

Jesus showed Valerie that the step of the dance is to let go of her own dreams and fears and let God be the One to take over. He will surely hold her hand and help her manoeuvre her way out of her own pit into a broader and better place – that of His providence. Valerie doesn’t know about tomorrow but she is sure that God holds all her tomorrows. He will lead and all she has to do is to simply follow.

Near the end of her book, Joyce includes the words of a song, sung by Amy Grant and Anne Murray.

Could I Have This Dance for the Rest of My Life?     (words by Bob House and Wayland Holyfield)

I’ll always remember

The song they were playing

The first time we dance

And I knew

As we swayed to the music

And held to each other

I fell in love with you

Chorus

Could I have this dance for the rest of my life?

Would You be my Partner every night?

When we’re together, if feels so right

Could I have this dance for the rest of my life?

I’ll always remember

That magic moment

When I held You close to me

As we moved together

I knew forever

You’re all I’ll ever need

________________________________________

Here’s Joyce with Psalm 30:

I will exalt you, O LORD,

for you lifted me out of the depths

and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

O LORD my God, I called to you for help

and you healed me.

O LORD, you brought me up from the grave;

you spared me from going down into the pit.

Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;

praise his holy name.

For his anger lasts only a moment,

but his favour lasts a lifetime;

weeping may remain for a night,

but rejoicing comes in the morning.

When I felt secure, I said,

“I will never be shaken.”

O LORD, when you favored me,

you made my mountain stand firm;

but when you hid your face,

I was dismayed.

To you, O LORD, I called;

to the Lord I cried for mercy:

“What gain is there in my destruction,

in my going down into the pit?

Will the dust praise you?

Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;   

O LORD, be my help.”

You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.

O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Throughout her book, Joyce emphasised that God is her faithful partner of her dances. Joyce encourages us to hold on to Him in the dance of freedom, to be bold and to have faith in God. He is indeed our first love and our full reward.

We have come to the end of our programme, Dancing Through the Seasons. We trust you have been blessed and have learnt much through the stories of Joyce and her friends. Do leave us your comments on Facebook@SingaporeGlobalReachout and Wechat on GlobalReachout.

And may the presence of our Saviour, our Leading Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, be always with you!