On the last day of 2017, I was alone at home with my old company - The Bible - on the desk, trying to think what I've learned in the past year. And it was the following three things that affected me the most:
Co-founding a business with my friend
After careful consideration, we chose a project for our start-up. However, we encountered unexpected challenges after the official launch and implementation. Given the situation of the past six months, the future does not seem promising.
We have already invested a lot of money and now our family budget is getting tight. In the meantime, I'm undergoing pressure from my business partner and my family. Despite everything, I never regretted the choice and it is the Word of God. . .
"that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope"
. . . that sustained me.
Maybe 2018 will be a fresh start when I manage through this struggling period.
My parents' health deteriorated
Both of my parents were hospitalized in 2017. At the time, I spent most of my spare time in the hospital taking care of them. Somehow I could foresee this becoming a norm in the future since they're getting old.
The relapse of my parents' conditions and boring time spent taking care of them agitated me. I was low-spirited all the time. My attitude toward the medical personnel and my parents was sometimes poor, which I always regretted afterwards.
Fortunately, I carry the Word of God with me.
"May your father and mother be glad; may she who gave you birth rejoice!" (Proverbs 23:25)
"Honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 19:19)
The Word of God allows me to constantly review my thinking, words, and deeds so that I can control my emotions to be a person that pleases God.
My daughter' grades keep declining
After my daughter began high school, her grades started declining. She is clever and works very hard, but her grades aren't very ideal.
To Chinese students, the College Entrance Exam is a hurdle and the importance of the result is also obvious. I was anxious over my daughter' grades for a long time. However, there's nothing I could do. I read in the Bible one day:
"I planted the seeds, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor." (1 Corinthians 3:6-8)
This passage shined through my heart and set me free immediately. God has different purposes and work for everybody. Not only does He have control over our growth, He also determines our ultimate fate.
I became less critical about the result as long as my daughter gives her best. And it is the biggest success if she can walk on the path that God prepared for her.
As for me, I need to unload my worries and put everything in God's hands.
-Translated by Grace Hubl
