Your worth is not your own - Michael's Testimony

by Michael Lee

I remember (not too fondly) receiving my grades from Common Test 1 (CT1) back at Raffles Junior College (RJ) - abysmal would have been a good way to describe my performance. I remember going through a post-examination chemistry lectures where the teacher would release the results of the entire cohort. I would usually fall within the 10^th to 20^th percentile. Needless to say, I was never the brightest student around, and I would always be immensely discouraged when my peers started comparing their results. In this meritocratic society, I found myself measuring my self-worth based on my accomplishments - how good I looked, the grades that I received, and the awards that I achieved.

Reflection

by Stephanie Cressler

Folded on my Nana’s left thigh,

back pressed into her breasts,

my face lightens as my Nana

outlines my features

with her non acrylic, ruby red nails.

Our Father

by Andrew Shi

Prayer is wonderfully free and yet stupefies us in its simplicity. Where do I begin? What do I say? How do I say it in the right way? Quick—didn’t I promise recently to pray for someone? I feel a creeping sense of shame when I don’t pray long enough, or when I don’t feel anything happening in my prayer. I stumble in my speech, looking for that perfect word or phrase as if it could release the floodgates of God’s blessings and favor. In reality, my prayers all start to sound the same:

Giving

by Giovanna Cavagnaro

Recently God has been teaching me about giving. Giving is a beautiful thing. I think God enjoys it when His children give, because He’s a giver Himself. You see, in our natural world giving is not generally seen as something useful or profitable for any purposes other than being kind, but that’s because the world functions under scarce resources. God does not. He has unlimited funds, unlimited goods, unlimited resources. So while the world’s rationale may lead us to believe that when we give, we lose goods, God’s word says our blessings are multiplied! Deuteronomy 15:10 says, “Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” God promises to bless those who give, and when God’s promises are involved, you know it’s a good investment!