Fire!

I was sitting down in front of my laptop with a cup of noodle (cup noodle) for lunch on Saturday when the phone rang.  As much as I avoid answering the phone at home (it is quite annoying to hear 'Can I speak to Mr. Loi?' when there are three 'Mr. Loi' living in the house), being alone at home, I answered the phone.

'I was driving past your house and I see smoke coming up from the back of your house!'  A friend of my father was screaming into my ear.

Sure enough, I looked out my window, my neighbour's house was on fire.  I won't bother describing the incident here, as the newspaper seems to report it quite accurately for once.  For those who wants a more 'graphic description', someone apparently shot a video and posted online.

The point is, the fire made me realised (again) how temporary this life is.  At the start of the fire, the entire neighbourhood was in chaos, people were running everywhere, and being alone at home, I did find myself, albeit for just a short while, asking myself, what to save if the fire does spread to my house.  (It was the block of houses directly behind mine that was burning, there was a gap of about 15 feet between the last house on that row and mine, but still, strong wind, blazing hot weather...)

As I was asking myself that question, and watching the neighbours from houses nearer to the fire running out of their houses carrying their televisions, computers and other household items, I couldn't help but feeling how futile it is for us to be building our worth on materials.  While I really do symphatise with my neighbours who lost everything in the fire, I find myself asking, what is the measure of my 'worth'?

I don't have a house of my own (I live with my parents), in fact, don't own much, and most of the more expensive things I own are bought for use in ministry (I own things that 'regular' people won't be buying, such as walkie-talkies, laminating machine, etc, which I use in my camping ministry), and I don't own much of what 'regular' people would strive to own today (no cameras, no tablet PC, no luxury car, not even a decent travelling bag - all my bags are haversacks and bagpacks, for camping use).  In that sense, I don't really have much to my own name.

But looking at it, I am glad that I don't have 'much', for I was again reminded that day, it is not how much I 'own' that matters - it can all be gone in just a short moment, but what I am 'investing' that really matter, and I am choosing to invest into the Kingdom of God, to spend my time and money on building the young people who would, prayerfully, (to borrow the word of my of my disciples) be craved into Godly men.  That would be what I am worth, I hope.