Author: peterjang73

In my last entry for CHOICE, encouraging is something difficult to do with people you spend most time with.  I find myself doing less of that with my kids.  I believe that with those you spend more time with, you see more and more of their faults than their potentials.  My take is that it is the human nature of our sinfulness manifesting within ourselves.

So I make more and more conscious efforts to see the good things that Anna and JJ do.  It’s effortless to just get mad at them when they disobey me and get hurt, or they are doing things I told them not to do.  Yet, I let pass the right things and the good things that they do.  I now take extra effort, especially in small things, to tell them that they are doing well.

Why?  Their mental well-being is in the control of me.  Being a parent, you become a world to them, and if I want them to grow up healthy, I need to nurture their mental growth as well.  You should see their faces glowing when I tell them how well they did.

I drive a lot.  If you know where we live, we drive a LOT!  From Clear Lake area (south of Houston near Johnson Space Center) to any other parts of Houston and the Greater Houston area takes lots of time.  I’ve grown accustomed to driving for at the least an hour.  Then you add factors like kids, it becomes an even greater challenge.  But in the midst of all this, I want to still make to as many church-related events and meetings as possible.  Primary reason is to support the church events.  However, secondary is to challenge others, especially the single folks.

I know that after work, the last thing you want to do is drive far.  This happened to me on this past Wednesday.  We had our share/prayer meeting but I felt so tired that I didn’t want to bother driving across town.  I still have my moments of not wanting to push myself.  However, in my life-long war against my other (older) inner-self, I laid out an offensive within me and won the battle.  I drove out to Joy and Joanna’s place for our meeting.

One of the things that I want others to see or think is this: “If Peter and Soojin can make it, so can I!”  If you think moving around after work is challenging, try doing that with two kids!  Getting to church on time was relatively easy beforehand, but now, it’s a struggle.  But the last thing any of us should use as an excuse to not make it to a meeting or service is because we feel tired or too far or not enough time.  God didn’t do that with me.  So I sure am going to try again and again to go against my other self and get to where God’s people are meeting.  I pray that you do too.

This may sound very odd.  Heck, it will just downright sound weird.  Why?  ‘Cause that’s what I believe is my calling.  In the fourth of CHOICE as prescribed by our Pastor Shawn, when it comes to inspiration, I don’t have much to give… except for a few.  In Korean word, people call me as the ???, King of Off-the-wall Humor.  I have very weird sense of humor, let alone have developed a rather … un… unique … personality.

It’s a calling to me.  Almost on an inspiration level.  What the heck am I talking about?  I believe that comedians and clowns are rather misunderstood and underappreciated people.  They have the gift of breaking the ice.  When the situation needs a soft change, clowns and comedians sacrifice themselves to make others laugh.  Such is what I believe to be one of my callings.

If others can see that even people like myself can be so odd, nerdy, and weird, I want those who are not as well accepted or received to feel… welcome.  To both inspire, but more to encourage others who feel that they are bit odd and weird to feel accepted is something only an outsider or outcast can understand.

Did I make sense?  I doubt I did to most… but to those that I did, I pray that you’d be inspired to be the you that God has created and not be ashamed of it… no matter how weird you think you may be.