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17 July 2011
Last week I was in Sydney with some others to attend a conference. We registered for the conference last year and it was meant to be a learning trip cum a bonding time.
The day after the conference was over we were on a sightseeing day trip and we rented two cars in the process.
The sightseeing trip was smooth going until our two cars decided to bump into each other. It was a minor accident. One car was perfectly okay while the other car was a little damaged. This was an unfortunate incident that would cost us money. We are still waiting to know how much it would cost us. And some of us would know that labour is very expensive in Australia.
But something encouraging emerged from this incident. We didn’t really point finger on whose fault it was. Almost immediately after the accident happened somebody suggested that whatever the cost was we would split the bill. And everyone accepted the proposal without objecting.
I thought this is a wonderful display of a family spirit. We don’t point finger but we share the load. “Whatever the cost we will split the bill”
You may wonder about the relevance of this story.
We have a family project at hand called Chairs for Souls. Our family project is to raise enough money for 10,000 chairs. Praise God that we have managed to raise enough money for around 4200 chairs - just around 5800 more chairs to go.
I thought it would be wonderful if as a church family we would complete this family project with a great display of family spirit. We will not point finger but we will share the load. “Whatever the cost we will split the bill”
As I look back into the car incident I realise that it wouldn’t be the same if some of us chose to reject the proposal. “Split the bill? No, no, it’s not my fault.” “Split the bill? Well, let’s see how much it costs first.” I realise that it wouldn’t the same even if only one person chose not to participate. It’s not about the money. It’s about the family spirit.
Similarly, Chairs for Souls is our family project. It wouldn’t be the same even if only one of us chooses not to participate. It is not about the money. It is about each family member playing their part even if it is about a contribution of 10 cents.
It’s not about the money. It’s about the family spirit. It’s about sharing the load and doing life together as a church family.
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Note: I did some minor editing on the original script. The above is the edited version.
