GOD’s GRACE, HOW DO I SURVIVE THE CRAZY WORLD !!!!

A personal testimony to be delivered in kuliah etika. Bandung 8 December 2007

I am a successful person. I lead a team of 8 consultants in one of the most prestigious consulting organization in the world. My salary has increased 20 fold from the time I started working. I am well regarded in my field as an expert, people respect me and look up to me. They came to me to solve issues, to get advice. My company charge thousands of dollars to our client to sell my services. I have a lovely wife

A thought in your mind : Wow this guy is so arrogant, there’s a lot more people more successful than his definition....

I am an average student, my GPA is only 2.7 (actually a little bit less than that). I got D for my Kimia dasar (and have to join “semester pendek”). Out of that 2.7 I think I have several D’s that I decide not to have. My first Job is a clerk job (technical documentator). I was passed up for promotion several times. I actually got demoted in the first day of my job...

Additional thought in your mind : This guy is “tidak tahu diri” to be arrogant in the beginning while actually he’s very lucky ... yup he’s very lucky to be in the position he is now. I wonder if he’s a liar too ???

I am a fat person. I weigh more than 100 kgs. Mmm I got into fights during my relationships (with my previous girlfriend) about my weight ... (still have fights with my wife). I was rejected by Australian Government to study there because they say I am TOO FAT. I have a flat foot, I lag behind in hiking, in sports ... in shopping (in the mall with family) ...

Thought : now this guy is losing it ... now he’s blabbering about fat ...

BUT HOLD ON !!!!

What if I tell you, it’s all because God’s Grace. You know, GRACE .... in Indonesian “Kasih Karunia” .... we all know about John 3:16 ( I hope you do ). Have you know what Grace is ?

Grace is something you don’t deserve, something given to you but it’s not because of your performance, it’s not because of your looks, it’s not because of your thoughts ... It’s just given to you by the owner... by the Grace giver ... In case of God’s Grace .. bible says God give it out of LOVE ...

I am what I am now because of God’s Grace. Of course not the bad things, that’s because of my self (i am quick tempered, a sloth, boaster, like to delay things etc). But the good stuff, my success, my status, my salary, my GPA, my grades, my job, my family, my body ... it’s all because God’s Grace.

And let me show you, TWO examples of God’s Grace based on my beginning statement ... Before let me show you acronym I made up.... God’s grace is about

GOD

Gratitude

Relationship

Attitude

Contentment

Enthusiasm

Example number 1 (WARNING THIS FOLLOWING TEXT ONLY APPLIES TO ME IN NO WAY I AM ASKING YOU TO BE FAT ALSO !!!!)

GOD has made me, from a mix family (my father was still not saved L pray for us ya). And my body has a very slow metabolism (maybe because im so lazy and bad at sport ... ). Thus I am FAT

But ... now I am Grateful because God had allow me to be fat ... see the following for WHY and WHAT I DO ABOUT IT

1. Being fat made me pleasant and very unthreatening. I like to laugh, and I usually act funny. So people feel at ease with me. God has ignited a passion for helping people ... it really help then to be fat in Relationship.
2. I have thus develop a trusting Attitude toward people. A lot of people tell me naive. But I prefer to trust people first then sort it out later.
3. I learn to be Content, because if you see the facts, actually any of my achievement is only because of God. I really have a little to do with that. So I am ok with what I have.
4. But ... I think a good Attitude and Contentment brings good Enthusiasm in what you are doing. It give you a purpose ... because you’re focusing on relationship ... not on achievement...

See ??? God Grace hidden among the fats of my body .... oh ya ... additional facts :

1. I try to diet though, being fat is not healthy
2. The biggest God’s Grace connected to me being fat? My Wife ... If Australian government didn’t reject me because of my weight, I’d never join Magnus and I’d never met Venny. Because I appear pleasant and harmless.. then after 5 years knowing Venny ... we got married J

Example number 2 ...

GOD’s grace have given me a job. A good job in Bandung first.... I took that job because I promised my leader in the Navigators, i’ll stay for a year. I quit the job to go to Australia (you all know what happened then).

Grateful because of the rejection, because the money then was spend to fund my training to enable me to land a job at Magnus (end up with a career in consulting and a beautiful wife)

Relationship, consulting world is all about relationship, the passion about people God has given me enables me to focus on people. Focus on relationship. Trying to share my life. I am so blessed to be trained in the Navigators ... it really put the perspective on sharing your life, on being a really thoughtful person. I tell you, you bring that thoughtfulness in every relationship you have ... you are in a good road to success

Attitude, the first thing I realise when I got my job was .. I know nothing. I have no experience. Thus ... the most applicable attitude I can have is .. humility. (rendah hati). You got to find excellent people in consulting. You will meet cream of the crop of any organization, and it really helps to be humble ... to be able to listen, to be able to understand, to be able to feel, and put their needs above yours.

Contentment .... Can you believe ? I never asked for a promotion ... I never asked for a raise .. I never asked for a position ... I learn to be content, I have been passed for promotion 2-3 times. I have been lied to about my performance several times. But I learn to be content.. Why ? Because it’s God’s Grace remember ??? I have not deserve it, I do whatever I can .. .but at the end it’s God’s giving...

Enthusiasm ... I can’t see a people person who’s not enthusiastic about life. There’s a lot of people out there that you can help. There’s a lot of people you can bring the good news ...

So that’s it ... God’s Grace ...That’s how I survive the world ... by

Focusing on GOD ... and I make it an effort to be Grateful in everything. I focus on Relationship instead of achievements. I tried to have a good Attitude about everything. To have Contentment for everything I have.And of course bring about the Enthusiasm ....

Hope you can try that also ...

Closing remark...

1Co 15:10 Tetapi karena kasih karunia Allah aku adalah sebagaimana aku ada sekarang, dan kasih karunia yang dianugerahkan-Nya kepadaku tidak sia-sia. Sebaliknya, aku telah bekerja lebih keras dari pada mereka semua; tetapi bukannya aku, melainkan kasih karunia Allah yang menyertai aku.

God have given His grace to me, I am what I am now because of his grace. Im sure His grace in me would not be wasted. Hmmm but have I do more than everyone? Not yet … But it’s true … it’s not me … it’s GOD’s GRACE …

PS: Written in English because I wrote better in English… and also this is suppose to be delivered to undergrads in ITB … they better learn English J