On Monday, a friend told me that we need to learn to be fully present and learn to savor life. Singapore is all rush and no hush. We do not savor our food; we gulp it down. The same with people. We are not fully present with them. Our minds wander. We think we know what they want to say before they have finished. We are even assessing various solutions in our minds while nodding our heads. Children and their surprising spurts of growth and spasms of emotional turmoil are glossed over while we check on their school assignments. We are well off, yet poor. We have a high standard of living but a low quality of life.
This morning I decided to trek Bukit Timah hill alone and slow down and taste fully the sights and sounds of the forest. When I began walking I said to myself, “Slowly…..slowly.” Ever so often I paused to look around. When I see a good angle or the play of light on forest trees or floor, I take the mobile and shoot. I stopped at different points to drink and rest. Several times, I stood still and muttered the Lord’s prayer with heart and soul. It helped bring my frisky mind to rest. I would like to do this again…..and alone. Solitude with the Lord amongst trees and open skies heals and fills me. (put your cursor over pics and pray)
Ps Kenny,
Enjoyed your inspiring & reflective prayer notes!
I do my weekly Saturday walk @ Bukit Timah Hill …
Will now ask Holy Spirit to lead me prayer too
Blessings!
Ricky
Hopefully one day we will bump into each other, Ricky.
Hi Kenny,
Last week my wife and myself were there too. We took the new route from the Wallace Education centre. At the centre, you can learn about the history of Bukit Timah and Dairy Farm with pictures of cow breeding in Singapore ! The ascent from this side of the hill is quite steep and challanging (near the main road). Park at Diary farm road near to BKE. We like this track because it is still not very crowded and the atmosphere is nice and cooling. Ps 1:1-2 Blessed is the man …..his delight is in the law of the LORD,and on his law he meditates day and night.
Boon Sing
Hi Boon Sing,
Yes I passed by the car park. So there is a new track there. Must explore one day. Sounds interesting. Thanks.
Our modern frenetic world miss the point – the present. Our technologies seduces us to believe tomorrow will be more exciting, better and more fulfilling than what we have, here and now. I guess in a Biblical sense we are seeking contentment and constancy in an increasingly unstable future of possibilities.
Fact is whilst we can manipulate “psychological time” – compressing, multitasking, transfer using technological tools (videos, computers, photos, internet) we are not extending “biological time.”
Our mental capability far exceeds our bio-capability. We still need rest, we will all grow old and ultimately die.
Meditating and reflecting in solitude with the help of God will be transformational, another step up towards infinite summit of reaching the source of our light.
The journey is paramount, we cannot afford to waste time by stopping and savoring our transient success in this most precious journey of knowing the maker and owner of the universe better.
Thanks for blessing us with your inner most thoughts.
Have an enjoyable journey going forward and upward.
Trekking around is like life, sometimes flat, but many up and down. Often too tired and beaten to carry on but there is always an abiding hope as help is just a prayer away.
See you on the trek as we journey until or pass expires……Shalom
Your comment is so succinct and resonant.
Pastor Kenny, really inspired by how you reflect upon nature and put it in a way to raise up prayer to God! we can be amazed by His creation, indeed!
Hi Robert, thanks for visiting. I have linked your Reasons4smile website on my blogroll.
I’ve never noticed the brick wall, or the drain…are they near to the visitor’s centre?
I’ve been trying to make it up every Sunday morning for the past 1 mth of so…will be there when it’s still pitch dark tomo….provide the weather is good!
🙂
Hi SP, Either the Seraya Loop or the Jungle Fall Path. One day hope to meet you perhaps with the trekking group that goes there every Sat at 730am, though this year I have “backslided”. Next week,they are heading for a 16 day Nepal trek. Maybe after that?
u were there??? i was there too! but judging from the photo of the carpark, u must have been there way earlier than me.
Hmmm…you must have been there catching the fresh morning air. I was there at noon.