Contributed by Darren Lim • Oct 3, 2023
God is good all the time! To Him be all praise and honour and glory, Amen! I wanted to start by praising God to remind all of us (especially myself) that what I am about to share isn’t about how good a Christian I am. But rather to share that anything and everything is possible because God wills it so. Even the turning of our hearts’ selfish desire to what is wholesome, lovely and true.
The testimony I am about to share bears very close resemblance to the Scriptural account of the brotherly love between David and Jonathan. I dare venture that it may be a page from the Bible copied and applied directly to the story between a certain colleague and myself.
Some twelve years ago, I joined the company as a senior process analyst and crossed paths with this colleague whom we shall refer to as Sam. Sam was going through a rough time at work and was finding it difficult to trust anyone in the corporate environment. I felt troubled in my spirit and decided one day to help him co-develop a program to solve his work-related challenges. Naturally he was apprehensive. The words ‘What is in it for you?’ was plain on his face. I assured him that I just wanted to do what was best for our company and told him that he could leave me out of the picture. He could take all the credit for its success. To cut a long story short, the program was a hit and it successfully reduced long processing turnaround times. Our relationship continued to blossom and deepen. Sam, though a non-Christian, was someone I could trust to guard my back.
Over the course of the next few years, Sam continued to grow in capability and reputation as he went from one successful venture to the next. He was known for being a brilliant innovator with a keen perception for what works. Coupled this with his strong commitment and driven nature, he was progressing quicker than me and I would dare say he had already surpassed me. When he came to share his success during our frequent private one-to-one chats, I was happy for him but a small part of me tingled with envy. This was the decisive point where I had to make a choice – pull back and lookout for myself or continue to bless my brother. Well, maybe not pull back but to not try too hard to help when it weakens my position. Sadly, our hearts have such a high propensity to feelings of jealousy and envy.
The Holy Spirit reminded me that all the skills, talents and opportunities I have were gifts from God. It was never mine to begin with. Therefore, it was my responsibility to be the best steward of these gifts and to freely bless others so that God may be glorified. Sam and I moved on to different roles in the same company and continued to stay close. We supported each other whenever there was a need. Where there were challenges or Sam just needed someone to confide in and encourage him, I did the best I could to be there. I love this brother dearly and continue to pray for God to bless his life.
Fast forward to the present, Sam is now a General Manager of a thriving department and I am his trusted second-in-command (rings a bell?..You will be ‘king’, and I will be second to you…). There were countless times throughout the years that had it not been for God’s divine intervention exercised through Sam, my career in this company would have prematurely ended.
The very notion of caring for someone beyond our self and our immediate family is a dim possibility. But to then do so at the expense or detriment of oneself is short of a miracle. Only our life-giving God can transform our hearts to even begin to consider doing so. I am thankful that God gave me this opportunity to be a true friend to another. God has blessed me abundantly through the journey our brotherly friendship has taken us and hopefully, one day I would be able to share the Good News with him. Has the Spirit laid someone upon your heart to be a “Jonathan” to? What is stopping you?