In Search of the Good Life: The story to live by

Every person’s life is a story worthy of a book. Every life story, when told properly, can be interesting and inspiring, because the stories we live by can shape our destiny and impact others.

“That being said, what is your life story? What makes it worth telling? What do you want to tell about your life? What is the story you live by?”

I have asked myself the above questions for a long time. It would be difficult to proceed with my memoir if I could not give an honest answer to these nagging questions. Here is may answner.

There are three levels to my story: psychological, cultural and spiritual.

My memoir is a story of an idealist who struggles to pursue a seemingly impossible dream against incredible odds in a hostile world. It is a story of the defiant human spirit in search of meaning and fulfillment in the face of powerful oppositions.

My life story is also part of the larger drama of the Chinese Diaspora – the fears and hopes of oversea Chinese struggling to survive and take root in a foreign land amid discrimination and rejection.

But the most important aspect of my life is about the Big Story of God invading human history and breaking into my broken life. What makes my life story worth telling is not my achievement but God’s amazing work in my life. He rescued me from the nadir of despair, placed me on a higher ground and called me to serve those who suffer.

Life is a constant battle, especially for all those who aspire to live on a higher plane and for a higher purpose. Yes, there is always the human struggle to cope with the stresses of life and satisfy the never ending yearnings for happiness and success. However, the larger and deeper conflicts take place in the spiritual realm. To manage the constant interactions between the natural and supernatural way of life can be very challenging.

Waling by faith means learning to walk in total darkness, not knowing what the next step will bring, but willing to obey to His leading, whatever the costs.

Living by grace means learning to experience God’s sufficiency and love even at times of total helplessness and hopelessness.

It takes a lifetime to learn these two basic spiritual principles and the most valuable lessons can only be learnt in adversities. The most poignant moments in my life are also those sacred moments when God meets with me in my brokenness and weaknesses.

Time and time again, I have gone through long periods of darkness and doubts, but God has never failed to sustain me and see me through the crisis. Towards the end of a long and hard journey, I can honestly say that a life of faith and obedience to God is worth all the struggles and sufferings.

The problems will not vanish, the pressures will remain, but through all the difficulties and pains, I can “count it all joy” because I am part of His glorious story. That is enough for me.

I hope that after reading my life story, you will be able to answer the same questions: “What is your life story? What makes it worth telling? What do you want to tell about your life? What is the story you live by?”

.

2 comments:

UnknownAugust 16, 2012 at 11:11 PM
Dear Dr. Wong,

My name is Otgo. I live in USA. While I read your post the tears kept pouring out with such speed that the skin around my eyes is hurting now from me trying to wipe them all off with the same speed. I couldn't stop my soul from crying, because I felt you... Dr. Frankl managed to unite us here, in the virtual world... When I asked myself "What is the meaning of life?" for the first time I was only 10 years old. Then when I turned 16 years of age I needed to find the truth so that I can make good decisions based on it and live a righteous life. That was my thought in my girly head then. It took me 20 years of long journey before I found the answers to the questions I asked as a 10-16 year old girl. My last piece of the "puzzle" came from the Dr. Frankl's books. So now, I am starting a new career, which is not new to my spiritual me, but new as far as the career in psychology/logotherapy goes. 20 years of struggles traveling around the world, yet I am just starting. I think I have a godly given gift in psychology; however, I am an engineer by degree. I do not know where to start, but I know I will spend my life studying, researching, and developing human science of meaning-driven life. Thank you, Dr. Wong for receiving the torch and doing whatever it takes to pass it down. Thank you for not just passing it down, but also adding more light into it so it can rich the girls like me, who is looking for it also. If God is willing, it would be my honor to have a chance to continue to kindle the light and/or even multiply. Thank you for sharing your life also! You are a hero and a true knight! Kindly, Otgo King.

Monday, January 31, 2011

The story to live by

Every person’s life is a story worthy of a book. Every life story, when told properly, can be interesting and inspiring, because the stories we live by can shape our destiny and impact others.

“That being said, what is your life story? What makes it worth telling? What do you want to tell about your life? What is the story you live by?”

I have asked myself the above questions for a long time. It would be difficult to proceed with my memoir if I could not give an honest answer to these nagging questions. Here is may answner.

There are three levels to my story: psychological, cultural and spiritual.

My memoir is a story of an idealist who struggles to pursue a seemingly impossible dream against incredible odds in a hostile world. It is a story of the defiant human spirit in search of meaning and fulfillment in the face of powerful oppositions.

My life story is also part of the larger drama of the Chinese Diaspora – the fears and hopes of oversea Chinese struggling to survive and take root in a foreign land amid discrimination and rejection.

Waling by faith means learning to walk in total darkness, not knowing what the next step will bring, but willing to obey to His leading, whatever the costs.

Living by grace means learning to experience God’s sufficiency and love even at times of total helplessness and hopelessness.

It takes a lifetime to learn these two basic spiritual principles and the most valuable lessons can only be learnt in adversities. The most poignant moments in my life are also those sacred moments when God meets with me in my brokenness and weaknesses.

Time and time again, I have gone through long periods of darkness and doubts, but God has never failed to sustain me and see me through the crisis. Towards the end of a long and hard journey, I can honestly say that a life of faith and obedience to God is worth all the struggles and sufferings.

The problems will not vanish, the pressures will remain, but through all the difficulties and pains, I can “count it all joy” because I am part of His glorious story. That is enough for me.

I hope that after reading my life story, you will be able to answer the same questions: “What is your life story? What makes it worth telling? What do you want to tell about your life? What is the story you live by?”

.

2 comments: