Non-stuffy, easy way on becoming a Christian

A few years back, while I was sitting by the bedside of my son, chatting with the Head of Consultant in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in UMMC, I realised why some people are not too keen to become a Christian. My son was on life support, waiting for my husband to make a U-turn back from Tapah to KL. (about 2 hours drive) In other words, he is ‘technically’ dead but we put him on life support till the father see him for the last time.

So, you can imagine the kind of earnest chat that I had with Prof Lucy. She shed tears on the death of my son. She had formed a certain bond with my son eventhough she took care of him for about 10 days. She is this dedicated doctor who devoted her life (and forego all the glamour of private practice) to help critically ill children. Meanwhile, her husband, Prof Patrick is the head of consultant of the adult ICU. Prof Lucy told me her husband and her children are Christians but, in her own words, “I am too lazy to wake up early to follow them to church, so I usually go to a Buddist temple and pray when I have the time.” It makes a lot of sense to me then. It is a matter of choice, simple as that.

I wasn’t a Christian then. I wasn’t even able to say the Lord’s Prayer yet, which is the most basic, profound and powerful Christian prayer. But I was trying to make sense of Christianity with a New International Bible and a King James Version of the Bible (I bought it because it has the ‘authentic and heritage’ look).

Meanwhile, back in Penang, my son has another dedicated doctor, Dr. Cheang who took care of him for seven months. Dr. Cheang turned out to be a Catholic and he was from the church that I was about join later. (though I didn’t know at that point in time)

So, after the death of my son, I know I have to find a religion that makes sense to me. I choose Christianity. You know why? Because it is in English. I read a lot of Chicken Soup series and a lot of inspirational books.

Now, I still read other books beside the Bible. It is easier to digest faith when you read about others’ lives and how faith helped them. I also picked a religion which I see is the religion practised by the people I respect. Dr. Cheang, Prof Lucy, Prof Patrick and a few other nurses and physiotherapists all contributed to guiding me to turn to Christianity. They never impose their beliefs on me. But they are not afraid to reveal what they believe in when they talk about life and death with me.

To me, religion is not some stuffy thing that people forced upon you. It is something that we have to seek on our own. When we are ready to embrace Christ, we will somehow find our way there. When I walked into MPH in Midvalley many years ago, I asked a promoter, “I want to buy a Bible but I am afraid I do not know how to read it.” She told me, “Don’t worry, just ask Jesus to guide you.” She introduced me to the NIV Bible because she said it is the easiest to learn about Christianity as they have footnotes, explanations, charts, historical datas and maps to give us a better understanding of the faith. She said all I need is to ask God to guide us and we will understand the Word of God.

Today, I am reading the Bible in Bahasa Melayu while simultaneously reading a book on the Characters of the Passion and a book by Max Lucado. I refer to the BM Bible for the verses and funnily enough, my brain does not have problems switching languages.

Therefore, if you ever wish to ‘find’ a religion, find one that makes sense to you. Don’t follow the crowd because faith is something that you have to have personal liking. Many people may fall deeply into religion and then, later realised that they do not like the group they are attached to. I have seen Christians jumping denominations because of their disagreement with their church members. It is better that we remain ‘outside’ and know what’s in it for us before we declare Christ as our Saviour.

Trust me, when you open your heart, things will find their way to you. He (Jesus) chose you, you did not choose Him. And when He chose you, nothing is too difficult. Even a huge, thick, Bible comes alive. First of all, you need to have the curiosity and longing before anything can happen.

Jesus said this in Gospel of John chapter 15, verse 14 to 17 : which are the most assuring words for everyone who wish to know Jesus Christ.

You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.