LESSONS FROM TRAIN

On the train, on our way back home from Berlin,
me and Tobias were sitting next to each other, opposite other passengers, separated by a table.

In front of us were a father and a son, maybe 35 and 8 years old.
They both looked dirty with black fingernails and uncombed hair.
Their clothes were stained and showed some holes.
The father put the worn out backpack beneath us, and an IKEA sack with their belongings next to him.
His son put his backpack just on my feet.
Then, both of them took off their dirty shoes. Imagine the smell.
The son, who sat in front of me,
his legs and his bags occupying the space between us,
left me sitting uncomfortably.

This time my heart was challenged.
Do I feel disgusted by them,
or can I look at them the same way I look at my friends?

::: DO THE RIGHT THING

To do the right thing,
may not be expedient,
it may not be profitable for me,
but it indeed satisfies my soul.

To do the right thing,
is the choice I’m making now.
To live a life that I won’t regret,
no more years of timidity, inertia and meaningless virtues

My life battles
are getting bigger and harder,
nevertheless I decide to take the fight,
and make it better.

I’ll try to be the best human being I can be,
in my family and my community,
showing love by contributing
my time, energy, resources,
to profit others.
So, when people mentioning my name,
people will smile and will bless me.

::: GREATER THAN I

There’re the ignorant, the bigot,
the brute, the narrow minded,
in this world.
I’m supposed to treat them equally,
but it’s hard, and I failed most of the time.

Humanity is broken.
Crimes that human can do,
are not alien to me anymore.
Good or bad, constructive or destructive,
we all are capable of doing it.

So, do positive things as opponent of negative things.
Dares to love,
dares to have a big heart,
dares to encourage others to let their heart and mind bigger,
dares to be bigger than the circumstances,
because God is greater than us and our circumstances.

::: TO LOVE WITHOUT PARTIALLY

Back to the train:
So, I choose to look for the good things in the father and son.
I saw a good father figure,
very patient playing chess with his son. One pawn was missing and replaced with a folded piece of black carton.

Then an act of kindness happened.
The conductor came by to check our tickets.
Train conductors in Germany are notoriously bad tempered.
The man, maybe in his fifties, scanned our ticket.
The father opposite us showed his ticket. The conductor remarked that he had bought a safer fare which would require holding a discount rail pass.
The father apologised and the conductor just smiled at them and continued his way through the carriage without charging them extra.

A little girl, the daughter of a fellow passenger, approached our table,
father and son are very friendly and
welcome her to join them playing chess.
I wanted to join them, too.
But, other passengers who booked our seats came,
so me and Tobias had to move a few rows back.

It’s a 6.5 hours journey, tough for kids.
I observed that when the girl ate chocolate croissant and chips,
the son didn’t ask his father to buy him food,
and didn’t stare at the girl also.
He was very well behaved,
although I’m sure he must have been hungry,
I assumed they were poor.

This trip reminds me,
not to judge
based on selfish, personal criteria.
But to see others as God sees them.
It reminds me,
of what I’ve learned from Savior Jesus Christ,
who is willing to sacrifice Himself,
because of His selfless and unconditional love,
for the imperfect me and for the imperfect you.

A reminder,
to love without discrimination,
to do nothing out of favoritism,
and to do the right things.

Love,
Titien

“Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.”
‭‭James‬ ‭2:8-9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“For God does not show favoritism.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2:11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭10:45‬ ‭NLT‬‬


::: UPDATE ABOUT ME
2 Year 2 Month Post Biopsy
Midline Pontine Glioblastoma/DIPG Grade IV

On Thursday, I had my wisdom teeth pulled. It went well, my dentist is a pro. I like my dentist but I don’t want to see her again (I mean with dental problems).

Next Thursday, I’ll have the 11th round avastin chemo. Hope by that time, the wound in my mouth already healed.

My symptoms are more or less the same as last week.

Please go to “My Medical History” for more details.

Thanks for keeping me in your prayers 🙏

PS: Thank you for reading, commenting and sharing my posts.
Please subscribe to get more stories on your email. 🤗

3D wall @contemporary art museum in Berlin
Which line is your favorite?
Too bad “Tea Time” is not on the list 😬
Call me, maybe? ☺️😁
Was a Kindl Brewery, now is a Kindl Café
Attaching photos on the guest book of my friend’s wedding party
Hmm, my drawing is not bad, right? 👍☺️
With the newlyweds 👰🤵
Beautiful bride with her 3 happy elves 🤓
4 years ago – singles 😊
4 years later – wives 😄
We met in Beijing. Now still best friends although we’re living in different cities. 💕
….We look like boarding school’s students 🤓😎
We are pro in taking Selfie 🤩
🥰😍😘❤️
It’s chilly summer, it’s 15C, my Oleander is blooming 🌸

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

%d bloggers like this: