Staying The Course: Reflections on Being On Mission with God
January 2021
Ken Chua, founder of the Empowered to Influence course and seminar, reflects on his journey of being on mission with God:
In 1998, at the age of 36, I was diagnosed with a retina disease. I lost functionality of my right eye over the years, and came to depend on my left eye, with which I was able to function normally.
Years later–in April 2015 at the age of 53–the disease hit my left eye and I struggled badly. I sought medical treatment and have since been on close monitoring by the eye specialist. I lost much of my left vision, and now only have a small central vision remaining in my left eye. In fact, my doctor had a brief discussion with my wife and I regarding how to cope if I l should lose functionality of the left eye, thus rendering me with a visual disability.
There were many moments that I thought I should just quit my work and walk away from the things that God has put in my heart to serve. My wife went through all of it with me. She became my care giver. My children were also affected emotionally.
Yet while going through all these, I did not have the peace to leave my work and call it quits from all that is my heart–all that I have been living for. It was a period of absolute confusion and fear.
In the midst of these confusions and frustrations, my wife and I continue to seek Him. My wife has been a pillar of strength for me. She believes that my work in the marketplace is not complete, and God still has a place for me to influence and we only need to trust Him. She also believes that I still have the call to inspire others to live for God wherever they are. I struggle to continue to hold on to my belief in a God of mission, and the conviction that I am on mission with Him regardless of my state of health.
Over time, I began to accept and appreciate these pains and challenges as instruments of God to bring me into further obedience and a deeper relationship with Him. Such is an important aspect of this journey of “mission with God.” It is not only about mission mobilization but also about growing deeper in Him.
God wants me to be so desperate for His ways, due to my complete inability anymore to do anything, yet deeply desire for my life to shine for Him (Matt 5:8), so much so that I come before Him and seek His ways fervently.
By God’s grace, today I have much accepted the situation and my state as a specially designed work of God for my spiritual pilgrimage with Him. I am learning to allow His grace to be sufficient for me (2 Cor 12:9). I realise that it is up to me to allow or prevent His grace to be sufficient for me. And only in so allowing that, I have come to experience what it is to have His strength made perfect in my weakness.
I now take one day at a time: Each day is taken with a specific intention in mind–not directionless and random–and the direction is still the same— “God is on mission and I am on mission with Him.”
Ken is launching his podcast on the ETI Graduates’ Forum on Facebook. Join the group to access the podcast and interact with other graduates of Empowered to Influence.