Earth Hour With God

Are you going to turn off your lights and electrical appliances for one hour from 8.30pm to 9.30pm on 28 March?

The TV channel NTV7 has been urging Malaysians to go green on that day to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change.

Are you going to light candles? Then you are still going to burn unnecessary energy.

Going to bed during that hour? Then you are going to wake up earlier the next morning, and switch on lights earlier to start your day. Then you will spend what you will have saved the previous night.

What am I going to do then? Honestly, I might not even have a chance to support the event this coming weekend, because I will be back to Batu Pahat and nobody in my house will be bothered to save electricity by not switching on lights, especially at night.

But I made a beautiful mistake by devoting an hour on earth to my Heavenly Father a week earlier...

Last Saturday I was invited by my former colleague Saratha to her house who was celebrating her Baha'i New Year. While I was driving back, I suddenly remembered the earth hour but I thought it was on that day. I looked at my watch. I could still make it if I wanted to. But, what was I going to do in the dark?

An idea flashed into my mind. I would take this occasion to speak to God who created the lights (Genesis 1:14) and who turns my darkness into light (Psalm 18:28).

When I reached home, it was around 8.20pm. I took my time to settle all my things before switching off all the lights in the living room and my bedroom. It was slightly over half past eight. Finally, I sat quietly next to my bed near the window where the street lights and probably moonlight were still shining.

For the first time, I thanked God for the earth where I was living, for Malaysia where I was born, grew up, and was living now and for my country leaders. Then I also included my family members, my friends, my colleagues, my students, my church, my house, my job, my missions, etc in my prayer.

I was no longer wearing my watch, so I could not see the time. When a message tone was ringing from my mobile phone that I had forgotten to switch off, only did I realize that it was already 9.40pm.

I checked the inbox. The short message was from an unknown source.

"Life so boring? You wish to be happy & enjoy life? Type ON JOY to 32100."

It really made me smile, especially one hour after I had talked to my loving heavenly Father who had been making my life exciting. My joy in Jesus Christ is constant even when my mobile phone has neither battery nor credit.

I am going to spend more and more earth hours with God. Anybody joining me?