David Ang
Let the Children Come to Me
Each of them was making their way back to their rooms, and as I looked at them, I started to tear. These children at the boarding school were going back to rooms where their parents would not be waiting. We had just closed a session at the boarding hall. It pained my heart as I put myself in their shoes. No child deserves to have their greatest support absent from his life. Feeling that pain inside of me, I know that Father God has given me the gift of a heart for these foreign students. Jesus Himself has a special heart for the children and these children are dwellers in the kingdom of God. In Matthew 19:14, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Every child is precious. Every life has a God-given purpose to live for.
Focus on the Aligning and Let God Do the Assigning
God draws me to what draws Him when my heart aligns with Him. He draws me to the children. I found myself awakened to His heart for the many children who do not have that critical family support in their lives. As a father to two teenagers and one young adult, I saw how essential it was to journey with my children during their growing up years. Many foreign students studying in Singapore do not have their parents to journey with them.
As Father God puts in my heart His love for them, I know that He has assigned me to be His conduit of love to these ones. My heart begins to overflow with the desire to care for what He cares for. Life is not only about us or our families, it is about what Father God cares for. In response to the love God has placed in my heart for these children, I have decided to embark on a service platform which would provide professional, nurturing and life-building guardianship to the group of foreign students staying in Singapore.
One of the boys whom I journeyed with left a deep impression at his hall admission. He had come in emotionally troubled after his parents’ divorce. He kept largely to himself and built many walls around him, making him a rather difficult person to get along with. Together with the care and support of my team, I befriended him. Trust began to build over meals when I allowed him to talk and I listened. Just by listening, I learnt so much about his life, his history and his background. Gradually, he sensed my unconditional acceptance of him so he was willing to engage in deeper conversations and sharing of hearts. As an executive director, I had also taken the liberty to share with him some parts of my life. That built even more trust and goodwill into the relationship and this mentoring relationship became a joy for both of us. He has subsequently subsumed student leadership positions in the hall and served in coaching outside the hall. Informally, he also acted many times as a big brother to other younger hostelers. He had done well for his stage of studies and had moved on to the next stage of life. Being a mentor has not just added to the lives of my mentee but very much to me as a mentor too.
I was in a senior corporate position before and upon reflection, I saw that the first distinctive difference after receiving this kingdom assignment to be a father to these foreign students was how the condition and orientation of my heart have turned. I move on my kingdom assignments out of a relationship of love with Father God. I marvel at how much God has tuned my heart to align with His. And as I align, I consciously keep tuning in my heart with the Father, as opposed to listening to the voices of the world before. Kingdom assignments begin with a kingdom-oriented heart which I believe would lead to a kingdom outcome.
God Determines the Kingdom Outcome
Because the assignment comes from Him, God – not me – is responsible for the kingdom outcome. I work on my alignment with Him and as a kingdom warrior, I plough and fight on in my kingdom assignment and the King determines the outcome. Freed from the need to determine the outcome of this kingdom assignment, I work from a posture of rest. There is no need to prove how good we are and there is nothing to lose. As we trust in Father God and let Him use us as His channel of love, we enjoy that deep inner sense of peace. We will quickly discover that no amount of corporate, work, and financial successes comes close to fulfilling the assignment Father God has for each one of us.
Dear Archippus…
We thank God for fathers like David whom He has called to be a spiritual father to many. As a biological father, David received God’s father heart, and this in turn translated into a compassion leading to his kingdom assignment to father the foreign students.
Are you a father? Begin to see your fatherhood as your kingdom assignment, and your immediate area of operation, your home. Start where you are and bring kingdom influence into your home. Ps Henson writes in Alignment Check, “Often, we think we are waiting for God, when He is actually waiting for us. That little step of obedience opens new doors into kingdom assignments beyond your wildest imagination.”
About David Ang
David is blessedly married to Amy for 24 years, humbled to be the father of Emmanuel, Isaac and Gracia. He just turned 50 years old in the year 2018. Playing a father’s role to his own children and others brings great joy to David. Having spent many years in various corporate settings, he is now focused on sharing the wonders of the Father’s love and being a father, biologically and spiritually, to many. David plays an active role in championing the sanctity of marriage, family and godly fatherhood.