Time Of Affliction

“Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 23:27-28)

This was how the children of Israel prepared themselves for one of the most important Jewish festivals – the Day of Atonement. It was a time to afflict their souls. Or may I add, for emphasis, deliberately afflict their souls. And those who does not afflict their souls “shall be cut off from his people” (Leviticus 23:29). This was how seriously the Jews pursued their spirituality, old school style.

Old school style, yes. But still, it was an important discipline to point towards a very important concept in salvation. The Day of Atonement is a shadow of the total and complete atonement that came in Christ. A time of affliction of the soul was crucial to make the children of Israel face the reality of sin in their lives. The seriousness of sin has to be realized before the significance of the Day of Atonement can be fully understood and appreciated. Without a period of afflicting the soul, the weightiness of sin will not be realized, and the Day of Atonement will not mean a thing. Much worse, Christ’s atonement for our sins would be too foreign a concept to be accepted, if it was not introduced in progressive revelation.

The pursuit of spirituality was never an easy task. Doing it old school teaches us the best spiritual lessons. The same parallel can be drawn in the pursuit of physical perfection. Doing it old school brings out the best results.

I just came back from National Conference and my CF’s Exco Planning & Retreat, back to back. After more than 2 weeks of physical inactivity, I suddenly learnt that the final selection for the Rescue 2006 World Championships will be on the 17th and 18th this month! That is just 8 days away! How in the world am I going to get into top condition in such a short span of time? There's only one way to do that. Old school style.

I was ranked Malaysia’s no. 1 in pool events in national level competitions. For 2 consecutive years, I was the gold medalist for 2 events. Also, as a Seiko Award Winner in my contributions in lifesaving to the country, I should already be given a place in the national team bound for Australia for Rescue 2006. Being top-ranked in national competitions but getting kicked out in an internal selection process would be the pits!

For 4 long years, I have been trying to set foot on the land down under. Year after year, it didn’t work out. Rescue 2006 will be my last chance to get there. I thought my place was secured, based on the results of my performances. But now, my ticket to kangaroo land is in limbo.

This is a time to be sober. This is a time to afflict my flesh. Old school style. Lest I get cut off from my people.