Pie Buddy: David Lee
Topic: Born blind
My third bakery run was at the well-known 24 hour bakery on
the Parade. This is one of three all-day all-night bakeries that Adelaide has
to offer – it’s comforting to realise that the bakers of our city are aware
that the urge for a pie is something that just can’t wait. David, my guest for
today, was born in Malaysia and moved to Adelaide to study music, which he
graduated from in 2010. What makes his story so extraordinary is that he has
been blind from birth. Disabled people have pretty much no prospects of
employment in Malaysia, so David applied to get into university in Australia,
knowing that this was his only chance to live what he felt was a meaningful
life. Even though he graduated, he has still endured a frustrating three years
since then, unable to find regular work in his field, and constantly being
uncertain of how long he will be able to reside in Australia. He currently
supports himself by collecting money, but is establishing his own business as a
piano teacher, and hopes to take on students this year. He has had a difficult
time jumping through hoops to get permission with the government to set up this
employment. I first met David at Evangelical Students (a university Christian
group) while he was studying, and have continually been moved at the way he has
handled difficulties in his life. I hope his story is equally impacting on all
who read this.
Anyway, let’s talk about the bakery first, because it’s
definitely worth mentioning. Exemplary would be a suitable word. My pepper
steak pie was amazing, my donut likewise. Every time I have a pie here, it
tastes so good that I struggle to resist going a second one, even though just
one is filling enough. As usual, David orders a pie floater, which he ploughs
through like a man possessed (and with surprising neatness for someone who
can’t see). He backs it up with a decent sized vanilla slice. With all our food
coming in at under $20, I feel as though a good investment has been made. The
guy behind the counter is extremely polite, and brings us each a glass of water
after we sit down. The range of food cannot be faulted, and there is lots of
comfortable indoor and outdoor seating. We grab a table inside and the
conversation begins. I am fascinated to hear David’s unique perspective of being
a Christian having lived his whole life blind – how has it impacted his faith,
and has he ever questioned why this happened to him? We begin his story right
from the beginning.
“My parents weren’t Christians when I was born. They started
going to church about a year later,” David says.
“Was it because of your disability that they started going
to church?” I asked.
“Yes. People with disabilities aren’t accepted in Malaysia,
and so they wanted healing for me. When that didn’t work, they tried to get me
to have operations, but nothing worked. Later they stopped going to church, but
still said they were Christian. They’ve been back at church for the past couple
of years now.”
“What was it that made them go back?”
“When I graduated from university, they realised that maybe
having a disability wasn’t too bad, and so they decided to go back. But they
still have a few things they need to improve on in their faith. Asians can be
very stubborn!”
I was blown away to hear this. Although their motives
weren’t entirely God-focussed, it was David’s blindness that led to his parents
going along to church and hearing God’s word. And in some way, David’s success
at university had prompted them to return to church. God had used these
extremely difficult circumstances to show that entire family their dependence
on him.
“How did you become a Christian?” I asked David.
“People lent me cassettes of the New Testament, which I
found was very good. I joined a church in Malaysia, became a Christian after
High School and got baptised. I was a Christian when I came to Australia.”
But things have been difficult for David since finishing
university. “For the last three years I’ve had a low-paying job, I lived in a
very small house, and I wondered: Why do things happen this way? And I’ve
constantly been threatened by the government that I might be sent away from
Australia, which would mean that it would be impossible to find work. There are
many times when I’ve thought that there is no place for me on this earth. Last
Christmas wasn’t too bad, but the two Christmases before that I thought that
the best Christmas present would be if I didn’t wake up the next morning.”
As you can imagine, that was quite difficult for me to hear.
There was no doubt that David has a lot riding on his next employment venture
going well. “You said that you wonder why things happen this way,” I responded.
“Can you see God working through this?”
“Definitely,” David replied. “God has brought me through
some bad times.”
“Is there comfort for you in knowing that God is in
control?”
“Definitely. I have a lot of doubts about the future –
whether I will have enough work, whether I will get to stay in the country. If
I can stay in Australia, I will have no reason to think that there’s no place
for me in this world.”
“So a lot of these things are out of your control then?”
“Yes, probably 80% of these problems are out of my control.”
This was a humbling realisation for me. In my life, I am
completely dependent on God to pull me out of difficult circumstances and keep
me focussed on him. David is the same. The only difference is, he is constantly
aware of his dependence on God, because he has less ability to depend on
himself than I do. “Do you think this realisation of your own dependence is a
blessing?” I ask.
“Yes,” he replies. “But sometimes it can be a pain. It means
I’m dependent on other people as well, and they aren’t always reliable.”
I decide to ask about how David’s circumstances have
affected his faith. “What are your feelings towards God? I guess a lot of
people would struggle to see how a loving God could make someone blind. What
are your thoughts?”
“I’ve never questioned God’s love,” David replies. “He’s not
bad, he’s the Creator, he gives us many good things, like sunshine and rain.
I’ve always loved God. As long as I’m getting the basics that I need, I’m
happy.”
As I heard those words, it dawned on me just how greedy I
can be for worldly pleasures and riches, when I already have the greatest
treasure I could ever dream of – a relationship with God and forgiveness of
sins through Jesus. In contrast, David’s attitude is a much greater reflection
of the contentment in Christ that Paul talks about in his letter to the
Philippians:
I have learned to be
content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know
what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any
and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in
want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:11-13)
God doesn’t promise to shower Christians with every possible
gift and blessing in this lifetime. He intends to provide us with what we
require to bring him honour and glory, that we might share in his infinite
riches in the life to come. It’s something we all constantly need to remind
ourselves.
“This has made me
more patient,” David says of his disability. “It has helped me to develop anger
management, and to trust God more. Also, I look back at coming to Australia as
being a huge blessing.” He then tells of how hard it was for him to come over –
he had to face great opposition from his family, who felt that a disabled
person shouldn’t be educated.
Although David says he has never been angry at God, that is
not to say he has never been angry in his life. He expresses disgust at people
who believe that having a sufficiently strong faith will bring him healing from
his blindness. Such a belief is a complete misunderstanding of the promises God
has made to his people. “I’m angry at other people, who say that I should ask
God to heal me. They don’t think properly. Why do they think God will heal me?
Disabled people have done tremendous things.” He is also angry at those who
take advantage of disabled people, whether by stealing from them or paying them
minimal wages for their work.
I head home with a full tummy and plenty of food for
thought. How can you hear a testimony like that and not be completely ashamed
at your own attitudes? How many times have I questioned God’s will over totally
insignificant things? And meanwhile David, who has endured a seemingly endless
string of difficulties from the day he was born, has never been angry at God,
or questioned his will. In fact, the only things David seems to be angered
about are things that dishonour God – things that as a Christian we are right
to be angry about. Every time I catch up with David, I am greatly encouraged
and challenged. My prayer for today is that David’s perspective on God’s love
and his blindness would be one that challenges and encourages everyone who
hears it.
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