THANK GOD, my heart is at peace

Allow me to share with you my personal experiences where I faced 3 requests I received for irregular payments. Two of which had to do with my work as an accountant and one of a personal nature.

The first encounter took place in 1996, about 5 years after I qualified as an accountant. I recalled

 I was frightened of the risks and consequences of checking  bills and signing off the payments. There were nights where I stared blankly at the ceiling wall wondering what to do. I was afraid that I would be disqualified from the accountancy association for unethical conduct. 

The second encounter happened three years ago when I led a finance department over a regional area. I was aware of some similar practices taking place in some foreign subsidiaries but my hands were clean as I was not directly involved. Then, when faced with a similar situation back in my Head office in KL, I prayed and received God’s help. My prayer was that I would not say the wrong things to my colleagues.  I had asked myself whether I was doing it due to my own so-called self-righteousness or I wanted to emulate God’s holiness.  My heart and my mind were very clear.  Despite the pressure, ridicule and ‘cold shoulder’ treatment from seniors and peers, I stood for God. 

The incident was deliberated and negotiated by the Operations and with third parties. Ten days went by before the request reached me. It meant that the customer would face delay in receiving the goods. I   remembered my request to God that I will speak what is right and keep my peace. I observed that there was collaboration within the office to get the payment through to avoid further customs penalty and customer dissatisfaction. Furthermore, my immediate superior was not in Malaysia then. The country manager stormed into my office and asked that I kept my spiritual stance as a personal matter and not to let it interfere with my corporate job. 

My subordinate then tried very hard to get the payment signed. I could not keep my peace anymore and I said to her “When you do not have God, it does not mean I do not have God.” That was enough to release the peace I needed from Him after ten days of pressure and  soul-torturing sessions. I felt that it did not matter to me if the goods get stuck longer in the customs and more penalties needed to be paid.   Having voiced my stance, the delay did not hurt me anymore. I had  experienced God’s peace. 

The last was my run into trouble with the local authorities—it took me four weeks to realize that they were hinting for illegal payments.  I had personally decided to drop the matter and forgo the deposit at hand—to take the easy way out.  Somehow when I broached on the issue with the Lord, He told me to face up to the matter.  I kept myself still before God and decided to follow His instructions regardless of the outcome.

Putting my trust in Him, I turned up at the local authority office one Monday morning to meet with the officer in-charge.  I was calm and did not react to the officer’s accusation nor justify myself to his immediate superior.  I walked out of the office one and a half hour later with the matter resolved.  

Thinking back, I know God was in control in this third encounter because: 

1) The same officer did not retaliate. Upon his immediate superior’s advice, he processed the report which he had delayed for four weeks from the last visit he made to check on my house. In the past four weeks, he actually advised me against visiting his office to follow up with him. He made excuses and dodged me, giving insensible responses and finally hints for irregular payments. 

2) His immediate superior who volunteered his help was very approachable and helpful as he reasoned that it should have been done properly. I did not ask to see him when I reached the office. I was also careful to speak wisely. 

3) I was at peace even though I had to wait for one and a half hour for the processing of paper work. I had asked myself why I was so cool over the matter?  I believed God had taken over the matter Himself when I obeyed Him rather than to trust my own instincts in avoiding the whole issue altogether. 

The experience in the second encounter showed to me that God is real when He released His peace which I needed so much after 10 days of pressure. This third encounter convinced me that God had made the way when I obeyed Him. 

Chin Yoke Cum