Open About My Faith

I had a very interesting conversation with the Mr. Azmi, the Section Manager for Process Engineering. He came towards my cubicle as I was reading Acts 14-15.

"Acts?" he scratched his face.
"Are you a Christian?" he asked.
"Yes, I am." I answered.
"Which denomination are you? Catholic, Protestant,..." he asked again.
"Protestant." I answered.

Our conversation soon brought us into religion and life that lasted for more than half and hour. He began to tell me that he had visited a Presbyterian Church before while he was in the states studying. The place that he was studying at, which was Texas was known to have a religious community. His university itself had in its compound 7 churches. I stared in him in amazement. Besides that, he even has a bible at home. I was even more amazed.

Our conversation from religion soon turn about life. I began asking him of his experience as an engineer as I wanted to know more of what I will be going into in the future. It seems like money has been an issue for people to work. We work so we could have the money to have roof over our heads and food on the table. At times, we get so absorb in our work that we forget the most important thing in life. Life was more than that. He shared to me about his working life and how he decided to leave his high paying job in Motorola to return to his kampung in Kelantan where he work for GM Motors who a lesser wage. He had receive many counter offers but decided to return so as to be closer to his parents. It was hard to visit his parents one every year. He did not want to feel the regret of not making the effort of visiting them more often after they passaway. After working for so long, he knew that life was more than just work and I was priviledge to hear his life story.

It did not occur to me that I could have a conversation with him at all after entering PSS. The first impression I received was unfriendly as he would not smile or grin whenever I passed him. Now, I actually enjoy having a conversation with him. It was never about work but more of a heart to heart, man to man conversation. I have come to respect a man like him as he is always seeking for knowledge and ready to learn, most of the time self thought. He knows about web designing, web programming and programming such as C++, Java and Perl. He shared to me about how he manage to come up with a simulation for his previous company that uses Laplace Transform and Fourier Series. I was like...WOW! Besides, he would be taking his final semester papers for MBA from Open University Malaysia (OUM) next week.

From this conversation. I came to realise many things. I did not feel afraid to acknowledge myself as a Christian. Reading the bible in office had open many doors of sharing about my faith. The bible had become my friend and kept my thoughts at bay. I realise also that many people are open to the Word. The question is wherether we are ready to provide an answer or share our faith when the oppurtunity arises. Oppurtunity come and go all the time. Am I ready to seize if for Him?