Today I got another biandong for 45NT$.  As I was eating my chicken thigh and picking out the bits of meat stuck in the joints, a random thought occured to me: If we were to witness the animal slaughtered, actually witness it lose its life for our gain, then perhaps, we would be less wasteful with food.

Nowadays, we don’t kill our own chickens anymore. My grandma used to chop off the head, drain the blood, and plucked its feathers and such. But times have changed. We go to the supermarket and buy it from the meat section, or order a ten piece from KFC. Being so removed from chicken deaths, when we mindlessly down another drumstick, it’s quite easy to forget that it once was part of something living, breathing, and … gobbling. It’s only when we’re reminded of that fact, that we appreciate it more. This is the value of life. And this reminds me of so many tangential ideas: Christ’s sacrifice, abortion…. Such is the power of chicken talk.

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“…casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Pet 5:7)

This is a popular verse encouraging us to pray and entrust everything to God. Every burden that weighs on our minds, every ailment that eats at us, every setback that frustrates us–we ought to cast all of those upon God–”for He cares for you.” Our high and almighty God can also be so small and so low so as to listen to our problems and concerns. He understands and cares.

We can also gain a deeper appreciation for this verse when we look into the context of this exhortation. Peter speaks a lot about submission in his first epistle: citizens ought to submit to governments (1 Pet 2:13-17), servants ought submit to masters (1 Pet 2:18-25), wives ought to submit to husbands (1 Pet 3:1-6), and youths ought to submit to elders (1 Pet 5:5). Apostle Peter not only stresses the importance of submission, but also the different circumstances of who ought to submit to whom. Submission then isn’t weakness, but a precious sight in the eyes of God (cf 1 Pet 3:4).

With the final pairing–for youths to submit to elders–Peter encourages youths to then “cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Pet 5:7). It is with this notion that this popular verse was written. Apostle Peter understands how tough it can be!

Indeed, among the many attributes we need to cultivate as servants of God, one of the hardest to learn is how to be submissive. As youth, in some circumstances, we may not fully understand why our elders do things the way they do. We may not agree with their thinking, with their decisions, or with their methods. We sometimes think we have better and fresher ideas to prosper the Holy work. So sometimes, our ideas and thinking may clash with the older generation of believers. But it is at this time, that we as youths need to learn the discipline of submission and yielding. If there still remains anguish and frustration in our hearts, then we quietly bring those cares and worries before God, “for He cares for you.” Rather than fiercely insisting on our opinions or campaigning for the merits of our thought pattern, God desires that we learn a heart of obedience and submission. Perhaps, indeed we may have a better idea, that was prayerfully derived, but have we considered maybe it just isn’t God’s timing yet?

It is learning to humbly yield to our elders that we show that we also submit to God and respect the authority the Holy Spirit has given to them. It is in submitting to those that can be seen that demonstrates that we indeed also submit to God who cannot be seen. Of course in matters of errors in doctrine and salvation, we should not submit, just like we shouldn’t heed any laws that conflict with our faith. However in matters of style and method, we can all learn to have a little more of the heart of Christ, to submit to God and to one another, for it was in humility, submission, and obedience that Christ was–and we shall be–ultimately exalted (cf Phil 2:3-11, 1 Pet 5:6, Eph 5:21). Until then, let us cast all our cares upon Him, for He cares for you.

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