Larutan Tepu

Larutan tepu. Heard of it before? Maybe only if you're a product of the Sains in Bahasa teaching system.

In English, it means saturated liquid. In normal English, it means a liquid that has had so much dissolved into it till it cannot absorb anything else. If you were to continually stir salt into a cup of water, eventually it would become so saturated that new salt just would not dissolve in it. The water can no longer absorb any new salt particles.

During mission trip meeting last week, it dawned on me how easily we saturate our lives sometimes. We surround ourselves with endless activities, commitments, plans, gadgets and media, carelessly allowing them to eat up more and more of our time, till eventually we become tepu. In such a state, we are no longer able to absorb any more from God and His blessings. It is not that God's presence has decreased, but that our hearts and minds can no longer receive.

We need to take good care of ourselves. Life in the city naturally inclines us towards taking in more and more. It is not natural to live in simplicity - it takes a conscious decision and continuous effort.

My friend, I pray that you do not end up as a larutan tepu from the world's impurities. God has so much more goodness to stir into you.