"Where have you been?"

I've been everywhere.

I was in Penang on Dec 26, 2004 when the waves came in. They were no ordinary waves, though. We all know the story by now. We've viewed the videos, we've seen the pictures, we've read the news. If anything at all, it was a very loud wake up call. Disaster and pain are respecters for none. No matter what color, creed, or conviction we are, we all go through difficulties in life. We may escape it now, it'll get us later. Tomorrow is not a guarantee. It may come, or we may go. Someone said this to me, "Dream like you'll live forever... live like you'll die today." If, somehow, we are to know when we will die... we would live life very differently. It changes our whole perspective. For those of us who have been spared by the mercy of God, and are kept alive... we've only got one life to live--how are we going to live it?

Wrote a song quite some time ago, performed it twice or thrice, but never recorded it or knew when to. But as I write right now, it's in the midst of being mixed and mastered to be included in a compilation album initiated by Oops Asia (find out more about the album from the website or the forum). It's called The Sun Will Shine Again. Below are the lyrics and a write up about the inspiration for the song...


THE SUN WILL SHINE AGAIN
Words & Music by Andy Yeoh
Arranged by Nick Lee & Altered Frequency

Woke up this morning only to find
That your problems did not go away
It makes you wonder if they ever will
Or if they’re here to stay

Then the tears start streaming down your face
Just like the rain in your storm
But a Hand reaches and wipes them away
Says it won’t be long
Don’t worry, trust in Me, I can see

The sun will shine again
The sun will shine again
The sun will shine again
The sun will shine again
You can smile again

The next time you think you can’t make it
Road’s too long, you’re getting too weak
Storm’s getting darker, can’t see your way
Can’t find the escape you seek

Many years ago, I saw a vision in my time of prayer. I saw dark storm clouds covering the sky, and any light from the sun had been covered up by the mighty clouds, like a huge blanket over a lamp. The mood was dark and depressing. I remember feeling a sense of hopelessness and uncertainty. Then I began to reflect on the situations in my life and I identified with the picture I just saw. Every now and then, we go through storms in life. We go through situations where we feel helpless, confused, and our tomorrows are filled with so much uncertainty it chokes the life out of us. It would seem like all light has gone, because the storm has come with its clouds and rain, and the sun has been made to hide its once consuming and life-giving rays.

Then in my vision I began to see, after a while, it stopped raining, and the dark clouds beginning to part. And as they parted, the sky became brighter and brighter. Rays of light began to penetrate the clouds. Before long, the majestic sun came out in full glory, and illuminated the atmosphere. Light has returned. Hope… is alive!

I began to think about life and how we sometimes go through tough situations—like a storm that comes and floods your life with difficulties and problems. But although the storms are real and the pains are real, I realized the storm doesn’t last always. Even the darkest of storms will pass. The rain will stop. The flood will subside. The clouds will part. The storm will end. And the sun will shine again.

There is hope. There is always hope if we believe. And just because the clouds have come, doesn’t mean the sun has gone. It’s still there. The sun still shines. We just don’t see it because the clouds have blinded us. But we must know that it’s still there. It’s just a matter of time before we see the storm with its clouds give way. And the sun shines on our lives again.

That was inspiration for this song. I wrote it to remind myself, the precious people who will listen to it, to never give up in a tough situation, because there is always hope, and there is strength if we know where to find it. I found it not just

in the sun, but even more so in the One who made it.