There Are No Accidents!

What’s going on everyone, my name is Philemon (Phil) Tsang and currently, I am in my second year of chiropractic college. I’m currently serving in a children’s ministry and high school ministry at NTCAC and prior to this year, I had served at Teen’s Conference for 6 years (1 year as a captain, 4 years on the REC team and 1 year as a coach).

The focus of my sharing today will really be a mix of a lot of things but I think that’s an integral part of things because with God in your life, you never just have a single part of your life that is influenced. But to begin with, we go back to my Grade 8/9 years when I was still living in Edmonton. I was born and raised in a Christian family but throughout my younger years, I found myself in a position where my faith was just by association and I didn’t really live it out. I prided myself in my abilities and academic success and spent a lot of time and effort trying to fit in with all the popular groups at school. When you dedicate so much of your time pursuing things like that, inevitably, there are other things that suffer from the lack and in this case, it was my walk with God and my faith hit a complete stand-still.

In the summer of Grade 8, everything changed when I went to this Christian summer camp that included kids from age 14 to those in university. Through that camp, I saw how there were all these older brothers and sisters in the faith that were dealing with so many different challenges in life and yet, their faith was alive, vibrant and joyous. I found myself wondering why I, as a ‘lifelong’ Christian, was not experiencing the same joy, excitement and passion around my faith. I rededicated myself to God and my faith that summer and suddenly everything was falling into place. I still managed to find success in academics and athletics but added on top of that was my new found passion to pursue a relationship with God.

Then all of a sudden, my family decided that we would be moving back to Toronto (we had lived there before living in Edmonton) after the conclusion of my Grade 9 year. It felt as though the floor had just dropped out from under me and everything was freefall. I will admit that I was angry at God for a long time. How could He take me away from somewhere that I was thriving? I wrestled with that for a long time into my Grade 10 year but in the process, I was able to reconnect with the church friends I had known during my first stay in Toronto. Suddenly, going to church and fellowship didn’t seem like so much of a burden and I began taking my faith even more seriously, culminating in my baptism in the winter of Grade 11.

I will admit that I was angry at God for a long time. How could He take me away from somewhere that I was thriving?

It was also in Grade 11 when I attended Teen’s Conference (TC) for the first time and my life was again changed. I had spent pretty much the entirety of my life growing up in conservative chinese churches so the environment at TC was a massive culture shock in the best possible way. I got to see people worshipping God in the most beautiful ways. I was swept up into the musical worship in particular and it became firmly cemented as a part of my life.

In the 6 years following that, I served at the conference in varying capacities because I realized that if I had encountered God like that, then others certainly would as well and I wanted to give back and be an instrument through which God would be able to work and reach into other lives. Every year of serving brought its own challenges to overcome but every year was also unique in how I encountered God through the conference and the lessons I learned from it.

I realized that if I had encountered God like that, then others certainly would as well and I wanted to give back and be an instrument through which God would be able to work and reach into other lives.

When I started my undergraduate degree at McMaster, I knew that my faith would be what I made it to be, especially since there would be no one to drag me to church on the days that I didn’t want to go. In the process of looking for a church in first year, my friends told me about this church called LIFT and I was immediately drawn in by the musical worship (as you would expect). Coming in every Sunday and having a similar worship experience as what I had experienced at TC became an anchoring point in my journey that first year. At some point, LIFT announced that they would be expanding to 2 services and that they would need additional volunteers/help to run the programs. I auditioned for the worship team, made it and served on the team for the remainder of my undergrad career.

There are no accidents. At this point, you’re probably wondering why I chose this as the title. Simply put, reflecting on my life so far has shown me that everything happens for a reason. I was initially angry and frustrated with God for pulling me out of a place where I thought I was thriving but had I stayed there, I likely would not have rediscovered my love of music, musical worship, I certainly would not have been able to attend and serve at TC. Right before I moved back to Toronto, I had decided to quit piano since I had been forced into lessons like many other asian children BUT when I came back, I rediscovered my love for music under a Christian music teacher in high school. Without this, I definitely would not have been able to serve at LIFT and I would suddenly be missing a huge portion of my life. All this to say, I would not be the person that I am today if God had allowed me to follow the plans that I had laid for myself in my limited view. I thought I had everything figured out... but God had bigger and better plans for my life beyond what I could’ve even imagined at the time.

I thought I had everything figured out... but God had bigger and better plans for my life beyond what I could’ve even imagined at the time.

Where does this leave me now? Well nobody expected the pandemic to be around for as long as it has but to me, it's just another new environment for me to grow into. I’ve learned to look for and take the opportunities that I have been given because there is no such thing as a coincidence, so how am I going to make the most of what God has put before me every day? How can I develop the things that God has entrusted to me in this season? Will I be ready to use these gifts to serve Him and further His kingdom when I am called to again?

I can’t tell you when the pandemic will be over but I can tell you that God has the best in mind for you and while it may not seem like it at the time, everything happens for a reason so look for the lessons God is trying to teach you and grow! There are no accidents.