Written by Annabelle Yau
Dear you,
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2026!
I hope that 2025 has treated you well. Like all years, it likely brought both joys and challenges – moments of growth and learning. My prayer is that 2025 has prepared you for who you need to be in 2026, both to the people around you and to our family of God.
I’m writing to invite you to serve together as I lead the Ladies Ministry this year. In 2026, we’re making some exciting changes to the Home Fellowships, Ladies Fellowships and the Communications Ministry. What this means for us is more opportunities to serve – through leading, hosting, teaching (whether in skill or by example), writing in the “Her Voice” column of the bulletin, and many other ways.
If you’re thinking “that’s not my talent”,
I encourage you to try something new this year! The 2026 theme is “Growing in the Grace & Knowledge” (2 Peter 3:18), and is a great opportunity for you to try something you have never done before. If you are used to hosting or encouraging others through texts, try writing an article, or inviting someone out whom you have never had a meal with. My invitation to you is to do it even if it’s out of your comfort zone! Moses didn’t feel qualified, prepared or fit for the role, yet God called him and said that He will qualify him (teach him what to say, Exodus 4:12), prepare him (allow him to perform miracles, Exodus 4:2-9), and help him be fit (send Aaron to assist, Exodus 4:14-16). We can only grow by doing, not by waiting until we feel “ready enough”.
If you’re thinking “someone else would do it better”,
that’s the same way Moses was thinking, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.” or the ESV version says it more clearly “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” (Exodus 4:13). However, I urge you to consider Paul’s exhortation in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31.-He starts of by almost criticising the Corinthians, saying, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” (1 Corinthians 1:26). However, he encourages the Corinthians saying,
But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; (1 Corinthians 1:27)
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).
God chooses the weak and foolish to shame the strong and wise, so that the glory goes to God instead of one’s individual capability. Great examples like David, Ehud, and Gideon were not the strongest, yet their grand battles are remembered because they trusted God.
It is not about our ability but our availability. God doesn’t call only the qualified; He qualifies those He calls. As long as one is willing, God will equip them. (Hebrews 13:20-21).
If you feel that your cup is full,
I can completely empathise. I often feel like I’m in more seasons of Martha (being busy with serving) and not enough seasons of Mary (abiding with Jesus). Many of us are juggling work, family and personal commitments. Something that I’ve learnt from Zelda Quek’s lesson on “Balancing Homemaking, Career and Technology” at the 2025 Four Seas Lectureship is recognising that balancing commitments is not putting equal weight to everything. Rather, proper balance is recognising that some things require more weight (time, effort, resources) than others.
I invite you to examine your heart and ensure that you’re placing the right things first (Matthew 6:33, Matthew 6:19-21). Perhaps your “too much” is a sign you need to share the load – bring someone alongside you to mentor and multiply the ministry. Jethro (Moses’s father-in-law), very rightly said, “Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.” (Exodus 18:18) He then advised Moses to appoint worthy men to be judges for Israel, supporting him so he could lead the Israelites well.
My hope is that:
- If an opportunity arises, volunteer yourself (even if you’ve never done it before)
- If someone asks you to do something, you would say yes (even if you feel that someone else can do it better)
- If you find an area where you can serve, you would offer yourself to do it, or do it anyway even if no one asked (even if you need to delegate our existing work to someone else to do)
Let us remember Moses’ example, and challenge ourselves to grow in the grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18) this year. We can do this! So let’s do it together! I’m excited to see how God will work through each of us.