The following is a story how unfaithfulness, no matter how small and how momentary provide the devil with a window of opportunity and erected a wall between Christians and God.
There are two male tigers in my family. When the little tiger was born, a fortune teller advise my grandmother that he had to be given away because his zodiac clashed with the father's. The fortune teller said that he would be in direct opposition with the father, he would disrupt the harmony, and he would bring heartache to the family. What the fortune teller predicted came through. The junior tiger never got along with the senior tiger. He was always the source of discord in the family. Finally, 5 years ago, he brought heartache to the whole family. And true enough, five years with him in exile, far away from the family, harmony and good fortune returned.
Those who remembered the fortune teller would say, "It's fulfilled." However, as an insider, I see how it is actually the work of the evil one. My parents, who profess to be Christians, consciously or unconsciously, have lingering belief in the fortune teller. This lingering belief, which is a grave offense in the eyes of God, provides a window for the devil to do its work. How so? Outwardly, my parents did not act on the advice and 'give away*' junior tiger but this lingering belief caused them to adopt parenting strategies they believed would counter the prophecy.
To make a long story short, because of this lingering belief, my mother was overly protective of junior tiger at the expense of disapproval from the senior tiger. While the senior tiger looked at junior as someone he needed to tame and put under control. Differences in parenting style became the source of acrimony. This pattern of inconsistent and disparate parenting style confused junior and resulted in maladaptive behaviors. The pattern of protectiveness on the mother's side and the need to subdue on the father's side continued even when junior became an adult.
The Chinese zodiac system is such a part of Chinese culture that it's hard to avoid not hearing prophecy concerning them especially when you have relatives or friends who are not believers. It is inevitable that we will hear snippets of common beliefs or specific forecast. It's too simplistic to say that we no longer belief in that with our mouths. What is in the deep recesses of our hearts? It is common truth that what we say with our mouths often is not what's in our hearts. In fact, we often say things that we don't belief just to give us false assurance or to deceive ourselves. What are we to do?
Several years ago, at the turn of the year of the rooster, my mother bought me a golden figurine of a rooster standing on a pile of coins. She said I was entering a critical year especially since I just bought a property (Two months earlier, after one year of praying and searching, my husband and I just closed on the a major property investment). I told my mother that I will accept the rooster out of respect not out of belief. But what was hidden deep in my heart? During the weeks and months that follows, every time I looked at the rooster, I recalled what my mother said. Then I began to wonder what if it was a mistake to make that property investment. At one point, the rooster figurine, actually provided me with a sense of protection almost like having insurance coverage. It's very very faint, nevertheless I knew it's there. Without delay, I got down on my knees and asked God to forgive me for that lapse, and to reveal and destroy any traces of unfaithfulness still hidden in me. The rooster is still sitting in my cabinet. It now serves as a constant reminder of how easily culture and tradition sway me and interfere in my walk with the Lord.
*Many family does this by having another family member "adopt" not legally but only customarily. Usually, the child will call the adopted relatives "mother & father" but call the biological parents "aunt & uncle" but the child will continue to live with the biological family.
