Day 24: Florence Li Tim-Oi - “Tossing Away Status”
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
Introduction
One’s status doesn’t mean much. It’s safe to assume that we agree with that statement. Before God, who can proudly stand and boast of who they are or what they have done? However, we often secretly hope that our efforts will be admired. When we serve, more than we’d like to admit, there tends to be a hidden inclination for ourselves and our efforts to be admired.
Florence Li Tim-Oi is an example of serving with the right heart. Without the need for recognition, she ministered to the sick and poor and pastored the isolated. She didn’t care about her status or title. It ultimately didn’t matter for the sake of others.
Tossing Away Status
Li Tim-Oi simply served whoever was in front of her. She understood ministry as obedience to Christ. For her, this meant visiting refugees and tending to the sick in Macau during the Second Sino-Japanese War. She brought comfort and prayer to families who lost everything. Although her work was largely hidden and quiet, that never mattered to her.
She was even ordained as an Anglican priest so that the congregation there could receive communion, as no minister could travel to Macau due to wartime restrictions. But that too was not for selfish ambition. It was about caring for those who needed spiritual nourishment.
After the war, however, her ordination came to light and became controversial— there wasn’t much approval due to poor communications during the war, and most Anglican churches traditionally only ordained males. But instead of fighting for recognition, Li Tim-Oi voluntarily surrendered her license to avoid division in the church. For the sake of unity, she set aside her status once again. She didn’t need human approval; she simply wanted to serve God and His people.
Reflection
Receiving thanks and gratitude is obviously not wrong; serving solely for admiration is. We ought to serve with no ulterior motive, and instead, purely for the sake of others and for God’s glory. Like Florence Li Tim-Oi, may we give ourselves to God and serve without caring about recognition. The approval we need is from God. Though we may kneel before him in humbleness, he will say to his servants, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21).