Realism

Been hearing certain words pop up, and being bandied around.
Words like optimism, pessimistic, fatalistic, too idealistic....

And it just caused me to think and to reflect,
these sit down times, or times when something just HITS...
these are valuable times for me
they remind me that we see things in part,
and alot of the times, we catch just a little of what is happening
Without pausing to reflect, such moments can just pass us by.
And the learning we could have gleaned from them...
gone in a flash. I don't want that...

Optimism & Pessimism
Seems that everyone is talking about the extremes,
but have we missed the point in doing that?

God in the bible, describes Himself as "I AM"
And that has been on my mind...
Even as He is Alpha & Omega,
the beginning & the End...
He is still the everpresent God with us..."I AM"
How wonderful is that!!

If we are optimistic to a fault, we might live in fairytale land,
Pessimistic to a fault, then we live in gloom all the while...
I think the middle ground, the balance between both
...Realism, being Realistic, being REAL...
that is what we are truly missing nowadays.

We need to bravely reflect on the past,
hope expectantly for the future,
and live COMPLETELY in the Present.

Nothing in my world takes place by accident,
everything is part of a larger plan,
totally, completely...
shaped by the Master's Hand

=)

Funny how we are sometimes...

There is no success without sacrifice.

If you succeed without sacrifice,
it is because someone has suffered before you.

If you sacrifice without success,
it is because someone will succeed after.

Adoniram Judson

There is something unmistakable in God's Truth, Thank You Lord.

I struggle sometimes...
Needing to know that there are fruits after a long labour.
Wanting to sit back to enjoy after long bouts of stress & work.
Worrying like a parent, anxious over how their kids will turn out.
There are times of insecurity that hit, like...what does the future hold?
Other times of seeing the ugliness and unbelief that arises in situations.

Who has no such struggles? No one, i dare to venture.

We all long for, desire, care for the things that are on our hearts.
And there i think is where i'm part of the problem. Thinking that i know better, thinking that what i want is what God wants. When there are so many "I's" involved, it should ring a loud alarm within, of the chaos and insanity inside that is trying to grab and grasp what it can.

How can i try to grasp at straws when the one who can, is the one who flung the stars out into the sky? Is it better to leave it in His hands or take it in mine?

Been carrying a picture of bliss in my head & heart these days.
One where i'm a child, cheerily walking along the beach, Dad by my side...and when i'm tired, stretching out my arms and there...letting Dad pick me up and carry me along. Falling asleep there knowing that i'm safe in His embrace, and that He will not drop me.

But sometimes, i see that i'm a willful brat...struggling to get out of His arms, wanting to feel the sand under my feet...thinking that dashing into the surf would be fun and that Dad is depriving me of it by carrying me. I only find out how wrong I am when i get tossed aside by the unfeeling waves...ending up choking, sputtering out sand and crying out for Dad's comforting presence.

It is always that...can we trust in His heart & His Hands unfailingly?
It is hard, but the more barriers we tear down, the more we demolish those thoughts that set itself up against God, the more able we will be...to rest in that Loving embrace that He gives.

and THAT is what i desire. =)

Love Song from the nameless man Interrupted

When ours are interrupted, His are not. His plans are proceeding exactly as scheduled, moving us always (including those minutes or hours or years which seem most useless or wasted or unendurable) "toward the goal of true maturity" (Rom 12:2 JBP). ~ Elisabeth Elliot~

I thank God for the encounters this week, so many unplanned meetings, the surprises, the sharings, the heart-to-heart talks...so many divine moments...gosh...just how do you explain them apart from God? It was somehow a really tough week still, and maybe that is what the week in Vietnam was to prepare me for.

If you never try you never know...the Goodness of God, the Lightness of His Yoke, the way God desires to be I AM...not I Was, Or I'm Coming...But I AM. The ever present, always REAL, deeply intimate desire that is always within.


There will always be disappointments, doing the RIGHT thing may not be the easiest or the most enjoyable thing, but doing it...just cuz it is RIGHT, that is reward in itself. Do it...the feelings will follow, the Joy inexplicable, the lightness in yr feet, the smile that radiates out of nothing.

What am I gonna say, when You make me feel this way?

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." 2 Cor 1:3-5

WOW! This is beautiful!

Lanjut

I'm finally back from the rest breaks...=)
Glad and ready to plunge back into what i love!

Church Camp at Lanjut was like a refresh break, a time that redeemed an earlier, more painful camp. The lessons learnt thru the scamble of being a last minute worship leader, the divine encounters with God. The amount of last min help rendered, even from back home (to prepare my chinese powerpoints, thank you!). All...very humbling, and very demonstrative of the Love of God, shown thru the hands of men! Thank you all, and thank You Lord.

Even though i didn't get to go for the morning beach runs i wanted, the Lord had something better planned! =) The first morning i awoke to the disappointment of an overcast sky and an invisible sunrise. The 2nd day, i almost didn't want to wake, but i'm glad i did! Walked to the beach when it was just grey and dreary, and as i sat there contemplating on the sand, my eyes were drawn to a specific post in the prayer labyrinth, one which spoke to me tremendously...the one about how a source of immense pain, can be healed, coated over lovingly, painstakingly, by the fluids (reminded me of tears...), the intense effort of the one being hurt, and of course, who can fathom the invisible hand of God at work? And there...a pearl is formed.

Patience, Perseverance, Trust in God.

Felt intensely contemplative as I moved from that prayer station...and the next one, woah...that was the one that was God speaking to me, as only He can! =) I was singing the songs, worshipping with the worship set for the closing session in my head, thinking about "The Wondrous Cross", then "I Pray"...and i noticed that at this specific prayer station, the sentence did not seem complete...like the sand that was stabilising the base was obscuring the last line. So i used my finger to push the sand aside...and the last line just brought me to tears...all i needed to hear, all that my heart was longing for, addressed in just one line...as only He can do.

Looking up, seeing the sunrise just breaking through...just filled my heart with ardent Love!

You are indescribably amazing God!

Patience, Perseverance, Trust in God.

FINISHERS!

Yeah! My beautiful racetag! =) I think it is absolutely the "cheo-est" that i've ever seen! Personalised to boot! Woo! =D

The race was great! Everything i would have wanted it to be! =) Great run, great companionship, lots of laughs, when the 3 of us are together, even the whining is hilarious! We chatted lots, prayed on the run, cut and weaved, grabbed bottles of water, & my mistake was to grab the concentrated 100PLUS! HAHAHA! I'm sure the rest of the runners were pretty amused by our crazy dialogues! Musta felt abit like the Mr Brown Show Live! =D

Running past Camelot was a boost for me! hahahah! I started disturbing Don & Ah Seng..."Ah Seng OEI?", "Don OEI!!" & it was truly hilarious when Ah Seng grunted his response! HAHA!

The worst part was probably the pedestrian bridges, everyone slowed and walked, bridges ought not to be part of a marathon course, they really kill the knees!

I enjoyed the last 4km...dropped into this zone where i just kept moving and cycling my legs almost on autopilot! That was cool! My race almost ended about 200m from the end, i landed wrongly cuz i kicked a speed hump, and had to slow a lil! But thank God my legs took it well!

In the end, we achieved what we wanted! =) Starting and ending our first marathon together! I can't wait for our marathon finisher photos! We crossed the finishing line together, arms locked! Literally brothers-in-arms! =)

And oh! Thanksgiving! We prayed for good weather, that it will not rain as we run, and the amazing thing was that the moment we crossed the finishing line, the first drops of rain landed! It was pretty surreal tasting the finish, in the floodlights as you see rain coming down! Felt like a triumphant movie ending! HAHAHAH! So drama!

Finished my fitness goal for the year, in advance!
Thank You Lord!