LOOKing BACK, MOVING FORWARD

It's the END already???!!!!!!!! You must be kidding me! The year end so fast! 
My months passed so fast. MY DAYS have gone and passed!

In the midst of our busyness, often time we forget to pause and think what had we done for the year. We are just living in the motion. My friends, before we run ahead of ourselves heading for a new year, hoping for things to be better than this year, let's take a step back to look at this year.

In the year 2012

What had been the most life-giving to you?

What had been the most not life-giving to you?

What is the name you would like to give?

Maybe the year had been a good year for some, while some had gone through difficult times. Despite the ups and downs, the lessons behind it all are far most important.

My year had been a year of learning and reshaping of my mindset. It has stretched me to the extent I never thought I can. That had been the most life-giving to me. While, I do have my moments that I caught myself being too tired leading to being short-tempered and wanted to do so much but only getting little done. It's not life-giving to me or to people around me. The name for 2012 is STRETCHING by my PATIENT FATHER.

Look back, my friends and close this year, for yourself. 

I loved playing visual games (though I may not be good at it, but I enjoyed it). When I was playing Angry Bird Star Wars, the birds moves forward to launch with a mission to kill the piggies in white. Jaws Revenge, moves forward to chomp what's in front. Subway Surfer, to just run forward getting away from the inspector with a goal to collect as many gold coins as possible. All the games played have the same motif:

Moving FORWARD

We all move forward. The days that had come and gone will never ever be lived the SAME. The experience gained were all left as memories and lessons of life. Moving forward brings hope and looking forward on what is in store for us. It is said in Proverbs 6:2, men without vision will perish. 

Making new resolutions for the coming year is important. It sets you to go out to do what you have put as goals. So, as you end your year by looking back, spent some time to also make resolutions for yourself. It may be just being healthy, or sleep early, or even giving your full attention to another person for as long as 3 mins? :) It's the simple things that matters.

Making resolutions are important as keeping to it!

(that's a whole new chapter to it)

Look back and learn

Be simple and moving forward

31st December

The year comes to an END on the 31st Dec, when the clock struck 12. By one minute passing after that, it's the entry of another year. Before I step into the new year, I want to close this year for myself. I asked myself this,

How would I want to end my year, with God or with my friends? Why?

Typical answer of a Christian would be, definitely with God. I could celebrate the new year later with my friends. Having been brought up in a Christian home, going to church on the new year eve is a norm. We have been practicing this every year, why stop now? Have we lost the sense of closing the year and starting the year with God? Just because it's a normal thing for a Christian to do, every Christian should do it. Have we forgotten the reason behind it all? 

I pondered upon the question. I questioned God. Then, I asked few of my friends the same question. One thing that stood out of their answer is 'What is NECESSARY for you?'

God is not a DICTATOR. He doesn't FORCE you to do something. For example, He had not written in His Word that every believer should go to church on new year eve. He didn't write, You, my child, MUST start the year with Me. Rather, He had given us a choice. A choice to do what we think is necessary for us. He would love it, if we would choose to be with Him on new year eve. He would love it, if you have spent the day with your loved ones. 

I remembered my last new year eve. I went to church, with a heart to end and begin my year with God. I remembered a conversation I had. This person asked, 'Eh, why are you not out celebrating the NEW YEAR with your friends?' (It sounded as if like I don't have a life and Church was my last option to go to countdown.) I smiled and said I wanted to end and begin my year with God. 

This year, again my mind was puzzled again. My options are going out with friends and going to church. I realized it was necessary for me to spent time with my friends and also to go to a service in church. Why is this necessary for me? One, I want to really spent quality time with my friends. Second, I want to end and start my year with a community of believers and my LORD. 

It's VITAL to learn the meaning of our actions. The meaning of it all gives us hope.

Now, my question to you: 

How would you WANT to spent your 31st Dec: the end and beginning?

The greatest Gift

Christmas is a time where giving and receiving wholeheartedly. Every corner I looked, I see another person who is more willing to show love in actions. In other words, many are more willing to Love Out Loud (LOL). Yes, we who are called as followers of Christ ought to show love and good will year round. Yet, the greatest gift for Christmas is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is not born on the 25^th Dec, historically. Even in the Bible, it is not written the specific date. However, the important message is that Jesus Christ was born to Earth.

It all began with God.

It is because of Him, we have the festivity called Christmas. It is because of His love, He chose it to do it this, so that we are redeem to have a relationship with Him.

Gifts are really a special thing. I give because I love, not because I’m obliged to. Being brought up in a Christian home, I was taught that every Christmas I would need to prepare gifts for my loved ones. Never wondering or thinking the reason behind it. As the years went by, I learned that gifts are really a special thing. I was taught to express my love through giving reciprocating my Father’s love for us. Addition to that, I celebrate Christmas in remembrance of my Abba Father who chose to draw me near to Him this way, also reminded He is indeed with me!

John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

This is the glory of God. He is all powerful and mighty to create this world. It is through him, ALL THINGS were created.

John 1:10-13

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to be children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

But, He chose to take the first step.  He came to the world He had created every bits of it. He was with his own people, yet they did not recognize him. He continues his journey looking out for the ones who had received him and believed him, giving them the right to be children of God.

John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us: God is with us.

Because of God, I am able to be call a Child of God.

Because of God, I am able to call him Abba Father.

Because of God, I can have an intimate relationship with Him.

Because of God, I know He is with me.

This Christmas, I wish you Immanuel

Choice is a Limitation

Is choice really a limitation? One of my friend said, "A choice is a liberation."

We grow up choosing all the time. My nephew at the age of four had already learnt to choose. He chooses to wear his favorite pair of shoes. He chooses the type and colors of clothes he likes. He chooses things that he favors. Even before that age, we were all bombarded with choices, regardless whether you remember it clearly. We are all given the FREEDOM to choose according to our desires. What a priviledge! What a beautiful gift!

 

Choices are God-given. He loves us, that is the reason why He had granted us choices in life. To have the ability to choose is the ability to love as well. A child grows up making the choice whether to love his/her parents. There’s no rule in the world that state that a growing child MUST love his/her parents. It is because of the choice given, we were able to love.

But, you see a choice is a limitation as well. When you make a choice, you accept the limitation of that choice. To accept the limitation requires maturity. The child has not yet learned that it can have everything. What it sees it wants. What it does not get it screams for. It has to grow up to realize that saying Yes to happiness often means saying No to yourself.

To choose to do this is to choose not to do a thousand things.

A story of a lady who had embarks into the man’s world: Betty Greene, one of the founders of the Missionary Aviation Fellowship. She had flown all types of plane except a jet. She even ferried bombers to World War II, and she didn’t look like a pilot, according to many. Often, she would land in some foreign airfield the authorities were nonplussed to see a woman step out of the plane. “Do you fly these planes alone?” she was often asked. But long ago Betty had made up her mind that if she was going to make her way in a man’s world she had to be a lady. She would have to compete with men in being a pilot, but she would not compete with men in being a man. She refused to try in any way to act like a man.

She chose to be a pilot, but that does not mean she chose to be a man. She chose to be a lady. She knew very well the limitation of being a pilot and also being a lady in a man’s world.

It’s the same as we go about our choices in life. To choose your course of study is to say no to all the courses which may interest you. To choose to work in this area (eg. with people) is to say no to other type works. To choose to follow God is to say no to my own ways. To choose to believe Him is to trust only in His commandments He had given.

Every choice has its own limitation. In that limitation, there’s liberation and serenity.

To do this is not to do. 

To be this is not to be that.

Indeed, a choice is a limitation.

-Elisabeth Elliot-

Woman, do you know who you are?

In order to learn to be a woman, we must start with the One who made her.

With today’s edge of technology and information, many people have been given the opportunity to study – till the extent of gaining a degree or master cert. With the abundance of knowledge, there’s also ideology that calls for equality. Often time we hear that there must be EQUALITY between man and woman. Around the world, women are fighting for EQUALITY standards. Women wanted to be treated the SAME as men. Do 

we really understand the implication of this?

We are designed differently from men. Our physical, psychology and mental faculty are all wired differently. Had we forgotten to embrace ourselves as women rather than just an individual?

To me is a wonderful thing to be a woman under God – to know, first of all, that we were made (“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”) and then we were made for something (“The rib which the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.”) –Elisabeth Elliot-

This was the original idea. This is what woman was for.

Woman, you and I are called to be WOMAN. I totally agree with this statement: The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact I am a Christian does make me a different kind of woman. For I have accepted God’s idea of me, and my whole life is an offering back to Him of all that I am and all He wants me to be.

For the Christian woman, whether she is married or single, there is the call to serve. (Well, you may disagree with me). God created us, that we have a need to serve others, provide tenderness and compassion at all times. This is no TRAP by God. It’s the opposite actually. He had summoned us to live life to the only and true freedom. However, woman defines her liberation as doing what she wants, or not doing what she doesn’t want, is, in the first place, evading responsibility. Evasion of responsibility is the mark of immaturity.

It was God who made man to be a man, while a woman to be a woman. There’s no answer to the question ‘God, why? Why like that?’ He had created both male and female uniquely. The male to call forth, to lead, initiate and to rule, and the female to respond, follow, adapt and submit. Even if we held to the different theory of origin, the physical structure of the female would tell us that woman was made to receive, to bear, to be acted upon, to complement and to nourish.

Being in a family with three courageous women had proved what had been said. Their love for their family speaks out through actions. These women did not became the woman who is always there serving others, providing tenderness and compassion at all times, they went through tough times and learned to embrace to be a woman. Observing them showed me I have long way to go still. There’s still much to learn. It gives me joy to find peace to embrace who I am and whose I am. J

Elisabeth wrote, every normal woman is equipped to be a mother. But, not every woman in the world is destined to make use of the physical equipment but surely motherhood, in a deeper sense, is the essence of womanhood. The body of every normal woman prepares itself repeatedly to receive and to bear. Motherhood requires self-giving, sacrifice, suffering. Womanhood is a call. It is a vocation to which we respond under God, glad if it means the literal bearing of children, thankful as well for all that it means in a much wider sense, that in which every woman, married or single, fruitful or barren, may participate – the unconditional response exemplified for all time in Mary the virgin, and the willingness to enter into suffering, to receive, to carry, to give life, to nurture and to care for others. The strength to answer this call is given us as we look up toward the Love that first, most literally, imagined sexuality, that made us at the very beginning real men and real women. As we conform to that Love’s demands we shall become more humble, more dependent – on Him and on one another – even (dare I say it?) more splendid.

May you be blessed with the discovery of who you are.