Art of Giving

Today, we try to find consistency in this world by finding good friends that we can trust and rely on. We may find some that will be there for us most of the time, but never always. Friends, no matter how close and reliable, are like the seasons. You can always go to them in times of spring and summer. Possibly autumn. But when they are in their winter, you will need to step up and be there for them.

What happens when both of you are in your winters? Then you can only rely on God. He is our rock and fortress (Ps. 18:2, 62:2) and because He is our rock and fortress in which we take refuge, we will not be shaken. For only in Him, is our constant in our life. While all things may change around us, we can count on Him to stay the same.

Today's chinese new years. Happy Chinese new year! As tradition goes, I got my red envelopes from my family. Funny thing about giving. The amount that I received from my family members were the same amount that I gave to each of them. No monetary gains in the end, but it's the thought of giving that counts. Family <3

On another thought, YAF kickoff fellowship was fun this weekend. Thank God for the blessed brothers and sisters' in Christ

Complaints

I would definitely say I'm a complainer. Why? Aside from all the obvious reasons as to one would complain, I would also complain for the sake of complaining. If I were to stop, it would mean that my life is perfect. Completely smooth. Everything that is happening is satisfactory. That can't be right. Nothing is ever that perfect. That's why I complain.

I guess you can say I'm ungrateful. Perhaps you can call me selfish. I want what other's have. Only if it's better than what I possess at the moment. Gosh, I'm a jerk.

I don't even know why this thought has been in my mind recently. Maybe to figure out when it is okay to complain. There must be times when it is okay. Think about it.

This is where I should learn how to be complacent. Funny - I always warned myself of complacency (in regards to spiritual life, chores, life!).

I went skiing and snowboarding this weekend. This person thought I was under eighteen there. 18! I must be boyishly handsome. jk! My entire body is really sore. But it was fun. Bonding + fellowship = awesome.

Lesson learned: I'm a weak sauce.

Beauty of the Snow

It was really gloomy when I woke up. The sky was gray, sun wasn't out, and it wasn't even 7 yet, but snowing. Boo to waking up to early. When I left the house this morning for work, I kept looking around, mesmerized by the snow around me. I love it when it snows. I love it even more when it's dry snow. Especially when the wind blows it and scatters it all over the place.

God's creation is really beautiful. It is all around us but we are so used to it that we're taking everything for granted...as did the Israelites when they were in the desert for 40 years. They were accustomed to the manna that was provided for them. The pillar of fire by night and pillar of cloud by day.

Look around us. We're becoming like the Israelites more and more. We need to appreciate the wonderful creation around us. Everything is good. Of course it's good. Everything is created by God - our Father. This is MY Father's world. He only provides the best for us. My Father's world...

Then reality hit and I realized I needed to shovel the snow off the car and warm up the car so I wouldn't be late for work.

Friendship

As I was sitting in my room making a friendship bracelet, I started remembering all the friends and acquaintances that I've made in the past. How we said we would always be good friends and would always be there for each other no matter what happened. Halfway through making the bracelet (for those of you that knows me, I'm REALLY bad at mixing and matching colors), I couldn't help but notice how ugly the bracelet was. It really was ugly. I digress.

I have to admit, I'm not really good at keeping in touch (so the friends that I have at the present time; I cherish you). So it's partly my fault for losing contact with old friends. I'm also not that humble, so I'll have to say it's partly their fault for not keeping in touch with me as well (: But I digress again. Honestly, it takes a lot of effort to keep in touch. You need to go out of your way and exert energy and effort to stay in touch. I guess that's how it is with our spiritual life also. We know we need to stay close to God, no matter where we are, but we do not want to go out of our comfort zone and exert energy and effort. We would rather watch television, go online, play games, chat with friends, etc. rather than to kneel down for merely 20 minutes to pray to God, spend a few minutes to read the Bible, and to stay cultivated.

No matter how hard we try to please our friends, it will only be temporary. Things will never last, no matter how good of a friend you are to each other. But when you try to please God, He will remember for ages to come. He will remember and reciprocate. He is the only constant thing in life. We all know that. So pursue what matters.

I need to learn how to mix and match colors better. Definitely.

Darkness of the Night

Last night, as I laid down on my bed before going to sleep, I couldn't help but notice how dark my room was. There were no night lights, curtains were closed, nor were there any light seeping in from under the doorway. Soon after I laid down, my eyes adjusted and I was accustomed to the darkness that surrounded me. Abruptly, the moon light beamed through the cracks from the curtains onto my eyes. I couldn't help but squint and shift away from the light, as would anyone else in that situation when trying to rest.

From that experience, it dawned to me how quickly we adjust to the darkness around us. When we walk into a room that is completely dark, it will take us no more than a minute or two for us to adjust. Once we've adjusted, we can move around freely as if we were in the dark. But when the lights suddenly turn on, we will be blinded by its brightness and freeze in order to readjust our eyes.

Similarly, in our spiritual life, we will also get used to the darkness that is in this world. No matter the situation, we will always be surrounded by the darkness. Even after returning from spiritual convocations, seminars, or any church cultivations, we will have to face the darkness in this world. Once in darkness, if we do not keep a pure and holy life (praying daily, reading the bible, keeping God's commandments), we will become used to the darkness around us and think of it as a norm. We must not forget, we "are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God" and he has called us "out of darkness into this wonderful light" (1 Pet 2:9). Therefore, we must keep a close watch of ourselves and not be consumed by the darkness. Once we're consumed, we will not know what we are doing, spiritually speaking, since the darkness will have blinded us by then (cc. 1 Jn 2:11).

If you find yourself living in the dark, it is not too late to back out. Just turn away and draw yourself back to God. It will not be easy, but it is not impossible. When we turn back to God, we may feel ashamed and it may feel uncomfortable, since we are used to our old life style. But know that that is the right path. And while things may feel peculiar when we've turned back, it is only because we have been in the darkness for far too long and when we approach God, there is no darkness in Him (1 Jn 1:5).

Stop waiting! Don't become complacent in the cold of the dark and draw into the warmth of the light!

Happy Birthday grandma minus 7 days

Went with the family to New York today to celebrate my grandma's birthday. She turned 80. Wow. It never really hit me how old she's become. Actually, how old all of us are becoming. The last time I recalled life passing by so quickly was high school graduation. I was probably a little dramatic then, thinking things will never be the same afterwards. We're all leaving to different states for different colleges, how could things stay the same? But it wasn't so bad. I guess things aren't that much different from before but life is still changing too quickly. I wish things were as they were back in childhood. Not completely the same, since over the past few years, friendships have been strengthened, new friends were made, memories were created.

We're always afraid of changes, but they don't turn out to be so bad after all.

God of Oxymoron - Peace

Many times, the Bible seems to be contradicting itself - or at least, from our finite perspective. For now, peace.

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (Jn 16:33)

How is it possible for us to have peace in tribulation?

Often, we confuse ourselves thinking that peace is associated with smooth and happiness. When tribulations or difficult situations arises, we are discouraged and disheartened. We think that as Christians, as children of God, He would make things better. He would grant us peace so we can sail through the storm in ease. We tend to forget that having peace does not mean that things will always go smoothly (unless if it's peace on earth).

Peace as the Bible would tell us is:

1) Peace with God (Rm 5:1, Eph 2:14-17)
Work of Christ into which the individual enters by faith

2) Peace from God (Rm 1:7, 1 Cor 1:3)
Emphasize the source of all true peace

3) Peace of God (Phil 4:7)
Inward peace, state of the soul of the Christian who, having entered into peace with God, has committed all his anxieties to God through prayer and thanksgiving.

4) Peace of/on earth
Universal peace on the earth

A lot of times, we do not have peace in tribulation because we long for the peace of this earth. We forget that the source of true peace is from God and only from Him. No matter the circumstances, as long as we keep a pure relationship with our Lord, our Father, then no matter the ditch that we're in, we will be calm. In our anger, we can keep our composure and still be christian-like. From our actions, others can see that we are different and we have the peace of God, from God, with God.

Start of Something New

For a while, I've been contemplating on whether I should start blogging or not. With this post, the answer's been decided.

It has been a while since I've typed or written down any of my thoughts hence I haven't the faintest clue as to where to begin. Seeing a new year has just begun, I've been reflecting more about the past year - especially the change I've noticed in myself. It's not the first time I've changed, but this year, I realized why I've changed.

In our walks of life, we tend to meet different people who plays a role in your life. Whether great or small, they'll leave a mark. Once in a while, we tend to meet someone who will inspire us in different ways that will encourage us to change ourselves. To change to become better. I have met a handful last year that have had that affect on me. They have that affect not because they are perfect or flawless in their attitude, deeds, personality, and so forth. But rather, they stimulate me to become a better person by their own actions and mindset. They are already a good human beings but they push themselves to become better. They go above and beyond expectations set by men so they can please God. From that, they have inspired me to become better as well. I'm not sure if that makes sense or not...

Anyway, last week, we had a Spiritual Convocation for college/working youths. During the seminar, I've experienced two prayers where I was moved to tears. One: when my friend (who was and still is a truthseeker) received the Holy Spirit by the grace of God. I did not find out the good news until one prayer, when he was next to me, that I heard him praying in tongue. During that prayer, I started to cry. Cried to God because of His unfailing love. His love which compelled my friend to come to church. To attend the convocation. To be able to sit and listen to class after class from this book he knew nothing about. To be able to pray countless minutes all the while interceding for others whom he did not know at the same time not even knowing the meaning of interceding. To experience the joy of Holy Spirit, of prayer, and fellowship among brothers and sisters in Christ.

This was a feeling new to me. In my sixteen years of Christian faith, I did not know such a feeling existed. What a joy it was to know that a wandering soul has been brought back to God. That a sheep outside the fold is back in the pen and the chance of salvation is within reach!

Two: during a prayer during dessert, I started praying for the youths of the church. I can't help notice how they are wandering farther and farther away from God. I cried because I knew they were jeopardizing their faith to fit in with the world. As it was stated from another reflection, "In this world, equality is synonymous with justice, fairness, and the 'rights' of individuals. We expect that as a member of society, each of us is entitled to the same opportunities and the same privileges as any other. When we are deprived of equality, we often feel cheated out of something that is rightfully ours." I feel as if the youths of the younger generation feel the same way. They know they have to be different, but pressure from their peers is skewing their mindset and tempting them to change. They want to fit in...but just with the wrong group. All one can do is pray and be there for them when needed.

...I just want to become a better person than the day before, with God's help.