Monday, February 28, 2005
Update
I'm listening to 'Come What May' now such a lovely song...yes yes, it's all over!! We-ell...actually terms sorta ended for me last Weds but oh well it has officially ended today...Art went very well!! Yay, I think this is one of those times when I know this is not me but the Lord at work lah...cuz really...I've never been so happy with a piece of work done under the constraints of examination time:) So im very very happy!!
Had a nice bonding session with the Sops and the one lone tenor, *grinz*. LL i think u shd juz convert to become a girl...haha...but of course despite the short breather and break tt comes after the terms...it's not the end yet. I still have some stuff to do...like reading EMPIRE...oh shucks. Then there is still more Art and E1...but i shd learn to let tmr worry for itself...
So what's new?? Hehheh, the fact tt im a year older!! Haha M-18 movies here i come...haha(but they dun really check lah) ok im really being crappy. This is cuz i realise tt most of my entries are so serious tt i feel quite, not sad juz a little low after reading em, plus i feel happy today. So this one will be perky and high-energy:D
Oh oh, we painted nails today:) couldn't settle for a movie so we juz lazed around and talked.
Lovely lovely. Hmmm...today wuz o-levels result release...hope the juniors did ok. Urgh, i remember tt day vaguely...but i noe i wuz really disappointed...but oh well i did try my best, so cheers. Anywayz...im really tired so yupz, goodnight:)
Had a nice bonding session with the Sops and the one lone tenor, *grinz*. LL i think u shd juz convert to become a girl...haha...but of course despite the short breather and break tt comes after the terms...it's not the end yet. I still have some stuff to do...like reading EMPIRE...oh shucks. Then there is still more Art and E1...but i shd learn to let tmr worry for itself...
So what's new?? Hehheh, the fact tt im a year older!! Haha M-18 movies here i come...haha(but they dun really check lah) ok im really being crappy. This is cuz i realise tt most of my entries are so serious tt i feel quite, not sad juz a little low after reading em, plus i feel happy today. So this one will be perky and high-energy:D
Oh oh, we painted nails today:) couldn't settle for a movie so we juz lazed around and talked.
Lovely lovely. Hmmm...today wuz o-levels result release...hope the juniors did ok. Urgh, i remember tt day vaguely...but i noe i wuz really disappointed...but oh well i did try my best, so cheers. Anywayz...im really tired so yupz, goodnight:)
// posted by grace @ 10:02 PM
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Political beings
Politics really seems to exist everywhere and anywhere we human beings exist in. Is it some sort of manifestation of our humaneness to bring politics where ever we go? I don't like it much...yet i feel tt i am involved in such dealings to a certain extent. Even within families! Politics exist! How can it be? The sacrosanct unit of society, turning into such a deceit...where people are constantly backstabbing one another. Pls leave me out of this mess. I would rather we never come into contact then to witness such a grand array of disagreeability amongst everyone. The mask tt everybody wears makes me juz want to lower my intellect to abt 5 notches down and pretend to not know what is going on so tt nobody will ask me to pick sides and analyse the situation. I hope this will not repeat itself in future generations and in mine. For I really dislike such feelings of deceit, when people are juz pretenders and you know the duality tt exist within them even if you do not see it now.
*sigh* nowadays...i see things from a diff light. Recalling such events really brings so much annoyance...I shall juz forgive and forget...Indeed this world is not where I belong. Don't know why I took so long to realise this. I wuz made to go to somewhere greater then all these, a place where I can finally experience true joy:) I'm glad tt I can learn to take things in my stride and focus on Him. Goodness knows how much more relief one can find in Him. Really, more of the Lord and less of me. Why do I keep forgetting tt eh? For everything tt one's pride doth yearns for is but transient. Everything is transient, except the Lord who is the one everlasting God. So isn't it more wise to invest in eternity than to chase after transiency? Yet I'm glad for having the life the Lord has given to me as He has promised, He has a plan of good not of evil, plans to give you a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11.
I have one more thought left to expound on...*sigh* indeed even friendships can be transient. To see a person falling and slipping away not only from his friends but from God as well...is really terrible. I feel the need to help yet, the matter could worsen with my input...and honestly I want nothing to do with it. If he is so blinded and deluded then what more can anyone do, besides I'm really quite disgusted at the change I see. Oh Lord help me to love the unlovely. I pray for a breakthrough and wisdom to deal with everything tt life throws at me:)
P.S I really thank God for trials, seriously, they DO help one grow stronger. :)
*sigh* nowadays...i see things from a diff light. Recalling such events really brings so much annoyance...I shall juz forgive and forget...Indeed this world is not where I belong. Don't know why I took so long to realise this. I wuz made to go to somewhere greater then all these, a place where I can finally experience true joy:) I'm glad tt I can learn to take things in my stride and focus on Him. Goodness knows how much more relief one can find in Him. Really, more of the Lord and less of me. Why do I keep forgetting tt eh? For everything tt one's pride doth yearns for is but transient. Everything is transient, except the Lord who is the one everlasting God. So isn't it more wise to invest in eternity than to chase after transiency? Yet I'm glad for having the life the Lord has given to me as He has promised, He has a plan of good not of evil, plans to give you a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11.
I have one more thought left to expound on...*sigh* indeed even friendships can be transient. To see a person falling and slipping away not only from his friends but from God as well...is really terrible. I feel the need to help yet, the matter could worsen with my input...and honestly I want nothing to do with it. If he is so blinded and deluded then what more can anyone do, besides I'm really quite disgusted at the change I see. Oh Lord help me to love the unlovely. I pray for a breakthrough and wisdom to deal with everything tt life throws at me:)
P.S I really thank God for trials, seriously, they DO help one grow stronger. :)
// posted by grace @ 10:59 AM
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Roses are Red
*Sigh* a sudden need for catharsis has led me to type. I don't know where it will lead to but oh wellz...i shall juz let my thoughts run but will try to keep it short...
Sometimes blogging can be quite hard...the feeling of having anybody reading this leaves me vulnerable. But there is so much to say...mayb it's true tt people do wear masks when they blog...so what you see is not what you get. Sigh...subtlety is the key. I always did like the beauty of subtlety, it allows for the simplicity of the matter to really get to you.
I really miss the past...nostalgia again. All the moments tho insignificant to others, they meant the world to me. The lovely smile, the scent that is like the freshly fallen rain on the glorious earth...sigh when you are in love only goodness is reflected and everything else juz fades away to annonymity...
How beautiful it is...to experience such emotions. I am so thoroughly amazed tt somebody on this Earth can make me feel this way.
But sigh...how can I feel positive abt the outcome? Haven't I hoped and imagine a happy ending for too long? I haven't grown tired of waiting and hoping because it seems to have been ingrown in me to keep pining for something to happen. I think hope is such an important factor in our lives. As human-beings, how can we live without hope...
Roses are red indeed, my fave flowers...the passion it doth holds represents what I have to give.
Sometimes blogging can be quite hard...the feeling of having anybody reading this leaves me vulnerable. But there is so much to say...mayb it's true tt people do wear masks when they blog...so what you see is not what you get. Sigh...subtlety is the key. I always did like the beauty of subtlety, it allows for the simplicity of the matter to really get to you.
I really miss the past...nostalgia again. All the moments tho insignificant to others, they meant the world to me. The lovely smile, the scent that is like the freshly fallen rain on the glorious earth...sigh when you are in love only goodness is reflected and everything else juz fades away to annonymity...
How beautiful it is...to experience such emotions. I am so thoroughly amazed tt somebody on this Earth can make me feel this way.
But sigh...how can I feel positive abt the outcome? Haven't I hoped and imagine a happy ending for too long? I haven't grown tired of waiting and hoping because it seems to have been ingrown in me to keep pining for something to happen. I think hope is such an important factor in our lives. As human-beings, how can we live without hope...
Roses are red indeed, my fave flowers...the passion it doth holds represents what I have to give.
// posted by grace @ 11:07 PM
The Definition of Love
"Are You God?"
One cold evening during the holiday season, a little boy about six or seven was standing out in front of a store window. The little child had no shoes and his clothes were mere rags. A young woman passing by saw the little boy and could read the longing in his pale blue eyes. She took the child by the hadn and led him into the store. There she bought him some new shoes and a complete suit of warm clothing.
They came back outside into the street and the woman said to the child, "Now you can go home and have a very happy holiday."
The little boy looked up at her and asked, "Are you God, Ma'am?"
She smiled down at him and replied, "No son, I'm just one of His children."
he little boy then said, "I knew you had to be some relation."
From Chicken Soup for the Women's Soul by Dan Clark
*****
This is juz one of the inspiring stories tt really caught my attention. It's short but my, does it hit you right in the face. Indeed we are related to God so we ought to reflect a little of His light in our lives. Another story I wld really like to share is this:
It was finally here-- Anna's wedding day, the day she had dreamed about and planned for months. The small, picturesque church was crowded with friends and family.
Sunlight pired through the stained-glass windows, and the gentle music of a string quartet filled the air. Anna walked down the aisle toward David. Joy surged within her. This was the moment for which she had waited so long. He gently took her hand, and they turned toward the alter.
But as the mininster began to lead Anna and David through their vows, the unthinkable happened. A girl stood up in the middle of the congregation, walked quietly to the alter, and took David's other hand. Another girl approached and stood next to the first, followed by another. Soon, a chain of siz girls stood by him as he repeated his vows to Anna.
Anna felt her lip begin to quiver as tears welled up in her eyes, "Is this some kind of joke?" She whispered to David.
"I'm...I'm sorry, Anna," he said, staring at the floor.
"Who are these girls, David? What is going on?" she gasped.
"They're girls from my past," he answered sadly. "Anna, they don't mean anything to me now...but I've given part of my heart to each of them."
"I thought your heart was mine," she said.
"It is, it is," he pleaded. "Everything that's left is yours."
A tear rolled down Anna's cheek. Then she woke up.
From I Kiss Dating Goodbye
*****
This story seriously gave me some cause to ponder upon. It's sad but true tt we all have pasts, what is most hurting is tt some pasts may come back to hurt the present and haunt the future. Will there ever be a last heartbreak? Will there ever be a love that lasts? Of course there is always God's great love, but what abt love in the romantic sense. I always used to wonder why God gave us people to love when He wants us to commit ourselves to Him alone. It's hard. Sometimes I don't even know whether it's right for me to love a person so much when we are supposed to love God with everything tt we have. Sigh...sometimes i even feel guilty for loving a mere mortal more than i feel i can love God. It's juz tt, the passion we have for a person, is not easy to quench...but sigh, why is it tt the passion I have for God seem to be ever so fleeting. It really annoys me tt I don't have the same capacity to love God as i love a mere mortal who is so much more ugly and susceptible to hurting me than He.
I simply cannot grasp this. Why oh Lord did you give me somebody to love, are you not jealous of my love for him? Can you see where it will bring me? But indeed the Lord can see the panoramic picture while we can only see a fragment of each scene. Sigh...this thing called love...are there many definitions to it? I used to think there was but maybe not anymore. So why do most adults see teens falling in love as something tt is fleeting? Haha what with titles like puppy love, crushes...I don't know but I feel it's quite hurting to degrade one's affections in such a way. Then again...all around me, people seem to be breaking up all the time. The once golden couples are nothing more than juz strangers. Some are luckier...friendship is the next option. Isn't love a very simple ideal? So where did all the other branches come from? We must have created it then, sigh as Man we always seem to take something and subject it to degradation...
Oh dear...wonder where this sudden bout of thoughts come from...but wellz, so far i'm still abiding to hoping, praying and waiting for the Lord to align my desires to His perfect will. Then again i always forget, Not by my will but by thine. So no matter what praise God!
One cold evening during the holiday season, a little boy about six or seven was standing out in front of a store window. The little child had no shoes and his clothes were mere rags. A young woman passing by saw the little boy and could read the longing in his pale blue eyes. She took the child by the hadn and led him into the store. There she bought him some new shoes and a complete suit of warm clothing.
They came back outside into the street and the woman said to the child, "Now you can go home and have a very happy holiday."
The little boy looked up at her and asked, "Are you God, Ma'am?"
She smiled down at him and replied, "No son, I'm just one of His children."
he little boy then said, "I knew you had to be some relation."
From Chicken Soup for the Women's Soul by Dan Clark
*****
This is juz one of the inspiring stories tt really caught my attention. It's short but my, does it hit you right in the face. Indeed we are related to God so we ought to reflect a little of His light in our lives. Another story I wld really like to share is this:
It was finally here-- Anna's wedding day, the day she had dreamed about and planned for months. The small, picturesque church was crowded with friends and family.
Sunlight pired through the stained-glass windows, and the gentle music of a string quartet filled the air. Anna walked down the aisle toward David. Joy surged within her. This was the moment for which she had waited so long. He gently took her hand, and they turned toward the alter.
But as the mininster began to lead Anna and David through their vows, the unthinkable happened. A girl stood up in the middle of the congregation, walked quietly to the alter, and took David's other hand. Another girl approached and stood next to the first, followed by another. Soon, a chain of siz girls stood by him as he repeated his vows to Anna.
Anna felt her lip begin to quiver as tears welled up in her eyes, "Is this some kind of joke?" She whispered to David.
"I'm...I'm sorry, Anna," he said, staring at the floor.
"Who are these girls, David? What is going on?" she gasped.
"They're girls from my past," he answered sadly. "Anna, they don't mean anything to me now...but I've given part of my heart to each of them."
"I thought your heart was mine," she said.
"It is, it is," he pleaded. "Everything that's left is yours."
A tear rolled down Anna's cheek. Then she woke up.
From I Kiss Dating Goodbye
*****
This story seriously gave me some cause to ponder upon. It's sad but true tt we all have pasts, what is most hurting is tt some pasts may come back to hurt the present and haunt the future. Will there ever be a last heartbreak? Will there ever be a love that lasts? Of course there is always God's great love, but what abt love in the romantic sense. I always used to wonder why God gave us people to love when He wants us to commit ourselves to Him alone. It's hard. Sometimes I don't even know whether it's right for me to love a person so much when we are supposed to love God with everything tt we have. Sigh...sometimes i even feel guilty for loving a mere mortal more than i feel i can love God. It's juz tt, the passion we have for a person, is not easy to quench...but sigh, why is it tt the passion I have for God seem to be ever so fleeting. It really annoys me tt I don't have the same capacity to love God as i love a mere mortal who is so much more ugly and susceptible to hurting me than He.
I simply cannot grasp this. Why oh Lord did you give me somebody to love, are you not jealous of my love for him? Can you see where it will bring me? But indeed the Lord can see the panoramic picture while we can only see a fragment of each scene. Sigh...this thing called love...are there many definitions to it? I used to think there was but maybe not anymore. So why do most adults see teens falling in love as something tt is fleeting? Haha what with titles like puppy love, crushes...I don't know but I feel it's quite hurting to degrade one's affections in such a way. Then again...all around me, people seem to be breaking up all the time. The once golden couples are nothing more than juz strangers. Some are luckier...friendship is the next option. Isn't love a very simple ideal? So where did all the other branches come from? We must have created it then, sigh as Man we always seem to take something and subject it to degradation...
Oh dear...wonder where this sudden bout of thoughts come from...but wellz, so far i'm still abiding to hoping, praying and waiting for the Lord to align my desires to His perfect will. Then again i always forget, Not by my will but by thine. So no matter what praise God!
Friday, February 11, 2005
Reflection
Look at me
You may think you see
Who I really am
But you'll never know me
Every day, is as if I play apart
Now I see
If I wear a mask
I can fool the world
But I can not fool
My heart
Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside
I am now
In a world where I have to
Hide my heart
And what I believe in
But somehow
I will show the world
What's inside my heart
And be loved for who I am
Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me
Why is my reflection
Someone I don't know
Must I pretend that i'm
Someone else for all time
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside
There's a heart that must
Be free to fly
That burns with a need
To know the reason why
Why must we all conceal
What we think
How we feel
Must there be a secret me
I'm forced to hide
I won't pretend that i'm
Someone else
For all time
When will my reflections show
Who I am inside
When will my reflections show
Who I am inside
*****
I juz watched a really inspiring show today:) Mulan. I really did admire her spirit. I wish this spirit upon me. This spirit tt keeps pressing on.
Haha yeah this gung-ho spirit... makes me feel like going to enlist for the army or something...like GI-Jane:)
But i guess there are many ways to embody such a spirit. Adversities and trials...neccessitites in life to make one stronger. That's what I feel. When life gives u lemons make lemonade!! Haha, but tis juz inspirational talk...to spur me on. I know it's easier said than done.
I myself am finding it hard to keep being positive. Quotes and slogans...memory verses...i really need them to keep myself going. Sigh...to rely on such things makes me feel weak...but sigh it's tiring to keep trying to be strong. It's not easy to always be happy.
But really..i never expected a cartoon to inspire me! Haha...it wuz the part when whe wuz to be send home without credit, without honour, juz shame...i wuz so indignant for her at tt point. Still, she accepted it...but thank goodness she made the choice to press on and complete the mission she had set out to do. Thereby gaining honour and glory for her and her family.
Sigh...indeed it's nice to noe there will be a happy ending at the end of e line. I wonder what will be my happy ending before I finally go Home. But then again...i shd be like her...not make the problem my world and the focal point of my life...but juz move on because there is so much more to see and experience!
Indeed...I shall really stop thinking and trying to make sense of everything...sigh...Grace Grace...don't keep questioning juz trust. The basic and underlining statement. Sometimes it's better to know less and to juz focus on the basics.
Anyway...I really like tt song above...says all tt I wish to clarify myself. Is it vainity? To want to look into the mirror and see something tt is of worth? Is it? Sigh vainity of vainities...tis all vainity.
You may think you see
Who I really am
But you'll never know me
Every day, is as if I play apart
Now I see
If I wear a mask
I can fool the world
But I can not fool
My heart
Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside
I am now
In a world where I have to
Hide my heart
And what I believe in
But somehow
I will show the world
What's inside my heart
And be loved for who I am
Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me
Why is my reflection
Someone I don't know
Must I pretend that i'm
Someone else for all time
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside
There's a heart that must
Be free to fly
That burns with a need
To know the reason why
Why must we all conceal
What we think
How we feel
Must there be a secret me
I'm forced to hide
I won't pretend that i'm
Someone else
For all time
When will my reflections show
Who I am inside
When will my reflections show
Who I am inside
*****
I juz watched a really inspiring show today:) Mulan. I really did admire her spirit. I wish this spirit upon me. This spirit tt keeps pressing on.
Haha yeah this gung-ho spirit... makes me feel like going to enlist for the army or something...like GI-Jane:)
But i guess there are many ways to embody such a spirit. Adversities and trials...neccessitites in life to make one stronger. That's what I feel. When life gives u lemons make lemonade!! Haha, but tis juz inspirational talk...to spur me on. I know it's easier said than done.
I myself am finding it hard to keep being positive. Quotes and slogans...memory verses...i really need them to keep myself going. Sigh...to rely on such things makes me feel weak...but sigh it's tiring to keep trying to be strong. It's not easy to always be happy.
But really..i never expected a cartoon to inspire me! Haha...it wuz the part when whe wuz to be send home without credit, without honour, juz shame...i wuz so indignant for her at tt point. Still, she accepted it...but thank goodness she made the choice to press on and complete the mission she had set out to do. Thereby gaining honour and glory for her and her family.
Sigh...indeed it's nice to noe there will be a happy ending at the end of e line. I wonder what will be my happy ending before I finally go Home. But then again...i shd be like her...not make the problem my world and the focal point of my life...but juz move on because there is so much more to see and experience!
Indeed...I shall really stop thinking and trying to make sense of everything...sigh...Grace Grace...don't keep questioning juz trust. The basic and underlining statement. Sometimes it's better to know less and to juz focus on the basics.
Anyway...I really like tt song above...says all tt I wish to clarify myself. Is it vainity? To want to look into the mirror and see something tt is of worth? Is it? Sigh vainity of vainities...tis all vainity.
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Lost for words
Wellz, not literally. I'm not exactly lost for words cuz if I wuz i wldn't be able to type this. I guess it's juz tt my mind is point-blank now, the aftermath of writing a GP essay. You know it feel so unreal when you finally finish everything tt you hope to finish. Mayb this is how we will all feel when this life has come to past and we awaken to find ourselves in heaven. Like what people always say life is but a dream and heaven is the reality. Well, it is true. We r but foreigners, strangers in a country tt does not belong to us neither do we belong in it. Thanx Rachael for clearing up my many doubts. I think you are so right, I shd focus on His goodness. I wonder if me doubting God is blasphemous when I don't mean for it to be. I juz want to know tt's why I ask so much...hope it's not a bad thing and God won't hold it against me.
Monday is going to be a long day...but finally, Tuesday marks a short little break:) Haha, I sound like i live only for the hols, nah...live for the moment! Enjoy the present before it becomes history and falls into the past...I do hope for the future...but wellz, I wld rather remember to live now and juz take it a step at a time towards whatever God planned for me.
Yet, I reflect...and I do hope tt the doors he opened for me will eventually lead somewhere. I am immensely excited abt the prospects tt await me, yet something in me tells me tt it's not time yet despite tt it's right there staring in my face. To be or not to be...tt's the question. A question I ask myself everytime I make decisions...of course i choose to be...well, most of the time when I feel compelled to at least give it a try. The good thing is despite e occassional disappointments...I have never regretted because at least I dared to try, and tt gave me a hope to see if this is by His will. But then again...I remember talking to Daniel...and yeah, God's will isn't aligned to always give us happiness...*gasp*. Yeah it sounds quite bad when I first heard it...I mean if our God is a good God...then how can he not want us to happy right? But now I think i somewhat grasp His intentions, juz tt I don't noe quite yet how to phrase it...haha sounds rather paradoxical in itself...but oh well...i never said i had to ans to everything...i juz try to understand as best as i can the many 'whys' God puts in my life:)
On a lighter note. I still think of you sometimes and am praying for you always:) Goodnite.
Monday is going to be a long day...but finally, Tuesday marks a short little break:) Haha, I sound like i live only for the hols, nah...live for the moment! Enjoy the present before it becomes history and falls into the past...I do hope for the future...but wellz, I wld rather remember to live now and juz take it a step at a time towards whatever God planned for me.
Yet, I reflect...and I do hope tt the doors he opened for me will eventually lead somewhere. I am immensely excited abt the prospects tt await me, yet something in me tells me tt it's not time yet despite tt it's right there staring in my face. To be or not to be...tt's the question. A question I ask myself everytime I make decisions...of course i choose to be...well, most of the time when I feel compelled to at least give it a try. The good thing is despite e occassional disappointments...I have never regretted because at least I dared to try, and tt gave me a hope to see if this is by His will. But then again...I remember talking to Daniel...and yeah, God's will isn't aligned to always give us happiness...*gasp*. Yeah it sounds quite bad when I first heard it...I mean if our God is a good God...then how can he not want us to happy right? But now I think i somewhat grasp His intentions, juz tt I don't noe quite yet how to phrase it...haha sounds rather paradoxical in itself...but oh well...i never said i had to ans to everything...i juz try to understand as best as i can the many 'whys' God puts in my life:)
On a lighter note. I still think of you sometimes and am praying for you always:) Goodnite.
// posted by grace @ 11:13 PM
Friday, February 04, 2005
hope:)
Tra la la, when I look out the window I see Your beautiful light shining down at me and I know it's Your smile I see:)
// posted by grace @ 11:34 PM
Life is a Test and Trust
"Life on Earth is a Test. This life metaphor is seen in stories throughout the Bible.God continually tests people's character, faith, obedience, love, integrity, and loyalty. Words like trials, temptations, refining, and testing occur more than 200 times in the Bible. God tested Abraham by asking him to offer his son Isaac. God tested Jacob when he had to workd extra years to earn Rachel as his wife.
Adam and Eve failed theri test in the Garden of Eden, and David failed his tests from God on several occasions. But the Bible also gives us many examples of people who passed agreat test, such as Joseph, Ruth, Esther, and Daniel.
Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test. You are always being tested. God constantly watches your response to people, problems, success, conflict, illness, disappointment, and even the weather! he even watches the simplest actions such as when you open a door for others, when you pick up a peoce of trash, or when you're polite toward a clerk or waitress.
We don't know all the tests God will give you but we can predict some of them, based on the Bible. You will be tested by major changes, delayed promises, impossibleproblems, unanswered prayers, undeserved critism, and even senseless tragedies. In my own life i have noticed that God tests my faith through problems, tests my hope by how i handle possessions, and tests my love through people.
A very impt test is how you act when you can't feel God's presence in your life. Sometimes God intentionally draws back, and we don't sense his closeness. A king named Hezekiah experienced this test. The Bible says, 'God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and see what was really in his heart.' Hezekiah had enjoyed a close fellowship with God, but at a crucial point in his life God left him alone to test his chr, to reveal a weakness, and to prepare him for more responsibility.
When you understand tt life is a tes, you realize tt nothing is insignificant in your life. Even the smallest incident has significance for your chr development. Every day is an impt day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your chr, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God. Some tests seem over wheming whie others you don't even notice. But all pf them have eternal implications.
The goog news is tt God wants you to pass the tests of life, so he never allows the tests you face to be greater than the grace he gives you to handle them. The Bible says, 'God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.'
Every time you pass a test, God notices and makes plans to reward you in eternity. James says 'Blessed are those who endure when they are tested. When they pass the test, they will receive the crown of life tt God has promised to those who love him.'
*****
Ahh...*sighz* another wk has come and gone... i feel like almost every entry has me digressing abt how fast time flies:) Im currently reading Rick Warren's Purpose-driven Life. Indeed don't we all want to find our purpose in this transient period of time. But wow, this bk offers pretty interesting insight. I mean i've never seen life in the perspective of it being a 'rehearsal' for one's life in eternity. Very cool. I mean i noe tt life is but a dream and heaven is our reality and all...but to think tt this life is merely a preparation for what we have to be in heaven, tt's juz something else. I know it's really not all tt easy to realise one's purpose and honestly i'm quite skeptical abt this bk being able to reveal to me my purpose. But I hope...i can find some sort of guide to living my life by God's will. *sigh* this portion of the bk really is for me. *wry smile* yupz, life has many tests many disappointments, many whys, and many many more whys. I dun wanna dwell on setbacks so much but sometimes, when you are all alone and it comes back to you again...sigh i think im a very slow reactor. I tell myself it's ok when something bad happens..but little do i know tt it's really not... especially when it starts to creep slowly into heart and then my whole mind is engulfed and i become distraught...then yeah i know tt what i had told myself earlier wuz a mere lie. But i don't want to put up a front...so i do admit my failures... i juz wish i won't dwell on them so much. Really through all these i see my dark side tt really scares me and disgusts me. I see my weaknesses...but I also see the wonderful frens I have tt make the pain seem so much more bearable! I Thank God for my frens for all the comforting and encouraging words. Gosh thank you from the bottom of my heart. Yupz, haha the pros and cons in everything life has to offer. Indeed God is merciful and full of grace cuz even in tests and trials, we can find something to make us smile and be thankful for:) Amen.
Adam and Eve failed theri test in the Garden of Eden, and David failed his tests from God on several occasions. But the Bible also gives us many examples of people who passed agreat test, such as Joseph, Ruth, Esther, and Daniel.
Character is both developed and revealed by tests, and all of life is a test. You are always being tested. God constantly watches your response to people, problems, success, conflict, illness, disappointment, and even the weather! he even watches the simplest actions such as when you open a door for others, when you pick up a peoce of trash, or when you're polite toward a clerk or waitress.
We don't know all the tests God will give you but we can predict some of them, based on the Bible. You will be tested by major changes, delayed promises, impossibleproblems, unanswered prayers, undeserved critism, and even senseless tragedies. In my own life i have noticed that God tests my faith through problems, tests my hope by how i handle possessions, and tests my love through people.
A very impt test is how you act when you can't feel God's presence in your life. Sometimes God intentionally draws back, and we don't sense his closeness. A king named Hezekiah experienced this test. The Bible says, 'God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and see what was really in his heart.' Hezekiah had enjoyed a close fellowship with God, but at a crucial point in his life God left him alone to test his chr, to reveal a weakness, and to prepare him for more responsibility.
When you understand tt life is a tes, you realize tt nothing is insignificant in your life. Even the smallest incident has significance for your chr development. Every day is an impt day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your chr, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God. Some tests seem over wheming whie others you don't even notice. But all pf them have eternal implications.
The goog news is tt God wants you to pass the tests of life, so he never allows the tests you face to be greater than the grace he gives you to handle them. The Bible says, 'God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.'
Every time you pass a test, God notices and makes plans to reward you in eternity. James says 'Blessed are those who endure when they are tested. When they pass the test, they will receive the crown of life tt God has promised to those who love him.'
*****
Ahh...*sighz* another wk has come and gone... i feel like almost every entry has me digressing abt how fast time flies:) Im currently reading Rick Warren's Purpose-driven Life. Indeed don't we all want to find our purpose in this transient period of time. But wow, this bk offers pretty interesting insight. I mean i've never seen life in the perspective of it being a 'rehearsal' for one's life in eternity. Very cool. I mean i noe tt life is but a dream and heaven is our reality and all...but to think tt this life is merely a preparation for what we have to be in heaven, tt's juz something else. I know it's really not all tt easy to realise one's purpose and honestly i'm quite skeptical abt this bk being able to reveal to me my purpose. But I hope...i can find some sort of guide to living my life by God's will. *sigh* this portion of the bk really is for me. *wry smile* yupz, life has many tests many disappointments, many whys, and many many more whys. I dun wanna dwell on setbacks so much but sometimes, when you are all alone and it comes back to you again...sigh i think im a very slow reactor. I tell myself it's ok when something bad happens..but little do i know tt it's really not... especially when it starts to creep slowly into heart and then my whole mind is engulfed and i become distraught...then yeah i know tt what i had told myself earlier wuz a mere lie. But i don't want to put up a front...so i do admit my failures... i juz wish i won't dwell on them so much. Really through all these i see my dark side tt really scares me and disgusts me. I see my weaknesses...but I also see the wonderful frens I have tt make the pain seem so much more bearable! I Thank God for my frens for all the comforting and encouraging words. Gosh thank you from the bottom of my heart. Yupz, haha the pros and cons in everything life has to offer. Indeed God is merciful and full of grace cuz even in tests and trials, we can find something to make us smile and be thankful for:) Amen.
// posted by grace @ 10:49 PM
