Ho! Ho! Ho! It’s my favourite time of the year again, where my heart just skips a beat just seeing the shiny baubles dangling from the ceiling and a romantic fireplace decorating the walls. I was walking through Metrojaya the other day over at Mid Valley and their deco was just out of this world. It was like walking into some kind of “Winter Wonderland”…Mmmmm… I felt like a small kid getting excited at the prospect of exploring my first steps in that magical ambience…was sure I even skipped a little!
Ok…back to earth already! With the new semester looming ahead and the frazzled busyness of constant ringing of phones and tight schedules, Christmas preparations and practices, my head is just spinning trying to gather my thoughts all at once. There is this saying that BUSY = Busy Under Satan’s Yoke. I think there is a certain truth to it. How many times have we been a victim of “Tyranny of the Urgent” where because of our busyness, we push aside the important things in favour of the urgent.
When Ps. Sandra preached last Sunday about evaluating and reflecting on our live in 2006, and to prepare ourselves for a great 2007, it was a timely reminder. And to really rub it in, I received a letter from the e06 conference a few days later. Inside was a Christmas e06 bookmark from Ps. Lee Choo with the main verse of John 10:10 of which the conference was based on. Together with it also was the letter I wrote to God during the e06 closing which I mentioned in my last post.
When I started to read back on what I wrote, I started crying…it’s all coming back to me now…
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to attend this conference. Many times I was tempted to pull out because it was too expensive, too inconvenient, too this and too that. But You have been faithful and provided for me every step of the way. You knew I needed to be here because I needed to stop and reflect on my life. My struggles were just signs telling me that there are deeper issues that I needed to struggle with.
I needed restoration and forgiveness for not being true to You and to myself. Sometimes I feel that I am short changing myself because I was just too lazy to ‘trouble’ myself to change. Heal me from my hurts and bitterness from the people who have hurt me, whether it was done on purpose or not. You will turn these hurts for my good because Your plans for me are not to harm me but to heal me and give me an abundant life. To turn my struggles into stepping stones that will help me achieve the dreams that You have planned for me. To use my passions and gifts to impact the world around me. Help me to respect each one’s personhood. To know and see each human being with Your eyes and Your love. That they are not inconveniences and stumbling blocks in my path but that they are lessons and gifts from You as I journey through this life. Let me experience fully each challenge or joy that comes my way. To embrace each pain or joy that You give me as a tool to make me whole again.
Daddy, help me to have a magnified perspective of you. To really know just what a Great and Mighty God You are. To know not just in my head but also in my heart that You truly love me despite of what I do or who I am. Help me to surrender my will and the urge to control my life and to give it to You willingly. To live a life of obedience and integrity that will reflect Your character. Whenever I serve You, I want to serve you in order to participate in Your work and not because I want to earn Your love and approval or because that’s what a Christian is supposed to do. Thank You so much Daddy! I love You.
Somehow, the busyness crept up on me and I seem to have forgotten the things were important. I’ve somehow left a crack unattended for the thief to put his foot in to destroy little by little, bits of my life. It’s a good time for me to stop now and reflect again…
Ok…back to earth already! With the new semester looming ahead and the frazzled busyness of constant ringing of phones and tight schedules, Christmas preparations and practices, my head is just spinning trying to gather my thoughts all at once. There is this saying that BUSY = Busy Under Satan’s Yoke. I think there is a certain truth to it. How many times have we been a victim of “Tyranny of the Urgent” where because of our busyness, we push aside the important things in favour of the urgent.
When Ps. Sandra preached last Sunday about evaluating and reflecting on our live in 2006, and to prepare ourselves for a great 2007, it was a timely reminder. And to really rub it in, I received a letter from the e06 conference a few days later. Inside was a Christmas e06 bookmark from Ps. Lee Choo with the main verse of John 10:10 of which the conference was based on. Together with it also was the letter I wrote to God during the e06 closing which I mentioned in my last post.
When I started to read back on what I wrote, I started crying…it’s all coming back to me now…
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to attend this conference. Many times I was tempted to pull out because it was too expensive, too inconvenient, too this and too that. But You have been faithful and provided for me every step of the way. You knew I needed to be here because I needed to stop and reflect on my life. My struggles were just signs telling me that there are deeper issues that I needed to struggle with.
I needed restoration and forgiveness for not being true to You and to myself. Sometimes I feel that I am short changing myself because I was just too lazy to ‘trouble’ myself to change. Heal me from my hurts and bitterness from the people who have hurt me, whether it was done on purpose or not. You will turn these hurts for my good because Your plans for me are not to harm me but to heal me and give me an abundant life. To turn my struggles into stepping stones that will help me achieve the dreams that You have planned for me. To use my passions and gifts to impact the world around me. Help me to respect each one’s personhood. To know and see each human being with Your eyes and Your love. That they are not inconveniences and stumbling blocks in my path but that they are lessons and gifts from You as I journey through this life. Let me experience fully each challenge or joy that comes my way. To embrace each pain or joy that You give me as a tool to make me whole again.
Daddy, help me to have a magnified perspective of you. To really know just what a Great and Mighty God You are. To know not just in my head but also in my heart that You truly love me despite of what I do or who I am. Help me to surrender my will and the urge to control my life and to give it to You willingly. To live a life of obedience and integrity that will reflect Your character. Whenever I serve You, I want to serve you in order to participate in Your work and not because I want to earn Your love and approval or because that’s what a Christian is supposed to do. Thank You so much Daddy! I love You.
Somehow, the busyness crept up on me and I seem to have forgotten the things were important. I’ve somehow left a crack unattended for the thief to put his foot in to destroy little by little, bits of my life. It’s a good time for me to stop now and reflect again…
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