Friday, January 20, 2012 a beach was washed up with many starfishes. a boy walks along the beach and throws the beached starfishes back into the sea one by one. a man saw this and told him: "there are too many of them, you won't be able to save all". throwing another one into the sea, the boy replied: "well, it made the difference to that one"
a common story, yet so meaningful. you may not be a big difference to the world, yet you can be a world of a difference to someone.
chance encounters. i believe that they are not by chance, but instead pre-determined by God for us to make a difference in the lives of others. sometimes we tend to dismiss such encounters but in doing so, we also tend to overlook the potential that such encounters can be.
God instructs us to not ignore strangers, for by entertaining strangers, we may be entertaining angels. when you ignore someone, you may be also ignoring his or her pain, sorrow, troubles. in fact, it may not be a complete stranger, that relative you only meet occasionally, that classmate you have been with for many years yet never talk with, that casual friend you say hi to every week.
a simple innocent question can be the catalyst to so much more. don't look down on something simple like just asking "how are you". it can work wonders, you just do not see it at the present.
in fact, you can also gain so much from helping others. any interaction is beneficial in both ways (and it works the same if it is harming instead). how so you ask? you develop as a person. there are just some things you can't learn in school. why do you think there are so many "educated" people holding degrees who don't know how to be a decent person?
so always look out and be aware of your surrounding people. who knows? you may be the starfish who needs a boy.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 new year. time for a resurrection of this blog =)
as we reflect upon the last year, we are bound to see many achievements, many milestones that we have reached. for some, it may be reaching (finally) a certain age. for some, running a marathon. for others, winning a competition. for me? growing deeper in God's word and living purely by His grace and in faith (in other words, zen mode)
but if we are to examine closer, looking between our achievements, at the gaps, we are also bound to find areas where we feel we could have done better, or regrets, or missed opportunities. for example, that trip which you were unable to make, that event you failed to take part in, that grade you were so close in attaining.
yet, you know what? those seemingly blotches on the year's records are there for a reason. from them, we can derive lessons, we can grow stronger. but most importantly, God has plans for them.
there's this story about a man who had an undeveloped plot of land. he wanted to build a house on it, but somehow adversities prevented him from doing so. a corrupt construction company (alliteration =D), insufficient materials and financial worries, just to name some examples. a month after he finally gave in the towel, he was strolling along the land when he suddenly tripped over something hard. digging deeper, he found a pot of gold.
yes, the story is a bit far-fetched but not entirely improbable. after all, parting the sea? surviving inside a whale? those seem far-fetched too. sometimes God doesn't want us to do some stuff simply cause He has other plans for us. and we all know that God's plans are perfect. in other words, we have an exchange, and get something better in return.
so looking forward to this new year. don't be disappointed when things don't go the way we want them to. look on the bright side and constantly honour God with our work.
Father Lord, I pray that You reign sovereign in my life. I pray that in everything I do, I do them in Your name. Every decision I make, every step I take, I want to commit them into Your mighty hands O Lord. I want to keep trusting in You always, to have an unwavering faith. Every aspect of my life, studies, relationships with family and friends, I surrender them to You. Also, use me Lord, in whatever plans You have for me. For Your kingdom Lord, Your will be done. Amen.
God takes things out of our hands so He can fill them with better things
Thursday, June 23, 2011 happy fathers' day!!! and nope, I am not late or mistaken or confused. because everyday should be a fathers' day no?
let's face it, our fathers have done a lot for us. working hard to support the family, making sure food is always provided on the dinner table, ensuring we get a good education. they handle so many things at one time, you just wonder, how is it even possible. in fact, our fathers are just superheroes. you look at them and you just know - i am saved, nothing will go wrong.
so how can they deserve only 1 day of recognition??? that is only 3.65% of what they deserve (in case anyone was wondering, that's 1/365, why? figure it out yourself). we should appreciate them always.
appreciation does not need to come only through making breakfast. fathers just want to know that they're doing their job, to care for the family. a simple phrase like "i love you" goes a long way. yes, it might seem very awkward when you're grown up (i.e. teenage), but would you rather say it when it's too late or say it now, so your dad will know.
daddy, you're more than my role model, you have molded me, helped me become who i am today. i don't need to make you proud because i know you are already proud of me, that's how strong your love is. so i will work hard and show the world what a great daddy i have.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011 we all want recognition. that's human nature. we dream for that moment, on stage, getting recognized publicly for the work we have done. or maybe just getting praised by our friends. but more often than not, that recognition doesn't come.
the grass always seem greener on the other side. it seems like it's always our friend that gets recognized, getting the opportunity to go on stage to shake hands with so-and-so guest-of-honour, always being the talk of the town among friends. if they deserved it, we're happy for them. but if we deserve just as much or are even more deserving, our viewpoint is completely (surprisingly?) overturned. we feel hurt, jealous, angry even. we think: how come i'm not the one up there?
the thing is, is that what we are working for? fame? glory? all these should be just a bonus, not our ultimate aim. why study so hard? is it to get on the dean's list? or is it to honour your parents? why do we put in so much effort in doing things for a friend? is it to get praised by others "wow, you are such an awesome friend"? isn't it about the friend? how did it become about you? that's the danger of becoming obsessed about personal glory.
when others get recognition, we should be happy for them. yes, we might be more deserving, but are they any less deserving? are we downplaying their achievements? how selfish can we be?
furthermore, as Christians, we must realise that we are living for the glory of God. same as "thy will be done, not mine", it should also be "for thy glory, not mine" when we go about our daily routine, it should be gaining recognition for God through our actions. how can we place ourselves above God?
and yes, the above may sound very sacrificial. but know that there will always be someone who appreciates what we do, not only God, but friends, family. it may not be public, but people still treasure us and what we have accomplished. think about it, once you stop focusing on the recognition, when it does come, it will be even the sweeter.
what you do for yourself will only last as long as you live, but what you do for others last an eternity
Sunday, May 29, 2011 one of the worst thing to experience in a football is losing to a last minute goal. imagine the whole team pressing, limiting the opposing team to half-chances, then just one defensive lapse and all the hard work gets undone. that's pretty much like life.
you work hard, being very disciplined, managing your time strictly. then somehow, we have this tendency to self-implode, lapsing into a momentary period of sianness and aimlessness. it could last a few days, week long, worse, weeks. sometimes, we get so discouraged, so frustrated that we allow ourselves to get into such a mess.
but it is how we channel this frustration that makes the difference. we cannot just lie down and let ourselves get beat. it just leads to a vicious cycle of discouragement that leads to more discouragement. we must tell ourselves to get up, regroup, and get back on track.
sometimes all we need is a break from our hectic lifestyles. using the football analogy, a team cannot keep pressing, the players will run out of energy eventually. a break to recharge, renew, refresh. go take a walk, go out with friends. however, one must take care not to take too excessive a break.
don't be too hard on yourself. let's face it, the past has already happened, you can't change it anymore. don't cry over spilt milk, instead, push on, make up for what you did (or did not do) and things will change for the better.
think not what i could have done, think what i should do now
Sunday, May 8, 2011 mothers, always caring, always loving, always there. since the moment they gave birth to us, they expect nothing but the best for us. that is why we are deprived of the junk food we crave food and forced to consume the icky, yucky but healthy vegetables.
a mother's love is so powerful that she is willing to sacrifice so much for her children. what better example than the upcoming final installment of the blockbuster movie series? here's a clue, it starts with "H" and rhymes with "hairy bottle". the story of how a mother's love protected her son, the so-called chosen one, from the clutches of death by a so-called cant-be-named one is well-known. in the story, another mother's love for her daughter (aka chosen one's girlfriend) enabled her to defeat Bellatrix.
Mothers are just so amazing. You would think that when we reach teenage or adult years, when we stop thinking the world of them, start ignoring them and going our own ways, that they will be quite relieved to just get rid of us after taking care of us for almost 2 decades. but no, that's not true, mothers continue to take great care and concern for us, losing sleepless nights about our well-being and future. isn't that just laudable?
we love you, mothers. because you make this world go round, you build the backbone of society and most importantly, you are OUR MOTHERS.
Reflecting on Easter Weekend, it made me realise just how big a sacrifice it was. For You to send Your son Jesus down to earth to die on the cross for humans like us, to bear the weight of the world's sins upon those shoulders. How great, how awesome, how almighty is Your love for us.
I pray that even as I go about my daily life, I'll be constantly reminded about You and how You saved us. I pray that I will rejoice in our salvation and be a blessing to others. I pray that I can show the love that You've shown us to others who need it.
In all that I do, I pray that I will not rely on my own strength but to lean on Yours. Not my will but thy, not my glory but thy.
Father Lord, let my life be a living testimony for You.
