Love, Joy, Peace, Patience.
Praise God indeed, that He has been teaching me about True Joy the past week.
So far in my time in SAJC, I honestly believe that God has been molding me. I've been yearning so much for the joy that only He can bring me, and I've found that it can only happen when I focus my whole heart and sight on Him. Self-indulgence and pity brings you nowhere. Happiness also isn't something remotely comparable to joy. We always hear of happiness being fleeting, while joy is this deep sense in your heart that adverse situations cannot erase.
Well, it's true.
Yet nobody said you cannot feel sad when you face adverse circumstances - I realised you can still have joy although you feel sad. That joy comes from knowing and trusting that God will bring you through whatever things may be obstructing your way, and that joy is truly.. awesome. It's amazing, really.
God has spoken about quite a few things to me the past week (last week that is, since this week has only two days gone by so far), but I'd just like to share right now about how I've changed since I've set foot in SAJC. So many morning worships have gone by, but I can honestly say that I look forward to it each and every day :) Despite the fatigue that I sometimes feel when I didn't get enough sleep the previous night, despite the guilt of not completing some of my homework (no, you should not follow this example in particular), I'm still honoured to be starting my day praising God and bringing my worship to Him. Our God is truly awesome, and I believe with all my heart that it's a privilege to be able to wake up every morning, so we can thank God at MW for the one more minute He's given to us, for the mercies given anew!
You know how sleepy people are easily annoyed in the mornings? Well, I was annoyed at my dad for snoring in the car on Friday because it prevented me from catching on on that little bit of sleep, even if it's only 5 minutes from my house to school by car, since I was tired. I know it's such a trivial thing, but well please read on :) On the way to school, walking through Chapel of the Resurrection (COR) and SAS, I was thinking of how best to express that bitterness inside my heart before MW to my fellow SFC people..
Amazingly enough, as I was crossing the Jacob Ballas bridge, I looked to my right - lo and behold, an absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful morning sky spread itself out before me! The clouds bloomed across the sky and was in shades of pink and red. Seeing the beauty of nature and being reminded of God, I reflected upon my irritation with my dad and found it uncalled for. Such a minute thing to be irritated about! And I realised I'd lost my focus on God in that short time I was annoyed. So short a time, yet I find it so tragic to have not done and displayed God's love in the situation (even if it was only thoughts harboured in my head and heart).
It also reminded me of something else - the need to turn aside to be captured by God's beauty and to be able to see God.
Exodus 3:1-4
3 So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight - why the bush does not burn up."
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"
And Moses said, "Here I am."
Sometimes, you need to actually turn aside to look before God speaks to you. Only after Moses had turned to the side and gone over to look, then God called Moses and spoke to him!
And I thank You for revelations and reminders each and every day :D
So far in my time in SAJC, I honestly believe that God has been molding me. I've been yearning so much for the joy that only He can bring me, and I've found that it can only happen when I focus my whole heart and sight on Him. Self-indulgence and pity brings you nowhere. Happiness also isn't something remotely comparable to joy. We always hear of happiness being fleeting, while joy is this deep sense in your heart that adverse situations cannot erase.
Well, it's true.
Yet nobody said you cannot feel sad when you face adverse circumstances - I realised you can still have joy although you feel sad. That joy comes from knowing and trusting that God will bring you through whatever things may be obstructing your way, and that joy is truly.. awesome. It's amazing, really.
God has spoken about quite a few things to me the past week (last week that is, since this week has only two days gone by so far), but I'd just like to share right now about how I've changed since I've set foot in SAJC. So many morning worships have gone by, but I can honestly say that I look forward to it each and every day :) Despite the fatigue that I sometimes feel when I didn't get enough sleep the previous night, despite the guilt of not completing some of my homework (no, you should not follow this example in particular), I'm still honoured to be starting my day praising God and bringing my worship to Him. Our God is truly awesome, and I believe with all my heart that it's a privilege to be able to wake up every morning, so we can thank God at MW for the one more minute He's given to us, for the mercies given anew!
You know how sleepy people are easily annoyed in the mornings? Well, I was annoyed at my dad for snoring in the car on Friday because it prevented me from catching on on that little bit of sleep, even if it's only 5 minutes from my house to school by car, since I was tired. I know it's such a trivial thing, but well please read on :) On the way to school, walking through Chapel of the Resurrection (COR) and SAS, I was thinking of how best to express that bitterness inside my heart before MW to my fellow SFC people..
Amazingly enough, as I was crossing the Jacob Ballas bridge, I looked to my right - lo and behold, an absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful morning sky spread itself out before me! The clouds bloomed across the sky and was in shades of pink and red. Seeing the beauty of nature and being reminded of God, I reflected upon my irritation with my dad and found it uncalled for. Such a minute thing to be irritated about! And I realised I'd lost my focus on God in that short time I was annoyed. So short a time, yet I find it so tragic to have not done and displayed God's love in the situation (even if it was only thoughts harboured in my head and heart).
It also reminded me of something else - the need to turn aside to be captured by God's beauty and to be able to see God.
Exodus 3:1-4
3 So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight - why the bush does not burn up."
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"
And Moses said, "Here I am."
Sometimes, you need to actually turn aside to look before God speaks to you. Only after Moses had turned to the side and gone over to look, then God called Moses and spoke to him!
And I thank You for revelations and reminders each and every day :D