Let's Laugh

I had a pretty long conversation (around 30 mins) over the phone with a sister. -- she said so many things that really2 bothered me (oh wait, they are still bothering me!!) tentang marriage life!!

Roh2 kekuatiran langsung mengerayangi - mendadak, selera makanku hilang - dan I still haven't had my dinner (it's 9pm already).

"Bagaimana ini kalo setelah merit, begini? Harus gmana ini ....?" dan dadaku sesak karena kuatir!!

Aku bersyukur kalo my darling lagi maen basket dan aku sangat2 ga mau ganggu -- walaupun hatiku sedang bergejolak hebat!! dan ketakutan luar biasa, dan ingin rasanya -- langsung ngomongin semua ketakutanku...

I knew, very2 knew --- that I had to wait - for the right time to talk to him ---!

So the only thing I said to him was "say ..pusing ._."

Buat cowo, "pusing" means sakit kepala.

Tapi u girls know well, pusing-nya cewe bisa jadi pusing model lain..

-- so my loving boyfriend jawab ...."istirahat gih say, semoga cepat sembuh <3"

And, I started to pray..

"Tuhan, eyn tau - kalo eyn ga bole kuatir tentang apapun - dan eyn mau doakan tentang apapun..." .....

dan aku tau, aku mau dengar apa firmanNya bilang ttg hal ini .. I grabbed my bible -

Dan tokoh apa yang Tuhan perkenalkan kembali padaku ...

SARA!

We know her story~!

Hebatnya Sara - yang dengan iman ikut suami dan tinggalkan segalanya di tempat yg nyaman - ke tempat yg ga jelas!

Perseteruan Sara dan Hagar~!!

Tapi, kali ini ada 2 bagian yg sangat mengena buat aku --

yaitu -

ketika Sarah TERTAWA, karena dia anggap it's a joke - setelah mendengar bahwa tahun depan dia akan melahirkan seorang anak. (Kejadian 18:1-15)

dan

ketika Sarah sekali lagi TERTAWA, setelah melahirkan Isaac -"Tuhan telah membuat aku TERTAWA, setiap orang yang mendengarnya akan tertawa karena aku."

(Kejadian 21:6)

Reaksi Sarah sama - TERTAWA - tapi untuk hal yang sangat berbeda.

Pertama, dia ragu (baca=tidak percaya), kalo Tuhan AKAN memenuhi janjiNya.

Kedua, dia melihat, bahwa Tuhan memang sungguh TELAH memenuhi janjiNya.

Dan aku berpikir, dimanakah posisiku saat ini? Untuk alasan apakah aku sedang tertawa.

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Ternyata, aku tertawa untuk kedua alasan itu.

Tuhan memenuhi janjiNya. Dia memberikan pasangan hidup yang terbaik untukku. Hal yang sangat gelap untukku di masa lalu - Tuhan berikan - yang terbaik. pada saat yang terbaik -

Tapi, di satu sisi lain, sesungguhnya -- aku sedang dalam masa penantian - menanti janjiNya yang lain, kalo Dia akan melengkapiku menjadi seorang istri (en mommy!!), memenuhi kebutuhanku dan memberkati rumah tanggaku kelak sehingga keluargaku akan memberkati orang lain. (keparnoan orang mau merit)

Saat ini, ga kebayang! dan aku takut! Terlebih setelah the 30 mins conversation I mentioned -- semakin takut.

Tetapi kisah Sarah - yang Tuhan sekali lagi "dongeng-kan" untukku really2 encouraged me ~

though aku harus mulai segala sesuatu yg baru - aku harus pindah dari comfort zone ku .. cari kerja baru lagi ~ Tuhan pimpin!! Tuhan pimpin!!!

Walaupun sepertinya aku bergantung pada suamiku sepenuhnya (financially and many other things) -- tapi Tuhan ingatkan bahwa TUHANLAH TEMPAT AKU BERGANTUNG SEPENUHNYA.

Tuhan dah pimpin saat aku single dan memenuhiku dengan berkatNya yg melimpah. Terlebih Tuhan akan pimpin dan penuhiku dengan lebih hebat -- karena tanggungjawabku pun lebih hebat.

Read this:

How hard it was for Sarah (and is for us as well) to remember God's promises and to wait for him to fulfill them. God's promises are revealed and fulfilled in his own timing, which is often on a calendar far different from our own.

Waiting patiently for God to work may be one of the most difficult experiences of our Christian walk. We live in an age of the immediate. We think waiting, and doing so quitely, is somehow less worthy, perhaps even A BIT LAZY. We're great "do-it-yourselfers", but we often get in God's way when we take things into our own hands.

Tuhan sangat2 tau hatiku ..... Dia tutup moment indahku denganNya dengan ayat2 yg menjadi kekuatanku saat menanti pangeranku:

Psalm 27:14

WAIT for the Lord, be strong and take heart, and WAIT for the Lord.

Psalm 130:5

I WAIT for the Lord, my soul WAITS, and in his word I put my hope.

Isaiah 30:18

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who WAIT for Him.

Micah 7:7

But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I WAIT for God my savior; my God will hear me.

I believe He reminded me these verses for reasons --

kalo once upon a time -- I DID WAIT (sometimes impatiently, sometimes sambil menangis) tapi I DID WAIT for Him ... dan He fulfilled His promise ~ a precious Godly man.

-- and now, He wants me to do the same thing, WAIT FOR HIM - for other promises - yg belum Dia tunjukkan sekarang -- tapi for sure, He will fulfill them in His own timing.

So, dear girls - tertawa untuk alasan apakah kita saat ini?

Meragukan janjiNya?

atau ...

Melihat janjiNya?

... aku mengajak kalian tertawa tuk hal ketiga -- tertawa MENANTI tuk melihat janjiNya ..

One of my fave Proverbs 31 verses:

v.25b

SHE LAUGHS WITHOUT FEAR OF THE FUTURE!

Love (PRAYER) is in the Air

Love is in the air <3

I remember -- this week 13 years ago -- jaman2 masi smp - how I was so excited welcoming valentine's day! Seminggu sblm valentine's day, dah ngestok cukup banyak coklat -- and after vday, lebih full lagi di kulkas (got plenty, yay!!) --

and this year, me and 2 other girlfriends (one is married, one is getting married this year) are having a dinner on vday!! WAIT!! We aren't celebrating vday! we are celebrating my friend's bday on vday! Her bday was actually early of Feb, we are having it tomorrow - because WE KINDA FORGOT TOMORROW IS VALENTINE'S DAY!

I was like, "seriously? kita dah kayak jomblooo neh!" but, yeah, we are having dinner anyway tmrw, walaupun our resto was fully booked already (ya iyalah, duh! valentine, lyn!)

For me personally, tho ~ it's not that I don't celebrate vday -- tapi karena my beloved man nun jauh dsana ... Well, at least, I was thinking - at least I would give him a valentine gift (psstt..! don't tell him!!! I haven't told him yet!) -- tapi sejujurnya, ini membuatku berpikir "duh belum merit aja dah ga semangat rayain vday -- gmana the rest of our marriage life niiiih?" ----- gimana coba ga semangat kasi gifts? at least, chocolate!!!

-- walaupun fyi, my love language (and his love language) is quality time and words (so - buat kami, harusnya aman2 saja -- haha) tapi tetep!!! let's give some gifts, don't u think?

Talking about gifts...

Barusan aku baca devotional .. "Prayer Can Change a Marriage"

intinya begini .. sering kali kita ngomong "well, i guess the only thing left to do is pray" or mungkin bahasa gaulnya =

"hmmm, kayanya JALAN TERAKIR HANYA BERDOA deh!"

Are u familiar with this sentence, dear?

OH! I do say it a lot!! shame on me!

Is there something wrong with this sentence, dear?

YES!! BIG WRONG! kenapa berdoa adalah jalan terakir? PRAYING SHOULD BE THE FIRST THING WE DO! Berdoa harus menjadi jalan pertama - yang kita tempuh ..

and for me, aku jadi terpikir -- kalo PRAYER IS actually THE BEST GIFT WE COULD GIVE!

again, ironically kita sering banget bilang ... "gue CUMA bisa doain lu!"

Doa bukan CUMA! Doa is super cool ~~!!

God’s answers to prayer healed the sick, fed the hungry, stopped the rain, kept the earth from revolving on its axis for an hour, divided the Red Sea, poured forth water from a rock, opened wombs, confused enemies, opened jail doors, made leprous skin brand new, caused the lame to dance, gave courage to the fearful, and raised the dead. Jesus said, “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you,” (Matthew 17:20 NIV).

So, my friends.. I am not saying that -- horaaayyy - mulai skrg, ga perlu kasi gifts apa2 ke our beloved ones -- cukup doa cukup doa! murah!!! Kalo itu alasannya, again it's a BIG WRONG!

Tapi mari -- on this vday, let us see this way .. pray more for someone you love!! and jadikan doa sebagai hadiah terindah yg kita bisa constantly give to them dalam segala kondisi (bahkan ketika kita sedang geram! the good news is, it’s hard to stay mad at someone when you’re praying for him or her) ..

Mari kita tidak hanya sekedar sibuk celebrate hari kasih sayang dengan romantic dinner atopun great gifts, tapi mari terlebih sibuk merayakan dengan berdoa 'tuk orang2 terkasih :)

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To my beloved man,

Selamat hari kasih sayang!! Selamat hari aku sayang kamu, kamu sayang aku - dan kita sayang orang lain!!!

Walaupun this vday we're not together (like last year) and I haven't given you any gifts .. I thank God for a very beautiful reminder, that I am to pray for you! It's a beautiful gift that I commit to give it to you 'til the rest of my life. I love you!!

Sambil aku persiapkan my vday gift to you .. look forward to it, plis! ;p

*ini doa contekan, tapi I think ini nyontek yg bagus :$

----

Lord, I pray for my man, from head to toe:

• His Head –That he will look to You as Lord of his life. (1 Corinthians 11:13)
• His Mind - That he will have the mind of Christ and think as the Holy Spirit would lead him and not the flesh. (1 Corinthians 2:16)
• His Eyes –That You will keep his eyes from temptation and that he will turn his eyes from sin. (Matthew 6:13, Mark 9:47)

• His Ears - That he will hear Your still small voice instructing him. (1 Kings 19:12, Psalm 32:8)
• His Mouth – That his words will be pleasing to You. (Psalm 19:14)
• His Neck –That he will humble himself before You and be strong, courageous, and careful to do everything written in Your Word so that he will be prosperous and successful. (James 4:10, Joshua 1:8-9)
• His Heart-That he will love and trust You with his whole heart. (Deuteronomy 6:5, Proverbs 3:5)
• His Arms-That You will be his strength. (Psalm 73:26)
• His Hands-That he will enjoy the work of his hands and see it as a gift from You. (Ecclesiastes 3:13, 5:19)
• His feet – That You will order his steps and that he will walk in Your truth. (Proverbs 4:25, Psalm 26:3)

And help me, Lord, to be a woman of love and prayer. Amen!

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Happy Valentine's Day all!! Prayer is in the air <3

Eve - Mother of All Who Have Life

I started this devotional "Women of the Bible" - and I think you all know - who the first woman ever mentioned in the bible -- yes, Eve!

Most of us have read about her several times … so have I.

But today, actually was my very first time - to really try to "understand her" --

selama ini, aku cuma liat Eve -- sebagai …"uurggh, gara2 dia - kita semua berdosa"

*giliran begini aja, aku sok2 berada di di posisi cowo -- dan ga bangga jadi cewe, -> nyalahin Hawa!

Let's see siapa Eve sebelum dan sesudah the Fall ~

Her character: she came into the world perfectly at peace with her God and with her husband, the only other person on the planet. She lived in Paradise, possessing every pleasure imaginable. She never knew the meaning of embarrasment, misunderstanding, hurt, estrangement, envy, bitterness, grief or guilt until she listened to her enemy and began to doubt God.

You know the story ---

Eve dengerin the serpent, ambil that fruit, kasi ke Adam -- makan bareng ..

lalu tiba2 mereka berdua merasa malu karena telanjang -- Tuhan datang -- jreng - jreng .. dan mereka saling menyalahkan …

Dan penderitaan dimulai ~~

karena the Fall --- Adam dan Hawa harus keluar dari the Paradise,

and apa? Yupzzz ~ kita, para anak2 hawa - harus merasakan apa itu labor!! *ga kebayang pas si Hawa dulu ngelahirin, cuma sama si Adam doank >.<

Dah mana, kisah Hawa juga ga kurang sedih … punya 2 anak, en satu dibunuh - satu membunuh …!! *again ga kebayang!

Si Hawa yang super perfect, dengan keadaan yang super perfect, dengan suami yg super perfect -- langsung terjun bebas ke kondisi yg miserable~

*well -- well, kalo kita punya masalah, mgkn ga terlalu ngerasa miserable - karena dari awalpun hidup kita sudah tidak perfect - kondisi kita pun tidak! Kita lahir dengan dosa - dan perasaan insecurity, merasa tidak cantik, iri hati, pahit etc *sebutkan segala dosa kehebatan para wanita.

Namun, Hawa, ------- SHE WAS THE MOST PERFECT WOMAN WHO EVER LIVED.

if we stop there, *seperti yg selama ini aku lakukan, aku merasa bahwa Hawa adalah wanita paling malang di dunia~

Namun, let's not skip the very important thing here -- God promised Eve, sooner or later, despite many griefs, her seed would crush the serpent. In the end, the woman would win.

And, after years -- Seth was born. *yes, walau tidak akan ada yg bisa menggantikan Abel for Eve..

Aku belum pernah merasakan pregnant and giving birth - but I know that the joy, the bonding between mom and her child …. the love ~!! *i wish i could explain more. membuat penderitaan labor means nothing~ *haiya ga kebayang seberapa sakitnya -- en ga kebayang seberapa indahnya punya anak itu sampe bisa labor ga berarti lagi sakitnya~~! isn't it beautiful?

and, yes, Eve experienced it again.

Yang terindah dari kisah Eve buat ku adalah -- *ni kata buku-nya:

Embedded in the very curse put on Eve for her sin is a wonderful promise. God promises her, and succeeding generations: You "will give birth to children" (Gen 3:16)

God's grace and mercy are marvelously evident, even when he's pronouncing his judgment. He promises that the human race will continue even as he announces that death will now be inevitable.

Throughout Scripture, God's grace is often most beautifully evident within his judgments. When the world was so full of sin that he had to destroy it, God's grace saved Noah and his family. When the Israelites rebelled so thoroughly that captivity was inevitable, God's grace promised restoration. While judgment fell on David for his sin with Bathsheba, God's grace them Solomon as a son and successor.

When you are at your lowest, on your knees before God's judgment, never forget that his grace is still at work. And that is truly amazing. :')

Eve, from the top of the world - suddenly fell so deep -- but, His grace was still at work~!

There is a hope for us, wahai para wanita-nya Allah, no matter how miserable kondisimu saat ini - or if you've been at your lowest since forever and dunno how to go back --- his grace is still at work. 'coz we're created for more. He doesn't leave us this way…. God doesn't stop there!!

Let's surrender our lives to Him - let Him fulfill his purpose for creating us..

He created us in His own image - like Eve - He made us a woman capable of reflecting his love, truth, strength, goodness, wisdom and beauty. We were made for paradise. Let’s not stop here!