July 15th 2010
Maybe some of you still remember what I wrote several days ago *if you read*, how I am so terrible at sharing "my heart"....
I have been really devastated these days, and really not trying to hide my feelings at all. *what an improvement!*
I've been really quite. I shared my feelings to some of my friends. and I've been wearing black.
But u know, at the end of the day... there are just some things that still remain that I, myself, am clueless about.
This time, I am being content this way, not trying to figure out what's going on. I enjoy "this moment" by myself and of course with a loyal support from my family too. *oooh, how I am thankful for having them*
They have been there with me..
watching me dancing, while I was trying to forget everything for a while,
laughing at and with me, how stressful I have been..
they were silent when suddenly...after I danced and laughed hard, I cried hard immediately...
"Laughter can conceal a heavy heart,
but when the laughter ends, the grief remains."
I thank God for having my family with me, and my friends' support too. For their presences and encouragement.
But...my heart..no one could fully understand!! How could I expect anyone will understand if I, myself, have no idea what's actually going on inside??! It's just broken!! It hurts so bad!
"Each heart knows its own bitterness,
and no one else can fully share its joy."
It continued 'til today...
I've been praying from this morning.... "Lord, I don't need to understand my feelings nor my heart. Nor I expect my friends would do. But, one thing I know, You take care of it."
I looked at my bible today.... and it says:
Even Death and Destruction hold no secrets from the LORD.
How much more does He know the human heart!
OOOOH!!!!!!! Yes....though I am clueless about my very own heart, He knows!!! He understands, and that's enough!! It's enough to know that He -who knows me more than myself do- handles my heart!!
You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,
but you will restore me to life again
and lift me up from the depths of the earth.
You will restore me to even greater honor
and comfort me once again.
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
He is mine forever.
But as for me, how good it is to be near God!
I have made the Sovereign LORD my shelter,
and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.
Proverbs 14:10, Proverbs 14:13, Proverbs 15:11, Psalm 71:20-21, Psalm 72:26, Psalm 72:28
Thursday, July 22, 2010
what "being still" is all about
July 14th 2010
I had dreams about so many things, I still have some now.
I used to love taking control over my schedule and plans. I used to have weekly, monthly, yearly plans, even several years ahead.
I used to love to be the first, that’s why I loved competitions and did try hard to win them.
I always thought I knew the type of man I would love to marry one day who’s gonna make me 'happy'.
I always thought I knew what type of works that fit me and would make me enjoy my work completely.
I used to do whatever it takes to pursue my dreams.
I always thought I knew myself really well and knew what I always wanted.
Then what?!
I failed.
I “lost my powers” for so many times.
My schedules got interrupted.
I broke up, and remain single.
I was left useless.
What I thought I always knew were wrong! I knew nothing!! I messed up!!
Did I cry? Oh, yeah… I cried ‘til I had no longer tears to drop.
Was my heart broken? It “only” took several years to have my heart in “a proper” shape again.
I was ashamed; I didn’t want to see anybody.
I didn’t want people to see that I could be a failure.
Yes, I suffered!!! I was broken into pieces!!
But…..I love this vulnerable, broken Erlyn much more than ever.
Though I did cry really hard, I love it NOW how God molded my heart.*oh yeah, He keeps doing it every day :D :D*
My failures really taught me – that I had no control over my life, my schedule, my plans and my dreams. *maybe I did have control, but I would end up mess everything up*. I NO longer want to take control over my life, I trust God is in control instead!
I NO longer pray, “Lord, please help me to show to others that I can. Help me to be number one!”…I pray instead, “Lord, I want to be the last! The greatness belongs to You, not me.”
God hasn’t finished with me yet *I thank Him for that* … over and over, I fail; I am tempted to do things on my own, to pursue my own dreams that seem to be just right in the corner.
Recently, I’ve been offered with choices, things that have been my dreams for all this time.
I cried out to Him…. “Lord, what with all these things?!?! They are my dreams!!! But why…..!?! Deep inside my heart, I know that they are just not from You, at least not now. Why are You keep telling me to ‘be still and wait for You’, Lord? How long should I wait?”
Been really “silent” these days, then this morning…my mom asked..why?!
I told her, “Mom, I am tired to think about others first, I want to pursue my own happiness. My dreams are in front of me, Mom, I just need to take one little step! But I know, it’s not the time yet, it’s not the right thing to do, though I know I can, but I don’t want to.”
*sometimes, I tend to get “support” or “approval” from closest people in my life, hoping that they would say, “Well, go for it then!! Do whatever you think is good for you!!”*
But in the end, I know, even if the whole world told me to, “Go for it!!”, “Pursue your own dreams and happiness”, I wouldn’t go anywhere if my Heavenly Father tells me not to. I’ve learnt from my past mistakes and failures, that His voice is the only one I want to follow. I trust in His perfect plans, in His perfect timing.
I’ve been loved this quote I read from Max Lucado’s book ‘Just Like Jesus’ – a quote from a wife to her husband- : “I’d rather do nothing with you, than do something without you.”
I would even say it this way: “I’d rather ‘lose’ with my Lord, than ‘win’ without Him”
Here what I just read:
* I really could shout out for joy what He just did to me right now. After I wrote the above writings, I did my other things, then I got this devotional, I read and here it is….*
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Sometimes we grow impatient. We want what we want and we want it now. So we make mistakes of trying to get something by ourselves. Have you ever tried to get something by yourself? Is there something in your life that you really want….NOW?
Or there one thing you feel if you could have, your life would be complete? If you could just have that job at that pay, life would be so much better. If He would just fulfill that lifelong dream, you would be content. Are you tempted like me to get that thing any way you can, even with the possibility you could end up with way more than a black eye?
There are times with all of our prayers He seems to answer “no” or at least “not now”. It is here, where our desires intersect His will that we have to trust the Father knows best and every gift comes from Him. Every time, in His time, the gift is good and perfect.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
*He really answered my pray right away, didn’t He? :D :D*
Oh yes!! I have been waiting for all this time, and I will keep waiting. I have heard Him saying, “Be still and know that I am God”, and yeah, I am standing still ‘til my Father asks me to move and get going.
Some sweet article I read today too:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Be still and know that I am God!”. The word still comes from a Hebrew word meaning to “let go” or “release.” The meaning would be best understood to say “cause yourself to become restrained or to let go.” In other words, we need to come to a place where we are willing to submit ourselves to God and acknowledging that He is in sovereign control.
When we realize that we are truly incapable of controlling life, we can surrender our will to God’s will. It may be a matter of finally saying we trust Him. This will open the door so that we may experience the fullness of all God wants and has for us. After all, He is our Creator and has a perfect plan for us when we let Him orchestrate it.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Some people may say, “I am letting my dreams go”, but I would rather say, “I am putting my dreams on my Father’s hands.” I am submitting them to my Father who has much more beautiful and bigger ones long before He created me.
Sources: Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Encouragement for Today “Timely Gifts” by Lynn Cowell, All about Following Jesus’ website.
I had dreams about so many things, I still have some now.
I used to love taking control over my schedule and plans. I used to have weekly, monthly, yearly plans, even several years ahead.
I used to love to be the first, that’s why I loved competitions and did try hard to win them.
I always thought I knew the type of man I would love to marry one day who’s gonna make me 'happy'.
I always thought I knew what type of works that fit me and would make me enjoy my work completely.
I used to do whatever it takes to pursue my dreams.
I always thought I knew myself really well and knew what I always wanted.
Then what?!
I failed.
I “lost my powers” for so many times.
My schedules got interrupted.
I broke up, and remain single.
I was left useless.
What I thought I always knew were wrong! I knew nothing!! I messed up!!
Did I cry? Oh, yeah… I cried ‘til I had no longer tears to drop.
Was my heart broken? It “only” took several years to have my heart in “a proper” shape again.
I was ashamed; I didn’t want to see anybody.
I didn’t want people to see that I could be a failure.
Yes, I suffered!!! I was broken into pieces!!
But…..I love this vulnerable, broken Erlyn much more than ever.
Though I did cry really hard, I love it NOW how God molded my heart.*oh yeah, He keeps doing it every day :D :D*
My failures really taught me – that I had no control over my life, my schedule, my plans and my dreams. *maybe I did have control, but I would end up mess everything up*. I NO longer want to take control over my life, I trust God is in control instead!
I NO longer pray, “Lord, please help me to show to others that I can. Help me to be number one!”…I pray instead, “Lord, I want to be the last! The greatness belongs to You, not me.”
God hasn’t finished with me yet *I thank Him for that* … over and over, I fail; I am tempted to do things on my own, to pursue my own dreams that seem to be just right in the corner.
Recently, I’ve been offered with choices, things that have been my dreams for all this time.
I cried out to Him…. “Lord, what with all these things?!?! They are my dreams!!! But why…..!?! Deep inside my heart, I know that they are just not from You, at least not now. Why are You keep telling me to ‘be still and wait for You’, Lord? How long should I wait?”
Been really “silent” these days, then this morning…my mom asked..why?!
I told her, “Mom, I am tired to think about others first, I want to pursue my own happiness. My dreams are in front of me, Mom, I just need to take one little step! But I know, it’s not the time yet, it’s not the right thing to do, though I know I can, but I don’t want to.”
*sometimes, I tend to get “support” or “approval” from closest people in my life, hoping that they would say, “Well, go for it then!! Do whatever you think is good for you!!”*
But in the end, I know, even if the whole world told me to, “Go for it!!”, “Pursue your own dreams and happiness”, I wouldn’t go anywhere if my Heavenly Father tells me not to. I’ve learnt from my past mistakes and failures, that His voice is the only one I want to follow. I trust in His perfect plans, in His perfect timing.
I’ve been loved this quote I read from Max Lucado’s book ‘Just Like Jesus’ – a quote from a wife to her husband- : “I’d rather do nothing with you, than do something without you.”
I would even say it this way: “I’d rather ‘lose’ with my Lord, than ‘win’ without Him”
Here what I just read:
* I really could shout out for joy what He just did to me right now. After I wrote the above writings, I did my other things, then I got this devotional, I read and here it is….*
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Sometimes we grow impatient. We want what we want and we want it now. So we make mistakes of trying to get something by ourselves. Have you ever tried to get something by yourself? Is there something in your life that you really want….NOW?
Or there one thing you feel if you could have, your life would be complete? If you could just have that job at that pay, life would be so much better. If He would just fulfill that lifelong dream, you would be content. Are you tempted like me to get that thing any way you can, even with the possibility you could end up with way more than a black eye?
There are times with all of our prayers He seems to answer “no” or at least “not now”. It is here, where our desires intersect His will that we have to trust the Father knows best and every gift comes from Him. Every time, in His time, the gift is good and perfect.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
*He really answered my pray right away, didn’t He? :D :D*
Oh yes!! I have been waiting for all this time, and I will keep waiting. I have heard Him saying, “Be still and know that I am God”, and yeah, I am standing still ‘til my Father asks me to move and get going.
Some sweet article I read today too:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Be still and know that I am God!”. The word still comes from a Hebrew word meaning to “let go” or “release.” The meaning would be best understood to say “cause yourself to become restrained or to let go.” In other words, we need to come to a place where we are willing to submit ourselves to God and acknowledging that He is in sovereign control.
When we realize that we are truly incapable of controlling life, we can surrender our will to God’s will. It may be a matter of finally saying we trust Him. This will open the door so that we may experience the fullness of all God wants and has for us. After all, He is our Creator and has a perfect plan for us when we let Him orchestrate it.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Some people may say, “I am letting my dreams go”, but I would rather say, “I am putting my dreams on my Father’s hands.” I am submitting them to my Father who has much more beautiful and bigger ones long before He created me.
Sources: Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Encouragement for Today “Timely Gifts” by Lynn Cowell, All about Following Jesus’ website.
take him the way he is, or sorry, let him go!
To all my respectable single women friends....
Here's a special article that talks about thing you may have known and deal with it well *good, keep it up and share it! ;) *, you may forget, you may have known for a long time but you still "believe in yourself" or you may never know and clueless about...
..............................
A bit more on the general subject touched upon with yesterday's, "Stop Wasting Time Looking for Mr. Right."If you're a single woman, a good thing to understand about any man with whom you're thinking about getting more deeply involved or even married is that men don't change. They are who they are. Love and accept the man you're interested in as he is, or move on.
If your potential life-mate possesses a quality that you don't like---a habit, personality quirk, major behavior tendency, political philosophy, whatever---then you need to ask yourself whether you can live with that quality, or not. If not, then move on to bachelor number two; bachelor number one isn't your guy.
When it comes to figuring out if you can live with your man's problematic quality, ask yourself this: Does that quality offend your values, or your taste? If stuff he does, says, or thinks run contrary to the values you hold as a Christian, then that's a serious issue. But if what he offends is your taste---if in effect he simply does things differently than you'd prefer him to---then probably not so much. A value difference could be a deal breaker. But a style difference shouldn't be.
A style difference may actually add more fun and more colors in our lives, ah? Haha, remember we're talking about style, eh, not values! -eyn-
Let's say you love a man who is a motorcycle enthusiast. You'd rather he didn't ride a motorcycle, because it's dangerous. But is riding a motorcycle a values issue, or a style issue? Though a case can be made for it being a values issue (since for the sake of our loved ones we should all remain as safe as possible), it's primarily a matter of style, insofar as knowing that a person drives a motorcycle tells you nothing about that person's character; it's something they do, and no indicator at all of who they are. So as a problem, you're going to have to let go the fact that your man drives a motorcycle---or you should at least be a lot more willing to let that go, to accept that quality of his. Because the bottom line is that he does ride a motorcycle. That's who he is. There isn't a different man inside of him who doesn't ride a motorcycle, a man that you can somehow get to replace the man you know. Though it may sound harsh, that your man rides a motorcycle is your problem, not his.
You can't change that about him. Your choice is to either leave him over the fact that he rides a motorcycle, or embrace it as part of what makes you love him.The choice you don't want to make is to try to change whatever problem you have with your man into his problem, by complaining about it, or trying to make him feel guilty about it, or (even) crying about it. Sure, at the time you do those things, a guy may respond to the emotionality of the moment by saying (and perhaps even believing) that he will change. But he won't. Because once the drama has cleared, the truth of who he really is will begin to reassert itself, and he will begin to think that you don't actually have a right to tell him who or how he should be. And as sure as one day follows the next, he's then going to start resenting you for trying to make your own will his own.
If his relationship with God isn't as tight as it should be, he may even start lying to you. He might start sneaking doing whatever it is he does that you don't like. And then you'll "catch" him doing that thing.
And there you'll be, stuck in that nasty little loop in which so many couples do get stuck, where the woman's either constantly nagging at her man to stop doing something he keeps doing anyway, or is deeply upset at discovering that her man's been lying to her about something he's been doing all along that he's not "supposed" to be doing at all.
Avoid that trap forever, going in, by realizing that you're supposed to love your partner for who they are, not for who you want them to become.
The thing is, persisting in trying to change your man is guaranteed to transmogrify you something much more akin to his mother than his wife. And then he will turn into a bastardized version of your son. Tell your man that he needs to eat more vegetables, and as sure as the day is long he'll start sneaking pizza.
Yech.
Life's too short. You want a man, not a boy. Successful relationships are built on mutual respect, not the kind of co-dependent, mutually dysfunctional craziness that necessarily develops whenever one person in a relationship is convinced that they know what's best for the other.
If you can't accept and love him exactly as he is, let God lead you to someone you can.
..........................
Rather than "concentrating" or "making plans" to change our guy or potential one (or ones?), let's concentrate on beautifying our INNER and outer that we glorify our God in everything we do, and one day, we are ready to submit to our man and love him the way he is as God's prepared him for us too. -eyn-
........................
From Crosswalk Women "Single Women: Do Not Try To Change Him" by John Shore
Here's a special article that talks about thing you may have known and deal with it well *good, keep it up and share it! ;) *, you may forget, you may have known for a long time but you still "believe in yourself" or you may never know and clueless about...
..............................
A bit more on the general subject touched upon with yesterday's, "Stop Wasting Time Looking for Mr. Right."If you're a single woman, a good thing to understand about any man with whom you're thinking about getting more deeply involved or even married is that men don't change. They are who they are. Love and accept the man you're interested in as he is, or move on.
If your potential life-mate possesses a quality that you don't like---a habit, personality quirk, major behavior tendency, political philosophy, whatever---then you need to ask yourself whether you can live with that quality, or not. If not, then move on to bachelor number two; bachelor number one isn't your guy.
When it comes to figuring out if you can live with your man's problematic quality, ask yourself this: Does that quality offend your values, or your taste? If stuff he does, says, or thinks run contrary to the values you hold as a Christian, then that's a serious issue. But if what he offends is your taste---if in effect he simply does things differently than you'd prefer him to---then probably not so much. A value difference could be a deal breaker. But a style difference shouldn't be.
A style difference may actually add more fun and more colors in our lives, ah? Haha, remember we're talking about style, eh, not values! -eyn-
Let's say you love a man who is a motorcycle enthusiast. You'd rather he didn't ride a motorcycle, because it's dangerous. But is riding a motorcycle a values issue, or a style issue? Though a case can be made for it being a values issue (since for the sake of our loved ones we should all remain as safe as possible), it's primarily a matter of style, insofar as knowing that a person drives a motorcycle tells you nothing about that person's character; it's something they do, and no indicator at all of who they are. So as a problem, you're going to have to let go the fact that your man drives a motorcycle---or you should at least be a lot more willing to let that go, to accept that quality of his. Because the bottom line is that he does ride a motorcycle. That's who he is. There isn't a different man inside of him who doesn't ride a motorcycle, a man that you can somehow get to replace the man you know. Though it may sound harsh, that your man rides a motorcycle is your problem, not his.
You can't change that about him. Your choice is to either leave him over the fact that he rides a motorcycle, or embrace it as part of what makes you love him.The choice you don't want to make is to try to change whatever problem you have with your man into his problem, by complaining about it, or trying to make him feel guilty about it, or (even) crying about it. Sure, at the time you do those things, a guy may respond to the emotionality of the moment by saying (and perhaps even believing) that he will change. But he won't. Because once the drama has cleared, the truth of who he really is will begin to reassert itself, and he will begin to think that you don't actually have a right to tell him who or how he should be. And as sure as one day follows the next, he's then going to start resenting you for trying to make your own will his own.
If his relationship with God isn't as tight as it should be, he may even start lying to you. He might start sneaking doing whatever it is he does that you don't like. And then you'll "catch" him doing that thing.
And there you'll be, stuck in that nasty little loop in which so many couples do get stuck, where the woman's either constantly nagging at her man to stop doing something he keeps doing anyway, or is deeply upset at discovering that her man's been lying to her about something he's been doing all along that he's not "supposed" to be doing at all.
Avoid that trap forever, going in, by realizing that you're supposed to love your partner for who they are, not for who you want them to become.
The thing is, persisting in trying to change your man is guaranteed to transmogrify you something much more akin to his mother than his wife. And then he will turn into a bastardized version of your son. Tell your man that he needs to eat more vegetables, and as sure as the day is long he'll start sneaking pizza.
Yech.
Life's too short. You want a man, not a boy. Successful relationships are built on mutual respect, not the kind of co-dependent, mutually dysfunctional craziness that necessarily develops whenever one person in a relationship is convinced that they know what's best for the other.
If you can't accept and love him exactly as he is, let God lead you to someone you can.
..........................
Rather than "concentrating" or "making plans" to change our guy or potential one (or ones?), let's concentrate on beautifying our INNER and outer that we glorify our God in everything we do, and one day, we are ready to submit to our man and love him the way he is as God's prepared him for us too. -eyn-
........................
From Crosswalk Women "Single Women: Do Not Try To Change Him" by John Shore
amsal 17:17
July 7th 2010
“Cape deh….!! Masa gue baru tau lu jadian itu dari facebook sih?? Eh seorang sahabat menaruh kasih setiap waktu yeee, dan menjadi seorang saudara dalam kesukaran…!!! Elu mah cuma sahabat waktu susah doank, pas lagi hepi2 aje gak pernah cerita!!”
Itu adalah salah satu obrolanku dengan 2 pasang temanku yg baru recently jadian .. *yes, I am the only single there* kejadian itu adalah 3 hari yg lalu, dan menurut kami, itu adalah suatu hal yg lucu, “Giliran susah aje, lu nyari gue, pas lagi hepi aja *jadian* gak bilang2 lu”… Lucu, tapi di sisi laen..jadi wondering, why?!
Dan barusan *saat lagi asik2 taking shower* aku menyadari…. “Betul!!! Seorang sahabat itu menaruh kasih setiap waktu dan menjadi SAUDARA dalam kesukaran. Lebih baik punya teman yg ada pada saat kita susah, daripada punya teman yg cuma ada pada saat kita senang. ”
Walaupun aku adalah seorang yg super bawel, yg bisa ngomong dari pagi sampe malem *haha..ini bukan berlebihan, tapi ini adalah kenyataan. Try me!* aku gak pernah kehabisan topik untuk diomongin, tetapi ketika menyangkut masalah pribadiku, aku cukup tertutup. Ketika menyangkut hal yang membebani pikiranku, aku diam. Kalau teman bertanya, “apa kabar lyn?”, selalu hanya, “baik :D”
Aku tidak berbohong, karena memang hampir selalu aku dalam keadaan baik, walaupun mungkin aku sedang bermasalah, aku masih selalu dalam kondisi tolerable. Kalau sampai aku dalam keadaan sedang tidak baik, bisa dipastikan, aku tidak bertemu dengan siapa2, aku cenderung menjauh. *mungkin kalau ada yg ingat, awal taon 2007 , aku “menghilang” dari peredaran selama hampir setahun, karena aku sedang hancur!!” Jadi, pada saat aku masi mampu bertemu, dan berbicara dengan seseorang, adalah saat aku masi OK-OK saja, dan aku boleh berkata, “I am fine, dear! :)”
Entah mengapa, aku cenderung jarang sekali curhat ke orang. Selalu dalam benakku adalah, “Ah, aku tidak mau membebani pikiran orang lain.” “Ah, aku mampu menghadapinya sendiri.” dsb…
Seandainya curhat-pun kebanyakan adalah ketika masalah itu telah selesai, setelah I dealt with the problems myself *and praying too, of course*. So, pretty much I always shared something like, “You know what, I had this problem.. and this what I did :……, and yeah.. I’m ok now!!”.
Sangat jarang yang, “I have this problem, I don’t know what to do, could you please help me dealing with this?”
Sampai suatu ketika, omongan temanku membuatku berpikir dan “iri”, dia bilang, “Lyn, thanks banget yah, setelah gue curhat ke elu, gue jadi lebih lega…and gue selalu simpen sms dari lu, saat gue bimbang lagi, gue baca lagi lyn and itu nguatin gue, thanks yah.”
Aku jadi mikir, “duh, enak bgt yah kalo bisa cerita ke orang lain..bisa lega gitu yah ternyata….! Kapan yah aku bisa kayak gitu juga?”
Aku sungguh punya masalah “tidak bisa cerita” ke orang lain! Itu sungguh adalah masalah dan tidak sehat! Kita ini diciptakan untuk saling berbagi dan menanggung beban satu sama lain, aku sadar sekali akan hal itu. Kita adalah makhluk sosial yang sangat membutuhkan orang lain. Adalah hal yg dapat diterima, ketika kita berada dalam kondisi tidak baik – vulnerable – broken, dan kita bagikan itu kepada orang lain. Aku menyadari, tidak selamanya aku harus dalam kondisi ready dan siap bertempur. Bole2 aja kok, aku hancur, butuh cerita, dan “mengganggu” orang lain dengan masalahku. That’s what friends are for anyway kan? And itu juga mengapa Tuhan menciptakan kita dengan orang2 di sekeliling kita yg menyayangi kita, rite?
Aku selalu berusaha though, walau itu adalah hal yg sulit bagiku.
Sampai suatu ketika….. seorang teman yg mengenalku selama lebih dari setengah usiaku, dan pernah menjadi orang terdekat dalam hidupku selama 9 tahun, bilang gini, “Mungkin lu gak bisa cerita karena lu itu takut, lyn. Lu takut orang liat kalo lu itu juga bisa sedih. Seorang Erlyn bisa juga hancur. Lu harus cerita lyn. Temen lu kan banyak. Lu bagi2 lah ke banyak orang kalo emang lu gak enak cerita ke 1 orang doank *oh, dia kenal sekali sifat gak enakan’ku*. “
“iyeee..gue tau, tapi gue gak tau gmana caranya!!!! Gue bisa gilaaaaaaaaaa ini” *and I actually cried that day, coz I realized how big my problem was*
Mulailah dengan, “aduh gue stress…gue sedih..gue cape, then u’ll know what to say next.”
*haha…kalian mgkn tertawa membacanya, tapi sungguh…aku gak ngerti how to!*
Sejak saat itu, aku berusaha….mengkontek temanku tidak hanya untuk menanyakan kabarnya, tapi juga untuk menceritakan kabar dan masalahku…. It’s been gone pretty well and menunjukan progress!! Yaay :D
And baru hari ini…tepatnya dari kemarin, ketika again, masalah mendatangi dan menghampiri, aku mengumpulkan segenap keberanianku untuk menceritakannya kepada temanku, bahkan lebih hebat lagi, kepada teman2ku… *tidak hanya 1 teman* … dan ternyata benar, as simple as it is… though the problem is still here with me, they’ve shared the burden with me, they did actually help me a loooot!!!! and aku bener2 experienced “Seorang sahabat menaruh kasih setiap waktu dan menjadi seorang saudara dalam kesukaran.” Aku merasakan His unfailing love from my friends’ love. Aku jadi menyadari, betapa.. actually aku gak sendiri…walau mungkin tidak selamanya mereka siap untuk menolong, tidak selamanya mereka ada, tapi they are willing!! Mereka berusaha… ! Sama seperti aku will do anything for them, they will do the same. Dan itu pun sudah sangat meringani bebanku, knowing that there is someone out there who cares; oh, there are actually many who care!
Once, a friend of mine shared this:
“Friendship is the greatest of worldly goods,” believed C.S. Lewis. “If I had to give a piece of advice to a young man about a place to live, I think I should say, ‘sacrifice almost everything to live where you can be near your friend,’”
Thank you for being my friend!! :D and I am so sorry for being a terrible friend :(
“Cape deh….!! Masa gue baru tau lu jadian itu dari facebook sih?? Eh seorang sahabat menaruh kasih setiap waktu yeee, dan menjadi seorang saudara dalam kesukaran…!!! Elu mah cuma sahabat waktu susah doank, pas lagi hepi2 aje gak pernah cerita!!”
Itu adalah salah satu obrolanku dengan 2 pasang temanku yg baru recently jadian .. *yes, I am the only single there* kejadian itu adalah 3 hari yg lalu, dan menurut kami, itu adalah suatu hal yg lucu, “Giliran susah aje, lu nyari gue, pas lagi hepi aja *jadian* gak bilang2 lu”… Lucu, tapi di sisi laen..jadi wondering, why?!
Dan barusan *saat lagi asik2 taking shower* aku menyadari…. “Betul!!! Seorang sahabat itu menaruh kasih setiap waktu dan menjadi SAUDARA dalam kesukaran. Lebih baik punya teman yg ada pada saat kita susah, daripada punya teman yg cuma ada pada saat kita senang. ”
Walaupun aku adalah seorang yg super bawel, yg bisa ngomong dari pagi sampe malem *haha..ini bukan berlebihan, tapi ini adalah kenyataan. Try me!* aku gak pernah kehabisan topik untuk diomongin, tetapi ketika menyangkut masalah pribadiku, aku cukup tertutup. Ketika menyangkut hal yang membebani pikiranku, aku diam. Kalau teman bertanya, “apa kabar lyn?”, selalu hanya, “baik :D”
Aku tidak berbohong, karena memang hampir selalu aku dalam keadaan baik, walaupun mungkin aku sedang bermasalah, aku masih selalu dalam kondisi tolerable. Kalau sampai aku dalam keadaan sedang tidak baik, bisa dipastikan, aku tidak bertemu dengan siapa2, aku cenderung menjauh. *mungkin kalau ada yg ingat, awal taon 2007 , aku “menghilang” dari peredaran selama hampir setahun, karena aku sedang hancur!!” Jadi, pada saat aku masi mampu bertemu, dan berbicara dengan seseorang, adalah saat aku masi OK-OK saja, dan aku boleh berkata, “I am fine, dear! :)”
Entah mengapa, aku cenderung jarang sekali curhat ke orang. Selalu dalam benakku adalah, “Ah, aku tidak mau membebani pikiran orang lain.” “Ah, aku mampu menghadapinya sendiri.” dsb…
Seandainya curhat-pun kebanyakan adalah ketika masalah itu telah selesai, setelah I dealt with the problems myself *and praying too, of course*. So, pretty much I always shared something like, “You know what, I had this problem.. and this what I did :……, and yeah.. I’m ok now!!”.
Sangat jarang yang, “I have this problem, I don’t know what to do, could you please help me dealing with this?”
Sampai suatu ketika, omongan temanku membuatku berpikir dan “iri”, dia bilang, “Lyn, thanks banget yah, setelah gue curhat ke elu, gue jadi lebih lega…and gue selalu simpen sms dari lu, saat gue bimbang lagi, gue baca lagi lyn and itu nguatin gue, thanks yah.”
Aku jadi mikir, “duh, enak bgt yah kalo bisa cerita ke orang lain..bisa lega gitu yah ternyata….! Kapan yah aku bisa kayak gitu juga?”
Aku sungguh punya masalah “tidak bisa cerita” ke orang lain! Itu sungguh adalah masalah dan tidak sehat! Kita ini diciptakan untuk saling berbagi dan menanggung beban satu sama lain, aku sadar sekali akan hal itu. Kita adalah makhluk sosial yang sangat membutuhkan orang lain. Adalah hal yg dapat diterima, ketika kita berada dalam kondisi tidak baik – vulnerable – broken, dan kita bagikan itu kepada orang lain. Aku menyadari, tidak selamanya aku harus dalam kondisi ready dan siap bertempur. Bole2 aja kok, aku hancur, butuh cerita, dan “mengganggu” orang lain dengan masalahku. That’s what friends are for anyway kan? And itu juga mengapa Tuhan menciptakan kita dengan orang2 di sekeliling kita yg menyayangi kita, rite?
Aku selalu berusaha though, walau itu adalah hal yg sulit bagiku.
Sampai suatu ketika….. seorang teman yg mengenalku selama lebih dari setengah usiaku, dan pernah menjadi orang terdekat dalam hidupku selama 9 tahun, bilang gini, “Mungkin lu gak bisa cerita karena lu itu takut, lyn. Lu takut orang liat kalo lu itu juga bisa sedih. Seorang Erlyn bisa juga hancur. Lu harus cerita lyn. Temen lu kan banyak. Lu bagi2 lah ke banyak orang kalo emang lu gak enak cerita ke 1 orang doank *oh, dia kenal sekali sifat gak enakan’ku*. “
“iyeee..gue tau, tapi gue gak tau gmana caranya!!!! Gue bisa gilaaaaaaaaaa ini” *and I actually cried that day, coz I realized how big my problem was*
Mulailah dengan, “aduh gue stress…gue sedih..gue cape, then u’ll know what to say next.”
*haha…kalian mgkn tertawa membacanya, tapi sungguh…aku gak ngerti how to!*
Sejak saat itu, aku berusaha….mengkontek temanku tidak hanya untuk menanyakan kabarnya, tapi juga untuk menceritakan kabar dan masalahku…. It’s been gone pretty well and menunjukan progress!! Yaay :D
And baru hari ini…tepatnya dari kemarin, ketika again, masalah mendatangi dan menghampiri, aku mengumpulkan segenap keberanianku untuk menceritakannya kepada temanku, bahkan lebih hebat lagi, kepada teman2ku… *tidak hanya 1 teman* … dan ternyata benar, as simple as it is… though the problem is still here with me, they’ve shared the burden with me, they did actually help me a loooot!!!! and aku bener2 experienced “Seorang sahabat menaruh kasih setiap waktu dan menjadi seorang saudara dalam kesukaran.” Aku merasakan His unfailing love from my friends’ love. Aku jadi menyadari, betapa.. actually aku gak sendiri…walau mungkin tidak selamanya mereka siap untuk menolong, tidak selamanya mereka ada, tapi they are willing!! Mereka berusaha… ! Sama seperti aku will do anything for them, they will do the same. Dan itu pun sudah sangat meringani bebanku, knowing that there is someone out there who cares; oh, there are actually many who care!
Once, a friend of mine shared this:
“Friendship is the greatest of worldly goods,” believed C.S. Lewis. “If I had to give a piece of advice to a young man about a place to live, I think I should say, ‘sacrifice almost everything to live where you can be near your friend,’”
Thank you for being my friend!! :D and I am so sorry for being a terrible friend :(
good gifts from Him
July 3rd 2010
1.Matthew 8:1 “Lord, if You are willing You can heal me and make me clean.”
2.Matthew 8:13 “Because you believed, it has happened.”
3.Matthew 8:26 Jesus responded, “Why are you so afraid? You have so little faith!”
4.Matthew 9:2 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the **** man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven!”
5.Matthew 9:18 “My daughter has just died, but You can bring her back to life again if You just come and lay Your hand on her.”
6.Matthew 9:22 “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.”
7.Matthew 9:29 “Because of your faith, it will happen.”
These verses really attracted me this morning.
They are all talking about faith! Guess whom Jesus spoke to…!
(well, you can look at the bible too though! or keep reading this.. haha!)
First, it was a Leprosy showed his faith. He believed that if it’s Jesus’ will, Jesus could do whatever, all he needed to do was to ask.
Second, a roman officer. I like him even more. He knew his position, though he was an officer who control over 100 soldiers (compare to Jesus who was a carpenter, a teacher!), a Roman (compare to Jesus who was a Jew!), he knew that he was unworthy to have Jesus came into his home (v8). His faith encouraged him to believe that without Jesus coming and seeing his servant, only by His word, the servant would be healed!
Let us skip the third, coz that is the only “negative” faith, yeah?
Fourth, a paralyzed man with his friends. They took an extra effort to compete with the crowd, and brought his friend ‘a paralyzed man’ on his mat. They knew Jesus was worth to seek. They knew Jesus would notice them even they were drown by the crowd. What he got? Even better!! Not only physical health, but spiritual health that comes only from Jesus’ healing touch.
Fifth, a leader of synagogue. Another man who swallowed his pride, a leader of synagogue (we know people the synagogue were “threatened” by Jesus’ popularity and tried to find his mistakes *yeah, they never did lah, Jesus was SINLESS*) came and knelt before Jesus. He knew Jesus could!
Sixth, a bleeding woman. She had suffered for 12 years, and that day bleeding women were unworthy (I really don’t get it why!!). She was untouchable (still don’t get it, why!!!), had not been able to lead a normal life. But she had faith, “If I can just touch his robe. I will be healed.”(9:21). She knew Jesus was compassionate and merciful, that she was allowed to touch. She knew after she met Jesus, her life would be changed and restored, and back to normal.
Seventh, two blind men. They shouted and begged for mercy (I imagined they never saw Jesus *duh, they were blind*, but they heard about Jesus, and the only they could do was shouting), “Son of David, have mercy on us” (9:27). They did the best and only thing they could do.
And here we are, the only negative faith….! And we all know…
Yes, the disciples! The closest people to Jesus who followed Jesus wherever He went and PERFORMED miracles. The very first people heard Jesus’ teachings.
I might say, “I am not getting it ‘why the disciples didn’t have faith.’!!!!!”, but I chose not to, because the closest example that showed my faith was the disciples’ faith. I read Bible *in fact, I enjoy reading it more than ever*. I love Jesus. I know Jesus loves me. I feel that, not only knowing it.
I’ve seen Jesus’ miracles in many people’s lives. I’ve seen how people changed after Jesus came into their lives *for me, it’s a miracle because only Jesus is able to change people’s lives*. I’ve seen His blessings unto others.
And more surprisingly and obviously, I experienced them all!!!!!!!
I experienced how my life was changed after I met Him *oh, my tears started to fall, really can’t imagine living my life without Him anymore*.
I experienced His provisions. I truly experienced Philippians 4:19, He has supplied all my needs from His glorious riches.
He answered my prayers, even gave more than I ever asked.
I experienced His guidance.
I may not a rich girl, but have I ever starved? No! Have I ever slept roofless? No! Have I ever not having clothes to wear? NEVER!! *in fact, I keep giving away my clothes to others*!
I may not come from a perfect family, but have I ever felt abandoned? *oh well, maybe from my own father, I have* But dear friends, I truly experienced what God has said, “I will never fail you, I will never abandon you.” I am truly blessed!!!!!
Yet, like the disciples, storms came into my life, problems visited, there were moments when I was out of nowhere with “nothing to eat”, I was terrified by “enemies who keep chasing me”. They distracted my focus, my eyes and my faith that were supposed to be kept on Him only. I forgot what He did in the past, and started to worry about my future. *sinful nature yeah? :$*
But my dear Lord…ooh, how He loves me! How He is faithful to me!
Let me share to you what He’s been telling me recent days:
John 14:14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name and –I will do it.
John 14:23 All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.
John 15:7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted.
Isaiah 62:6b Take no rest, all who pray to the Lord.
Isaiah 62:1 Give the Lord no rest until He completes His work.
He reminded me to keep praying, asking Him, and abiding in Him!! Praying and praying!!
For what?? For whatever!!!!!!
Are you in burdens? PRAY faithfully for He is a burden taker.
Are you worried about your future? PRAY faithfully for He holds our future.
Are you having requests that you want so badly to be fulfilled? PRAY faithfully for He knows our needs, and He has prepared much more beautiful ones that we can ever imagine.
Are you broken hearted? PRAY with faith that He makes everything beautiful in its time.
Are you lonely? PRAY faithfully and know that we are never alone; He always stands by our sides.
To Jesus, to the same Man who healed the leprosy, the blind, the mute, the bleeding woman, the paralyzed. Who raised the dead!!! ‘ coz He is able. For nothing is impossible for Him.
I might add, as the leprosy did a little effort – to ask Him- , the blind – to shout -, the bleeding woman – to touch Jesus’ robe-, the paralyzed – to ask for his friends -, Jairus – to come and knelt before Him - , we need to go before Him, we need to meditate on His words, spend time with Him, maybe to share with accountable friends too and then we’ll know what to do, we’ll know His heart’s desire. *oh, how blessed we are to be able to go to Him wherever, whenever!! Imagine the examples above, how they struggled to meet Jesus!*
Yet, we tend to get disappointed if our prayers weren’t “answered” by Him, then not praying at all *ooh, congratulations to add more problems into our lives!*, but the truth is it’s not that He didn’t answer our prayers – He knew better than what we asked! Most of time, it was us who forgot to seek His will, to know His heart. I do >.<
This morning, after I read this verse: “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for”. I stopped and didn’t continue reading the next verse.
I prayed to Him: The thing is, if I abide in You, what I seek and ask is Your will. Lord, You know what I want, I want to know Your will. Teach me to put my hopes in You, because I know what you have prepared for me is much more beautiful than what I can ask for.
He answered, So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.
Joyfully, I said, AMIN~!!!
Because of Your promise and according to Your will, You have done all these great things and have made them known to Your servant. How great You are, o Sovereign Lord! There is none like You. We have never even heard of another God like You. 2 Samuel 7:21-22
1.Matthew 8:1 “Lord, if You are willing You can heal me and make me clean.”
2.Matthew 8:13 “Because you believed, it has happened.”
3.Matthew 8:26 Jesus responded, “Why are you so afraid? You have so little faith!”
4.Matthew 9:2 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the **** man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven!”
5.Matthew 9:18 “My daughter has just died, but You can bring her back to life again if You just come and lay Your hand on her.”
6.Matthew 9:22 “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.”
7.Matthew 9:29 “Because of your faith, it will happen.”
These verses really attracted me this morning.
They are all talking about faith! Guess whom Jesus spoke to…!
(well, you can look at the bible too though! or keep reading this.. haha!)
First, it was a Leprosy showed his faith. He believed that if it’s Jesus’ will, Jesus could do whatever, all he needed to do was to ask.
Second, a roman officer. I like him even more. He knew his position, though he was an officer who control over 100 soldiers (compare to Jesus who was a carpenter, a teacher!), a Roman (compare to Jesus who was a Jew!), he knew that he was unworthy to have Jesus came into his home (v8). His faith encouraged him to believe that without Jesus coming and seeing his servant, only by His word, the servant would be healed!
Let us skip the third, coz that is the only “negative” faith, yeah?
Fourth, a paralyzed man with his friends. They took an extra effort to compete with the crowd, and brought his friend ‘a paralyzed man’ on his mat. They knew Jesus was worth to seek. They knew Jesus would notice them even they were drown by the crowd. What he got? Even better!! Not only physical health, but spiritual health that comes only from Jesus’ healing touch.
Fifth, a leader of synagogue. Another man who swallowed his pride, a leader of synagogue (we know people the synagogue were “threatened” by Jesus’ popularity and tried to find his mistakes *yeah, they never did lah, Jesus was SINLESS*) came and knelt before Jesus. He knew Jesus could!
Sixth, a bleeding woman. She had suffered for 12 years, and that day bleeding women were unworthy (I really don’t get it why!!). She was untouchable (still don’t get it, why!!!), had not been able to lead a normal life. But she had faith, “If I can just touch his robe. I will be healed.”(9:21). She knew Jesus was compassionate and merciful, that she was allowed to touch. She knew after she met Jesus, her life would be changed and restored, and back to normal.
Seventh, two blind men. They shouted and begged for mercy (I imagined they never saw Jesus *duh, they were blind*, but they heard about Jesus, and the only they could do was shouting), “Son of David, have mercy on us” (9:27). They did the best and only thing they could do.
And here we are, the only negative faith….! And we all know…
Yes, the disciples! The closest people to Jesus who followed Jesus wherever He went and PERFORMED miracles. The very first people heard Jesus’ teachings.
I might say, “I am not getting it ‘why the disciples didn’t have faith.’!!!!!”, but I chose not to, because the closest example that showed my faith was the disciples’ faith. I read Bible *in fact, I enjoy reading it more than ever*. I love Jesus. I know Jesus loves me. I feel that, not only knowing it.
I’ve seen Jesus’ miracles in many people’s lives. I’ve seen how people changed after Jesus came into their lives *for me, it’s a miracle because only Jesus is able to change people’s lives*. I’ve seen His blessings unto others.
And more surprisingly and obviously, I experienced them all!!!!!!!
I experienced how my life was changed after I met Him *oh, my tears started to fall, really can’t imagine living my life without Him anymore*.
I experienced His provisions. I truly experienced Philippians 4:19, He has supplied all my needs from His glorious riches.
He answered my prayers, even gave more than I ever asked.
I experienced His guidance.
I may not a rich girl, but have I ever starved? No! Have I ever slept roofless? No! Have I ever not having clothes to wear? NEVER!! *in fact, I keep giving away my clothes to others*!
I may not come from a perfect family, but have I ever felt abandoned? *oh well, maybe from my own father, I have* But dear friends, I truly experienced what God has said, “I will never fail you, I will never abandon you.” I am truly blessed!!!!!
Yet, like the disciples, storms came into my life, problems visited, there were moments when I was out of nowhere with “nothing to eat”, I was terrified by “enemies who keep chasing me”. They distracted my focus, my eyes and my faith that were supposed to be kept on Him only. I forgot what He did in the past, and started to worry about my future. *sinful nature yeah? :$*
But my dear Lord…ooh, how He loves me! How He is faithful to me!
Let me share to you what He’s been telling me recent days:
John 14:14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name and –I will do it.
John 14:23 All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.
John 15:7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted.
Isaiah 62:6b Take no rest, all who pray to the Lord.
Isaiah 62:1 Give the Lord no rest until He completes His work.
He reminded me to keep praying, asking Him, and abiding in Him!! Praying and praying!!
For what?? For whatever!!!!!!
Are you in burdens? PRAY faithfully for He is a burden taker.
Are you worried about your future? PRAY faithfully for He holds our future.
Are you having requests that you want so badly to be fulfilled? PRAY faithfully for He knows our needs, and He has prepared much more beautiful ones that we can ever imagine.
Are you broken hearted? PRAY with faith that He makes everything beautiful in its time.
Are you lonely? PRAY faithfully and know that we are never alone; He always stands by our sides.
To Jesus, to the same Man who healed the leprosy, the blind, the mute, the bleeding woman, the paralyzed. Who raised the dead!!! ‘ coz He is able. For nothing is impossible for Him.
I might add, as the leprosy did a little effort – to ask Him- , the blind – to shout -, the bleeding woman – to touch Jesus’ robe-, the paralyzed – to ask for his friends -, Jairus – to come and knelt before Him - , we need to go before Him, we need to meditate on His words, spend time with Him, maybe to share with accountable friends too and then we’ll know what to do, we’ll know His heart’s desire. *oh, how blessed we are to be able to go to Him wherever, whenever!! Imagine the examples above, how they struggled to meet Jesus!*
Yet, we tend to get disappointed if our prayers weren’t “answered” by Him, then not praying at all *ooh, congratulations to add more problems into our lives!*, but the truth is it’s not that He didn’t answer our prayers – He knew better than what we asked! Most of time, it was us who forgot to seek His will, to know His heart. I do >.<
This morning, after I read this verse: “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for”. I stopped and didn’t continue reading the next verse.
I prayed to Him: The thing is, if I abide in You, what I seek and ask is Your will. Lord, You know what I want, I want to know Your will. Teach me to put my hopes in You, because I know what you have prepared for me is much more beautiful than what I can ask for.
He answered, So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.
Joyfully, I said, AMIN~!!!
Because of Your promise and according to Your will, You have done all these great things and have made them known to Your servant. How great You are, o Sovereign Lord! There is none like You. We have never even heard of another God like You. 2 Samuel 7:21-22
my tongue oh my tongue
July 2nd 2010
This is from yesterday's devotional I subscribe, which is so related to me... >.< I did actually experience it again this morning.. *some habitual morning's "exercise" with my super CUTE brother lah* .. and got pretty distracted *and irritated* with some ungentle words spoken to me just now >.<, which made me realize how we need to guide our mouth, our words, and our behavior! They really affect others! The less is better, yeah.. *uuh, believe me, I know hard it is* a little less conversation, a little more action please!!
"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be" (James 3:9-10 NIV).
Have you ever gotten up early and had a sweet time with the LORD, only to turn into an unreasonable, raging screamer hours later? (Thanks to my dear brother who never ceases to tease me every morning...and I'm pretty sure before I "win" the battle *u know, keeping my mouth shut!*, he will keep doing it...it's been forever, he knows his sister well enough, how easy it is to make me "scream")
Have you ever had an argument with your spouse or children (in my case, my siblings..?) on the way to church, only to cross the threshold of the lobby with blessings and kindness on your tongue?
Have you ever driven in traffic with worship music on the dash and praise on your lips when suddenly, someone cut you off and the praises on your tongue turned to cursing?
If you've answered "yes" to any of these questions, welcome to the Sinner's Club. All humans have an automatic membership that activates at birth and is irrevocable until we accept forgiveness through Jesus Christ, and see His face on the other side of glory.
The Bible calls us to a higher, more consistent temperature of living.
We must be careful not to praise and curse with the same tongue.
Are you swinging the pendulum of your responses, or are they swinging you?
We are accountable for our behavior.
We are accountable for the way we respond to circumstances.
Our responses reflect the core of who we are.
They reflect our faith ... good or bad.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV).
As we go through today, let's center the thermometer of our hearts on Christ so we are less likely to respond in stark contrast to His perfect example of love. Let's heed the wisdom found in Proverbs 3:3: "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart."
From : Girlfriends in God by Gwen Smith
This is from yesterday's devotional I subscribe, which is so related to me... >.< I did actually experience it again this morning.. *some habitual morning's "exercise" with my super CUTE brother lah* .. and got pretty distracted *and irritated* with some ungentle words spoken to me just now >.<, which made me realize how we need to guide our mouth, our words, and our behavior! They really affect others! The less is better, yeah.. *uuh, believe me, I know hard it is* a little less conversation, a little more action please!!
"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be" (James 3:9-10 NIV).
Have you ever gotten up early and had a sweet time with the LORD, only to turn into an unreasonable, raging screamer hours later? (Thanks to my dear brother who never ceases to tease me every morning...and I'm pretty sure before I "win" the battle *u know, keeping my mouth shut!*, he will keep doing it...it's been forever, he knows his sister well enough, how easy it is to make me "scream")
Have you ever had an argument with your spouse or children (in my case, my siblings..?) on the way to church, only to cross the threshold of the lobby with blessings and kindness on your tongue?
Have you ever driven in traffic with worship music on the dash and praise on your lips when suddenly, someone cut you off and the praises on your tongue turned to cursing?
If you've answered "yes" to any of these questions, welcome to the Sinner's Club. All humans have an automatic membership that activates at birth and is irrevocable until we accept forgiveness through Jesus Christ, and see His face on the other side of glory.
The Bible calls us to a higher, more consistent temperature of living.
We must be careful not to praise and curse with the same tongue.
Are you swinging the pendulum of your responses, or are they swinging you?
We are accountable for our behavior.
We are accountable for the way we respond to circumstances.
Our responses reflect the core of who we are.
They reflect our faith ... good or bad.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV).
As we go through today, let's center the thermometer of our hearts on Christ so we are less likely to respond in stark contrast to His perfect example of love. Let's heed the wisdom found in Proverbs 3:3: "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart."
From : Girlfriends in God by Gwen Smith
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