2018

With just a few days before 2018 ends, a lot of great things happened in my life. These events helped me to be where I am today and I will always be grateful to God for making everything happened, because I believe that everything comes for a reason.

Looking back on those memories makes my heart grow and develop the attitude of gratefulness even if situations were tough. Allow me to share to you the ART formed from the highlights of my 2018.

1. Answered Prayers

There have been a lot of answered prayers for this year. Two of these are being able to speak in front of students and be able to participate for a greater cause of reaching out to the people on another country. 

Both of which helped me to develop my confidence and self-esteem, that I would be carrying forward next year to accomplish more things.

2. Relationship Built

God brought quite a lot of people into my circle this year and I’m grateful for each one of them. They have contributed in their own little way to my development as a person, a leader and someone who is serving Him and other people.

3. Taking criticism constructively

My experiences this year has taught me to be tougher and to treat every comment in a way that it’ll be beneficial to me. Thinking first before acting, a thought process really helped to develop of constructively building myself from the comments thrown at me. It’s painful at times, but I know that it is for my development as a person.

Having said that, there is one more important thing I learned. Above all those mentioned above and everything that happened in between, I learned this year to depend and trust in God and His power.

“For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.” - Isaiah 41:13

There were several times throughout the year that fear almost got the control of my life because of some situations that I thought I cannot make it. During those times, I ask and lifted my fear and problems to God. True enough that when you lifted it up to Him, He will hold you because He loves you and He will be able to make you through the storm. On several occasions, I feel that I am not worth it and I feel so alone thus resulting to failures. 

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength[a] of my heart and my portion forever.

- Psalm 73:26

But the moments that I am alone, are the moments where God is speaking to me directly. I am not paying attention to that still small voice inside of me. 

Despite of the mountains to climb and races to finish, the dependence on Him and His power made me stronger and I’m still able to run the race He has set for me. One thing is for sure, that He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6).

Run the Race

Have you ever participated on a marathon or fun run?

I remember my experience on one legit fun run here in UAE. It was the Color Run held last 2014. It was really “FUN”. I did not notice that I ran for 5 kilometers. Did I prepare anything for this? I have to wake up a little bit early, since we have to travel a little bit to reach the venue. At the end of the race, I enjoyed it since I have to run together with some friends and family.

For professional athletes, especially if they are participating in a 10 kilometer run or a triathlon, they have to really train and prepare in advance to condition their bodies. They will undergo rigid training in order for their bodies to be fit and in good, perfect condition for the race.

Lately, there have been many things that I am thinking that makes me rethink and slowdown in the race that I am currently running in. There were many times that I have to momentarily stop and think if I am still on the right track, or if I am still running this race with the right purpose in mind and the right attitude. I kept on asking these questions over and over again, until I came to a point to ask Him this directly. Then God gave me this answer:

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:11 NIV

The race I’m currently into right now is quite difficult. I’ve been used to on a fix schedule at work and was able to squeeze in some time to have fellowships and meetings after my 8 AM to 6PM job. But here comes the testing, I was asked to do a 3PM to 1AM schedule. Imagine the adjustments I have to make from my usual routine every day.

As I approach the finish line, I learned a lot of things that helped me in different areas.

1. The discipline

Upon hearing that I have to do a different shift for a week, it made me a little bit furious and don’t mind it and push on working at my comfortable schedule. Rather than pushing what I want, I have obeyed what my managers asked me to do, even at first it’s hard.

Thus, a disciple was developed, the discipline of depending on Him, whether in times of need or in times of hardships.

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1

       2. The harvest

Towards the end of my PM shifts, I have realized a lot of things. He gave me the peace to understand the situation. There is peace when I surrendered my situation to God. I experienced trials to strengthen my character and to check the foundations I have. Instead of complaining about the circumstances, I asked God what is He trying to teach me this time. The more that I depend on Him, the more I feel that I am secured and I can surpass all the challenges in life because He is the source of my strength.

I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

This is what He had given me. The race I’m on is not easy, and hurdles will come along the way. The finish line on this current season is there, but it takes a great amount if effort and discipline to get there.  Every day is a choice to fight the battles or flee somewhere else. I would choose to fight, run and endure this race because I know that at the finish line, I will have a reward, an eternal reward from the One who keeps me running.

No matter what life throws at you, as long as you have anchored your life in Christ, you will have the strength to carry on the challenges because God’s power is working in us (Ephesians 3:20), and He can do great things, beyond what we could imagine.

Work, Life and Ministry

2017 went really fast. I thought I just celebrated my birthday a few weeks ago, but as I look on the calendar, it is almost end of the year. Looking back on the year that was, I just wanted to thank God for everything that had happened throughout the year.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven”

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV)

There are a lot of things happened for the past year, most of which made and helped me to be a better version of myself. Without the triumphs and challenges I faced, I would not be the person I am today. Everything happened in the right time and season of my life.

Work, life and ministry, 3 things that would probably sum up my 2017. Let me share to you what  happened along the way:

WORK & LIFE

2017 has been a great year for me. My work provided avenues to make me better professionally, thus giving me a little boost of confidence whenever at work. Life has been fair for me, making me stronger each day, through the challenges I faced each day, though there are times that I really wanted to give up. But thank God that He is always with me as I rise up in every occasion.   Whether what happened, I know and felt that everything contributed in my growth and depth as well, in terms of being a young professional.

MINISTRY

This year has been my most active year as a volunteer at church, and some of my closest friends can attest to that. I can be seen almost everywhere. I almost go home everyday late at night. I came to the point of being exhausted and asked myself why. Some of my mentors also asked me to slow down and take things according to its priority. I had a hard time coping up and it took me some months to finally learn and apply that important lesson. I thank God for giving and surrounding me with people who never gave up on me and who are always there to pray for me. I was able to overcome this obstacle.

Having said that, everything that had happened makes me look forward for 2018. Are you looking forward for the coming year?

I am looking forward for the coming year as I am eager to see how God will move in and through me. As early as conceptualizing this blog, I already had some faith goals in mind that I would like to pray for to happen. I’m expecting and at the same time preparing myself for the things that are yet to come next year.

From work, to life and to ministry, a lot of things contributed for my development and growth this year as a young professional working abroad and as a volunteer and leader at church. Here are some the things that I learned for the past year.

• Humbleness (not prideful)

Being humble is marked by being modest in behavior, attitude and spirit, not arrogant or prideful. This helped me to always give my best in everything I do, without expecting something in return, that it is Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13) everyday to carry on each task, face challenges and celebrate the triumphs after.

• Openness (not isolation)

As I nurture my relationships with the people whom God placed in my life, I am trying to be more open and letting down the walls (shame and insecurities) I built myself. I can openly share to them a few things, which I never imagined that I would be able to tell them. By being open to my mentors, a stronger relationship was built and I pray and hope that this will be a start for more and be able to contribute for our growth. (Proverbs 27:17)

• Perseverance (not giving up)

Our lives are not meant to be storm free, but rather storm proof. This is one of the lessons I will forever treasure as I continue to seek God every day of my life. Amidst of the trials I experience, I always remember why I am running this race of life. (Hebrews 12:1)

• Excellence (not mediocre)

Being the best version of ourselves is not easily achievable. We have to persevere, jump off each hurdle in a particular season of our lives. But as we progress, we need also to evaluate everything (ourselves and the things surrounding us). Focus is also important as we do these things. I learned to always fix your eyes to the One who gave us everything.  (Hebrew 12:2)

Aside from the lessons, many people have inspired me to continue to persevere, honor and serve God by using the talents He has given me and I am forever grateful with these people who have spoken into my life since the day that I followed God.

HOPE (humbleness, openness, perseverance and excellence) played a vital part in my walk with God this year, hoping that God will bring out the best in me and for you also, by putting our trust in Him because he will make everything okay.

20 Hours

I’ve been up since 6:30 AM of yesterday and as of the writing of this blog, it’s already almost 2AM of the next day. To end a very long day, I look back on the things that happened for the past 20 hours, and pondering on each of the activities that happened, I can’t help to thank God for the people I had fellowships with throughout the day. In between those fellowships, I learned something and encouraged more as I journey onto life.

Here are some of the lessons I learned and pondered on:

• Amidst all what’s happening around you, always look onto God and always bear in mind that whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. (Colossians 3:23)
• Whenever you feel like you are going the wrong way or it feels like you feel like stuck at the moment, there’s one person ready to listen to you and He can be reachable 24/7, God. You just need to say a little prayer, and trust in Him and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).
• Treat every challenge as a stepping stone to improve and make yourself better. You may be entering a new season in your life, but one thing is for sure, God is preparing you for greater things. The discipline being developed may be quite hard, but after you surpassed these hurdles in life, you will come out stronger and better. Hebrews 12:11 says “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

At the end of each day, always check your heart. For the past few days prior, God has been so gracious to me and He keeps reminding me of this verse from Proverbs 4:23 (NLT) “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

God bless us all

Pause, Lost & Restored

There are stories in our life that can either make us or break us. Both have a quite effect on the way on how we interact with other people.

I’ve been busy for the past days preparing for an event to close the month of September. On top of work schedules, there are some errands to finish, designs to do and a lot of things in between.  I also had a fair share of both type of stories, some happened a couple of days ago. Minor casualties have been made causing some little misunderstandings. This leads me to ask myself asking, “Where I have been?” There’s something wrong already.

Having said that, I would like to share what I have learned:

1.       Pause: Think for a minute

With all the things that surrounds us, with the ups and downs of life; we should always pause and assess our situation, whether we are still doing the right things with the right motives.

²³Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. ²⁴See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

2.       Lost: Now what?

As I stood up I the crossroads of life, I can’t seem to move on. I can’t decide where to go. I’m lost in the reality of life. Have I not learned from the previous mistakes I had? Are the things just pass by like a wind brushing our hairs? Do I need to learn everything the hard way?

No, I have to stand up and remember to why I am running this race and who are with me as I run towards the finish line.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

3.       Restored: Going back to God

After all that happened, realizing the cost of what the things that just happened, learning in a hard way is really tough. You have to go through a series of hurdles, and at some point, the thought of giving up came into my mind and go back to my old self.

Above all things, God’s love will still prevail.

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)

At the end of the day, it is always about God. As Colossians 3:17 says “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Check

Over the past week, there had been many challenges came. Some I have conquered. But there are some that I can’t go over with, Having said that, I paused for a moment and ask myself, “Why is this happening again?”

As the new week start, we want to prepare ourselves so that whatever challenges may come, we are able to fight it.

Here are some of the things that I learned:

1. Check your heart.

As we do things, whether it is at work, church or some personal stuffs, let us remember why we are doing things and to whom we are doing it for. These questions might help us to think about our motives and inspiration: Does these things come out of your passion or out of obligation? Are we pleasing God? Pleasing ourselves? Or pleasing other people.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,

Colossians 3:23 New International Version

       2.       Recharge & renew yourself.

In facing any type of challenges, we should have enough strength to carry on these things. Where do we get our strength?

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13 English Standard Version (ESV)

29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:29-31 English Standard Version (ESV)

I hope and pray that you’ll be able to succeed the challenges you are about to face this coming week. Always be reminded that God is with you, just hold onto Him. He is the source of your strength. God bless us all.

On the Pursuit of Excellence

On the road of pursuing excellence, there will be some point in time that we will encounter bumps in along the way for a specific reason.

I always wanted to make a difference and pursue excellence. But sometimes, God will allow events to happen that would make you pause and stop, to step back and look into a bigger picture of what is currently happening in your life, and to evaluate the situation.

There were events that happened for the past days that made me realize and to rethink of my priorities and the things that always makes me stay hungry for more.

²³Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. ²⁴See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

Sometimes, God will use people and some little events that will help you realize what is wrong in you, and on the current situation or season you are in right now. Take time to examine yourself and the things you always do. Take down notes if possible and reflect on it. The process may take some of your time, but I do know that everything will be worth it.

What happened to me is that I encountered a bump in the road while pursuing that I know would help me to achieve excellence. Reflecting on what happened, I realize that there is something wrong, personal gratification. Yes, I got hurt of what happened, because I am doing the things I love for myself only, not for God, who is the One who provided me with these abilities.

Transformation is a process, and as life happens there are tons of ups and downs. It's a journey of discovery - there are moments on mountaintops and moments in deep valleys of despair.

-Rick Warren

There are things that really take time to develop, and if you rush in achieving it, it will just be a half-baked project. Slow down and think. Trust that God is teaching and doing something in you. Let your heart be open for correction. The road to excellence will not be easy. I hope and do pray that whatever happens to your life in the current season you are in right now, always seek God and ask for His guidance.