As I reflect on my life in year 2012, I have become remorseful due to the many precious years that I have wasted, plagued by my laziness and “tidak apa” attitude. I hope I could turn back time but the fact of life is that time wasted is gone, and will never return.
As I am working on my laziness, I find that it has proliferated to so many areas of my life. It has caused me to “just do it” without thinking of the consequences, unable to multitask, find it difficult to pick up new skills, languages or to obtain knowledge.
Last year was a “carry-forward” year of repenting from laziness. However, due to my over ambitious goals and overlooking certain factors such as planning for youth events, falling sick and relying on my own strength for most of the things that I wanted to do - I fell short of my aim.
As I allowed God to change me, He also placed in many challenges in my life towards the end of last year. I had to work long hours in my job while not slacking in quiet time, prayer, sports and my prior engagements.
I am thankful to Him that through those challenges, God has also used me as a testimony for His glory. The willingness to take on the challenges at work has caught my colleagues attention to Christ whereby I could share my testimony. Eventually, I even brought one of my colleagues to our church Christmas lunch last year! =)
Very miraculously, God sustained my health through the that specific period of time until all my tasks have been completed by mid Jan’13. It was always the case that I would fall sick and be unwell frequently. The verse 2 Corinthians 12:9 echoes in my mind,
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.No doubt, I have also have my “down” times whereby I felt tempted to relapse back to my old-self but thanks be to God for His constant reminders. His promise at 1 Cor 10: 13, NKJV (No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it) and a mentor who never gave up on me.
I remembered one of our youth advisors did mention that we would get busier and busier, I too had the expectation of myself to get busier in this new year as I have a renewed aim and things that I want to learn and press on for change.
God affirmed that I could be a new creation as the old has passed away and new has come (2 Cor 5:17, NKJV). I am indeed very excited of the things that I wanted to learn and press on.
Sharing from a personal experience, let us instead of spending excessive time in studies/computer games/hang out with friends – perhaps we should consider the desire to spend quality time with your Lover above, to show care to someone in need or to spend more time with your family!
In Him,
Yit Mun (aka IP Man)
Images taken from:
http://blogs.adobe.com/digitalmarketing/personalization/how-to-stick-to-an-optimization-solution/
http://brainlesionandme.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/hawmc-day-27-5-challenges-and-5-small-victories/
http://grist.org/article/2010-11-23-behavior-change-causes-changes-in-beliefs-not-vice-versa/
Change is inevitable in our lives. Of course there are changes that we welcome with open arms and changes that we struggle to accept. Why do we struggle to accept change? I think it’s because we are habitual beings. When we become accustomed to our surroundings, we tend to become comfortable and most of the time complacent. Complacency can sometimes be dangerous because we tend to not strive for better things and higher standards in our lives. The same can be said of our Spiritual lives.
When I decided to return, I realize that I had become a lot more matured and that my life is in God’s hands. A spiritual mentor once told me that we must always challenge ourselves to get out of our comfort zone so that we may experience growth in our spiritual lives. On hindsight, I think the stay in Singapore helped me depend on Him more. I found myself praying more regularly and spending more quality time with God. When you are out of the comfort of your home, you will tend to feel very lonely and that is the time you truly learn to depend on God because there is no on else around you that you can depend on. I also learned to be more independent and found that I could do things I thought I could not, with God’s strength.
It has been a long and memorable week for Malaysians. As you all know, the BERSIH rally was held last Saturday. Pictures, videos and testimonies are all over the media. One thing that has been made known through this, is the rakyat’s desire for justice and ultimately change in this country.
It all starts with us. We are to spur others to change by being the difference. Jesus touched the lives of many through his difference. One way in which we can contribute to this country is to come back and work here. How many do we know who have studied overseas and left us. Malaysia really needs people who are willing to bring the change. People who are conscious of the problem and are willing to stand up for what is right, though it may mean a lower paying job, or longer hours, or unfair treatment.
Just want to share with you in how God is breaking me and moulding me into His Sovereign will.
As I was cleaning up my stuffs one day, I discovered my pledge during one of the camp session about 9 years ago. It mentioned how I wanted to honor God by honoring my parents. To my embarrassment, this was also one of the resolutions for some of the current and previous years which also mean that I did not take my yearly resolution seriously…
When I confessed this particular sin in my life, this was the verse that struck me the most
Sometimes some Christians wonder why there is no change or maybe very little change in them. The testimonies they hear from other Christians sound so touching and powerful like how much Christ changed their lives totally and renewed them. They even wonder has Christ even entered their lives when they prayed the sinner's prayer!
She does all the routine of what a "basic" Christian normally do. She goes to prayer meetings, Sunday morning worship and even her own cell group. But she said she sees no change in herself at all compared to who she was before she accepted Christ.
I decided to allow her to answer herself what God would've wanted her to do and what His will would've been by asking,
Though don't expect a disparity overnight because some people take a longer time to place their trust and faith in God while some can do it within a shorter time due to their spiritual maturity. But the following steps are extremely important and it's to feed yourself with spiritual food - God's word.
While those things may be very attractive and fun to do, but can those things be compared to the joy of witnessing your friend to the saving knowledge of who Christ is and how much Christ will be changing your friend?