Author: Candy

Hair Tie and Ticket

There are 2 instances that stood out this week. The first one was on the way home, I decided that I will drop by somewhere first. The weather in Vancouver in the past days had been relatively warm, so while walking I tried to tie up my hair but I realized that I don’t have any hair tie. The whole time walking to the train station I was looking at the ground hoping to find one. (I didn’t want buy one coz I still have a lot in the house). I took the train but did not find one. I went to the bus stop and by this time I was a bit hopeless to find a rubber band or hair tie. I went to the passenger’s line and right there in front of me was a hair tie. I smiled thanking God!

The second one took place when I was about to buy an add-on to my bus ticket since I was going to another zone. I was telling myself that it’s my last cash and when I counted it, it was not enough. When the girl infront of me saw it, she handed me her friend’s ticket who did not go with her anymore. Again I smiled, thanking God!

The Lord really knows everything we need even the simple not so important things. He is always on time – never late and never early.  I know this is also the same with the things that matters more to us, He will be there on time – His time.

 

 

“Lord time is in your hands, you are the beginning and h the end. You know everything, you know the perfect timing. Teach me to be patient as I wait for each of your promises to come true and may I always find joy uncovering the gifts the you have for me everyday.”

 

Candy

Philippians 1:29

Who are my Friends?

The gospel yesterday was from Mark 2:1-12. It talked about the paralytic man who was carried by his friends to the roof of the house where Jesus was. This gospel keeps me grounded and grateful of what the Lord has given me.

If not for the concern of the four men, they would not have exerted so much effort for him. If not for their commitment and dedication, they could have stopped as they were approaching the overflowing house. If not for their resourcefulness and teamwork, they could have hurt the man as they were pulling him to the roof. If not for the trust and belief that Jesus can make him better, they could have not gone at all.

 

“Lord Thank you for giving me my family and friends. They are your gifts. Lord I pray for the people that you have surrounded me with that they will not get tired of looking after me. I pray also that as I am looking after other sisters, may I be bold and courageous enough to carry them to the roof, open the roof and lead them to Jesus.”

 

Candy

Philippians 1:29

 

 

You are God

..and the only time
the only time I ever saw Him run

Was when He ran to me, He took me in His arms
Held my head to His chest, said “My son’s come home again”
Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice He said,
“Son do you know I still love you?”
He caught me by surprise when God ran

… I saw Him run to me, He took me in His arms

…He ran to me and then I ran to Him

These are lines from the song “When God Ran” For the past days, since the start of the year, nothing significant happened to me nor extraordinary but I feel so loved by the Lord. I am just so thankful for everything. I am not rich, I don’t have a lot of savings in the bank, I don’t have the best computer (My laptop turned blue screen four times in the last 40 days), I don’t have the best gadgets in the world, I don’t have the nicest facial feature a woman could have (in fact my face has a lot of imperfections, impairments, and limitations), I don’t have the best body to flaunt, I am already in the marrying stage yet I am not in a relationship, I live far from the people I love most – my family. Everyday I still have to decide that I will pray and resist any form of temptation. I dream of getting better everyday. I am a work in progress. I am far from being perfect. But…

I have enough

He takes the 99 steps while I take only a step. He doesn’t pause, He walks and runs in excitement to hold me. He never stop coming closer to me. Lord thank you for loving me so much! You caught me by surprise again and again!

“Lord thank you for your sweet embrace, thank you for not letting go of me, thank you for waiting for me, thank you for not looking at my impairments, my imperfections, my limitations, my failures, my doubts, my fears, thank you for still choosing to reside at the very core of my heart, thank you for filling me with your love, thank you Lord. You are great! You are God!

PS: I encourage you to listen to the song “When God Ran”

expect mORE

I looked at my personal goals and my mini-bucket list of 2013 just before New Year ’s Eve.  I am surprised that majority as-in 85-90% of the things I wrote were met. I smiled that everything almost happened. However there were many more things that happened which I did not take note before but made me so much happier.

When I was writing my list when 2013 started, I kind of predicted already how it will look like. For this year 2014, I have written my personal goals and mini-bucket list again but I will change my prediction how this year will look like in the end. I will not stick to what I have listed, I will expect more because I know God will do more again just like this year. Thank you God!

Limitless Love

I have been wondering what is it in love that when we begin to admit that we are in love or we love what we have we feel that we lose something. We feel that we are tied up and our reach is limited only. We feel that we lose control and focus of what we are supposed to do. We want to make things exclusive to us and when love what we are doing we want to take ownership and lead on it.

These were not supposed to be the case.

When we love and loving what we have, we are chosen to make it better and bring it to its fullness. Our willingness to do more is not to make it less but to make it known that this is one of the manifestations of the goodness of the Lord. When we do more for the person or the things we love, we do it because it is what is ought to be. Our original intention is to make people be reminded and make things a reminder of the source of good and source of love.

 

We may feel restricted and limited when we love but let us be reminded that love will only be limitless if we ground it on a limitless God.

 

“Oh dear God of Love. You are boundless, limitless and unconditional. You can bear everything that is in us and can give anything that is not with us yet. Teach me to always look at Your ways so that when I love it will be Your extension and all they will see is You.”

 

Candy

Philippians 1:29

Blessed Blindness

I was reflecting on the gospel today in Matthew 9:27-31. The Lord healed 2 blind men and told them not to tell anyone about it. Before the healing happened, Jesus asked them first if they believe that He can do it for them.

The Lord is telling me that I have to acknowledge any blindness within me, it may be physically, mentally, spiritually, socially, or in whatever aspect of my life. As I acknowledge it, I go to the best person who can heal me and I should believe that Jesus will heal me. I was asking myself, why I have to tell Him what I need when He knows that he can heal me, then this would be similar to going to a doctor and without me saying anything, the doctor will just give me prescription. I think I will not like that. That’s why it makes sense lifting up our concerns and dreams to the Lord.

The presence of my blindness is a reminder that Jesus is there waiting for me so I will be healed.

 

 

“Oh Lord, the greatest doctor and healer of all. Thank you Lord for your constant healing. In my blindness may I not stop looking for you!”

 

Candy

Philippians 1:29

Joy in the Lord

  • Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22
  • Joy is of God.
  • Joy is founded on love.
  • We have to be loved and loving to experience joy. We cannot experience joy if we don’t have love.
  • We are a joyful community (we have joy not because we have no problems but because we have a great God and hopeful that God will journey with us and will fight for us!)
  • We find joy in small and big things. (because for God there is no small and big thing, everything matters to Him. Everything that matters to me matters to God)
  • Joy can be expressed in tears or in laughter.
  • Joy can be simple or extravagant
  • Joy is having everything or having nothing
  • Joy is in us because God is in us.
  • How can we be joyful? We go the source of joy – God.
  • We look into our relationship with the Lord, we look at our prayer time so we will always be joyful

 

“Lord more than desiring to be joyful, may I desire You above all else.”

 

Candy

Philippians 1:29