The Best Is Yet To Come

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he,
I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Isaiah 46:4, NIV

I want to be a better person day by day. I know, it's not easy. So I try to learn something new everyday, read more articles, do many things needed, and mostly, read my Bible.

You know what, at some point I thought that life pressure would beat me down. There were times I couldn't see God and even I wasn't able to sense His presence. Seriously. I know, you may think that I'm a little bit exaggerating or yeah.. something like that, but it is true. I am telling you the truth. I have been feeling so abandoned, forsaken, lonely and empty. Although I keep reading my Bible as long as I can. Although my family has been so nice and has never abandoned me in real meaning.

Yeah.. you may be bored reading my murmuring and complaining post. But hold on.. Through that circumstance, slowly but sure I began to feel that God has really been watching me. He started to make a move for me. Slowly. I don't know how to say it, but I sensed that God always works in slow motion for me. In many times, He even made delays in many parts of my life. Perhaps He also works that way in this circumstance. God only knows..

My Bible reading for these past 3 days has brought me some enlightenments. There were verses that I've known so well suddenly showed up and sounded like I've never heard before. Things started to be revealed for me. And I thank God for it. I just have to learn that God makes everything beautiful in His time. Not my timing, but His. Oh, I have to admit, it's so hard to keep up with God's plan. It's not really fun to give yourself up for Him can take the lead without knowing where your journey is heading to. No, it's not easy for somebody like me who always wants to see the reality before believing. But probably, through this way I supposed to learn that I have to believe Him even though I don't see anything.

Probably, like Abraham, against all hope, I have to dare to trust God what only God could do in my life. The verse above was one of what I heard God said clearly to me. He will sustain me even to my old age. Isn't it wonderful? If you ever felt abandoned or forsaken, you must be understood the power of this promise. By then, I know I'm in progress. I just won't to be stuck in wherever I am. I want to make a move with Him. I want this life to always be in progress with Him. If I'm not able, I know He'll make any big leap or any breakthroughs or anything needed for my growth.

Yeah.. this isn't life I signed up for, but I still hope and keep hoping for the best. For the best is yet to come.. :).

In The Journey

I'm addicted to digital scrapbooking.
I found this stuff really useful for my personal development. I became more conscious about who I really am, what I love, how I should be and everything relating to the journey of me finding myself. Yeah.. I know, it's a journey and I am going through the process.

Somehow I think I don't know myself well, you know. Yes. Seriously. Maybe that's why my hubby once told me that I seemed to have a double personality.. I don't know. Maybe he was right. But I am an avid learner. I keep learning about anything (I like). I think, if God created me for certain purposes, He must put a big passion for those things inside my heart. So here I am searching the true purpose of my life.. A little too late, ain't I? Yeah.. But, if it depends on me, I'll say it's never too late to learn something!

If you are like me, still on the process and a bit confused about what you should do, I encourage you to find anything you like, learn about it, master it, and do what you love. I know, it's not too easy as what have been said. Each of us has to experience it ourselves. But it's really worth it.

As I write this, I remember a part of 'My Favorite Things' lyrics from The Sound of Music:
When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad..

Ohh.. if only this life is as simple as that lyric.. :)

BTW, my scrap above is about my hubby. He never likes to be photographed. But when his friends asked him to display his pictures on Facebook, he asked me to photograph him. So, this is the result. Beautifully photographed, isn't it? :)

Credits: Life in Blue Kit by Droopette

When Life Is Going Nowhere..

Have you ever felt that your life was going nowhere? Stuck. No ways to walk out. Trapped in a pit without sunshine to shine on your face? Read your Bible, praying and do your Christianity to-do lists without finding anything that gets you out of there?

Yeah.. I have been going through that situation. Reading my Bible without understanding what was God speaking to me, praying without any clue that my prayers will get answered. I have no idea why God seems to leave me. He appears to walk away from me. He has been silent for .. I don't now, it seems forever for me. A long, long time without good connection with God. As I know, I've been trying to do anything good, but I always failed. God seems to be nowhere, don't care how hard I push myself to approach Him.

I just felt I couldn't stand it any longer. I told God this morning to speak to me through anything. I would open my laptop, checked my emails, my daily devotionals, and I was hoping that He heard me and would get me into a place I could meet Him or at least, heard His voice. And you know, I didn't know how, I arrived at Lysa Terkeurst's blog (you can read the post here) where she wrote about her experience with God, and the same feeling as I've been feeling for months.

Here's what she wrote ..

There have been many days in my Christian journey where God was reduced to something on my to do list. Somewhere along the way I picked up a checklist of sort of what good Christians are supposed to do: Pray. Read your Bible. Go to church. Don't cuss. Be nice.

Being the rule following girl I am, I subscribed to that list and waited with great expectations to receive the zap of contentment and happiness good Christians girls are supposed to exude.

And then I felt something was wrong me.

I still felt restless. I still got angry. I still felt a bit hollow.

I was going through all the motions but didn't feel connected to Jesus. Others around me seemed very connected. They would talk of being 'moved by the spirit.' They would hear from God himself. They would clap their hands and shout amen in the middle of a sermon that sounded like Greek to me.

I often felt like a weightless soul grasping at the air hoping to somehow snag this Jesus that was just out of reach.

Have you ever been there?

(You can continue reading by clicking the link above).

And this was exactly what I feel! And yeah.. I also found that this post had 74 comments! It means that almost 74 people once in their lives ever felt this way, too. I continued reading the comments and found this encouraging comment from Joyful (you must read her encouraging blog!).

I read once that the Lord can only be silent with those He knows will continue to seek His face. He sees you. He loves you. He is with you. His word never returns void. Keep spending time with Him. I just really feel He is molding something very special within your heart. I know sometimes it's hard. I know sometimes it's frustrating. Don't give up. He sees the longing of your heart and His Word promises that those who diligently seek Him will find Him.

It got me thinking. Could it be me? Could God be silent with me because He knows that I will continue to seek His face? I don't know. So far, I persevere :).

And this one from Anonymous..

Although life gets hectic, there are reminders all around us. If we look up and see the changing sky, the clouds dancing and changing color. We are experiencing a reminder of the One who created it all.

Okay. I have to admit. Perhaps God has been showing me His clues and direction for me to find, but probably my eyes can't see it clearly, because of all pains and sorrows I've been bearing these times had become my main focus. Hopefully, we all can see His directions through anything He puts around us to remind us that He, God of the universe is there, not leaving us alone..

Forgive me, Lord. Please, let me see You. I want to know You deeper. I want to see Your glory revealed through and in my life. Use me according to Your will. Take my whole life, Lord. Please, don't leave me alone. I can't handle it myself. I need You.

Thank You for speaking to me through certain blogs and its comments.

Blessed be Your Name..

CREATED DIVERSITY

This is a devotional from Anchor Your Life, written by Marji Kruger. I found it resonated with what I feel today. Yeah.. if He created us differently each other, we have to know what's our uniqueness and personal purposes He put in each of us in order to be fulfilled.

Oh, please read it yourself..

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. (NIV) Isaiah 64:8

Sitting on a balcony overlooking the Gulf of Mexico with my laptop in hand I am in awe! What a great setting! It always amazes me to look out on creation and see the diversity that God created. I watch the pelicans and seagulls flying around, occasionally dipping down into the water for breakfast...the fish jumping, the water is ever moving...the diversity of the trees and plant life... palm trees of different heights and shapes, bending at all different angles...saw grass, oak trees, pine trees...even trees in the middle of the bay behind me, seemingly growing without land.

God created diversity...different lines, heights, and shapes. In contrast, man has made things symmetrical, straight, and repetitive...the pilings supporting the dock are all the same heights at the same angles, spaced at the same distance...the docks are all at right angles... picnic tables, garbage cans, chairs, light posts all uniform. God created diversity, man uniformity.

That teaches me that God works differently each time He does something. His purposes and character do not change, but He is not confined to always work in the same way. And God does not create people the same. Each person is unique, different in looks, styles, personalities and purposes.

Why did God create you? What unique talents has He given you? What is His unique purpose for you? And what are the unique ways that He is and will work in you? Not sure, try asking Him!

Written by Marji "Mike" Kruger.

ARE YOU STUCK PROVING YOUR WORTH THAT YOU MISS OUT LIVING YOUR POSSIBILITIES?

We all know that deep inside us, we have a need to be loved and to be accepted just the way we are. But so often, we get stumbled on people's attitude that treat us badly. So, the words 'You're not good enough', or 'You're not lovable enough', and many inferior feelings always there haunting our lives. When I read this article, it got me thinking that definitely, I'm not the only person in the world who feel that way. I'm not alone. Many people out there are suffering the same pain with me due to this 'worth' thing. So, in case you're like me, ever feel this way, this article may be helpful..

The vast majority of us, since childhood, have been trying desperately to prove our worth. We try to prove our worth to our parents, teachers, friends and lovers. We become so absorbed in meeting their standards that we missed out finding our own potential.

To focus our life in proving ourselves to others is not only a loosing battle but a waste of time.

The downside of proving your worth to others is that different people has different standards of what being “worthy” means. To be obsessed in proving our worth to another person is to give that person control in your life. Now think how many persons are you trying to prove your worth?

Ten?

That mean 10 people are somehow stirring your life in 10 different directions.

Feeling dizzy?

If we give more time meeting other’s standards, we may sacrifice finding our own identity.

God did not create us to prove ourselves to others, but to live life to the full. Jesus Himself said: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” And we shall find life’s fullness in discovering and living out our vocation. Our vocation is God’s will, calling and plan for our lives.

“Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” -John 4:34

To discover and realize God’s plans for our lives is to open ourselves to unlimited possibilities that we have not even come to imagine. Living out our vocation is to let the seed of greatness that God planted in us grow. And like a small mustard seed, it shall grow into a great tree.

The road to greatness is the path of discovering our God given gifts and living out our vocation. We should stop trying to meet other people’s standards and start living in His.

In every one of us lies a great potential.

You do not need to prove it.

It is there.

What you need to do is live it.

…unlimited possibilities awaits.

Blog by Daxx Bondoc

www.inspirationalblogs.com

CAN GOD BRING GOOD OUT OF BAD?

This is an inspiring article of Greg Laurie's blog that I consider very useful and comforting when I read it. So, I just copy paste here on my blog so you can read it also. Yeah.. talking about suffering, we really want to avoid it, but still we have to go through it, and if we would, we could learn something from it. Happy reading..

I am going to deal with the question, can God bring good out of bad? I believe the answer is “Yes!”

Look, suffering is inevitable. No one gets a free pass. The fact of the matter is that you are either coming out of a storm or headed into another. It’s just a matter of time.

In this life, the only way to avoid suffering is to die.

What you want to do is get ready now, so you will have a proper biblical foundation and can properly process and react as these challenges come into your life.

Prepare ahead of time

As Randy Alcorn says in his book If God is Good, “Most of us don’t give focused thought to evil and suffering until we experience them. This forces us to formulate perspective on the fly, at a time when our thinking is muddled and we’re exhausted and consumed by pressing issues. People who have ‘been there’ will attest that it’s far better to think through suffering in advance.”

In other words, be prepared ahead of time!

Avoiding storms

Paul reminds us that we are to “Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts, and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other” (Colossians 3:16).

But we would rather not do that, because the topic of suffering is difficult and uncomfortable.

Suffering is one of those things we all want to avoid if at all possible. If you are flying and you see a storm, you try to fly around it, not into it.

But here’s the reality—sometimes you simply cannot do that. Your life can be going reasonably well one moment, and then it changes in a flash.

That certainly happened for our family.

Good things out of suffering?

Here is one of the “good things” that come out of crisis and suffering. You turn to God with a dependence like you have never had before, like a child running to their mom or dad and burying their face in their shoulder.

And you know what? God is there waiting for you with the strength, peace, and love you need. Not necessarily with all the answers you may want, but He is there.

One of the things you “treasure” in suffering is knowing God’s presence as you do. Your faith begins to grow stronger.

Use it or lose it!

Faith does not grow through ease and comfort. It grows through challenge, conflict, and difficulty.

Faith is like a muscle in that it gets stronger through use, not neglect. If you do not use your muscle, it can atrophy.

We have a choice in life—use it or lose it!

The Bible reminds us, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way” (James 1:2-4 THE MESSAGE).

Source : Greg Laurie's blog

Isn't it confusing how our status gets ping ponged between Twitter, Ping, Posterous, FF, Hootsuite and all this stuff?? *confused*

Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment -- Lao Tzu

The Little Princess

I've just read an interesting story about Halloween on this link and found the site is really cool and awesome. They got the way to spread The Gospel via email. You should visit the site! :)

WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR TODAY?

Ever read this article?
Yup. There always be something to be thankful for in life if we would seek for it..

I AM THANKFUL:

FOR THE WIFE
WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT,
BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME,
AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

FOR THE HUSBAND
WHO IS ON THE SOFA BEING A COUCH POTATO,
BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME
AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.

FOR THE TEENAGER
WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES
BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME,
NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES I PAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED.

FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.

FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE.

FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,
WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING,
AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT
BECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

FOR THE PARKING SPOT
I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING
AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION .

FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH
WHO SINGS OFF KEY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HEAR.

FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.

FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES
AT THE END OF THE DAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.

FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF
IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.

AND FINALLY, FOR TOO MUCH E-MAIL

BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE FRIENDS
WHO ARE THINKING OF ME!

What are you thankful for today?
Let's count our blessings everyday..

GO AFTER YOUR DREAMS

I read this entry from my Google Reader this morning and yeah.. this post from Believe Achieve had captured my heart. So inspiring and have encouraged me to go after my dreams..

Let's check it out!


Go After Your Dreams

You're good, but you're going to be great.
You're the best, but you're going to get better.

Sometimes the paths we take are long and hard,
but remember: those are always the ones that lead
to the most beautiful views.

Challenges come along inevitably:
how you respond to them determines
who you are - deep down inside -
and everything you're going to be.

Increase the chances of reaching your goals
by working at them gradually.
The very best you can do is all that is asked of you.

Realize that you are capable of
working miracles of your own making.

Remember that opportunities have a reason
for knocking on your door,
and the right ones are there for the taking.

You don't always have to win,
but you do need to know what it takes to be a winner.

It's up to you to find the key that unlocks
the door to a more fulfilling life.

Understand that increased difficulty brings you nearer
to the truth of how to survive it - and get beyond it.

Cross your bridges.

Meet your challenges.

Reach out for your dreams,
and bring them closer and closer to your heart.

Get rid of the "if onlys"
and get on with whatever you need
to do to get things right.

Go after what you want in life,
with all the blessings of all the people
who care about you.

And find out what making your wishes
come true really feels like.



~ Collin McCarty ~



What dreams are you going after?

DISCOVER YOUR PERSONAL MISSION!

Are you in your journey to discover your personal mission on this earth? I do believe that we were sent here for a reason. Every single person is significant in this world. That's why we're so different with each other..

If you are traveling your personal journey and still haven't found the ideas about why you're here on earth, the questions from this link may be helpful.

Yet, if you're still confused about what you may get, you can just ask God.. It's much better action you can do rather than any effort you may have done.. :)