Sunday, March 30, 2008

Fleeing Myself

Oh, I realize that browsing internet is one of my favorite things. By doing that, I'll keep diseases, stress and tons of other problems away from me.
Hopefully.
Sometimes I feel I know how to solve problems. But when it comes to face it directly, oh my.. feel like paralyzed, trapped in my complicated mind.
There were times I want to flee from myself. Hide myself from anything tries to approach.
Oh, could I be risen up and tell the problem that I have a great God in heavens above?
Think I can flee from myself. But how come I flee from The Lord my God?
Cause He knows whenever I sit or stand. He knows my mind.
He knows everything about me.
Oh, how come bad things come to good guys? -sigh-
Yeah, probably I have the answer:
Everything happens for a reason, that we don't understand yet...
Hopefully we will.
In His time.

What's Your Blogging Personality?





Your Blogging Type is Pensive and Philosophical



You blog like no one else is reading...

You tend to use your blog to explore ideas - often in long winded prose.

Easy going and flexible, you tend to befriend other bloggers easily.

But if they disagree with once too much, you'll pull them from your blogroll!

A Reminder To Myself




Thursday, March 27, 2008

Thousand Gifts List part 2


8. my hobby: digital scrapbooking


9. our wedding cake


10. crazy things I could do with my brother

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Thousand Gifts List part 1

Here are the gifts list of mine part one...

Photobucket
1. Jesus Christ my Saviour



2. My wedding

3. My mom doing her hobby : gardening


4. My brother


5. My best friends


6. My fur family


Photobucket
7. I know for sure that God answers my prayer!

Friday, March 21, 2008

Thousand Gifts List



I read a wonderful spiritual blog few days ago. Ann Voskamp made a list of gifts on her holy experience blog. Not a list of gifts she wants, but list of gifts she has. This issue has opened up my consciousness. Often times, we make a list of things we want. Our goals, our desires, our dreams, our purpose, our job descriptions, our problems, questions that seem have no answers.... many of lists we could make in our life!

But, for our reflection, have we ever really thought about our gifts? If we willingly want to pause just a little while from our precious times to reflecting our life, probably it would be true that we had definitely have soooooooo many gifts and blessings within.

Since reading that blog, I decided to make thousand gifts list of mine, too. I love challenge! It would stimulate my brain to think fast and remind me how precious my life really is.
Thank You, Lord for giving me chance to know some of great persons in the world that had inspired me to make some actions for a better life!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Let Thy Will Be Done


This is my prayer.
May God's will be done in my life.




Learning To Fly

Again, I got a very special message I want to share with you.
Here it was..

Though an eagle flies to live, an eagle lives to fly.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic


The baby eagle is said to be the hardest of all birds to teach how to fly. Between 10-12 weeks, the eaglets are strong enough to fly. Instinct alone is not enough for these babies to fly, they must be taught. As the mother eagle is teaching her eaglets to fly, God teaches us to believe His Word and use our faith.
Remember when you first learned how to ride a bike? It's the same for an eaglet learning to fly, it takes a combination of balance and coordination, trial and error.
First things first, mom removes their soft, comfortable padding so that now the thorns and sticks make the nest a lot less comfortable for them. Next she stirs the nest by fluttering her wings. She does this until the nest is pretty much torn up. (Deut 32:11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions.) Next she spreads her wings and takes them to high places, and then just drops them. Just before they hit the earth she catches them, flies high once again and then drops them again. Their wings are being developed. This process continues until they get the idea and they learn how to fly.

Once you learn to fly, it is not a matter of weather you go North, East, South, or West, but it is a way upwards. Reach to the heights for your inheritance. Avoid looking forward in fear or backwards in resentment... but keep looking upward, Godward. Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will counsel you and watch over you.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


The eagle does not soar under the physical power of his body or wings, but under the warm thermal currents of the winds which causes it to look effortless. He will sit and wait on the rock, until the winds are warm enough, and then either with a jump or simply just leaning into the winds, he rises. Purely human strength, that is flapping, tends to go downward toward decay and death. How high have you seen a chicken fly? We need to stop laboring in our own strength and start resting in His. Use the warm thermal currents of the Holy Spirit to lift you to high places.
Deuteronomy 33: 26,27a There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in His majesty. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
Col 3:1,2 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Psalm 46:10 Whisper...Soar my friend, Soar.

An Encouraging Message

Well, have been long time not writing on my blog. I was a little bit busy. And don't know why I forgot my password few days ago, so I can't access my blog. Sometimes I feel so silly :)
A little while ago, I received a message from a friend in My Prayer Circle page.

Here's the message...

Hello, to all of my friends in my circle. God Bless each and every one of you. I encourage each of you to give God a Fresh Yes! Today, right now. There is a freshness in the atmosphere. Look unto God this day and give him a Fresh Yes from the depths of your spirit. Give Him the YES that you have never given Him before. It is time for all of us to walk in the Complete Fullness of God like never before. There are some mysteries that God wants to reveal and there are some miracles that He want to perform. Tell Him yes to the mysteries and the unknown. Take a new faith walk in Jesus. Inhale the freshness of His sweet, Holy Spirit and take the journey; never again to return to the former things. Walk Fresh in His anointing. It's right where you stand. Inhale Him and allow Him to abide in you and you in Him. Amen...

I always be happy receiving message from my community. Though we've never seen each other, knowing that somebody out there is caring for me and support me in prayer has always been my strength. And to be honest, it has encouraged me. Messages, how simple those are, have always supported me and empowered me to move upward.

Yeah, just wanna share this feeling with you. Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down, but friendship is something precious I know I have to keep up. Through them I have known that there's still a hope in life. There still are so many people out there that suffer more than me. But they keep their faith up so strongly. They're immovable however their circumstance were. They don't feel as a victim in this life, but they learn something from their life. Oh, what a wonderful pattern I've gotten! Thank God for giving me chances to know some of precious and wonderful persons. Thank you for being such a blessings for me, guys!

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Searching for Purpose and Significance

I've just read an inspiring post about Teenagers Searching for Purpose and Significance.

In some cases, many people haven't found their purpose in life yet. I always think about this issue. Why do for some people, life is always be bored, and not for others. Why do one have different perspective? I think, it's just because they have found their purpose in life while some haven't. And searching for life's purpose should be started from teens, because at that time they still have much times to spend (to study, to contemplate, to plan their life etc), they don't have to responsible for anything important enough in life. Yeah, it's just my understanding..

This is why I want to spread all around the world my motto Find Yourself, especially for teens. Cause I, myself, had ever walked through my life without nobody teaching me something about discovering my dream and purpose in life. And for years, my life seemed to passed in vain. After discovering who I really am, I could understand what I -should- live for..

If you're interesting to this topic, please keep reading..

You need to take some time each day to reassure teens that God does have a purpose for them and that He wants to use them in some incredible ways. Here are some ideas that you can take and start using with your kids today:

1) Have your child create a collage by using magazine pictures. Have them answer the following question through pictures-Who am I? This will give you LOTS of insight as to who they think they are.


2) Talk to them about what they like to do in their free time.


3) Talk to them about their favorite subjects in school and have them explain why those are their favorite subjects


4) Talk to them about their hopes and goals for the future


5) Take some time to help them explore colleges and the requirements that those colleges have


6) Take some time to help them explore careers that they have thought about pursuing


7) Set up an appointment where they will have the opportunity to meet and talk with someone who is working within the career they are thinking about pursuing


The goal is to get your child thinking about all of this before their high school graduation day. If you do this, not only will it save you tons of money (no changing majors multiple times thus extending their college years), but you will have a child who will hold their head up high knowing who they are and that they were created with a specific purpose that God wants to work within them!



Learn From A Message

Hi Kristine,

You are very welcome for the comment and for the messages, and I thank you also for your comment and messages..I'm received both messages and I will reply to them both right now. I was only online last night for a short while because of my internet connection. I have dial up also and I can be disconnected at times. I think we may not receive each other's messages sometimes because Yahoo has technical difficulties, and I think our dial up connections also play a role at times. But I'm so very happy to hear from you tonight, it is a blessing :)
I agree with you, it is always very nice to have a friend in faith and prayer, and to have a good friend to talk with. I'm always very blessed with those kind of friendships. Wow, that is interesting about your culture..although I'm sorry to hear it is like that. I'm sure we would both find each other's cultures very different in good and bad ways, I think Indonesia is a beautiful country though..beautiful mountains and beaches, oceans..a lot of places there look so beautiful to me although I have never been there yet.
I think we all go through struggles with "waiting on God" because we often times want to finish things in our own way, and in our own perfect timing..but that is where we can hurt ourselves and not have what God has in store for us, because if we wait and do things our own way, then we will loose what He has planned for us. I also think waiting/trusting in God builds our character as we grow more with Him spiritually. I've been struggling with the same thing too and I know it is very hard to have that patience sometimes..but we should always try our best to have faith and trust in Him at all times.. no matter how long we have to wait. I'll definitely continue keeping you in my thoughts and prayers regarding this..and you don't have to thank me for anything. Our friendship is a blessing and I will pray for you about anything and everything. Please keep your head up high and trust in Him :)

Sean


This was a message I received just now. Well, it's only a message, but has a big effect for me. It's very nice knowing that we have a friend in faith and prayer.

In many ways, we think that we could never made a different in this world. But we've made a mistake by then. Little things can make big different. I believe that indeed. Our smiling, our care, our words, our attitude speaks a lot than our speech.

So, instead of searching for a meaning in our life, let's give one for everyone surrounds us!
Let's spread peace all around the world!

VISION BOARD : The Power To Realize Your Dream

I've found an interesting site that posted about making a vision board.

A vision board (also called a Treasure Map or a Visual Explorer or Creativity Collage) is typically a poster board on which you paste or collage images that you’ve torn out from various magazines. It’s simple.

The idea behind this is that when you surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, or where you want to vacation, your life changes to match those images and those desires.


Well, we've heard it from The Secret. Vision Board has a power in realizing our dream, they say. Well, I've been planning to make my personal vision board in my room as well, but yeah, sometime we have no time for that. But, from now on, I'll try to do it. I've decided.

If you are interested in making vision board, too, please visit this site:
HOW TO MAKE A VISION BOARD

Post Your Secret Anonymously



I found this site a little while ago and it’s rather interesting. People send in their secrets and they are posted anonymously where anyone can read them. Some are funny, some sad, while others give pause for thought.

The picture above is one of the secrets from that site, I just may have learnt something about myself. Have a look for yourself.

Post Your Secrets Anonymously



Do You Know Who You Are?

My friend posted this in her Y!360 blog and I think this is so inspiring. So I 'borrow' it to be posted here.
Do you know who you are?


THE BELL
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15)
I am united with the Lord(1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price(1 Cor. 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt.5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ(1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil.3:20)
I am free from an y charge against me (Rom. 8:31-34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God(2 Cor.5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God(Rom.8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor.1:21-22)
I am a ssured all things work together for good (Rom. 8: 28)
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16)
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship(Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven (Col. 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child(Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
who you are!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Life Isn't Easy

Yeah.. life could be so difficult, so unkind, so confusing.. We have to build our self on the strongest foundation. We can't just make excuses. We should not become the victim of life. We have to be bold and strong. But, yeah, the circumstance doesn't compromise sometimes..

Have you ever stuck in dilemma you'd never imagine? Every single word of you counts. You are demanded to be perfect, you shouldn't make any mistakes, you have to do the right. Only the right, the best you could ever done, even beyond your power.
Meanwhile, you do it all without feeling good. All the way you do is probably good, satisfy other people, but not yourself. You do it all because a must.
Unfortunately, you have no choice. You have to face it all, do it all, and you have a big responsible for all the way you do.
Omigod..

Anchor Your Life had just sent me an article about giving up our rights. Oh, could it be possible?
Has one ever known how hard the circumstance we live in?
Sometimes I feel unable. I am weak. I'm worn. I can't stand for any longer.
I'm tired.
Tired to look for a good pattern.
Tired to hope
Tired to try
Tired to feel good meanwhile I'm really not into it
Tired to pretend that I am okay

Oh, God, should we do what we did?
I have walked and walked and walked for a long, long time, and have found nothing.
So I give up my life to You.

Would You please think about it, plan and design it to be the best one could ever be?
Take my hands, take my heart, take my whole life, too.
And please, Lord, take the lead in my life..

For in Your presence, my joy is complete. You taught me the way of life. You set perfection in my life. Without You, who I am?

Though it isn't easy for me to say so, but I beg You, let Thy will be done.
Let Thy perfect will be done in me..

A Full Life

Life can be so boring, depressing, monotonous, overwhelming, sort of it. Everyone has ever arrived at that point. So do I. Nowadays, I feel like trapped in a circumstance I've made myself. But, yeah, life is unpredictable. We can't easily predict our future and we'll never got the result unless we've walked by it.

Glory be unto God, He never leaves us. He always knows our deepest needs. He hears our cry. In my case, He sends His Words to encourage me. Few days ago, I received this article from anchor your life. When I read it, I felt a new hope arose in my heart. I knew for sure that Jesus' promises would never changed. People could only weaken us, destruct our faith and spirit by their complaint, their attitude, their words, etc, but we'll get a new hope in Jesus Christ, if we believe..

Where do you put your hope?

Jesus said: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (NIV) John 10:10

Jesus said: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). The "they" in the passage are Jesus' sheep, those who know His voice and follow Him. Notice that life is a present possession. It does not say, "that they will have life," but that "they may have life." A vibrant, ongoing, growing relationship with Christ does not begin when we reach Heaven, it starts here on earth. And that life is not a ho hum, mediocre life, but a full life. The Greek word actually means "superabundance". . . a relationship with Christ means a superabundant life!

Has life become routine? boring? predictable? depressing? monotonous? overwhelming? a rat race? methodical? dreary? uninspired? Try turning your full focus towards God. Listen for His voice, and follow Him in every way!

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

5 Motivating Things To Know About Life

This article I found from crazymotive.com.
The website has so many great articles to empower your motivation! Check it out!

1.People are consistent.
If the person cheats on others, they will cheat on you. If somebody gossips to you, they will gossip about you. If you have a good friend, no matter what happens they are likely to stay with you.

Motivating Cheater

Cheating cats
2. Work to live, not the other way around. If all you do is work, you are either a great artist who’s driven by passion, or a stupid person who robs himself or herself of many pleasures of life. Life can be more fun then just work and money. It is new stuff that matters: emotions, relationships, experiences. Even money is only as good, as the number of emotions it can buy.

3. Don’t try to motivate everyone. A crazy motive, right? There are people who are lazy. There are people who are different. Do not waste yourself on them. There are others you can help. If you want everyone to like you, you are easy to manipulate. Choose the right people and be rewarded with the right attitude.

Yawn of a Cat

4. You’ll always be you, no matter what you do. Pretending is fine in the short term. But in the end its best to find the person who will think that the sun shines out of your ass and loves you for what you are.

5. 80% of things you do does not matter much. It is 20% that matters. Each day we waste more than 19 hours of time. At most, you’ll have 4-5 hours to do something meaningful, important, useful. Make sure you do it. Every day.

Finding Contentment

I found this article from holisticterapyoc.com.

I've never tried yoga or that kind of meditation, but it seems good and easy to try to find contentment in this cold, cold world.

"You can't always control what goes on outside, but you can always control what goes on inside." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Working with our own thoughts and feelings can radically change our capacity for happiness and contentment. Contentment is a choice. It doesn't happen to us, it's something that has to be created and practiced within us.

Most of us know how to create discontentment. We regularly sabotage our happiness by worrying about the future; complaining about our jobs; comparing our looks, weight, and achievements with others; or telling ourselves negative stories about our lives and relationships. The key to creating happiness and contentment is to retrain our minds to view life from a different perspective.

When you find yourself getting caught in the negative spiral toward discontent and panic - just stop. Change the message you are telling yourself from a negative to a positive: focus on your breath, focus your mind on everything in your life that you have to be grateful for, give thanks, become your own inner coach - remind yourself that "you can do this" or "even if you do mess up, you're still a good person."

Try this yogic affirmation: Breathe in and think to yourself, "What I have is enough." Breathe out and think, "What I am is enough." Breathe in and think, "What I do is enough." Breathe out and think, "What I've achieved is enough." Repeat this cycle for several minutes, paying special attention to the feelings that arise. Become aware of both the feelings of peace and the feelings of resistance that might come up.

Contentment requires a willingness to accept yourself and your situation.

Baik dan Buruk

Pernah mengalami peristiwa buruk hingga rasanya langit bagaikan runtuh?


Well, tiap orang pernah mengalami kejadian yang buruk dalam hidup. Walau mungkin peristiwanya berbeda, namun kejadian itu pasti ada, terekam dengan sangat baik dalam memori kita yang paling dalam. Setiap kali kita mengingatnya, hati bagaikan perih rasanya. Tercabik-cabik. Teriris. Terluka parah. Mungkin bahkan kita katakan bahwa itu adalah kejadian paling buruk yang pernah menimpa hidup seseorang!


Masalah dengan peristiwa buruk adalah, kita tidak bisa mengatakan sesuatu itu baik atau buruk sebelum kita melihat akibatnya. Kita cenderung menyalahkan atau menghakimi. Menurut kita yang begini yang benar, yang begitu yang salah. Padahal, belum tentu yang kita anggap benar itulah yang benar. Sekarang mungkin sesuatu itu kelihatannya buruk dan menyebalkan. Padahal, jika ditinjau kembali beberapa tahun mendatang, kisah tadi bisa saja jadi titik balik yang paling berarti untuk segala kebaikan yang kita terima dalam hidup.


Teman saya contohnya. Waktu dia pulang dari studinya di luar negeri, dia sedih dan patah hati karena diputuskan pacarnya. Konon, dia sediiih sekali. Tapi kemudian, karena kejombloannya itulah dia diangkat jadi Development Manager di luar pulau oleh kantor tempatnya bekerja. Berarti, jika ditinjau kembali, itu namanya patah hati yang membawa berkat, bukan...


Dalam hidup kita belum bisa mengatakan sesuatu itu baik atau buruk karena kita belum melihat hasil akhirnya. Hanya jika kita memiliki pikiran Kristus kita dapat melihat segala sesuatunya dalam perspektif yang tepat, bukan asal pake perasaan kita sendiri..


Contoh lain, waktu Papi saya meninggal. Semua terasa begitu buruk dan salah. Dunia rasanya terbalik buat saya. Tapi sekarang, setelah ribuan hari berlalu (hampir 12 tahun!), saya jadi menyadari bahwa nggak salah kok semua yang telah terjadi dalam hidup saya. Kalo Papi saya masih hidup sampe sekarang, nggak tahu deh di mana saya berada pastinya. Nggak tahu juga gimana keadaan saya. Bisa-bisa saya malah jadi orang paling munafik di dunia. Di depan keluarga baik, di gereja baik, tapi di luar kayak kuda lepas dari pingitan, kalii..


Yang parah, saya pasti nggak akan diijinkan menikah dengan suami saya sekarang ini. Atau mungkin belum punya pacar yang jelas. Habis, tiap ada cowok berkunjung ke rumah selalu diawasi dengan ketat oleh beliau. Jadi deh teman-teman cowok saya pada takut main ke rumah semasa beliau hidup...


Well, ini hanya sepenggal kisah sederhana. Masih ada begitu banyak contoh yang lebih besar di luar sana. Apapun bentuknya, intinya hanya satu. Jangan salahkan keadaan. Jangan sebut apa yang kamu hadapi sebagai benar atau salah, baik atau buruk sebelum kamu benar-benar tahu hasil akhirnya. Karena, siapa yang tahu apa yang menanti di balik setiap peristiwa buruk, atau jebakan apa yang terpasang di balik sesuatu yang tampak baik dan manis di dunia ini?

Why Women Cry

This was a message my friend sent me at my Yahoo!360 . And, to be honest, I was felt good reading this message as a woman..


A little boy asked his mother, 'Why are you crying?' 'Because I'm a woman,' she told him.

'I don't understand,' he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, 'And you never will.'

Later the little boy asked his father, 'Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?'

'All women cry for no reason,' was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked, 'God, why do women cry so easily?'

God said:

'When I made the woman she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world,

yet gentle enough to give comfort

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue with out complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.

And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed.'

'You see my son,' said God, 'the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides.'

Mengejar Kebahagiaan


Konon, banyak orang mengejar kebahagiaan. Sebenarnya, apa sih arti kebahagiaan yang sesungguhnya?

Waktu saya hendak menikah, seorang teman mengirim SMS mengatakan bahwa saya terlihat bahagia. Bikin dia iri, katanya. Padahal, jelas-jelas saya lagi dilanda depresi waktu itu. Sakit kepala, deg-degan, gamang, limbung, mo marah, kesal, panik, tertekan, hingga butuh waktu menyendiri. Sindrom pra pernikahan sepertinya lagi parah-parahnya melanda saya!

Habis baca sms tadi, saya jadi mikir. Apa iya saya bahagia? Soalnya beberapa hari hingga hari itu perasaan saya lagi not so happy. Tapi kok bisa orang lain melihat saya dan menganggap saya bahagia..

Konon, orang melihat apa yang ada pada kita dan menganggap kita bahagia, sedangkan kita melihat apa yang tidak ada pada kita dan menganggap kita tidak bahagia. Mungkin itu juga yang terjadi pada saya waktu itu.. Saya jadi bertanya, apa sih yang bikin seseorang terlihat bahagia? Raut wajahnyakah? Suaranyakah? Keadaan fisiknyakah? Tingkah lakunyakah? Saya nggak tahu pasti. Lha, kalo bener gitu, gimana dong dengan mereka yang punya tampilan tanpa ekspresi... Berarti mereka nggak pernah bahagia dong... hihihi...

Mungkin waktu itu saya bahagia, tapi kok bisa-bisanya saya tidak menyadarinya? Mungkin nggak kalo itu adalah kebahagiaan terselubung? Kan katanya ada depresi terselubung.. Mungkin saja ini mirip-mirip kayak gitu..

OK. Yang jelas, saya jadi menyadari satu hal, bahwa kita suka nggak menyadari betapa bahagia keadaan kita sebenarnya. Kita saja yang suka nggak merasa apa yang sesungguhnya kita rasakan. Konsentrasi kita mungkin sedang tertuju pada hal-hal lain di sekeliling kita yang nggak terlalu penting dan membuat kita merasa jadi tidak bahagia. Padahal sih, sesungguhnya, kita tuh terlihat bahagiaa banget dalam pandangan mata orang lain...

Kebahagiaan memang nggak ada standarnya. Ada yang sudah bahagia jika bisa minum air es (karena dia habis puasa seharian di kala panas terik, misalnya). Tapi ada juga yang baru bahagia kalo dah punya rumah mewah. Jadi jangan percaya standar orang, deh. Nggak ada yang bisa nyiptain standar bahagia buat kita. Standar dan penilaian kita itu berbeda satu dengan yang lain. Saya misalnya, sudah bahagia kalo bisa main sama anjing-anjingku tersayang. Tapi suamiku, mana bahagia dia dengan hal yang sama..

Jadi, apapun itu, cari sendiri deh standar kebahagiaanmu. Jangan ikut apa kata orang, apa kata majalah, TV, atau Paris Hilton. Masing-masing kita beda.

Jika nggak ada yang bisa mengusahakan kebahagiaan buat kamu, ya buat saja sendiri kebahagiaan-kebahagiaan kecil bagi dirimu. Bukankah kamu yang lebih tahu apa-apa yang bikin dirimu merasa bahagia dan apa-apa saja yang tidak?

Kehidupanku Setelah Menikah


Well, ternyata asyik juga kok menikah itu. Bener juga kata orang. Tiap malam ada yang meluk, tiap pagi ada yang kasih senyum lebar penuh cinta. Dan... perasaan aman.


Entah gimana, rasanya aman saja. Aku bahagia. Biarpun konon ada banyak masalah dan lika liku dalam kehidupan pernikahan, buat aku sih asyik-asyik aja, tuh. Mungkin tergantung pasangan kita juga, kali yaa. Suamiku kan orangnya asyik-asyik aja. Dia nggak pernah musingin aku bangun jam berapa, nyiapin sarapan atau nggak buat dia, itu bukan masalah yang besar baginya. Seringnya malah dia yang bangun duluan, tuh. Jarang deh rasanya aku yang bangunin dia dengan keharuman teh kesukaannya kayak di iklan-iklan..


So far, aku bahagia. Walaupun beberapa saat menjelang pernikahan aku sempat gamang, limbung, takut, kuatir, dan sejuta perasaan buruk lainnya, sekarang semua itu telah sirna. Berganti dengan keyakinan bahwa Tuhan telah memberikan yang terbaik dalam hidupku.


Suami sohibku pernah menyarankan untuk pikir-pikir dulu sebelum menikah. 'Gimana kalo nanti ketemu sama orang yang lebih baik, lebih kaya, atau lebih keren?' tanyanya. Yeah, waktu itu sih aku nggak bisa jawab. Aku jadi mikir lagi. Gimana yaa, kalo hal itu benar-benar terjadi?


Sekarang, setelah masuk dalam kehidupan yang sesungguhnya, aku baru dapet jawabannya. Ok. Dia benar. Suatu saat pasti kita akan ketemu sama orang yang lebih baik, lebih kaya, lebih pintar atau lebih menarik dari pasangan kita. Nggak usah mungkir and jangan munafik, deh. Pasangan kita bukan orang yang sempurna. Nenek-nenek juga tahu, kok. Tapi, biarpun demikian, yang lebih tajir lebih kaya lebih keren itu belum tentu potongannya pas kalo dicocokkan sama kita. Seperti puzzle, kita dan pasangan kan punya bagian-bagian terpisah yang harus digabungkan supaya gambarnya sempurna. Biarpun ada orang yang lebih ini lebih itu, tapi kalo waktu dicocokin ujung-ujungnya nggak ketemu ya apalah gunanya.. Betul nggak? Sebagus apapun botolnya, kalo ketemunya sama tutup yang salah juga nggak bakal bisa klop..


Pernikahan bisa membawa kita pada kebahagiaan atau kehancuran, itu tergantung pada bagaimana kita menyikapinya. Kalo ada orang yang sampe trauma menikah sebelum menikah, itu namanya takut tanpa alasan. Gimana kita bisa tahu sesuatu itu baik atau salah sebelum mencobanya? Tapi di dalam Tuhan, sih, kita tahu Dia tak pernah salah memberi pasangan. Kalo mungkin ada yang salah, mungkin itu karena orangnya aja yang milihnya suka-suka, nggak mau cari tahu kehendak Tuhan yang terbaik..


Tiap malam atau pagi, jika kebetulan aku masih terjaga, aku suka banget mandangin suamiku tidur. Aku bersyukur karena Tuhan telah memberiku hadiah terindah dalam hidup. GP tuuh.. orangnya begitu baik dan tulus. Walaupun suka nggak sabaran sama orang lain, sama aku dia penyayang banget. Apa kali karena dia penyayang binatang, yah? Hehehe...


Dia pekerja keras yang disiplin, menghargai waktu, agak cuek terhadap yang nggak penting, tapi untuk apa yang dianggapnya penting, dia sangat peduli. How I love him! Meminjam syairnya Babyface, Everytime I close my eyes I thank The Lord that I got you, yeah, and you got me, too..

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Menghadapi Kritikan dengan Hati Besar

Bayangkan.. Seandainya kamu dibilang males. Cemburuan. Egois. Pembohong. Tukang gossip. Orang yang menyebalkan. Nggak asyik. Sirik. Gak adil. Pendendam. Apa reaksi kamu? Marah? Nggak terima? Atau langsung tersenyum manis, bilang makasih dan merenungkan semua kata sifat yang barusan dilontarkan kepadamu?

Kayaknya, pilihan terakhir nggak ada dalam daftar, deh. Yang ada, kita langsung nggak terima, mencak-mencak dan mencari kambing hitam giginya putih kalo tertawa manis sekali....

Kenapa ya, kok kita suka bereaksi berlebihan pada orang yang mengatakan sesuatu tentang kita? Kenapa coba kok kita nggak bisa menerima saja dengan baik. Toh kalo orang memberi sesuatu dan pemberiannya tak diterima, ya barang tersebut akan kembali jadi milik si pemberi. Jadi kalo ada yang ngomongin kita macem-macem ya tenang saja. Kalo omongannya nggak bener kan bisa aja balik lagi ke yang ngomong..

Banyak hal bisa kita lakukan untuk bikin diri kita tampak lebih baik, namun sekuat apapun kita berusaha, kita tak bisa mengisi kekosongannya, bisa jadi justru akan membuat kita semakin jauh terpuruk dalam masalah kita. Karena pada prinsipnya, semakin kita memenuhi kebutuhan yang lain, akan ada semakin banyak kebutuhan lain menuntut untuk juga dipenuhi keinginanya. Jadilah kita terjebak dalam lingkaran setan. Gak tahu gimana harus keluar dari siklus tersebut.

Lalu, gimana sih cara kita supaya bisa menerima kritik dengan lapang dada?

  1. Akui bahwa diri kita memang punya banyak kekurangan.

Tapi jangan berhenti sampai di situ saja. Let's find out apa saja kekurangan tersebut. Selidiki dirimu sendiri, karena semakin kita tak mau menyelidiki diri kita, semakin kita gak bisa diingatkan tentang segala kekurangan kita, semakin besarlah ia akan merajalela dalam diri kita. Entah kamu menyadarinya atau tidak. Tanya orang lain untuk membantu mengorek info lebih jelas tentang dirimu. Jangan mau dijadikan sasaran penghakiman orang lain karena tingkahmu yang njelimet dan aneh bin ajaib itu, dong. You have to change!

  1. Lepaskan dirimu.

Karena takut kebobrokan kita diketahui, kita jadi suka menyimpan rahasia terhadap orang lain. Dan... jadi gampang curiga sebagai akibatnya. Orang bertingkah begini, kita curiga. Begitu, curiga. Orang bersikap baik, kita curiga. Jahat, lebih-lebih. Tapi, begitu kita melepaskan diri kita, mulai nggak terlalu pedulikan apa kata orang, mulai berani membuka diri tanpa prasangka akan disakiti kembali, kita akan dengan mudah menerima keadan kita.

Nggak mengada-ada, fenomena apa yang banyak terjadi akhir-akhir ini? Kita takut membuka diri. Kita takut dengan melakukannya kelak kita akan disakiti kembali dan dengan begitu kita menghukum orang lain dengan mencoba mendiamkan mereka, menekan mereka, mengkonfrontasi mereka secara frontal dsb. Padahal dengan melakukan semua hal tersebut kita telah menghukum diri kita dan menutup jalan berkat yang Tuhan kehendaki untuk mengalir dalam diri kita! Kita pikir dengan melakukan banyak hal menyakitkan pada orang lain, dendam kita akan terbalas. Padahal tidak. Dendam takkan pernah terbalas hanya karena kita berhasil menyamakan skor dengan lawan. Kita justru sedang mencari musuh, memenangkan pihak Iblis dalam pertempuran rohani dan menghalangi berkat dari sorga! Coba kalo kita bersedia membuka diri. Terserah ape lu kate. Pasti hidup ini jadi lebih asyik dijalani. Yakin, deh.. Gak usah peduliin komentar orang, ah. Bawel banget sih mereka, kasih makan enggak..

Dengan berani membuka diri juga berarti kita bersedia melihat dan mengakui kekurangan-kekurangan kita sebagai kenyataan yang tak mudah dilenyapkan dari diri kita!

  1. Yakinilah sesuatu yang benar.

Jika kita punya keyakinan, kita nggak akan mudah goyah. Apapun yang terjadi, sindiran, kritikan, celaan, gosip berusaha menghancurkan kita, tapi kita bisa tetap berdiri di atas batu karang keyakinan kita.

Miliki juga keyakinan tentang dirimu sendiri. Cari kebenaran tentang dirimu melalui Alkitab. Jangan dari kata orang atau kata iklan. Itu semua bukanlah diri seseorang yang sesungguhnya. Iklan dan gambar-gambar di majalah hanyalah sebuah fatamorgana. Kita melihat, tertarik dan begitu menginginkan kehidupan yang seperti itu. Setelah sampai di sana barulah kita menyadari bahwa semua itu hanyalah kekosongan dan realita yang semu belaka..

  1. Buka mata hatimu: Apa yang Tuhan kehendaki untuk kulakukan?

Yang lebih Tuhan kehendaki adalah dengar-dengaran ketimbang korban. Dia tak peduli betapa hebatnya, kayanya atau berhasilnya kita, tanpa ketaatan dan kerelaan hati untuk dibarui, disucikan dan diubah, kita adalah nol besar. Dia senang pada orang yang rendah hati. Hati yang remuk tak pernah dianggapNya hina. Bahkan hati yang hancur adalah korban sembelihan kepada Tuhan. Buat apa korban kita yang banyak-banyak, ibadah kita yang terlihat begitu kudus tak bercacat dan perbuatan kita yang sempurna tanpa sikap hati yang tidak mau mengakui kesalahan di hadapan Tuhan dan kesediaan merendahkan diri kepadaNya? Merendahkan diri di hadapan Tuhan takkan merendahkan diri kita. Gak ada apapun dapat merendahkan kita selain kesombongan dan kecongkakan. Apapun yang seolah merendahkan kita akan membuat kita ditinggikan di dalam Tuhan. Tapi, coba aja berani-berani mengangkat diri sendiri, wait a moment... and.. crash! There you are, dicampakkan sedalam-dalamnya!

  1. Penuhi hati dengan kasih.

Kenapa? Karena, setinggi apapun iman kita, sebesar apapun korban kita, semua itu bukanlah apa-apa jika tanpa kasih. Nggak peduli kita hafal 14 bahasa dunia, pernah mengunjungi 7 benua atau ahli dalam semesta raya, kita bukan apa-apa. Dengan kasih kita bisa menerima kekurangan orang lain. Kita juga bisa lebih maju dalam apa yang kita pelajari dan lakukan, dan yang terpenting... kasih menjadikan terang kita lebih menyala. Cap anak Tuhan seharusnya adalah kasih, karena Allah adalah kasih, Jadi hal itu pula seharusnya yang langsung terlihat nyata dalam hidup kita. Siapa yang kamu kasihi?

  1. Mendekatlah kepada Tuhan.

Kita akan menjadi serupa dengan orang yang dekat dengan kita. Orang tersebut paling tidak mempengaruhi kita dalam cara kita berpikir, kebiasaan, gaya bercanda dan banyak hal lainnya. Tak terkecuali hal buruk. Makanya pergaulan yang buruk bisa merusakkan kebiasaan yang baik. Dengan siapa kamu bergaul?

Satu hal lagi, Tuhan bukanlah Allah yang suka membuat kritikan. Ia senang memperhatikan kita. Ia akan memberitahukan pada kita jalan kehidupan dan di hadapanNya ada sukacita berlimpah..

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Ganti Tampilan

Well, baru aja ngganti tampilan blogku. Sekarang jadi lebih keren, kaan?
Bosen aja liat tampilan lama yang kuno. Heran, kenapa ya dulu aku suka sama warna-warna gelap? Sekarang, pas udah lebih tua (lebih dewasa and lebih bijak kali, yah? :)), baru deh bisa memasukkan warna-warna cerah ke dalam hidupku.
Hmmhh..
Yang penting sekarang dah gak bikin silau and gak capek mata kan, bacanya?
Enjoy!