Never Before

"What no eyes has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived"
--the things God has prepared for those who love him--
1 Corinthians 2:9

Have I ever told you how I finally had my graduation ceremony? It is not a funny story, so, stop reading.

This is the very short version. I was supposed to have my graduation ceremony on the 21st of February. The event had been fixed since a few months ago. After I passed my final defense in the end of January, I invited Mom to come over and attend the ceremony. She bought the ticket and got her visa and she was ready to fly. However, it got cancelled two weeks before the day. Mom could not believe that the school would do that. We sent a letter of complaint to the school. After a few days of conversation --or two days before the planned event-- the school agreed to hold an exclusive graduation ceremony for me. Mom came and we had a quick, no-hassle ceremony, and accompanied with free three-course meal from the school. It was awesome and never before --at least Mom has never seen anything like it before.

Fear not

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

~Isaiah 41:10 NKJV

Lady Wisdom

Wisdom is not too faraway of our reach. It is only as far as how responsive our eyes, ears, and feet to spot and embrace it.

I have read the book of Proverbs for more than a dozen times. But this morning, reading again Proverbs 8 (MSG) has opened my eyes to the secrets of finding this-so-called precious Lady Wisdom.

I have always thought that Lady Wisdom is a treasure, buried deep-down in the deepest ocean. I got to have the most advanced technology to screen the ocean floor (think of the movie, Titanic). However, this morning, I just realized that Lady Wisdom is everywhere. Verse one and two of the passage explain it. It is said,

Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling?Can you hear Madame Insight raising her voice?She’s taken her stand at First and Main,at the busiest intersection.Right in the city squarewhere the traffic is thickest, she shouts,

The only thing I could have done differently to find it is to be more alert, more receptive, with what I hear, see, and think in my daily life. The answer is not deep down in the ocean. But it is around me, in my routines, in the roads that I pass through every morning, and the people that I live and work with every waking moment.

So, have you been listening to what they say? Have you been seeing what they've been trying to show you? Let us not harden our heart and be transformed with the renewal of our minds in Christ Jesus.

Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me,
awake and ready for me each morning,
alert and responsive as I start my day’s work.
When you find me, you find life, real life,
to say nothing of God’s good pleasure.

Sincerely,
Raissa Setiawan