stretch.

reblog from Kaka's true, warm, insightful, Jesus-inside heart and soul blog.

In any season in our lives, there are two things God wants to do simultaneously:
1. Expand His kingdom
2. Stretch our minds

The GROWTH is in the STRETCH.

– Steven Furtick (I’m Up for It – Stretch Marks Part 1)

No Passing On the Relay Stick

Hello World,

Two things tickle my mind today:

1. Philippians 4:4
2. Double edge sword

Actually the two are interrelated to make a point in this post. It happened that I needed the reminder to rejoice in the Lord always, like what is written in Philippians 4:4. I say it again, rejoice. 

When I first read that verse this morning I was quickly reminded of the people who might need the exact reminder. I did not realize that I was the one who needed it the most. 

In this generation, we grow accustomed to share all the thought-provoking, sweet, heart-felt information and motivational quotes we encounter along the day. We saw it on Path or Instagram. It was funny. It was moving. It was mind-changing. It was motivational. So we touch the share button. Share via Line. Share to group. Share to Whatsapp contact. We hope that the ones who read will get entertained, be reminded, or even change his ways. 

But do we first change our ways when the reminders come to us? Or do we just take it as an relay stick and pass it quickly to the next person? 

Yes there is an overload of information in this generation but can it also mean that God is speaking louder to us? Have we found time to actually stop and think that it is for me? I should definitely keep this letter. I should definitely save it into my core memories. I should begin to do what the message tells me to do. 

Anyway, my friends need to rejoice but more than them, I need to rejoice to. I need to choose joy. Sadness is important (watch Inside Out from Pixar). We should embrace sadness. But should we dwell in sadness all the time? No. Joy should also come in and make good memories together. 

When we can't shake sadness off (well, she is there for a purpose), will we still choose to rejoice? To have joy again? To search for joy again? 

I want to Re-Joy. 

Resist the resistance

Mrs. Tin, a good friend of my mom, remarks Christian life as easy to be understood but difficult to implement. She adds, "We know everything we need to know to be a follower of Christ. But why does this body keep refusing to do the right thing? We know we need to rejoice, we know we need to forgive, we know we need not to worry and fear, but we keep doing it anyway."

I have never really thought about it and what it really means. I presume that applying what we know is pretty easy as long as we have the desire to do it. But as this week goes by, I began to agree with her remarks.

This week started with a pretty strong message about winning life's battles. The locations of the hidden bombs have been identified too. The locations are summarized in the acronym HALT.

H - Hungry
A - Angry
L - Lonely
T - Tired

These are the red zones. The zones where the devils have set their shooters on. The zones where we should watch out. The zones where we really should open our eyes wide.

To avoid being hungry spiritually and physically, of course, we need to eat. And as we become angry, we should not let our anger stay for too long. Sunset means new clean slate, forgiveness. Surrounding ourselves with good company also avoids us from being lonely. And as for tiredness, we can try to live healthily by exercising and having enough sleep.

See, it was a good start of the week, right? A simple yet very practical message. But then I still am finding it hard to do all that. I sleep enough but have no spirit to work. I eat more than I used to but I have no energy.

It feels like every time we are trying to change our bad habits into good habits, there is always bigger resistance. Well in Physics it is natural. The greater the force exerted to move an object, the greater the force resisting the object to be moved. So, I conclude that this is us moving in the right direction. If there is a force trying to stop us to move forward, it is only natural. It is not natural if we gave up while we are just staring to move.

We need to keep trying even if we fail the first, second, seventh and eighth times.

Feeling lazy again? Useless again? Worthless again? Guilty again? Not in the mood again? It is natural! But do not stay there, keep forcing ourselves until we become purposeful, free from the devil's shackles, children of God.

Yes, it is difficult to form a new good habit, but people say it is well-worth it. Don't give up yet, brothers, don't.

Undeserved Grace

The concept of grace is often confusing.

Grace is given not earned.

It is given freely despite of who we are, what we have done, where we have been, or how we have lived.

Grace is the expression of the Father of the prodigal son. He hurt the Father. He left the Father. He disowned the Father. He was selfish, greedy, shortsighted about life but the Father accepted him back. He got his status back; from a homeless, pathetic nobody to the son. An heir of the Father's heritage.

I have been the prodigal. Maybe you have too. We do not deserve grace. We do not deserve acceptance. We do not deserve a good life. But still, the Father wants to give us all that.

Jesus died for our sins and he freely gives us a new life. For some, overwhelmed with Jesus' love, come to accept this grace and walk towards living the life of a Son. For others, we find it hard to accept this gift at all.

The guilt, the shame, the unworthy feeling keep haunting. Who am I? What is the deal with me? Why am I so lucky? are some questions that stuck in our mind. We could not believe that this is happening. Someone wanted to give us a new life. What have I done to deserve all that? I did not do anything.

Grace found us but we refuse to accept. We know that there is new life out there; a better life, a nice one, but we simple cannot get our head into the concept of free gift. We believe that it should be earned with hard work, right living, and pure virtues so we strive to do all the right things.

Then we find it hard to do all that. To be right and pure. To be Jesus' son. It is freaking difficult. So much rules, so much details, so much to ask. In no time, we realize that we are not moving anywhere.

Grace is the key. As we accept the new life that Christ has prepared for us, we accept his power to change us and enable us to do his detailed commands. Without his power, we do not deserve anything of the Kingdom. We would still have the mentality of the swine keeper, and the greed, and the selfish spirit.

You deserve the grace of God. So come. As shameful as you could be, come and receive the gift. Why hesitate? Jesus wants to hug you, shower you with love, and give you your old status back: the Father's son.

Take the first step. Think of the good things you could have had at home. Think of warm meal, shelter, sweet company and music. Think of going back to the Father. Go. Go back. Don't be stone-headed. Say sorry. Ask for second chance. His grace would stay.

Not by your might, not by your power, but by the Spirit of God.

Found

I was lost,
I was desperate and broken.
That's how you found me.

Sing Redemption's Song - Israel Houghton

All ear and stay

I have the habit of filtering what I listen. If I do not like what I am going to listen I will try as much as possible to leave the conversation. I know those talking to me have my best interest in their mind but I just cannot bear the attacks.

I tend to not listen to people when I do not feel like being scolded. I have always related listening to being scolded since I was small. I blame my Dad for this. Too bad, now I have grown but I still carry that kind of defense mechanism.

Impatience develops strong in me. I do not enjoy talking to people as much as the people people. I become task-oriented. I cut conversations to their main points. I sometimes feel it is a waste of time to wait upon somebody who talks round and round.

I want quick and prompt answers. I want it instantly. But Jesus has asked to wait upon the Lord. Underline the word wait.

In high school, about 10 years ago, I liked waiting upon the Lord. I liked staying in his presence, spending time with him in songs and hymns. I did it at first out of textbook. Mom told me to do that, so I did. As if to catch a big fish, I diligently waited upon the Lord, every morning. Even if I disturbed my neighbor with my clunky piano pieces I did not mind.

My university life was different. The first few years, the habit of staying in his presence was still there. It was when I started moving from a country to another, I began to change it with the habit of studying his words. Not diminishing the importance of studying the word, but I began to replace my lone time with God with a lone time with the word. Yes, God also lives in the word, but my point is that I thought it would be sufficient to do it this way, since things changed.

At those nomad time, I did not have my musical instrument. The one thing that I used to serenade my entry to his presence. So, instead of looking for other ways, I got directly to studying scriptures.

Yes, I did got a lot of truth and rhema from the words. But I began to take the Bible as a fast-food meal. I go to the bible app just looking the answers that I need. If I do not get any then I let it, since it is fast food anyway. How satisfied could I be with a fast food meal, now that I realize it.

This morning, after all the things that happened these past few weeks, I attempted to get back to my old habit of praise and worship. I allocated time and place; far from the reach of smartphones and outside world, I tried to be still in his presence. And as you could guess, it was hard!

Jesus was definitely happy I tried to make time for him. But my mind and body just did not want to stay. I did not want to give it more time and be patient about it. All I wanted is to go back to sleeping and doing all the things that I used to use to do.

And this is why I want to write this post. Listening to my parents or relatives wears me out. Yes, sometimes they are really difficult to listen to. But don't put Jesus in the same place as your parents. Jesus is different. He should be. My parents have limited knowledge of what is going on in life, but Jesus does not. He knows everything, he has something good to say to me. But why do I treat him like the way I treat my parents? Why do I avoid the conversation all together? Why do I shut my ears when he starts to talk?

Please do not be like me. I do not want to stay this way either. He pointed right away this morning, if I were going to come back to his presence, I should be all-ears. I should be patient. I should not be addicted to the world. And since the obstacles is set quite high since the start of this attempt of going back to the presence, I suppose this is the right way of living. Everything right is always hard to do.

Help me God. I do want to come back to your presence.