Run

Today is our last Sundate before he'd be my fiance next month.

Our Sundate always ends in a train station. He takes a train to Solo and I stay here in Tulungagung.

But the train was delayed today. We waited for almost an hour and I was not allowed to get into the waiting room. So we talked with the divider in between us.

Not knowing when the train will come, he got hungry. So I offered to buy him a packed meal. Tahu telor.

I went to the closest food stall in front of the train station and found that it was not too crowded. I ordered one and was going to buy another one for my mom. I called her but she said she did not feel like eating. So I sticked to buy one.

The lady was just starting to do my order when he called. He said the train is arriving in no time. I said wait for me a little longer. Almost done.

So the lady made it quick and I felt that I need to run. So I ran.

When I got to the train station, he was not in the waiting room anymore. I could not get to the platform, so I could not make that scene from the famous Bollywood movies.

So I asked the ticket officer, whom we happened to have conversation with in the hour the train got delayed to pass the meal to him.

The siren was rang. The engine was started. The train was going to move soon. I had to call him to take the meal from the officer. The officer was confused, not knowing in which train he sat, but was eager to help.

He got to the train door and thankfully just before the train left, the officer found him and delivered the meal.

I thought to myself if only I didn't run to the train station. I would not make it.

It was also my first run since forever.

I rarely run. But sometimes we do need to run.

When God prompts us to run, we should run. When God prompts us to stay, we should stay.

And as we obey him, he will deliver. Like he did with my meal.

Blind Man's Friend

The devotion surely speaks to me today. I am blind but He will guide me til the end.

"Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." Psalm 73:24.

The Psalmist felt his need of divine guidance. He had just been discovering the foolishness of his own heart, and lest he should be constantly led astray by it, he resolved that God's counsel should henceforth guide him. A sense of our own folly is a great step towards being wise, when it leads us to rely on the wisdom of the Lord. The blind man leans on his friend's arm and reaches home in safety, and so would we give ourselves up implicitly to divine guidance, nothing doubting; assured that though we cannot see, it is always safe to trust the all-seeing God. "Thought shalt," is a blessed expression of confidence. He was sure that the Lord would not decline the condescending task. There is a word for thee, O believer; rest thou in it. Be assured that thy God will be thy counsellor and friend; he shall guide thee; he will direct all thy ways. In his written Word thou hast this assurance in part fulfilled, for holy Scripture is his counsel to thee. Happy are we to have God's Word always to guide us! What were the mariner without his compass? And what were the Christian without the Bible? This is the unerring chart, the map in which every shoal is described, and all the channels from the quicksands of destruction to the haven of salvation mapped and marked by one who knows all the way. Blessed be thou, O God, that we may trust thee to guide us now, and guide us even to the end! After this guidance through life, the Psalmist anticipates a divine reception at last--"and afterward receive me to glory." What a thought for thee, believer! God himself will receive thee to glory--thee! Wandering, erring, straying, yet he will bring thee safe at last to glory! This is thy portion; live on it this day, and if perplexities should surround thee, go in the strength of this text straight to the throne.

Top of the World

Tulungagung, March 5, 2015

Dear Readers,

A few years ago my top of the world meant living in big and metropolitan cities; and yes, I have lived in some of those wonderful places.

But now, living where God wants me to be is my top of the world. And...

I am living there now.
On top of the world.

Hope you know and if you haven't, you find the place where God wants you to be. And there could never be a better place in the world to stay,  except there.

Sincerely,
R

Do listen!

Yesterday I wrote a post about time. Our time should be offered to God, as if we work for God. We do not want to waste our employer's time, don't we?

Today an event happened and it was still in the theme of working for God.

The story started when I ask an employee to do a specific task specifically for me. I clearly told her to do such and such. I laid out the details and stretched on one important thing.

At the time she finished with the task, she came back to me and gave me her work. But it did not come the way I asked her too. Everything is correct except the one thing that I stretched for.

Did not she hear me right?

I was furious. I thought it was such an easy task. I thought even though I did not lay out the instructions, it was logic to not do that one thing. But it was done anyway.

Thankfully the damage was not that bad, but I had to spend more time fixing it. And while I was fixing it I thought about God.

He must have those moments too. Moments when He wants to be furious at us. He clearly laid out the instructions in the Book, but either we are too stupid to not follow them or too ignorant about those guidance, He is very patient towards us.

Maybe just like me who expects my employees to work excellently and listen to instructions, maybe God wants us to be excellent, careful, and focus too.

Have a great Wednesday, friends! Work hard, play harder, love hardest.

Not Mine

This morning I was reminded that my time is God's. 

Time spent recklessly is a theft. 

We do everything for God. We are workers in God's business. In other words, we are His employees. If we laze around and procrastinate, how would our Boss think of us? 

I want my Boss to think that I am a good servant; not just pretending to be a good servant but to actually be one. 

The difficulties for me lie in my OCD-like disease. I want everything to be in place before I enter the room. If I cannot see how the the day will turn out, I really do not want to be in that event. Or if in my mind, I see that something unpleasant would happen to me, I will avoid that with all my might. 

I am spoiled, aren't I? 

I am. I avoid unpleasant things and choose the easy ways. 

It used to work for me; choosing easy answers. At school I would try to answer the easy questions first and leave the harder one for the last minutes. Having the easy questions right had given pretty good outcome but it does not seem to apply for my situation today.

I had answered all the easy questions and it seems that I am left with all the difficult ones and there is no time-limit to this test. It is over when I am done working on those difficult ones. But it is so hard and I just want to submit me the paper as it is. 

(Sigh). I know I must persevere. Even though it takes me one word a day to write the answer, I will answer these (d**ned) questions. 

Teach me to number my days, Lord, so I'd be wise. 

Things Unseen

I have been seeing some miracles this past week.

The first one was in Crown Victoria Hotel, parking area. I was parking my car. I put the gear on reverse and looked on my right rear view mirror. There I slowly moved to the perfect parking position. Too confident, I did not look at my left rear view mirror nor did I turn my head back. Done parking, now I look through my left rear view mirror. There was a black electrical pole, 15 cm in diameter, very tall, not too far from the back of my car. If I did my parking just slightly to the left side, I would have hit that pole and made a good dent on my car.

The second one was WTC Surabaya, in a parking area too. I was going to buy a case for my new, satisfied purchase, Samsung Galaxy Note 4. But I didn't really know the where the entrance to the building was. So I parked my car in the building next to the WTC building. I had to walk quite a distance to that parking building. There I browsed through what I looked for, but could not find the one that captured my heart. But looking out of the windows, the sky was so dark like the sky was going to fall. I hurriedly did my visits to the stores that I wanted to check on, and found nothng. So I rushed out and tried to get back to my car as fast I could. The sky had almost fallen. Haha. Anyway, I got back right on time before the very heavy, unstoppable rain and wind come.

I personally believe that those are miracles. With all my limitation; not looking at both mirrors, not bringing un umbrella, God had hindered me from accidents. There was a preacher who said, "That's the exact reason why you should be thankful at all times. The countless blessings are from the ones that you do not see. The ones that God has protected you from. Not only the ones that you really feel and comprehend with your mind."

God has done such great things and small little things to keep us safe and sound. He makes dozens of angels serve us and protect us from evil.

Zacchaeus

Tax collectors in Jesus' time had been known as heartless, wicked, selfish, and cruel. Not only they took more tax than the amount they should receive, but they did it forcefully. They are rich, freakingly wealthy.

Despite all the money he could or could not spend (for it was too many), Zacchaeus found something was missing. He was not satisfied with his life. He yearned for more. That was why when he heard about Jesus coming to his town, he was pretty pumped with curiousity. Maybe deep down, he knew that Jesus is the one that he's been waiting for who was able to fill in the bleeding hole in his heart.

Being shorter than the rest of the people who crowded around Jesus, Zacchaeus had a purposeful heart. He was determined to see Jesus. He did not back away after seeing the crowd. He stressed his mind and looked for away to call for Jesus' attention. He spotted where Jesus was going, ran passed the crowd, and climbed a tree on Jesus' way. He hoped that when Jesus passed by, Jesus would see him on that tree and he could see Jesus face to face. What a brilliant mind. 

Jesus finally saw Zaccheaus and changed Zacchaeus life for the better. Zacchaeus found something more meaningful than money, gold, power, and wealth. He found Jesus. His life felt complete. 

There are so much that I, maybe we, could learn from Zacchaeus. The longing of his heart for something meaningful. The curiousity about a man who -rumour has it- has healed people and given people new life. The drive, the wit, the passion to get to that man who he hoped would cure the pain in his heart. The humbling act of running; he was a top-rank officer, running was something that only low-rank soldiers would do. Lastly, the child-like behaviour, which call for attention. Clinbing the tree, it is almost like a kid shouting to his parents, "I am here, I am here. Look at me, Mom. Look at me, Daddy!". 

Have we had a heart that is calling for Jesus attention? Have we had a heart that does not give up doing stupid things until He notices us? 

Jesus seems to like that kind of actions. They look childish, yes, but didn't He say to have faith like little kids? 

For me personally, this truth reminds me of how fun it could be to seek Jesus face. I have been putting this relationship with Jesus as something casual, old friends. I know Him and He knows me, but I did not try something new to rekindle this relationship. I don't try to get His attention as much I used to when we were still new friends. I remember those silly moments when I just could not keep my hands off the phone when I had a new best friend. I just wanted to talk to her about everything, know everything she does, watches, and eats. I searched for reasons to play longer with her and spend so much time together. 

Really, it was fun, right? Why can't it be fun now? 

Well, we can! We just have to do it all over again.