When your ground is no more... Challenge or Opportunity? Part 4

"Your house is up for sale!" said the email. I read through the email again, as though in shock. My eyes now scrutinizing every word written, as though they were charging at me with a sword. It didn't occur to me till ten minutes later that, that message was for me. But the words didn't pierce me. They just floated around in the air till they were no more. They hoped to make me feel homeless again. They hoped to place another burden on me. They hoped to poke me till it hurt me in my core. 
And those words had once captured me. But this time... 
Even before the problem was presented to me, the solution was given to me. 
When the ground you stand upon and live upon is going to be no more, what are you going to do? How are you going to react? What are your next moves? 
I will always believe in being pro-active then lazily sitting in the room that will soon not be yours anymore. 
Your eyes twitch in tension, your toes started dancing unrhythmical. You look up from the computer, keenly and desperately trying to find a solution. Other than that your face remains calm, your body still and your heart finds focus. 
And then He said, "When your ground is no more, when your security in this world is no more, when your success isn't found here, your testimony stands completely heavenly, full of grace, full of love. When your ground is no more, you stand". 
If Jesus makes something beautiful from nothing and was able to make us from sand... when my ground is no more, His presence is my home. 
Yes, they say you can't live on love alone. It is true, but with His love came wisdom and strength to move forward till you reach your true destination.
Fear is not your companion. Worry is not your blanket. Tears are not your portion. 
When you believe you have better, bigger things waiting to be discovered... you know that Jesus is your prize. His word is your food. His victory is your portion.
When your ground is no more... when you have lost your ground more than once... you know that you will gain back what is yours! 
My house situation is my opportunity to show off the true foundation I stand on. The faith that pushes me forward and the Love that stands beside me in everything. That is a true and beautiful opportunity!

The smallest person in the room- Challenge or Opportunity? Part 3

Picked out the hottest dress in your closest? Or got a new hairdo? Lost 2 kilos and feel like a million bucks? Next thing you know, both doors to the room fling open, there's smoke machines on either sides... and you catwalk down that little alley strip, hoping everyone is turning towards you and staring in awe and amazement? Picturing it yet? Good.
All right now imagine all three situations, but there are no smoke machines this time, you fling the door open yourself, you catwalk down that alley strip and your foot trips over the other... this time everyone is staring but it's not in awe... that, with a little less exaggeration would be me! I may even laugh a little loud at something that isn't funny so that people think that I am having fun or have potential to be a cool person in their mind. If you are honest enough, you would admit to being silly like this, sometimes. Okay, well maybe its just me!
You see in both situations people have already stereotyped you and put in a box. But more than them, you, have stereotyped yourself and put yourself in a box and are desperately trying to get out of it. Or maybe you love being there just a tad too much!
Here's a reality check, most of us place ourselves in the wrong box. 
For me, my mental, very untrue, stereotype is that I am the smallest person in the room. In the past, this has been my biggest challenge ever. I would be part of a conversation and not say a word. I would be part of a brain storming meeting and never contribute any of my ideas, cause I am, well, the smallest person at the meeting!
I know that a lot of my past experiences, cruel comments and even my culture and upbringing took a part of me grading myself this way. 
 I even made some logical explanations to my actions. I was in fact the youngest person in this room. I maybe the least educated, the least experienced, I have been broken too many times to find any self-confidence somewhere in there, no one really took me under their wing and taught me or helped me to cross sides. It seems so, that these were all but mere excuses not to break out of my shell. I am shy, I am timid, I am insecure, I am not that kind of a leader, blah blah blah! 
But I imagined, dreamed, procrastinated and hoped the opposite all the time! 
You may have heard the saying fake it, till you make it! 
You don't feel like a leader? You don't know if you can finish what has been given to you? You don't think you have anything to contribute that is worthy of mentioning or being heard? 
Well fake it till it all makes sense!
Heck, put on those pair of boots till your shoulders are straight and your head is held high! Research, prepare, rehearse till it makes sense in your head before you present it at a meeting! 
You may fall a few times but trust me, have a go again and again! Don't give up! 
I also realized that God created something strong out of my weakness. 
It caused me to be a really good listener. To catch someone's vision or dream and present it well. To slowly praying in public, and commenting when i was sure of something, even blogging and tagging people so they can read this!
If you feel like you are the smallest person in the room, you are there because you can and need to conquer it. By conquer, I don't mean pick up a sword, the war is on! I mean, take a step back, read yourself. Find the negatives and positives and start working on them.
There are three things I have found key to conquering this:
First of all, Humility! God has had to do some major cleaning up to be able to make space for this department. And let Him!
Next, Discipline! Create some routines in your time frame that will help shape what you are hoping to change about yourself.
And finally, Perseverance... Our generation is probably one of the most laziest group of people I have ever met. Including myself! We quit when we are a step away from reaching our goal. Even if you fall down, fail, don't impress your boss, persevere to making your challenge, your opportunity to building and creating something new, fresh and anointed!


Here's a final tip: Don't let anyone steal your joy when you do get there! 
You are the smallest person in the room, where are your pendulum controls taking you?

A Sweet Spirit-Challenge or Opportunity?

A few days ago, I was taking the bus to the mall. If you have been in Sydney, you would know what I meant by getting to the bus stop 30 minutes before its scheduled time and sit there praying it show up!
Anyhow, I was in a normal mood... no dramas! Just chilled, relaxing (PRAYING FOR MY BUS) and listening to some music.
As I sat there, a car came and stopped close to the stop. At first, I thought the lady in the car was lost since she was calling someone and looking at a book. And then, she switched her indicators on and decided to settle. She did her make up and kept fixing her hair in the mirror. I then determined that there was something wrong with her car. All right then, she is waiting for NRMA (roadside assistance) to show. But 45 minutes later, there were some angry drivers on the road, honking and rolling their windows down, screaming and swearing. She seemed a little freaked out and not so happy.
All that time (while still praying for my late bus to show), I was thinking I should go ask her if she needs a proper parking spot, she was seconds from churches'. But I was thinking about how she would react to my action.
 I don't know... anyway I told God this... "if my bus doesn't come in the next two minutes I will walk up to her." My bus showed up in that two minutes which i was happy about and also a little confused about whether I should I have walked up to her anyway!
 But as I stood up and waved at my bus... she thought I was waving at her, so smiled and gave me an asian head bow. We smiled eye to eye till I got on the bus.
But I didn't walk up to her? Offer her help? Should I still feel confused?
You see sometimes people don't need help. They have help on the way. They just need some assurance that the whole world won't try to take them out while they waited on help.
I wonder how many times, we plug our earphones into our ears, trying to cut off the noise of the world, on our way somewhere, but in fact all the world wanted was some assurance of our acceptance, our kindness, our gentleness, our sweet spirit to help them go on or move forward.
I wonder if I had created an opportunity to show Jesus to that lady. I don't know, maybe I have sown a seed! Either way, she found what is best about Jesus, His Kindness.
As winter dawn on us, and we wear a million pairs of socks to keep us warm, lets remember to keep our spirits sweet as well.
In a time when people are tired, losing focus, wandering in desperation and feeling low; a sweet spirit can make a world's difference.
Like any other thing, having a sweet spirit is a journey and involves two repetitive attributes.

The first one is like your pizza base. With no base, there is no pizza. Alright?
- Going back to the presence  of God! When I first started spending time with God, I usually came out really worked up and vulnerable cause He was working with me, in me, creating within me newness. Overtime, you will see that you come out feeling the healing, joy overflowing and confidence taking its stance. When you get there, you will see the sweet spirit of Jesus in you, wanting to pump someone's day or speak love and joy over them.
The next thing, is the actual stuff that goes on the pizza base like the tomatoes, cheese, chicken or even for you BBQ meat lovers... this will make it a full, well done, yummy (even gourmet) pizza.
- Letting Go!
On this journey, you will come across mean or rude or unhappy people in general. Most of the time, their comments can leave you feeling a little down. This can come in any shape or form because the devil knows how to push your buttons and trust me on this journey, he will be waiting to do so.
Here's my advice: Don't hold those comments, remarks, experiences close, rather let them go, release them and release yourself. There's nothing more freeing in not holding what you need not hold onto!

Try this. Go on a journey of entering His presence all the time and letting go whenever and wherever needed!
Over time, you will see yourself become kind to the meanest person in the room! I think that is a pretty cool picture!

So, where are your pendulum controls taking you?

Challenge or Opportunity? Part 1

A lot of us get frustrated at life sometimes... alright a lot of the time! Its like being on a pendulum at the fair that moves so fast, back and forth! We feel like throwing up, we want to quit, run away, leave, abandon, even give up our life cause of the craziness of it all. We feel weak, tired, unmotivated and can't seem to find the purpose of this life of earth. You might even ask, "what good could I possibly bring to this crapy, filthy dump where everyone betrays and hurts each other?" I would not be surprised if you did, cause I asked that question myself a few times.
It was in the darkest and loneliest of my seasons when I asked that question. When I would look myself in the mirror and hate what i saw. When my favorite food or drink or movie or music or place couldn't satisfy me. They were all bland, plain and tasteless to the core.
What on the face of this planet could help me? Revive me? Put a smile on my face and some peace in my heart, so I could get a few hours of restful sleep?
I tried everything in my boundaries and a few beyond them to try and find something.
It came to this one answer every time as I read between the lines of my actions and behavior.  To be loved!
All of the crisis in the world, all the misfortune, all the disaster, all the pain and hurt, they would all diminish, even if slowly,when you are loved. That is a big fat FACT!
So did that mean I had to love myself ? Yes and no!
I mean, trust me I tried with all my heart to see myself differently when I looked in the mirror. I praised myself when I succeeded in something. I told myself I could do it. I can finish this assignment or feel happy when I wanted to. And you can!
But there is one key ingredient. One incalculable, immeasurable, irreplaceable, incomparable, unparalleled, priceless ingredient!
Jesus. His love.
Some of you may go, yeah well I know Jesus, or yes I am saved but whatever or I tried him before and nothing happened.
You can't try Jesus one day and be done with. You have to go on a journey with him.
If you go on a diet, you can't exercise or have diet pills for one day or a week, you have to go on a journey of a new lifestyle of eating and exercising.
I have never heard of one true and honest person who has gone on a journey with Jesus and not felt better or made a 360 change about everything in his or her life.
When a challenge or circumstance is in your way and you've tried everything in "your" rule book and it's going nowhere; give Jesus a chance. Go on a journey with him. If you are on one, but feel like giving up, let me just encourage you don't give up. Finish what you started!

In the beginning of this post I spoke about a pendulum. At the fair, the controls of the pendulum are in the hands of another man. But in life you have authority and power over your pendulum, no doubt everyone has a pendulum in their lives. Question is, what would you do with the controls?