That God’s plan is so much greater than what I can scarcely imagine, based on the faint examples the world has to give.
That my aim is simply to know God better and His ideas and thoughts, to be completely myself and aligned with His plan, and that it is entirely unique. That the paths of others are no guideline whatsoever to my own.
To be unafraid to be what He has called me to be.
It’s completely perverse that we are sitting pretty in this cushy little bubble when there’s so much need at our doorstep.
Went to a former church friend’s wedding on Saturday and I was really glad to hear a refreshing message from the pastor on marriage – a reminder to look on it as a OUTWARD-looking partnership. He illustrated this by comparing 2 lakes in the US, Salt Lake in Utah and Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada. Salt Lake is a lake that has no outlet, and simply accumulates water and stagnates. As a result, it stinks. Lake Tahoe, on the other hand, is high up on the mountains with many outlet streams flowing out. It is crystal clear as as a result. Simple but vivid takeaway – look out, not in.
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Also read this passage in Haggai yesterday that kept me awake for a while, which hits so close to home in the marketplace:
3 Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 4“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”
5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD. 9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.”
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More recently as well, I am seeing that God really knows exactly what I need, and has been more than generous in providing, in His perfect timing 
“Walk closely with people you love, and with other people who believe that God is very good and life is a grand adventure. Don’t spend time with people who make you feel like less than you are. Don’t get stuck in the past, and don’t try to fast-forward yourself into a future you haven’t yet earned. Give today all the love and intensity and courage you can, and keep traveling honestly along life’s path.” (From Relevant Magazine, this article)
“…Be more faithful to yourself without hurting anybody else. Because some people are faithful to themselves but so faithful that they don’t really surrender to the needs of others that they end up really hurting (other people). To comprehend more about the needs of other people… most of the time we hurt the people that we love.” (Javier Bardem)
“Always have respect toward others, even strangers, and especially friends. Live having as much fun as possible, while harming as few people as possible. Consideration for people and consequences.” (Philip Wang)
Lord, make me an instrument of thy Peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow Love.
Where there is injury, thy Pardon, Lord.
Where there is doubt, let there be Faith.
Oh Lord, make me an instrument of thy Peace.
Where there is despair, let me bring Hope.
Where there is darkness, let there be Light.
Where there is sadness, let there be Joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek:
To be consoled, as to console,
To be understood, as to understand,
To be loved, as to love.
Lord, make me an instrument of thy Peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow Love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
And it’s in dying that we are born
To eternal life, to eternal life.
Lord, make me an instrument of thy Peace.
An instrument of thy Peace. Amen.
Dear friend,
It’s funny how God drops verses into my head most randomly, reminding me like the best of Friends, even when I haven’t been doing my part. When I have been a very bad friend, have been living my own way for much too long.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
I don’t want to let it go because it’s something so new and exciting. I forget that God’s plans for me are much, much bigger and more exciting that what I can scarcely imagine. God goes beyond our thinking.
We worship a big, big God. So many times we think we ask for too much, when in actual fact, we underestimate what God can do. We rely on our small, human hands. It’s laughable.
So won’t we leave it in His hands, and seek Him first?
He whispers in my ear, He is always there. Especially when things are most uncertain.
He is there most when He seems least to be.
EDIT (24/02/2011) – just had to add on these random quotes because there are PAGES of quotes about getting over people that I randomly stumbled upon, that do make me smile.
“I’ve finally realized the people that you love who don’t love you back are just another lesson in life … it’s like God is teaching us that there can be so much better than what we thought was the best.”
“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go. Things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they go right. You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart, so that better things can fall together.”
Another excellent article for bookmarking: I should start with No. 50 0_0.
Because I discover interesting things online when I’m distracted. I stumbled upon Quest Crew’s (I wrote about them here) Ryanimay’s blog, and here’s a snippet from a May 2009 post that he was writing about Quest’s journey that made me catch my breath.
10. The Prayer (2009)
Here is the moment where I prayed to God for the first time in a very long time . I asked Him to take away all of the joy I was feeling at that very moment because it rightfully belonged to Him . For a big part of my life, I had allowed good things to happen to me without ever glorifying them to God, or making Him a part of my happiness . Sometimes, when life is going so well, I tend to give myself the credit and forget about asking for help . But in this moment, I made sure to remember to share all of my joy with God.
I feel like a teenager posting song lyrics, but I stumbled upon these two songs again recently. Loved them then, love them now. It’s something about quarter-life crisis that makes me more reflective. It was sweet to see how these songs make more sense now when you’ve lived a little more, but we all need lots and lots of reminding.
I Hope You Dance, 2000
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they’re worth taking
Lovin’ might be a mistake
But it’s worth making
Don’t let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)
The Remedy, 2002
The remedy is the experience.
This is a dangerous liaison
I say the comedy is that it’s serious.
This is a strange enough new play on words
I say the tragedy is how you’re gonna spend
The rest of your nights with the light on
So shine the light on all of your friends
When it all amounts to nothing in the end.
I won’t worry my life away.
I won’t worry my life away.
When I fall in love I take my time
There’s no need to hurry when I’m making up my mind
You can turn off the sun but I’m still gonna shine and I’ll tell you why
Because
The remedy is the experience.
This is a dangerous liaison
I say the comedy is that it’s serious.
This is a strange enough new play on words
I say the tragedy is how you’re gonna spend
The rest of your nights with the light on
So shine the light on all of your friends
When it all amounts to nothing in the end.
I won’t worry my life away.
I won’t worry my life away.
I won’t and I won’t and I won’t.
“Here we have a picture of God’s ideal woman…Faith in God that sees beyond present bitter setbacks. Freedom from the securities and comforts of the world. Courage to venture into the unknown and the strange. Radical commitment in the relationships appointed by God…. This is the woman of Proverbs 31:25 who looks into the future with confidence in God and laughs at the coming troubles: “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” Ruth is one of “the holy women who hoped in God…[and did] not fear anything that is frightening” (1 Peter 3:5-6). It is a beautiful thing to watch a woman like this serve Christ with courage….Whatever else the great women of faith doubted, they never doubted that God governed every part of their lives and that nothing could stay his hand… Nothing–from toothpicks to tyrants–is ultimately self-determining. Everything serves (willingly or not) the “purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11). God is the all-encompassing, all-pervading, all-governing reality.” –John Piper, A Sweet and Bitter Providence, p. 35, 44
(via girltalk)
Such a good reminder. Off the top of my head, if asked to recall what God says about the ideal woman, I would recall things like a gentle and quiet spirit, having arms strong for her tasks, etc. When most important of all, is great faith and trust. And as a result, “not fear anything that is frightening.” From great faith springs great courage.
And the great paradox of freedom from securities and comforts, of which I still have much to release.
