Celebrate Him :)

The gift of Christ is so unique and when you unpack this gift.....it is full of surprises! Its the kind of gift that opens into another gift, that gift into another and this keeps going on. The best kind of gift! The first gift is opened to all....its whether you want to receive that Gift. It is life-changing when we accept Him as our Lord and Saviour. Today we celebrate the gift of Christ together. From every part of the world, people look to the Father to thank Him for His Son, Jesus Christ. Gosh, how much I love this God who loved me before I did that He sent His Only Son for such a messy and painful affair. I pray that this Christmas, in whatever situation you are in, that you celebrate His life. Enjoy your family, friends, food and presents but ensure Jesus is in the center. It makes the best kind of celebration :). 

Love, 

Me :) 

P.S Blessed Christmas.   

Spring-Cleaning!

Spring cleaning! In Malaysia we do not experience spring therefore I never quite got why we call it spring cleaning in my sunny/rainy-all year round-country. In actual fact the term spring cleaning was coined to describe ‘the practice of thoroughly cleaning a house in the springtime’….. it ‘refers to the yearly act of cleaning a house from top to bottom which would take place in the first warm days of the year typically in spring, hence the name’ (thank you Wikipedia for the help). Anyways, I find it quite interesting how this tradition of doing a major clean-up before a new year or a warmer time has been a common practice in different cultures. There is the Jewish Passover (celebrated to remember the journey of the Jews out of the land of Eygpt into the Promise Land), Iranian New Year (Norouz), Chinese New Year, etc. I believe the major clean-up is symbolic to put the old year behind and start the year fresh!

In my family, the major clean-up is before Christmas and the New Year. We change the curtains, dust, fix, throw-out, wash, sometimes buy new furniture and (in my case) get rid of old clothes to make room for new ones (yay!)– it all happens at the same time, early to mid December. Of course you do cleaning in the middle of the year but its nothing like this ‘heavy duty cleaning’ in December. It’s the time you discover the whereabouts of the dress you accused your sister of losing, the unworn-shirt that you just couldn’t leave the shop without purchasing/ just knew you HAD to get it there and then!, the gift from someone you cared about and is not in your life anymore, the journal that you wrote when you were ‘Oh so young’ and now you think ‘I was oh so naïve’ to ‘if I only knew then, what I know now things would have been far less painful’, etc. Somehow when you find these things – life becomes a little clearer and in my case, I become so much more thankful. Other than finally going through all my junk, throwing tons of stuff and having a much cleaner room, I thank God that to some measure I’ve become wiser. I was able to let go of many things in my past that cluttered my space, thoughts, heart, and took a little of my strength. Being able to leave the year that I grew so familiar with….from the smells, sights, sounds and the ‘organized’ mess (that only I could find my way around) to fresh, new, optimistic new beginnings of a new year is a great feeling. This was a good year but when we get too comfortable we do not make room for God to do a brand new work in us - to enable us to do great exploits. The challenges of a new year can excite or cause fear. Starting on the right note helps.

Looking heavenward is a good way to start the year even if the year doesn’t turn out the way we want it to. We know that He is in the year and He will carry us through if we allow Him too. What does God have in store for 2014? I’m excited with what He wants to do with me next year. I’m trusting God to work the impossible with you and me.

Enjoy Christmas and the gift of giving. Celebrate Christ.

Shalini

Character vs. Comfort

If you had to choose, would you pick character over comfort or vice versa? If you were asked to go to a poverty stricken community to help for an unspecified amount of time and were told that you would not have an easy time but you will come out of the experience totally changed (in an amazingly good way of course *smiles*). No educational institution or book would give you such a life-changing education. Would you go or would comfort hold you back? Honestly, I would pick character but its easy to answer when I have comfort. God has blessed me abundantly and I am not in want. Its definitely a gift from God. What if those comforts were taken away? Would my answer be the same. I’ve been serving in church since I was 11 years old (minus 1 or 2 years in between). But I’ve never served in hard conditions. The thought of doing missions work is something that I know will not be easy for me. However I do know I will be deeply involved in it one day. I pray to God that when the time comes - a deep, passionate desire to go wherever He sends me will burn within me.

There are decisions we make everyday in which we unconsciously choose either comfort or character. I’m sure there is a blend of both in some decisions. However there are decisions that clearly show what we treasure - whether or not we should go the extra mile for someone else, make a stand or not, take up a task or not add more to our plate, pushing through the tough time or giving up, etc. There are times we want the easy way out but perhaps those tasks are there to develop our character (if you are the sort that does not know how to say no, this is not for you. Learn how to say no sometimes). We are the only ones in our way to becoming more like Christ. Romans 13:14 says ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts’. We give the devil too much credit when our God has given us the tools to overcome through His Word. Whether its our mind, will or emotion that is in the way, the Lord has given us a guide to overcome. Sometimes it’s ignorance, lack of prayer or lack of trust that are in our way. I guess that is when we choose foolishness over wisdom. We should step out of our comfort zone. I’ve learnt that my obedience to the will of God is the wisest way to live life. However sometimes I’m stubborn but ‘when I fall on my face, I fall on His grace. I’ve got no excuse, I run to Him’ (from the song Run to you by Unspoken). When you choose His will which is to put on Christ everyday and be in line with His purposes for your life, you choose character. Trust in Him, you will breeze through it and find joy in the hard times.