Today
Let us rest
With hearts
Softened, still
On the seventh
As God
From all His works
By faith
Let us rest
I wrote this poem about Hebrews 4, the chapter that invites one to rest. Coming from a season of learning to rest, a sabbatical year, the word rest and I have history. I have struggled to accept it, rejected it, craved it, embraced it, and protected it.
We have had our moments.
What’s interesting about getting to the end of your rope is that it tends to shed light on your faith. Hardships can exhaust a person till they are at their end, wondering if they should hope in a brighter future, questioning if God is going to change these circumstances soon, feeling their faith take a beating till they can barely whisper a hallelujah. Lately, I have been noticing many Christians going through hardships, including my family. Our faith is being tested more than it ever has been. Yet, in all the injustice and betrayals, God continues to be faithful to us. So, asking God to encourage our tired hearts, we rise again today and say, “Lord, we believe but help our unbelief.”
Today, I’m going to share something God has been teaching me. If you don’t know, I went back to school last year, and I’m working towards my Master’s degree in teaching international languages. I know it sounds fancy but you see, I never wanted to go back to school. I’ve been (mostly) happy working from home as a web designer these past seven years. Who would have thought I would want to change careers? I never saw it coming, to suddenly have such a strong desire to go back to school and become an English teacher. Well, God is full of surprises. So, here I am, finding a way to roll through this season.
It’s all in the tone, the way you say it. It’s in the care, the way you do it. It’s the intention, the why behind what you are doing. We can do the actions, say the words, “walk the Christian walk” (so to speak) but how’s our attitude? Princesses, God is looking at your heart, not just your good behavior.
This year was tough. No, scratch that, it’s been the hardest year of my life. No exaggeration. I’ve been waiting for this day for so many months and it’s finally here! The last day of the year. 2018, hello and goodbye, and may we never met again.
Happy New Year.
I met with a girl today who had spent a year studying abroad. During her time away, she expressed to me how empty she felt during that time. It was hard to find a church family where she was located—especially in a primarily atheist nation (I am purposely omitting the name). As much as she…
With the start of a new school year, a million thoughts have been running through my head – most of them filled with some vanilla-flavored doubt and topped with a cherry of fear. I'm realizing that these thoughts or feelings are neither my friends nor reality, even though this anxiety feels so real…
It can be so hard to accept help. Especially, for strong, Christian women who know God is with them. We can do all things through Christ, we don't need you. Thank you. But friends, there's a lesson to be learned about the ways of pride. You see, pride is sneaky. It disguises itself as independence, a positive, good thing. Yet, is independence really God's way?
Regret can be a prison for the mind. “If Only” comes around and goes around and speaks to the places you hurt, where you feel weak, alone, scared and it tells you if only you had chosen differently, maybe things would be better. Maybe if you had made different choices God wouldn’t be so disappointed. Maybe you wouldn’t have hurt so many people. Maybe you would be successful by now. Maybe you would be married. Maybe you wouldn’t feel alone. If only… if only you could erase the past and do it all over again.
Last year was quite an unexpected adventure for me. First, God took me to Hong Kong and I ended up preaching (for the first time and spontaneously) at a church and I was asked to lead worship… with no preparation. Now, that was a walk of faith, for sure. Next, God sent me to Brazil…
God has been having me focus on the book of Hebrews lately. I like digging deeper and studying books of the Bible, letting my heart wrestle with different passages, pondering the words of God, and giving the Holy Spirit space to teach me His word.
As I study Hebrews this week, there is one particular passage I can’t seem to get over. It’s the last two verses of chapter three.
Earlier this year, back in March, I was having a serious case of I-don’t-want-to-write-anything. Call it “writer’s block”, but there was something deeper going on in my heart. I was tired of writing my feelings, my thoughts, and my struggles in my life. I was spending hours writing about my day, and for what? I…