scribbling in His universe: July 2010

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Day 28: Sandman is here...

Quite a few times I have seen pictures of places where someone has written on a wall, "Joe was here". This reflects the human need to tell the world not only "Been there, done that", but also attempting to leave visible marks that they were actually there.

Early in my life, I had that dream too, to make a big mark on earth, to make a contribution that is so big.
In my growing years, that dream was replaced by skepticism, No way can I leave that big mark, what can one man do?, and paving the way for an inner struggle.

When I met Christ, my hopes were renewed because the Scripture promises that "I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me. (Phil 4:13)".

Yet much of what we can do spiritually converges on a practical need in this world. Like Jesus who was sent to a world in need of a Savior, we Christians are here on earth to be his arms and feet.

Let me give provide some examples. Here is one from a guy I actually know: seeing a need in a small village and worked on meeting that need. Another one is a is group called Operation Blessing.

I leave my own mark in countless ways. I may not be a preacher nor someone who can provide scriptures to any need, yet I know that there are things that only I can do and in doing them, I leave my mark.

Most of my marks will be forgotten when I'm gone. Only those marks I create with God will remain...

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Day 27: Safe...

I remember when I was young. I rode a bike without any protective gear, drank water from the faucet, and wrestled my dogs to my heart's content.

Now, kids wore protective gear that make them look like gladiators. People would drink water sold in plastic bottles and would never allow children to touch furry animals. All in the name of safety!

I was in another city for the past few days and had the opportunity to listen to quite a few interesting people: CNN hero of the year, a lady pastor from Nigeria, a communist leader-turned-pastor, a world-famous songwriter-singer-worship pastor, etc. And there were two more who, for security reasons, asked not to be named.

Listening to these people made me think about how 'safe' my life is. I only drink filtered or distilled water, wear my seatbelt always, install protective gear around the house to protect the little ones against bruises and bumps, etc. Day in and day out, I press buttons on a keyboard and roll the mouse wheel… Day in and day out, I struggle against leading prayer even if it's only me and my wife listening…

I often dreamed of wanting to do something great for God. But most of the time, what is big is small and what is small can be big, in God's eyes.

So how do I start living big for God? Maybe all it takes is just a walk across the room...

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Day 26: Crash!!!

When I was a boy, I enjoyed playing with Lego, letting two of my creations smash against each other with pieces flying in multiple directions. Then I pick up the pieces and put back the creations together again and do the smashing all over again.

I wish life was that way. Being able to mess up things, letting the pieces fly knowing that at the end, I can put it back the way it was before.

But life isn't. People mess things up for everyone else. But most of the time, I do the messing up myself without any help from anyone!

I've been in those times when I felt that I've messed beyond my capacity of fixing and had let God do the fixing for me. Looking back, I wouldn't have messed up in the first place if I followed what God said.

Many things in this world cannot be fixed by man. I feel blessed knowing that God does not treat the world the way I treated my Legos….

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Day 25: Bridges to eternity

Everyday, we build 'bridges'.

We build 'bridges' to allow us to go from where we are to where we want to go. This could be earning a living, exercising, etc.

Everyday, we build bridges for others too. We help others get to where they want to go. This could be acts of service(a.k.a. chores!), work-related tasks, or even just connecting people with other people.

This year, I've decided to keep myself and my wife healthier by taking control of what we eat during breakfast. The morning starts with me peeling vegetables and juicing them. Then I clean the juicer before I start cooking Rolled oats that make up the rest of the meal. The next morning the same activities all over again. The result: no major illnesses.

After breakfast, I play with a nephew. I build a tower using blocks and he topples it down. Then I build again, he topples it. This goes on until we find another thing to do over and over again.

Isn't that a lot like the life most people are living? We do the motions of living and do it all over again the next day. Our 'bridges' last for no longer a day! :(

Yet there are bridges that we can build that lasts until eternity. These are those bridges that lead others to God.

Bridges to eternity… the rest are bridges to nowhere...

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Day 24: Sowing

Life is like sowing seeds. We reap what we sow.

Many times we are impressed with people who have already 'made it'. They have the big things in life.

But again God looks at the heart. It is what's inside that really matters. What's inside will eventually determine what we sow.

Honestly, I do desire good things life has to offer. The challenge now is not to use them as crutches or treating them as the meaning for my existence.

Instead, these are to be treated as blessings with me as a steward.

Sometimes I ponder, what if my seeds are small? What if these seeds can bring fruit that will make a big impact? I am reminded that I can plant and water the seeds but only God can make it grow.

The key is to plant seeds, no matter how small.

Nothing grows if I plant rocks….

Monday, July 12, 2010

Day 23: Sandcastles...

When I was a kid, I enjoyed building sand forts with my cousins. We would build a fort each and then start battles using 'cannon balls' made of sand.

Eventually, one 'king' would be declared winner and his fort will be left alone while the loser's, or what's left of it will be 'pillaged' and 'burned to the ground'.

At the end of the day, the tide comes in and washes away the forts. No traces are left...

In real life, we do the same too. We strive and accumulate everything that we can, most of the time forgetting what really matters until it is too late.

I was in the same place once but a visit to the Howff reminded me of what really mattered to me.

All the the possessions that I hold valuable could be just trash to everyone else. All the awards, pieces of cold metal. Such is life, value is relative to the one who sees it.

Yet everything done for Christ will endure forever...

Friday, July 09, 2010

Day 22: Perspective

A lot of times we focus too much on our circumstances and forget that God is much bigger. And all it needs is a change in perspective: looking through God's eyes, not ours.

The author puts it beautifully when he wrote:"To shift to the positive and discover God's perspective, you must look through the yes of faith. When you do, suddenly your attitude change provides room for God to work a miracle in your life. God loves to take the little bit we have and multiply it, because then He alone gets the credit. God loves to take the ordinary and do the extraordinary, because is doing so He reveals more of who He is."

Sigh…

'nuff said.

Thursday, July 08, 2010

Day 21: The whole picture...

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to look back at life and say we lived it the way we wanted?

We did what we wanted to do… we said what we wanted to say… Instead of doing things for the sake of existing or holding back words just to be safe?

What if who I am at work is the same guy at church? The same guy at home?

What if I can actually spend more time with the things that make my heart come alive? What if I can say what I mean and mean what I say… ALL the time?

If I look at my whole life as a painting, there would be areas that are in vibrant colors, areas in my life where I would be glad to share to the world. And then there are these areas that I would really like to cover up with fresh, vibrant paint, areas that could use second, third, nth coatings.

I take heart knowing that as a Christian, Jesus already repainted those areas! I only need to see those areas as they are in God's eyes and not see them as they were in the past.

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Day 20: On Solid Ground

Life will have its share of troubles and no one is exempt.

The earthquakes of life will reveal how strong our foundations are. Its storms reveal our character.

God never causes bad things to happen, instead, He allows these to happen in order to bring about greater good.

It is always important to have a strong foundation rooted in God to be able to survive life's tremors. And we do have a God who will be our shelter during the storms.

We walk on solid ground when we walk with God...

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Day 19: Stillness...

Transformers... more than meets the eye!

When I was a kid, I was so fascinated with the Transformers. How in the world can a car transform into a robot?

And then there were the superheroes. All wimps but put in a costume, they become very courageous and end up saving the day.

Secretly, I hoped to be like them... to be able to transform and help make the world a better place.

But then, something happened... I grew up! Along the way, I learned to conform to the world and became a regular guy. Going from one task to another, filling my days with activity so as not to be idle. I kept on chasing the next big thing, if only to try to satisfy the spiritual emptiness I felt.

Eventually, I stopped chasing. The stillness was deafening, the slow pace was maddening. The stillness marked the beginning of a series of wilderness experiences and looking back, I know that the stillness has allowed my heart to be at rest. The experiences taught me to let go and let God.

I am reminded of a caterpillar. When it is ready, it spins itself a cocoon and in the stillness that follows, it undergoes metamorphosis and turn into a butterfly.

I believe that God planted seeds of greatness in our hearts. The world has taught us to kill the seeds, the very seeds that carry the reasons for our existence.

It is only in confronting the stillness that the seeds can grow. Only in the stillness that we can be taught to become who we are meant to be as God intended. At the right time, like caterpillars, we spin our cocoons and wait on God in the stillness.

How do we know that it's the time? When we want to fly so much that we are willing to let go being a caterpillar!

Monday, July 05, 2010

Day 18: Storm-proof

Nearly twenty years ago, my mother and I travelled on a ship and we passed through an area that faces the Pacific Ocean. This area is notorious for deep trenches and huge waves. Many times, the waves would be as high as the ship and screams from the other passengers can be heard as the ship navigates the sea. The passengers could only pray and have faith that the captain could bring the ship safely through this area.

Life has its storms too. We either struggle against them or learn to navigate through them. Struggle and we may end up more hurt than when the storm began. Learn to navigate and we may emerge stronger and wiser.

When I'm faced with storms, a lot of things become insignificant and I am forced to evaluate my priorities. The top priorities include relationships and health. Other stuff can wait till the storm is over.

The most important thing would be to find an anchor that is strong enough. This anchor is God. The author beautifully writes, "When hurricane winds blow in your life, remember the He know where you are. Maybe it feels like He's nowhere near and you're all alone. Even when you don't feel His presence, God is still with you. He's behind the storm, in the midst of the storm, and beyond the storm, always there waiting for you, ever present."

Becoming a Christian does not mean that there will be no storms. But it makes us... Storm-proof.

Day 17: GPS

Among man's greatest inventions would be the GPS. It used to be available only to the military but now it is available even for civilian use. With a GPS installed in a car, a foreigner may be able to safely navigate within unfamiliar territories. Although very handy, misusing a GPS can also get anyone lost.

I have a spiritual GPS. It allows me to navigate towards God's purpose for my life.

Giftings: God has gifted me with talents and skills that, when used properly, will serve a greater purpose that glorifies God.

Passion: If the giftings are my vehicles, passion is the fuel that allows for the full use of these gifts.

Struggles: My struggles allow me to learn to depend on God. It is in my weakness that His strength is made perfect. It is His strength that enables me to fulfill my purpose.

To paraphrase Frederick Buechner defines calling as "the place where our greatest passion meets the world's greatest need."

And where is that place? I really don't know yet but my GPS will bring me there.

Day 16: Identity theft

Identity theft is a major concern and people have taken steps to protect themselves from becoming victims. Yet many do not know that there is another form of identity theft that is not obvious: Spiritual Identity Theft.

I remember watching The Lion King many years ago. In the story, the main character, Simba, is the heir to the throne of his father, Mufasa. Simba's uncle, Scar, wants the throne for himself and plotted to kill Mufasa and get rid of Simba. Scar deceived Simba to believe that he caused his own father's death. This resulted to Simba running away and Scar becoming the king.

I remember, as a child, I had nurtured a big dream. It was so big and I believed that I can only realize it if God will help me. A few years later, I gave up on that dream because I have been told lies about myself, about my identity.

In the six years that I have been coaching people, the identity lies can be categorized into three:

'I am bad.'
'I am too (fat, thin, etc.) or I am not (smart, beautiful, etc.)
'I am unloved.'

It was only when I discovered the Truth about who I am, that I began to find myself working towards my God-dream again.

I am very careful now of my identity because the Bible warns, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;"(John 10:10).

By holding on to the Truth, I will finish this race.

Friday, July 02, 2010

Day 15: Busy Tone...

Since the invention of the telephone, man has slowly gotten used to the idea that we don't need to talk face-to-face.

I have nothing against technology but most of the time, technology has taken away the opportunity of being able to engage with people, especially the ones we meet everyday.

It is normal nowadays to use instant messaging to talk with the person sitting at the cube next to you. Or maybe send an email, leave a voicemail, send a text message, etc. And then we have social networking…

I have made some changes in my life. No emails, voicemails or text messages from the people working on the same floor as I do. Except if I'm sending in a report, a presentation or anything else that can't be talked about. For everything else, I get up, walk and talk to the person face-to-face. It's bringing in better results.

Now I'm wondering, can I tune out the noise around me and allow God to speak to me? Or do I continue to give Him a busy tone?

Thursday, July 01, 2010

Day 14: Gratitude

With the volume of bad news that we are bombarded each day, it is so easy to forget that we are blessed.

People who are truly grateful take time 'to smell the roses' and be in the moment. I feel blessed that five times a week, I can drink my (instant) coffee in front of a magnificent view.

So when you find yourself awake at night, count your blessings instead of sheep. And if you still can't sleep, why not talk to the Shepherd?