give me a fairytale



Yep, it's that time of the year again.

I'm 24 peeps.

Sighh.. a year older and dare I say, a year wiser? Yes, most definitely. As some of you may know or probably would have heard or read that I went through a bad patch for little over a year. Anyway, I feel that I've grown in maturity because of my circumstances. But most importantly, I couldn't have done it without God. Truly, His strength sustained me the entire time. All glory to God for His faithfulness endures forever. Amen!

I also want to thank Him for all the wonderful and awesome people He has brought into my life throughout my journey here in Newc. Shall I name all of them? What the heck, here goes...

CacingAlenaJeanineYoongJoleneJooQuenceAlliMelJaysCalChristineEugeneCFangFangFionDerek
WesleyLarryCarinaValChrisGloryHuiMinHoungNaiLukeDipakWeeLeonAndrewCBenYKennyGan
DebbiePs.DesmondLindyLingAppleCatherineDayoLouJessicaMichaelJonJianCarterEmilyXiaoYan
AngelikiYeeKiatGeorgeIanJasonLeoLeeMatthewMKentKennethMickeyMingMichelleKCEugeneK
Ps.Tim&hisWifeBrandonWendyMeiYinSharonCKCarriePurdyRuthAuntyKamFoongBenLJoanne
JuliaSoniaSereneWin-NiZeeDarrenAuntyKellyAndrewYMingHuiPatNeongAliceGustineJames
AngelineKhengHoeJoshDanielJefferyRitaWilliamSumYeeMariosCeciliaMarkEeLingMatthewC

Gosh! Super a lot man. Isn't God wonderful? =D I actually went through my mobile phonebook and the people on my msn list so that I wouldn't leave anyone out. I apologise however if I did indeed do so.

XOXOX

Abba, Father

without You, i would not be
in knowing You, i know myself
what You made me, that i now am
not complete, but in the process of becoming
what your Word says, i will be; perfect and complete
outwardly i wither, inwardly i grow
thank you Father.

life is a temporary assignment

Am currently reading Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life with a housemate of mine. Day 6 struck a chord in me, thought I'd blog about it.

I was reminded once again that my life on earth is merely temporary. The author points out two important truths:
Firstly, compared with eternity, life is extremely brief. Secondly, earth is only a temporary residence and since you won't be here for long, please don't get too attached(rephrased). The last sentence just jumped out at me.

You see, I know these things, they are all stored in my head; that this place isn't my home and that I'm here as an ambassador of Christ.Moreover, at DUMC, Ps.D mentioned that earth is but a pit stop to heaven. It all seems fine and dandy on the outside but herein lies my problem, they're all head knowledge, which means that there is no conviction of the Holy Spirit.

I reckon however, things are about to change, which is supposed to be a good thing, right? Well, sorta.. Of course it is wonderful now that I sense the conviction of the Holy Spirit. However, for the past few days, the Spirit's been revealing more and more of my 'worldliness' to me, which I am truly thankful for. It's just that I find it difficult to balance the fact that I've sinned against God and man and am so unworthy to be loved by Him but He chooses to do so, still, you know.. And it doesn't help that I tend to dwell in my shameful state.

Ignorance, they say is bliss but I do not want to 'pretend' as if nothing has happened because ignorance isn't an option for me. Peter says,

So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives. Don't lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn't know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness.

- 1 Peter 1:13-15 (MSG)

And even if I wanted to ('play' ignorant), I can't because I sense the Spirit's prompting so strongly. I shared this with my cell members yesterday and they reminded me that Christ did not come into the world to condemn but to save. I love them by the way, my cell members. Feel so blessed that I'm able to be transparent with them and know that I will not be judged but be showered with love and encouragement instead. Chris calls this 'sin consciousness'. Well, he said the bible mentioned it la. Eeekk! Just goes to show how grounded I am in the Word of God.

Anyway, back to Day 6.
Further down, the author notes that,"... the pursuit of happiness is NOT what life is about."
So true. If it were so then no one in this world will ever be truly happy. Of course this pretty much depends on what one's view of life is. Personally, there are things of this world which I chase after but I've never actually been satisfied even after I've attained them. It's like, "I want more" kinda thing. And yet, I still long for these things (slap me pls, someone!). I reckon this is my first step to finally acknowledging that I will never be happy with worldly achievements because even though I'm happy, it just lasts for a short period of time; temporary satisfaction.

I believe that until one finds the real source of happiness, one will never be truly happy. Please don't misunderstand me. There is nothing wrong with wanting to achieve the best and be successful. By all means, go ahead. For me, I want that too so that my life may reflect the glory of God. I guess the point I'm making is, there is so much more to life than just that PhD hanging on the wall or the Z7 sitting in the car porch.

Okay, I've to go get ready for church now. I *hope* to continue with this post some other time (wishful thinking). Hey.. I don't know whether I've mentioned it on my blog before, but I take like 98753 hours just to complete ONE post. Yes, I'm THAT efficient in constructing my sentences. Oh well..

Anyhoo, I'll leave you with one last thing from the author. 'Tis pretty encouraging =)

"When life gets tough, when you're overwhelmed with doubt, or when you wonder if living for Christ is worth the effort, remember that you're not home yet. At death you won't leave home - you'll go home."

Coz really la, sometimes I seriously wonder whether living for Christ is worth it. Of course I know it is, up in my head! But there are times when I feel like letting everything go and just give up. Then I tell myself, "Focus Cheryl! Eyes on the prize, eyes on the prize..."

"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Paul writes in Romans 8: 17-18 (NIV) and 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18 (NIV) respectively.