Encouraged!

Encouraged! This is written last Fri... didn't have time to post it... =)

It's amazing to see how peole grow and mature in Christ! Over the last few weeks, I had the opportunity to catch up with some friends and learn of how they're doing in their christian walk. No doubt everyone faces struggles in their lives, but I'm amazed at how God shapes us and moulds us.

I have 2 friends who are getting married soon. And they are bit worried abt the finances coming ahead, but I see how he tries his very best to trust God in all situations and really trust God to provide for him and thank God, He has been providing! The 2 of them are both juggling with part time studies as well and only get to see each other twice a week. Yet, they are just as committed to serving God in their small group and spending time preparing for studies and taking care of their group… I truly see God as priority in their lives, and I thank God for them in investing their time for gospel work.

Another friend has grown leaps and bounds after being overseas for a year. I can see the fire and passion in his eyes when he talks about ministry and the gospel. I can see that the gospel has hit him real hard and he really wants to live his life for God. His love for others and concern for pp around him is just so heartwarming. He has always been a real loving person, but now, his motivations seemed to have changed… the source of it all now is really for God and for the gospel.

I heard about another friend who has also opened up his heart more and really started to share his life with others. He has opened up his house for fellowship more and volunteers to do mundane administrative things for the small group. That's really amazing to me as this friend of ours used to be a lot more private and does things very much out of duty.

My super good gal friend has also shown incredible growth in the understanding of God's word in her life. She is so willing to open up her heart and share with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. She has come to understand that Christian life is not meant to be solitary and has taken much efforts to build relationships with the small group. She has definitely grown in her other people centredness and tries to serve God in her own ways.

My super good gal friend No. 2 posed me a question a few years back, commenting that Christians can seem to be boring because God wants everyone to be the same- loving, godly, kind… aren't they all the same? It's like factory production… maybe different cookie mould shapes are used, but the ingredients are the same! This question has been on my mind for a while, I didn't have an answer for her back then, I don't think I have a concrete answer now either… but I do think that God is such a creative God, cos He has given us such different personalities and struggles in our lives. One may struggle to be less selfish, another may struggle to be less bitter & cynical etc. I will like to think of the analogy this way… we are all struggling to be famous amous cookies (cos I think they're by far the best in the world!) Haha… I mean ALL famous amous cookies are made with SUPERIOR quality right? The same type of flour, same type of sugar. But, they're different in their own little ways, cos they come in different flavors- double chocolate chip, Macadamia nut, pecan nut crunch! So all of us come with our own little chocolate chip and nuts (our quirks and what nots), but fundamentally, we're striving to have the same quality of flour and sugar in us to be the best cookies! Ok, my analogy is getting out of hand… but U know what I mean? Hahaha…

When I witness all these changes around me, I can only attribute them to God and the Spirit's work in our lives. Sometimes I wonder if people will see changes in me, because I don't seem to see changes in myself at times… =( In the past, when I project my own life into the future, I wanted to see myself as a happy grandmother! Haha… that hasn't changed much actually. But now, not only do I just want to be happy cos that can be quite meaningless if the source of happiness is of and from ourselves, I want to be a faithful, god-fearing, prayerful grandmother. You know those old grannies who spend SO much time praying for everyone? Whenever you see them, they always go, "I prayed for you last night about this, about that…" Man, these grannies sometimes bring tears to my eyes! I've met a couple of them in the states. Yes, my ambition is to become one of those grannies! =) Haha… so unambitious in the worldly sense huh? I hope and pray that God will give me lots of love... so that I am able to love Him back.

All righty, have a good week ahead! Will leave you with some of my wedding photos...