The same two things have been occupying my mind these past few days. Yes, you got it. It's the car search and PhD scholarship. I tried to find that balance between praying and discerning, and relaxing and taking chill breaks, without much success. God seemed to be out of town, and my mind was constantly divided with situation flashes of meeting up with car sellers and with the Uni Professors. It's like my brain was tearing apart and my prayers seemed to get no response.
Looking back now, I must say that I was the blind one. God is certainly with us though we do not see. He was in fact guiding me all along with my meeting with the Uni Professors, where all my questions were answered and I was reassured that I should give it a go. Ok, at least I'm 80% sure...
As for the car search, it's still surreal for the both of us that we've clinched a good deal with a Nissan just yesterday... We viewed a few cars towards the weekend and we both felt that He was going to bless us with a car soon. In the words of Angie: "I can smell it coming..." I was like fervently praying that we can get the Nissan for a good price, such that our finances would not be too strained. Trust me, it's not a good feeling to be in limbo... I felt like a school kid again, waiting for the teacher to hand me my report book... but I'm sure we have all gone through that...
I just want to shout out: "Thank you God for being with us every step of the way!" May our eyes be always fixed on Him as we tread through life here on earth.
It has been a crazy last few days. I was so swamped with decisions to make that it sort of took a part of my spirit away. I felt drained and tired, and slept a whole lot... I even started to question if God was with me, is He guiding me through these decisions that I made?You see, we have been searching for a car since last week when we arrived but the cars that we have viewed were either due for a major servicing or the price was alittle over-priced for our conservative budget. Plus the fact that I had to make a major decision to pursue the PhD despite being aware of the prospect that our finances will be heavily strained.These weighed heavily on my shoulders and then, like an eagle saving her young only at the very crucial moment before they hit the ground, God led me to Bo's blog and what I read jotted me out of my delusion. He spoke of the power of faith words and to use them to create our reality rather than to describe it. That despite the gloom that we see ahead of ourselves, we can decide what words to use to create that future that we want. Indeed, God sees the big picture and us a mere fraction of it. So today, I say that the experiences we garnered from our car search will help us choose the right car. Our financial situation will improve and our hope for a place of our own will come, because God will provide.Dear friends, thank you for your constant prayers. May you draw strength from our struggles and may we from your prayers.
We woke early this morn as we planned to hit the shops to purchase our TomTom (It's the name of a GPS). Yes we don't have a car yet but we figured since it was on discount, we should grab it now... how typical of Singaporeans yar? Anyway, I was checking my email and got a rude shock when I found out that Google Adsense rejected my application to have their adverts on my blog. This was the second rejection and they sited unsuitable content as the reason. Both Angie and myself felt that it could be due to the religious connotations in my blog title. I was quite visibly upset and even contemplated changing the title of my blog. Angie however was adamant that I should keep it.Ok, I should confess that one of the reasons I started my blog was so that I could include Google Adsense to receive residue income. I must highlight that it is only one of the reasons...Back to the main topic. In the midst of my sadness, it suddenly occurred to me that I could start another blog collating information on must-know household stuff. This is something that I toyed around in my head for awhile now. It seems that God has opened a window for me after closing a door. Just like that, the birth of my new blog, or rather our new blog came to being: www.household-know-hows.blogspot.com
I have been trying to evade for the longest time, that step to embark on a PhD. The immensity of it sometimes overwhelms me... ok it always. I think God has been screaming in my face through many many different people and situations but I have tried to ignore it, deluding myself that this is totally out of my league, I'm just a small town kid trying to make a decent living... I'm no Moses tasked to lead the Israelites out of the desert...
Anyway, I finally succumbed to these promptings and took my first baby step to contact the Prof. I figured that it can't be a coincidence that even a common friend whom I have not met is telling me to focus on my technical capabilities instead of going for some entry level position. I hope this is not some conspiracy that I am unaware of though I do believe that God has His way of telling us stuff, we just need to look out for the sign posts He puts up along the way.
I know it's not going to be easy and that there will be trials and moments of doubt, but I pray that I will always stay close to God and constantly look out for His sign posts.
I had a chat with a close family friend last night. He had received a phone call from a friend in Singapore who had invested in a property here and needed some help with tax issues. Seems very common, a friend asking for help. What he shared with me after nearly got me off my seat, not like springing up but rather falling off. Apparently, his friend has been constantly seeking his help with issues concerning his investment property. This got me thinking... If a friend of mine were to keep bugging me for help at every obstacle or hurdle, what would I do? Worse still, am I such a friend to someone?
As I look back on our new journey here in Australia, with all that is unfamiliar and foreign, I ask myself: "Have I been too reliant on others, mistaking them as blessings from God?"
This phrase from my childhood days come to mind: "God helps those who help themselves." Such simple words but it tells a world of a story. I would like to think that I have a healthy balance of being self sufficient and being blessed by God through the people he sends.
Today is my first foray into the world of blogging. It has taken me quite a while to get started, debating in my head what I should blog about and the such. Today as I sat at the Level 3 Eatery (Yes, that's the name of the eatery in Carilion City), reading the book," Fill your life with miracles" by Bo Sanchez, I was inspired by how Bo does the same routine everyday. The very simple thing of enjoying his moment with God in the morning, thanking God at night for his blessings, and seeking forgiveness for his sins. This allowed him to grow. The realisation hit me like a bowling pin being knocked down by the ball. (Pardon the analogy) Instantly, I told myself that I will begin what I have pushed back for too long. And like God sent, I figured that I should reflect on the one thing that God wants to teach me on that particular day. Thus, the title of my blog.
As I made my way home with Angie, I got a call from my Dad. It so happened that we were on our way down the escalator to wait for our train back. This resulted in very bad reception and half the time I was so irritated with trying to decipher what my Dad was saying and he likewise. What was meant to be a short conversation turned out to be eternity. Later, Angie pointed out to me that I could have called my Dad back when we were out of the underground station, with better reception. How did I not think of it then... Anyway, on the train i saw a lady reading an e-book, it was a slick little gadget about half the size of an A4 notepad. I bet she had a few books downloaded onto that device of hers. It certainly beats carry a thick, heavy book around... At that moment, I so wished that I could download the 2 bottles of 2.4L jucies I had in my bag into a small something to be drunk later. I could so feel the weight on my shoulders...
Today, it dawned upon me that God is teaching me to use technology to improve our lives, and not allow it to control us.
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