Emmanuel - God is with us

I am sure we have heard this phrase many times. Emmanuel (God is with us). It seems such simple logic, that God is with us all the time, before we existed till the present moment, and beyond our earthly existence. Yet at times, it is impossible to comprehend that He is indeed with us.

We all go through the valley of darkness, periods of hurts, pain and sufferings, unanswered prayers. I find it very difficult to acknowledge that God is with me during these dark times. I realised that I have focused all my thoughts on the fact that I am in the pits, such that I have left nothing within my being to faith, to hope. On hindsight, I am certain that God is there with me during those times, embracing me and getting me through. I still find it hard to believe that God is with me in my moments of suffering but faith is a gift that is incomprehendable. I know that I would never have gotten through on my own strength.

Today, I hear the story about a young boy suffering from cancer. He has been told that he has only months to live. Although fully aware of this, he is still perserving and living life to the full, an advocate for cancer research for children. His bravery inspires me, but I know that the strength that is carrying him comes from God the Almighty. The human spirit overcoming all adversity really is God's presence empowering us. We draw strength from Him and only through Him are we able to rise from our sufferings.

It is with renewed faith and hope that I step into this new year, firmly believing in the change that will come in my life. Having said that, I pray that in those dark moments that life throws my way, I may draw on His strength to rise and be renewed in His love. I pray the same for you.

Choose your response

It has been a super busy week, what with so much to do. It certainly did not help that more things needed my attention and time was a luxury I did not have.

As if being busy with my stuff was not enough, I had to take on someone else's responsibility. It may be a simple thing like replacing a missing light bulb but trust me, when you are rushing to get things done, that can be a mammoth task. I think the worse part of it is the attitude of people, who are indifferent and irresponsible.

This whole incident has taught me, or rather reinforce the lesson I have learned on numerous occasions, that you must choose your response and not let your emotions do that for you. To borrow a common saying,"Make lemonade when life throws lemons at you". If I had allowed my emotions to get the better of me, I might have done something really horrible. Instead, I had myself a lemonade.

Oh, btw, in case you are wondering, I replaced the light bulb.

I know that life will be tough at times but when it hits you, there is no denying that it can get very demoralising and upsetting. I pray that in times like these, I may be sustained by the grace of God. As much as I would like some form of pain to occur to those irresponsible people, I pray that God will touch their lives and bless them.

May you be my source of strength always and may your glory shine through me.

Who am I

Oh man... it has been almost a year since my last post and so much has changed since. I feel that I am kind of at the cross roads, not knowing which direction to take.

Indeed, many events have taken place that brought about much joy and saddness. As I look back at the year, I find myself drifting away from who I am and what my purpose in life is. I try to cling on to the promises of God, that He gives only the best to us. Some days I succeed, other days I fall flat on my face.

Who am I? A song by the Casting Crowns, one of my personal favourites plays back in my mind and the lyrics fill my ears with the amazing truth that God cares for me. He cares for each and every one of us and He knows us for who we are....

To anyone out there who feel that they are down and abandoned, God is there, where you are. My hope is that He will bring you out and take you to His dwelling place.

As Christmas nears, I pray for God's blessing on every human person, that all His children will continue to give him glory always, even in the most trying of times.

I continue to search for the direction that I should take, knowing that God has my back...

Take my Hand and walk

How time flies, Christmas is just round the corner and all around us the festivities reminds us of that.


As I take some time to ponder on the year that has passed, I realised that I have been living each day just trying to survive. I am astounded knowing that I have pretty much been a couch potato living each day as it comes. A little voice within me is crying out for me to get a life.


I recall the song "Take my hand and walk, where I lead, keep your eyes on me alone..." that was playing on our sound system just a few weeks back. Then, it seemed to be telling me something... Now it becomes clear that I should get off the couch and start living my life. More importantly, I should always be aware of God's presence in my everyday living, for He will lead me to where is best for me.


This time of preparation for the Lord's coming is also a time for me to start walking towards life, towards God who has prepared the way for us, which started when He came into the world more than 2 centuries ago.


May this Christmas time bring you peace and prepare you for the year ahead and what's in store for you.


God bless and keep you.

You are the Salt of the Earth, You are the Light of the World

A busy period constantly playing up and I find myself consumed by things that shout for my attention.


Tonight, fresh from my micro nap in front of the television, I finally decide to pen down my reflection on the recent World Youth Day in Madrid. Memories flood my mind as I recall my own World Youth Day experience, with the call to be the salt of the earth and light of the world. This message still remains in my thoughts as I relive that encounter through the snap shots of the youth in Madrid being flashed on the screen in church on that particular Sunday when the concluding Mass was to be held.


I still struggle with living out this message, especially in situations where it most entails. Life has been like a bullet train, every day at work just whizzing by, rushing from task to task, and work just not letting up. Time is a luxury that seems to exclude me. In the midst of work, I seem to forget the reason for my existence, to be the hands and feet of Christ in this world. I may stubble at times but I thank God for the realisation that opportunities abound for me to show the face of Christ. In this world that is constantly pressuring us to conform, I pray for the wisdom to know what is right and the courage to act on it. May God be with us as we journey through life and may we allow Him to work in us, to truely reflect His Glory in our words and actions.


May our experiences at World Youth Day, be it the physical experience or the communal experience live in our hearts and be a source of inspiration to reveal God's greatness in our lives. I know that He has a superb plan for each and everyone of us. Let's create this plan of His in our lives.

What causes do we support?

It has been a long while since I made an entry here. It has been a busy time at work and at home that it's rare to find time to pen down my thoughts and reflections. Tonight is one of those rare moments...

We celebrated Pentecost Sunday 2 week's back and Father's sermon is still fresh in my mind. I'm not sure if you are aware of the recent objections in Australia to the export of cattle to Indonesia. I hear it on the news every now and then. Apparently, it was the cruel way that cattle were slaughtered in Indonesia that brought about this. It was a big thing since it made its way to Parliament and was the talking point for a long time. 

Father brought up the irony of how people can be so against this but can be easy with abortions that are common sight everywhere. It brings us to question the causes that we support.  Are we seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in this matter? I think what causes we support form a huge part of us and we need to allow the Holy Spirit to form us into the person God has made us to be. As I ponder about the causes that I support, the person that I am and have become, I realise that I need more of the Holy Spirit more and more every day. I have come to understand that the more we allow the Spirit to work within us, the better we get at discerning what is the right thing to do, to channel our efforts and time towards.

Keep me always in your sight Lord, and may your Spirit be ever present in my life and in my being. May we all make the right decision to follow the promptings of the Spirit in all that we do.

Put Love first in all things

It has taken me quite awhile to share this, and somehow this Sunday morning I managed to find a good 10 minutes to put pen to paper, or rather keyboard to computer. This phrase:"Put Love first in all things" was shared with me by one of the priests during reconcilliation the night prior to Maundy Thursday. It places alot of things in perspective for me. In the readings that night, St john says to put God first in everything that we do. This is something that I have been guilty of not doing. I have allowed the busyness of everyday to rule my life and have been a slave to life.


Father shared that God is Love, and so to put God first in all things is really asking us to put Love first. It will be a challenge for me since I have trouble placing God as the master of my life, though I sincerely and wholeheartedly have that desire to, but I find myself being drawn into the worries and concerns of this world ever too often, and losing that focus on God, on Love.


Since that healing and enlightening session that night, I have set out to put Love first in all things. It has been a trying journey though, since I have no control over the actions and words of others. Also, as I look back at these times, I realised that I may not have responded in the most loving manner. It is in these moments that I feel I need to focus more on "Put Love first in all things". This has been my personal motto during this Easter time and I pray that as the matters of this world overwhelms me, calling for my attention, I will still be able to include Love in my dealings with people and in situations, no matter how impossible it may seem.


May God be our strength and may His grace sustains us always, that we may put Him first in all things, with the assurance that He will make all things right in His Time.