I love Marvellous Crème… it is this new ice cream shop situated at city link right opposite 7/11, near the connection to Suntec city… It is fantastic… You get to select from an array of about 20 different combinations of ice cream and ingredients…
My favourite is the Belgium chocolate… It is one delicious scoop of Belgium chocolate ice cream… mixed with finely chopped almonds and chopped up bananas… the concoction is mixed on a cold pan right in front of you and served up with whipped cream and an abundance of chocolate (real melted chocolate from a pan)… you can choose to have it served in a paper of waffle cup… either way.. Equally fantastic.. Not too sweet… the mouth feel is perfect… especially with the chopped almonds… to make it even more dreamy… you can add other ingredients like macaroons and fresh strawberries.. With a surcharge of a dollar…
The entire thing is only about 6 dollars, which is around the cost of a Haagen Dazz ice cream… BUT it is so much more delicate and intriguing… Please… do try it if you are popping by City hall… My best desert discovery after fried Mars bars…
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tackling the bible
Everyone should have a bible.. Much like how the charmed sisters have that magic book of spells… the bible is truly… the living breathing word of God… that we all need in our lives… Problem is… the bible might seem daunting to most of us… So for starters… here are some tips to overcoming this living breathing word of God.
1) Select (for easy reading) New International Version… King James or Old King James may seem elegant but is too difficult to read
2) Start with the New Testament… Mark, Matthew, Luke and John
3) Move on to Romans
4) Read the letters of Paul (Galatians etc.)
5) For inspirational proverbs… read Proverbs (HAHA)
6) For life giving poetry read Psalms (My favourite is Psalms 91)
7) For ladies read the story on Ruth
8) For people bent on ignoring God’s voice read Jonah
9) After all that, read genesis (Story of Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Joseph, Moses, David)
One church member conducted this experiment… He was doing poorly in university… he heard about the power of meditating on God’s word… so, he spent 5 minutes a day (everyday) reading God’s word and meditating on it on the way to and from school… and just like that, not changing his method of study… his grades improved greatly for that semester… To prove the results of his experiment, he tried to not meditate on God’s word for a semester… and his results plummeted back to its original form…
After hearing this story (from pastor Prince)... I decided to try it out... and surely as God has promised.. my results became significantly better... though it was obvious that I didn't put in any more effort than before... It seems that by supernatural grace... I am able to understand and store information so much efficiently than before... and with just the same amount of time spent studying... I could achieve so much more... Go figure... So, it's true... With God... Things are unfair... Unfairly good to the believer...
Moral of the story: Seek first the kingdom of God and all else will be added unto you… It can be as simple as meditating on one short proverb a day… Try it =)
Sai Gang warrior
A research has shown that money can buy happiness… When it is spent on others…
A generous man will be refreshed… One who refreshes others will be himself, refreshed…
That’s why I enjoy doing things for people… Contributing to others… All in the name of altruism? Maybe… but more because I feel so refreshed… so important and so loved when people say thank you!
However, there’s a trap… its called the sai gang warrior trap… THAT is pure altruism… no one will appreciate you when you do things for a large group of people.. just like diffused responsibility… people feel that your love is diffused… If you intend to do good for a large group of people.. do it with the intention of being unappreciated, backstabbed and abused... then you won't be so dissapointed.. =)
For personal refreshment, focus on personal good deeds….like small gifts, cards and words of encouragement… people appreciate such things more.. =)
So if you are feeling drained today… Go out and shop for gifts for your friends and family… Trust me… You’ll feel so much better in no time… and better still… You will make the people around you… so much happier too..
PS. Would appreciate it if you included me in your gift list =)
A generous man will be refreshed… One who refreshes others will be himself, refreshed…
That’s why I enjoy doing things for people… Contributing to others… All in the name of altruism? Maybe… but more because I feel so refreshed… so important and so loved when people say thank you!
However, there’s a trap… its called the sai gang warrior trap… THAT is pure altruism… no one will appreciate you when you do things for a large group of people.. just like diffused responsibility… people feel that your love is diffused… If you intend to do good for a large group of people.. do it with the intention of being unappreciated, backstabbed and abused... then you won't be so dissapointed.. =)
For personal refreshment, focus on personal good deeds….like small gifts, cards and words of encouragement… people appreciate such things more.. =)
So if you are feeling drained today… Go out and shop for gifts for your friends and family… Trust me… You’ll feel so much better in no time… and better still… You will make the people around you… so much happier too..
PS. Would appreciate it if you included me in your gift list =)
A spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down
I love typing blog entries in the school’s computer lab… In the cover of a word document… I makes me feel intelligent… Like I am getting away with some kind of forbidden crime… HAHA
Today’s topic… A spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down…
Mary Poppins… My favourite childhood flick… Watched it so many times… Been haunted by this ear worm of a song for this entire morning… it must be God calling me to write something based on it… Alright then… let’s produce something short and sharp…
Bad (imperfect) behavior = disease
Most diseases require medication… None of us are perfect… so we are all down with some form of disease that needs to be corrected so as to make us better people… Our friends and family can administer this medication… Just make sure that you always serve up the medication with a spoon full of sugar… Don’t put the person down so much that he has such a poor opinion of himself and forfeits all his good points as well…
My church teaches that in order to make solid permanent changes in people… you cannot only pin point the flaw and fix that particular aspect of that person… You need to instill a new identity in that person… Convince him that he is indeed a child of God… and children of God don’t _______ (fill in the gap… eg. Steal, smoke, have problems staying up in class)…
So instead of demoralizing people… Perhaps it is easier to just focus on encouraging them back into health…
With all that said.. some diseases can disappear on their own... So don't be too hasty in administering the medication.. You might make the person sicker... When in doubt.. always look out for the signs from God and the tiny voice inside you... Most of the time... No medication is needed...
BUT when it is needed... Remember the spoon full of sugar... Critisize but also praise.. serve it up with some praise and encouragement =)
Today’s topic… A spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down…
Mary Poppins… My favourite childhood flick… Watched it so many times… Been haunted by this ear worm of a song for this entire morning… it must be God calling me to write something based on it… Alright then… let’s produce something short and sharp…
Bad (imperfect) behavior = disease
Most diseases require medication… None of us are perfect… so we are all down with some form of disease that needs to be corrected so as to make us better people… Our friends and family can administer this medication… Just make sure that you always serve up the medication with a spoon full of sugar… Don’t put the person down so much that he has such a poor opinion of himself and forfeits all his good points as well…
My church teaches that in order to make solid permanent changes in people… you cannot only pin point the flaw and fix that particular aspect of that person… You need to instill a new identity in that person… Convince him that he is indeed a child of God… and children of God don’t _______ (fill in the gap… eg. Steal, smoke, have problems staying up in class)…
So instead of demoralizing people… Perhaps it is easier to just focus on encouraging them back into health…
With all that said.. some diseases can disappear on their own... So don't be too hasty in administering the medication.. You might make the person sicker... When in doubt.. always look out for the signs from God and the tiny voice inside you... Most of the time... No medication is needed...
BUT when it is needed... Remember the spoon full of sugar... Critisize but also praise.. serve it up with some praise and encouragement =)
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Grace (Michael W. Smith)
I was lost when you found me here
You pulled me close and held me near
And I'm a fool but stil you love
I'll be a fool for the King of love.
You gave me wings so I could fly.
Gave me a song to colour the sky
And all I have is all from you
And all I want is all of you.
It's grace, Your grace, I'm nothing without you.
Your grace, Your grace shines on me.
And there've been days when I've walked away
Too much to carry, nothing left to say.
Forgive me Lord when I'm weak and lost
For you traded Heaven for a wooden cross.
And all these years You've carried me
You've been my eyes when I could not see
And beauty grows in the driving rain
Your oil of gladness in the times of pain.
Your grace Your grace, I'm nothing without you
Your grace, your grace
shines on me, shines on me
Shines on me, shines on me.
It's your grace.
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My very first church friend gave me this awesome album for my birthday!! =) love this song!! Thanks Christopher!!!
I was lost when you found me here
You pulled me close and held me near
And I'm a fool but stil you love
I'll be a fool for the King of love.
You gave me wings so I could fly.
Gave me a song to colour the sky
And all I have is all from you
And all I want is all of you.
It's grace, Your grace, I'm nothing without you.
Your grace, Your grace shines on me.
And there've been days when I've walked away
Too much to carry, nothing left to say.
Forgive me Lord when I'm weak and lost
For you traded Heaven for a wooden cross.
And all these years You've carried me
You've been my eyes when I could not see
And beauty grows in the driving rain
Your oil of gladness in the times of pain.
Your grace Your grace, I'm nothing without you
Your grace, your grace
shines on me, shines on me
Shines on me, shines on me.
It's your grace.
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My very first church friend gave me this awesome album for my birthday!! =) love this song!! Thanks Christopher!!!
Giving out of excess
What does God want of you today?
I am sure you would say that he wants you to obey his commandments and to do good works for him.. But trust me... this may not be the case...
God wants you to know that today.. all he wants for you to be is happy and well-satisfied, well-loved and well provided for... And he will provide for you all you need and so much more till you are overflowing with love and able to love others.. with the same love God has given you out of an excess...
You must give out of an excess.. and never out of deficit... at least that's my motto.. If I am feeling unloved.. or upset.. I will never pretend to be a hero and still try to love others.. I am only able to love because God first loved me...
Remember that God wants you to be completely satisfied and well taken care of ALL THE TIME... Sure he will give you challenges.. but he will never give you a challenge too big to handle.. He always places the solution to your problems with grasp... All you have to do is rest and recieve that solution =)
Now.. be bold and brave to go out and live life and face your challenges k? You are a child of God.. recieve everything you need from him.
I am sure you would say that he wants you to obey his commandments and to do good works for him.. But trust me... this may not be the case...
God wants you to know that today.. all he wants for you to be is happy and well-satisfied, well-loved and well provided for... And he will provide for you all you need and so much more till you are overflowing with love and able to love others.. with the same love God has given you out of an excess...
You must give out of an excess.. and never out of deficit... at least that's my motto.. If I am feeling unloved.. or upset.. I will never pretend to be a hero and still try to love others.. I am only able to love because God first loved me...
Remember that God wants you to be completely satisfied and well taken care of ALL THE TIME... Sure he will give you challenges.. but he will never give you a challenge too big to handle.. He always places the solution to your problems with grasp... All you have to do is rest and recieve that solution =)
Now.. be bold and brave to go out and live life and face your challenges k? You are a child of God.. recieve everything you need from him.
God's seed
Wrote this just a couple of weeks ago.. The idea of how some people are stressed out because they take too much responsbility for what is happening in their lives...
How many of you know that even the most perfect person on earth is constantly being condemned (Jesus) and in fact.. was condemned to death just 2008 years ago ... for claiming to be the son of God.. who he was... Figure that out.. Imagine if I am killed for speaking the truth.. what kind of justice is that? Go figure...
As you can see... it is really not about your works... I am sure all of us know someone who seems to have it all.. be it a rich kid born with a silver spoon in his mouth.. or some form of celebrity.. you just can't figure out what they have done to recieve such blessings.. Therefore... I hope we all understand today that it is not by our works.. but by grace that any blessing can exist in our lifes... God's grace...
All we have to do is plant God's seed... and leave the rest to God.. We will not know how that seed will grow into a tree but what I can tell you is... that one tree will have many fruits and each fruit will have many seeds... So you see.. God multiplies your seed..
So.. if it is work you are worried about.. or family.. or training.. just seek to do the minimal.. Just turn up for your battles... That's the first step... Focus on just making yourself present.. and let God take care of the rest... OK?
Remember.. its not about your works.. its about God's grace.. =)
How many of you know that even the most perfect person on earth is constantly being condemned (Jesus) and in fact.. was condemned to death just 2008 years ago ... for claiming to be the son of God.. who he was... Figure that out.. Imagine if I am killed for speaking the truth.. what kind of justice is that? Go figure...
As you can see... it is really not about your works... I am sure all of us know someone who seems to have it all.. be it a rich kid born with a silver spoon in his mouth.. or some form of celebrity.. you just can't figure out what they have done to recieve such blessings.. Therefore... I hope we all understand today that it is not by our works.. but by grace that any blessing can exist in our lifes... God's grace...
All we have to do is plant God's seed... and leave the rest to God.. We will not know how that seed will grow into a tree but what I can tell you is... that one tree will have many fruits and each fruit will have many seeds... So you see.. God multiplies your seed..
So.. if it is work you are worried about.. or family.. or training.. just seek to do the minimal.. Just turn up for your battles... That's the first step... Focus on just making yourself present.. and let God take care of the rest... OK?
Remember.. its not about your works.. its about God's grace.. =)
Great bible characters
The stories in the bible about great men are not really about the men themselves.. but more about how God worked through these simple men to achieve the Godly supernatural...
It is never about talent, capabilities... In fact God always selected the most unlikely people to do his work.. He almost always selects the misfits.. It is not about talent or capabilities... It is always about faith.. about courage and obedience that comes through faith...
The interesting part of the new testament and the new covenant... (established when Jesus died on the cross)... is that even the element of faith can be given to you through prayer..
So if today.. you are lacking in faith.. in whatever area of your life.. Pray for it:
Dear Lord,
I know I have no faith...
I know I am nothing without you...
All I can do is to depend on you...
I commit everything into your hands..
Please bless me with the faith I need.
All these I pray in Jesus name.
Amen
It is never about talent, capabilities... In fact God always selected the most unlikely people to do his work.. He almost always selects the misfits.. It is not about talent or capabilities... It is always about faith.. about courage and obedience that comes through faith...
The interesting part of the new testament and the new covenant... (established when Jesus died on the cross)... is that even the element of faith can be given to you through prayer..
So if today.. you are lacking in faith.. in whatever area of your life.. Pray for it:
Dear Lord,
I know I have no faith...
I know I am nothing without you...
All I can do is to depend on you...
I commit everything into your hands..
Please bless me with the faith I need.
All these I pray in Jesus name.
Amen
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
God loves you
One of the pastors in church once said this...
You know... your relationship with God is a personal one... And always remember that even if you were the only person on earth... God will still send his Jesus to die on the cross for YOU.. And You alone... So perhaps.. It's time to cast a magnifying glass on yourself... Focus on God's love for you... Stop looking at yourself...
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Was doing abit of studying... Finally found out what narcissism really is... It is not only a overrated high self-esteem... but also an unstable one.. A narcissist.. is a person who constantly needs to defend his high self-esteem by being aggresive and bullying others... anything that threatens his high self-esteem is deemed as a threat in which he won't hesitate to inflict aggresion on... (sounds kinda familiar doesn't it) HAHA
Thing is... even something as good as a high self-esteem can be twarted... into something so vile... We humans are really CMI (cannot make it)...
I am not a narcissist. I am a person with a healthy self-esteem... I believe in myself and the power vested in me to help other of God's children... yup... this self-esteem has nothing to do with what I do... it has to do with whose I am... I am God's beloved... and nothing i do.. No mistakes I make will be big enough to estrange me from God's love...
You know... your relationship with God is a personal one... And always remember that even if you were the only person on earth... God will still send his Jesus to die on the cross for YOU.. And You alone... So perhaps.. It's time to cast a magnifying glass on yourself... Focus on God's love for you... Stop looking at yourself...
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Was doing abit of studying... Finally found out what narcissism really is... It is not only a overrated high self-esteem... but also an unstable one.. A narcissist.. is a person who constantly needs to defend his high self-esteem by being aggresive and bullying others... anything that threatens his high self-esteem is deemed as a threat in which he won't hesitate to inflict aggresion on... (sounds kinda familiar doesn't it) HAHA
Thing is... even something as good as a high self-esteem can be twarted... into something so vile... We humans are really CMI (cannot make it)...
I am not a narcissist. I am a person with a healthy self-esteem... I believe in myself and the power vested in me to help other of God's children... yup... this self-esteem has nothing to do with what I do... it has to do with whose I am... I am God's beloved... and nothing i do.. No mistakes I make will be big enough to estrange me from God's love...
God is so much more
God is so much more than positive thinking and 'hardy' characteristics... God is so much more than just optimisism and feeling a sense of control..
This is what God advocates - Rest and recieve...
God can work without you lifting a finger... There's this old saying that if you don't help yourself.. God can't help you... This is a wrong saying... Instead... what God really wants you to know today is that you should STOP trying to help yourself.. and struggle with your meagre amount of wisdom, strength and intelligence.. Commit EVERYTHING to him... and leave it as such...
Have enough faith to leave your problem at the cross and walk away.. Just walk away and KNOW that God is already fixing it for you...
This is not positive thinking... or escapism... or an emotional-based way of problem solving (learnt from PL1101e) ... This is God... God works in the supernatural... All these are only natural...
This is what God advocates - Rest and recieve...
God can work without you lifting a finger... There's this old saying that if you don't help yourself.. God can't help you... This is a wrong saying... Instead... what God really wants you to know today is that you should STOP trying to help yourself.. and struggle with your meagre amount of wisdom, strength and intelligence.. Commit EVERYTHING to him... and leave it as such...
Have enough faith to leave your problem at the cross and walk away.. Just walk away and KNOW that God is already fixing it for you...
This is not positive thinking... or escapism... or an emotional-based way of problem solving (learnt from PL1101e) ... This is God... God works in the supernatural... All these are only natural...
Monday, October 27, 2008
Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace (My chains are gone)
Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost,
but now am found.
T'was blind
but now I see.
T'was grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
My chains are gone
I've been set free.
My god, my Savior has ransomed me.
And like a flood,
His mercy reigns.
Unending love, Amazing grace.
Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost,
but now am found.
T'was blind
but now I see.
T'was grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
My chains are gone
I've been set free.
My god, my Savior has ransomed me.
And like a flood,
His mercy reigns.
Unending love, Amazing grace.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Gravity
Gravity is so much more than an apple falling on Newton’s head… It really is… Of course I didn’t know that before I took my science of the universe module… But now I do…
Why do moons revolve around planets and planets around the sun? It has all to do with gravity… There is a Newtonian law that states that a high mass object will assert a gravitation force that will attract to it other lower mass objects which will orbit around it… And so… explains why the moon (lowest mass) revolves around the earth and the earth revolves around the highly massive sun….
Strangely… this is physics yes… But I can read so many other social principles from this theory of gravity… To put it simply, a highly influential person will have friends who are attracted to his influence (much like moons) and moons revolve around this high influence person… In turn… this high influence person will revolve around another person of even higher influence… Based on proximity… this high mass person can catch new moons… as the moons stray closer and closer to the ‘planet’…
So I guess… it is dangerous to stray to near a person of high influence… if you are not careful… you might be captured… and you might become just another new moon that revolves around that person…
The only way to make this principle work for you is to become equally or more massive than that person... Then you get a binary star system.. where two stars revolve around each other equally... This is why couples must be of similar social standing... this way.. you get a healthy relationship where both contribute equally instead of having one party as the sun and the other party as a mere planet... Nothing is stopping that star from acquring new planets... Something to think about...
More interestingly… there is the phenomenon of the black hole… The black hole is formed by the distortion of space time due to an incredibly massive neutron star… This is formed when a star collapses and the electrons and protons interact and disappear… leaving the neutrons… The neutron star has such a great mass per unit volume that just a teaspoon is sufficient to shape 20 mountains on earth… When the neutron star reaches a size about 3 times that of our sun… it collapses in itself forming a black hole… The black hole has such strong gravitational force that even light cannot escape it… It just seems like an empty space in space time… Time itself stops…
Interesting… Does that imply somewhat that when you gain an influence so great you become a black hole… anything that approaches you simply ceases to exist? Does your influence and wisdom cause time to stop? Is that what Jesus and God are? Like black holes in terms of influence and wisdom? Because they have mastered it all... and are above it all.. they exist outside of time and the laws of nature no longer apply to them? Well, that could be pushing my analogy a little too far but you get the idea…
God’s laws and principles operate… on large scales and on smaller scales… his laws are simple… And you can see them in any discipline…. Be it social psychology, food science… and even physics (especially physics)…
The marvels of gravity…
Why do moons revolve around planets and planets around the sun? It has all to do with gravity… There is a Newtonian law that states that a high mass object will assert a gravitation force that will attract to it other lower mass objects which will orbit around it… And so… explains why the moon (lowest mass) revolves around the earth and the earth revolves around the highly massive sun….
Strangely… this is physics yes… But I can read so many other social principles from this theory of gravity… To put it simply, a highly influential person will have friends who are attracted to his influence (much like moons) and moons revolve around this high influence person… In turn… this high influence person will revolve around another person of even higher influence… Based on proximity… this high mass person can catch new moons… as the moons stray closer and closer to the ‘planet’…
So I guess… it is dangerous to stray to near a person of high influence… if you are not careful… you might be captured… and you might become just another new moon that revolves around that person…
The only way to make this principle work for you is to become equally or more massive than that person... Then you get a binary star system.. where two stars revolve around each other equally... This is why couples must be of similar social standing... this way.. you get a healthy relationship where both contribute equally instead of having one party as the sun and the other party as a mere planet... Nothing is stopping that star from acquring new planets... Something to think about...
More interestingly… there is the phenomenon of the black hole… The black hole is formed by the distortion of space time due to an incredibly massive neutron star… This is formed when a star collapses and the electrons and protons interact and disappear… leaving the neutrons… The neutron star has such a great mass per unit volume that just a teaspoon is sufficient to shape 20 mountains on earth… When the neutron star reaches a size about 3 times that of our sun… it collapses in itself forming a black hole… The black hole has such strong gravitational force that even light cannot escape it… It just seems like an empty space in space time… Time itself stops…
Interesting… Does that imply somewhat that when you gain an influence so great you become a black hole… anything that approaches you simply ceases to exist? Does your influence and wisdom cause time to stop? Is that what Jesus and God are? Like black holes in terms of influence and wisdom? Because they have mastered it all... and are above it all.. they exist outside of time and the laws of nature no longer apply to them? Well, that could be pushing my analogy a little too far but you get the idea…
God’s laws and principles operate… on large scales and on smaller scales… his laws are simple… And you can see them in any discipline…. Be it social psychology, food science… and even physics (especially physics)…
The marvels of gravity…
Have only 5 minutes to complete this entry before I have to scram to school...
Feeling quite lost... And quite exhausted today... Have to choose between going to sportsteam or NTU tonight... I wanna go to NTU because I get to train with the rest of the team... team bonding is important but Sportsteam training is so useful... and I really learn alot from just attending one lesson...
Will decide tonight.. first... got to go to school for my pshychology tutorial... toddles....
Feeling quite lost... And quite exhausted today... Have to choose between going to sportsteam or NTU tonight... I wanna go to NTU because I get to train with the rest of the team... team bonding is important but Sportsteam training is so useful... and I really learn alot from just attending one lesson...
Will decide tonight.. first... got to go to school for my pshychology tutorial... toddles....
Rest priorities
I subscribe to this daily devotionals... And today... The topic was to re-set my priorities... To focus on what's best for me right now... Don't be carried away by life... but re focus... so let me list my list of priorities:
- God
- Sharing God's grace with others
- Humility
- Selflessness
- Integrity
- Patience
- Loving Kindness
- Cheerfulness
- Determination
- Unbreakable spirit (by the strength of the Lord)
Not putting taekwondo and studies in this list... Seek first the kingdom of heaven and all else will be added unto you... Seems like TKD was just about to transform me into a monster... Luckily, the holy spirit compelled me to refocus... It's not good to be lost for too long... There is still a higher purpose and calling for us christians.. We can't afford to be so self-obsessed and success driven....
God's grace....
God's grace defined
God's grace... What is God's grace? Why do I keep saying it these days? God's grace is God's unmerited favour and love.... Unmerited.... Unearned... Undeserved...
And fortunately for all of us... only sinners can recieve God's grace... That's why we all qualify for it...
We are all sinners.. whether we sin big or sin small.. we are all sinners.. Sin is missing the mark.. falling short of perfection... None of us are perfect... we all sin...
However... It is so much easier for a BIG sinner to understand the concept of God's grace... A big sinner... be it a alcoholic... a murderer.. a theif... an expelled misfit (like me)... It is so much easier to understand the concept of God's grace.. Because every good thing that happens in our lifes.... we clearly don't deserve it... and we know it...
Small sinners... People who fall short of the mark by just a little.. They stray from perfection by just a little.. These are those people who have the tendency to become self-righteous... They feel that everything good in their lifes are happening because they earned it... Not knowing that however small their sins are... be it a nasty thought of that lady on the MRT this morning... or making a mean comment about your mum's cooking.... A sin is still a sin... and we are all borned with the innate sin of Adam... After he fell.. all of creation fell.. we are all innately sinful... the sin of the flesh...
It is so much easier for a big sinner to enter the kingdom of heaven... it's his concept of humility knowing that he deserves nothing... and no matter how much he works... nothing can change the past.. nothing can eradicate the black mark on his past... This is when he truly learns how to completely rely on God's grace... and on Jesus's blood to wash away all his sins...
This is the God's grace I have been talking about.... The grace that saved us all... For we have ALL fallen short.... and we deserve nothing but death and punishment... So everything good that is happening to us.. is undeserved... and given to us by God's grace....
Doesn't that make counting your blessings so much easier? =) God's grace
And fortunately for all of us... only sinners can recieve God's grace... That's why we all qualify for it...
We are all sinners.. whether we sin big or sin small.. we are all sinners.. Sin is missing the mark.. falling short of perfection... None of us are perfect... we all sin...
However... It is so much easier for a BIG sinner to understand the concept of God's grace... A big sinner... be it a alcoholic... a murderer.. a theif... an expelled misfit (like me)... It is so much easier to understand the concept of God's grace.. Because every good thing that happens in our lifes.... we clearly don't deserve it... and we know it...
Small sinners... People who fall short of the mark by just a little.. They stray from perfection by just a little.. These are those people who have the tendency to become self-righteous... They feel that everything good in their lifes are happening because they earned it... Not knowing that however small their sins are... be it a nasty thought of that lady on the MRT this morning... or making a mean comment about your mum's cooking.... A sin is still a sin... and we are all borned with the innate sin of Adam... After he fell.. all of creation fell.. we are all innately sinful... the sin of the flesh...
It is so much easier for a big sinner to enter the kingdom of heaven... it's his concept of humility knowing that he deserves nothing... and no matter how much he works... nothing can change the past.. nothing can eradicate the black mark on his past... This is when he truly learns how to completely rely on God's grace... and on Jesus's blood to wash away all his sins...
This is the God's grace I have been talking about.... The grace that saved us all... For we have ALL fallen short.... and we deserve nothing but death and punishment... So everything good that is happening to us.. is undeserved... and given to us by God's grace....
Doesn't that make counting your blessings so much easier? =) God's grace
Selection
It is one thing to be selected because you are good... But to be selected because you are undeserving... that is another thing... I am not talking about taekwondo here.. though for some.. it might be easier to relate it to taekwondo...
For example... you go for a taekwondo selection.. and you fought well... you got selected and you feel like you deserve it... you earned it... and you probably did earn it.. well done... Thing is.. what if you fought badly that day.. but you still got selected.. not because you are good.. but because of God's grace... Wouldn't you feel so much more loved and so much more touched and priviledged...
Danger here is that.. after being selected I was so obsessed with training.. and thing with taekwondo is.. if you are not careful.. you become carried away and become cocky and arrogant... it is very easy to cross that line... What if you become cocky and arrogant and start discriminating your teammates... even though you were originally selected by grace.. wouldn't that make your coach very very sad... and dissapointed... Sadly... I feel that is exactly what is happening to me now...
Perhaps all these happened for God to teach me a lesson... that everything in life is given by God's grace because man have completely fallen short of God's favour when Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil... and that humility itself is what makes salt salty.... and if I should lose this humility... I will also lose my saltiness and fail to do God's work...
I need to become more humble... Forget about myself... Be more selfless and learn to care for ALL those around me.. not only those people I like.. but everyone... I can't do it.. But God can... will commit it into his hands... God's grace!!!
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Shifu keeps saying that I am selected because I bond well with the team... I think he wants me to build a more cohesive atmosphere with the entire team.. but I am a mere human.. empowered by God no doubt but I have my own humanly limitations... I can't seem to get over my irritation with NUS people... I discriminate one of my own...
I guess the more connected you are to a person... the more responsibility you take for her actions.. the more you expect from that person... I was like that with my sister as well... I expected her to be perfect because I thought of her as an extention to myself... much like I see Clara now as an extention of me... and when she does things that don't please me... things I won't do myself.. I will get supremely upset because I feel that she represents the both of us... That itself is making it tremendously hard for me to bond with her...
I hope God and Shifu can give me a less challenging project... Know I can't push Clara to Stella... I can't be so irresponsible.. This is my project... I got to complete it.. It's part of my training to become a better servant of God... I need God's grace to survive this challenge!!!
For example... you go for a taekwondo selection.. and you fought well... you got selected and you feel like you deserve it... you earned it... and you probably did earn it.. well done... Thing is.. what if you fought badly that day.. but you still got selected.. not because you are good.. but because of God's grace... Wouldn't you feel so much more loved and so much more touched and priviledged...
Danger here is that.. after being selected I was so obsessed with training.. and thing with taekwondo is.. if you are not careful.. you become carried away and become cocky and arrogant... it is very easy to cross that line... What if you become cocky and arrogant and start discriminating your teammates... even though you were originally selected by grace.. wouldn't that make your coach very very sad... and dissapointed... Sadly... I feel that is exactly what is happening to me now...
Perhaps all these happened for God to teach me a lesson... that everything in life is given by God's grace because man have completely fallen short of God's favour when Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil... and that humility itself is what makes salt salty.... and if I should lose this humility... I will also lose my saltiness and fail to do God's work...
I need to become more humble... Forget about myself... Be more selfless and learn to care for ALL those around me.. not only those people I like.. but everyone... I can't do it.. But God can... will commit it into his hands... God's grace!!!
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Shifu keeps saying that I am selected because I bond well with the team... I think he wants me to build a more cohesive atmosphere with the entire team.. but I am a mere human.. empowered by God no doubt but I have my own humanly limitations... I can't seem to get over my irritation with NUS people... I discriminate one of my own...
I guess the more connected you are to a person... the more responsibility you take for her actions.. the more you expect from that person... I was like that with my sister as well... I expected her to be perfect because I thought of her as an extention to myself... much like I see Clara now as an extention of me... and when she does things that don't please me... things I won't do myself.. I will get supremely upset because I feel that she represents the both of us... That itself is making it tremendously hard for me to bond with her...
I hope God and Shifu can give me a less challenging project... Know I can't push Clara to Stella... I can't be so irresponsible.. This is my project... I got to complete it.. It's part of my training to become a better servant of God... I need God's grace to survive this challenge!!!
Sin & Grace
I am really not a very nice person... I keep doing the things I do not want to do... I tell you guys not to discriminate... when I myself discriminate... I tell you guys not to judge.. When I myself judge... I tell you guys to respect human life... and yet I myself show utter disrespect to others simply because they are weak... And in my mind weakness is a crime deserving of punishment... So you see.. I am nothing but a hypocritic human... Fortunately for me.. There is God to justify me... When sin abounds.. Grace super abounds...
When sin (falling short of the mark) is present... it highlights the need for God in our lifes... My sins are forgiven... Carried on Jesus at the cross.. So technically speaking... I don't have to feel so guilty.. But I do... Which isn't all that bad... It can help me to change.. Thing is... We must always treat people the way we wish to be treated... EASIER SAID THAN DONE... So knowing that we all sin... and we all miss the mark... Does it make it easier for you to forgive other mean and judgemental people now? Well, it makes it much easier for me...
God's grace... We all need God's grace... With God grace.. EVERYTHING is possible...
When sin (falling short of the mark) is present... it highlights the need for God in our lifes... My sins are forgiven... Carried on Jesus at the cross.. So technically speaking... I don't have to feel so guilty.. But I do... Which isn't all that bad... It can help me to change.. Thing is... We must always treat people the way we wish to be treated... EASIER SAID THAN DONE... So knowing that we all sin... and we all miss the mark... Does it make it easier for you to forgive other mean and judgemental people now? Well, it makes it much easier for me...
God's grace... We all need God's grace... With God grace.. EVERYTHING is possible...
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Power
Power corrupts... Absolute power corrupts absolutely (Shakespeare)
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Let go of your illusion of power... Know that God can work apart from your own humanly wisdom... It is said in the bible that God's folly is greater and wiser than the wisdom of humans...
Let go of your obsession with working for your rewards... Realise that a christian life is about resting and recieving not working and earning..
Amen...
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Let go of your illusion of power... Know that God can work apart from your own humanly wisdom... It is said in the bible that God's folly is greater and wiser than the wisdom of humans...
Let go of your obsession with working for your rewards... Realise that a christian life is about resting and recieving not working and earning..
Amen...
The Joy of Giving
When life takes too much from you and you feel terribly burnt out… Perhaps it’s time to pamper yourself… Take something back from life… Though you can’t buy love and happiness… that can’t stop you from buying things that can make you happy…
You can treat yourself to a movie, go for a haircut, buy yourself a nice ice cream… Or simply borrow a good book from the library… But yet… the most rejuvenating thing I can think of doing is actually to read the bible… Second on the list… to buy things for others… nothing comes close to the joy of giving… it really makes your day… serious.. Seeing the genuine smile on the face of others… making them feel loved… that is really the most pampering thing you can do for yourself…
You can treat yourself to a movie, go for a haircut, buy yourself a nice ice cream… Or simply borrow a good book from the library… But yet… the most rejuvenating thing I can think of doing is actually to read the bible… Second on the list… to buy things for others… nothing comes close to the joy of giving… it really makes your day… serious.. Seeing the genuine smile on the face of others… making them feel loved… that is really the most pampering thing you can do for yourself…
The sun and the wind
The story of the Sun and the wind
One day… the sun and the wind noticed a boy walking along the fields… He was wearing a very nice jacket and walking on his own… Minding his own business… They decided to make a bet amongst themselves… They wanted to see which of them was able to make the boy remove his jacket… They tossed a coin and decided that the wind was the first to go…
The wind blew and blew with all its might… and that only caused the boy to hold the jacket closer to his body… By no means was he any more persuaded to remove the jacket… After a while, the wind gave up and passed the turn over to the sun.
The sun shone gently… and left it as such… it did not pressure the boy nor intimidate him with his strong rays instead… it just shone gently… Very slowly… the boy was comforted and he finally removed his jacket…
Moral of the story
Some things in life cannot be achieved through brute force.. Sometimes all you have to do is to let go and relax and let things flow… Trying to hard can sometimes yield the opposite effect…
Just let go and let God take care of it...
One day… the sun and the wind noticed a boy walking along the fields… He was wearing a very nice jacket and walking on his own… Minding his own business… They decided to make a bet amongst themselves… They wanted to see which of them was able to make the boy remove his jacket… They tossed a coin and decided that the wind was the first to go…
The wind blew and blew with all its might… and that only caused the boy to hold the jacket closer to his body… By no means was he any more persuaded to remove the jacket… After a while, the wind gave up and passed the turn over to the sun.
The sun shone gently… and left it as such… it did not pressure the boy nor intimidate him with his strong rays instead… it just shone gently… Very slowly… the boy was comforted and he finally removed his jacket…
Moral of the story
Some things in life cannot be achieved through brute force.. Sometimes all you have to do is to let go and relax and let things flow… Trying to hard can sometimes yield the opposite effect…
Just let go and let God take care of it...
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
We are a club
Small abstract from "Love calling earth" Robbie Williams
If you could see me through my mother's eyes...
Only then would you begin to realise..
All the places I have ever been..
Have scared me half to death or somewhere in between...
The reason why we dislike people is because we view them as large intimidating monsters that are heartless and mean.. powerful and oppressing.. or simply weak and non-respect deserving...
Just remember that behind every person is a sad story... And everyone has a mother and father.. No one is really as strong and big as they appear to be... Cut them some slack... Cut yourself some slack... You don't have to be so strong all the time.. Besides, being strong and 'perfect' doesn't earn you the right to be judgemental to others...
So try your utmost best to just stop judging... if you can't do it.. commit that part of you into God's hands.. Use his abundance of self-discipline an power to do it... Don't judge... Understand this.. The answer to every problem is love.. and love is the solution to every problem.. Great big overflowing abundance of it...
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I was expelled from NUSTKD... for bad discipline...
Therefore, I will forever carry the weight of this bad name on my shoulders.. Everywhere I go... people will try their best to discipline me... It is ok for me now... now that I am back on my feet and strong and happy again..
But it was so painful at the beginning.. when I was so wounded and raw... and crawling out of my great pool of blood.... trying to stay alive... But no one had pity for me... They wanted me DEAD... they won't settle for anything less than that...
What happened there? I thought the people were moralistic? Well, I was the cruel mean beast to them... I deserved it... No one cries when a murderer is sentenced to death... No one except Jesus... He loved us enough to die for us even when we were still sinners... Whenever any murderer is put to death on earth.. even now... Jesus is saddened...
For him.. no problem is too big to be solved... no life is too ruined to be salvaged... Jesus is always walking above his circumstances not sinking underneath it (Remember? He walked on CHOPPY waters.. mind you..not calm waters)... Therefore, if you are facing a difficult person today.. ask yourself... What would Jesus do?
Use his love to heal that person.. That person could just be a misunderstood person.. A seriously misunderstood person.. Like me... Give him a chance.. Give me a chance...
Like what one of my friends in sportsteam (Yong Quan) said, "We are a club... What would other people think if they saw all of you ganging up to bully one of our own... we will look weak to them.. No unity... If he says he is sick... you all should believe him... Don't doubt him... Then when others look at our club... They will see that we are united and strong and they will be scared of us..."
Such a simple truth... so simple but so easily forgotten... Don't do it.. Don't discriminate one of your own... Love them back into health.. =)
If you could see me through my mother's eyes...
Only then would you begin to realise..
All the places I have ever been..
Have scared me half to death or somewhere in between...
The reason why we dislike people is because we view them as large intimidating monsters that are heartless and mean.. powerful and oppressing.. or simply weak and non-respect deserving...
Just remember that behind every person is a sad story... And everyone has a mother and father.. No one is really as strong and big as they appear to be... Cut them some slack... Cut yourself some slack... You don't have to be so strong all the time.. Besides, being strong and 'perfect' doesn't earn you the right to be judgemental to others...
So try your utmost best to just stop judging... if you can't do it.. commit that part of you into God's hands.. Use his abundance of self-discipline an power to do it... Don't judge... Understand this.. The answer to every problem is love.. and love is the solution to every problem.. Great big overflowing abundance of it...
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I was expelled from NUSTKD... for bad discipline...
Therefore, I will forever carry the weight of this bad name on my shoulders.. Everywhere I go... people will try their best to discipline me... It is ok for me now... now that I am back on my feet and strong and happy again..
But it was so painful at the beginning.. when I was so wounded and raw... and crawling out of my great pool of blood.... trying to stay alive... But no one had pity for me... They wanted me DEAD... they won't settle for anything less than that...
What happened there? I thought the people were moralistic? Well, I was the cruel mean beast to them... I deserved it... No one cries when a murderer is sentenced to death... No one except Jesus... He loved us enough to die for us even when we were still sinners... Whenever any murderer is put to death on earth.. even now... Jesus is saddened...
For him.. no problem is too big to be solved... no life is too ruined to be salvaged... Jesus is always walking above his circumstances not sinking underneath it (Remember? He walked on CHOPPY waters.. mind you..not calm waters)... Therefore, if you are facing a difficult person today.. ask yourself... What would Jesus do?
Use his love to heal that person.. That person could just be a misunderstood person.. A seriously misunderstood person.. Like me... Give him a chance.. Give me a chance...
Like what one of my friends in sportsteam (Yong Quan) said, "We are a club... What would other people think if they saw all of you ganging up to bully one of our own... we will look weak to them.. No unity... If he says he is sick... you all should believe him... Don't doubt him... Then when others look at our club... They will see that we are united and strong and they will be scared of us..."
Such a simple truth... so simple but so easily forgotten... Don't do it.. Don't discriminate one of your own... Love them back into health.. =)
Angels
Once in a long while.. You meet a person you find so difficult to love.. You just can't find the love and compassion in you to love and respect that person... Somewhere inside you.. You have concluded that that person is a hopeless scumbag that doesn't deserve any form of respect or love... This is when you must realise that THAT PERSON IS STILL A BELOVED SON OF GOD.
Remember that... And remember that even if you can't love that person with your own humanly power... there is still the large expense of God's power and God's grace for you...
Just don't do anything mean... Relax and let God use you as a tool to benefit even that person you find hard to love...
99% of the time.. You will realise that the person isn't as bad as you thought he was... He just needed a chance to prove himself... So... Take it as a challenge... God's new project for you...
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I bought a card from the NUS co-op... It says "Do not give up.. Just keep praying" And around the card was 8 cartoon angels grouping around the words...
Was feeling kinda disheartened today... Was worried that I might die from over training... And I don't want to die now... Things are just starting to pick up for me.. I really don't want to die now...
Opened my wallet and took a look at the card... Suddenly, I heard a voice in my heart saying "God has sent 8 angels to look after you.. because you are so precious to him... You just don't know it... You keep picturing myself walking this hard road alone.. When in fact.. You were never alone... There were always angels and people around you helping you every step of the way... And remember that God will never forsake you... Even when you couldn't see him... or can't feel the faith in your heart... He was always there for you.... He will never give up on you.... And he will never give you a sorrow or pressure too heavy for you to bear... Just keep breathing and let his angels take care of the rest..."
Beside that card was a card with psalms 91 printed on it. My favourite psalm:
"He shall cover you with his feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your sheild and buckler.
A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
No evil shall befall you,
For he shall give his angels, charge over you
to keep you in ALL your ways." (Abstract)
What God wants you to know today is that... He lvoes you alot.. and wants to do alot for you.. but you must first be willing to recieve it... Open your hearts and open your hands and take the gift from him.. God loves to bless you... Don't reject him...
Remember that... And remember that even if you can't love that person with your own humanly power... there is still the large expense of God's power and God's grace for you...
Just don't do anything mean... Relax and let God use you as a tool to benefit even that person you find hard to love...
99% of the time.. You will realise that the person isn't as bad as you thought he was... He just needed a chance to prove himself... So... Take it as a challenge... God's new project for you...
_____________________________________________________
I bought a card from the NUS co-op... It says "Do not give up.. Just keep praying" And around the card was 8 cartoon angels grouping around the words...
Was feeling kinda disheartened today... Was worried that I might die from over training... And I don't want to die now... Things are just starting to pick up for me.. I really don't want to die now...
Opened my wallet and took a look at the card... Suddenly, I heard a voice in my heart saying "God has sent 8 angels to look after you.. because you are so precious to him... You just don't know it... You keep picturing myself walking this hard road alone.. When in fact.. You were never alone... There were always angels and people around you helping you every step of the way... And remember that God will never forsake you... Even when you couldn't see him... or can't feel the faith in your heart... He was always there for you.... He will never give up on you.... And he will never give you a sorrow or pressure too heavy for you to bear... Just keep breathing and let his angels take care of the rest..."
Beside that card was a card with psalms 91 printed on it. My favourite psalm:
"He shall cover you with his feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your sheild and buckler.
A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
No evil shall befall you,
For he shall give his angels, charge over you
to keep you in ALL your ways." (Abstract)
What God wants you to know today is that... He lvoes you alot.. and wants to do alot for you.. but you must first be willing to recieve it... Open your hearts and open your hands and take the gift from him.. God loves to bless you... Don't reject him...
Friday, October 17, 2008
Livin da life
Feel like I am really livin da life now.. Currently.. every thing seems to be going perfect.. Well, of course it can't be the fairy tale perfect perfect la... But right now... I can't help but feel this sense of relief..
Though I train everyday.. Get trashed sometimes... seems like every part of me is injured... But I feel so happy... Feel so honoured and lucky to train everyday..
Though sometimes, I really can't breathe when I have to run around the track with the weights... the sense of satisfaction that comes from surviving that is really incredible.. Serious!!
I love TKD!!!
Though I train everyday.. Get trashed sometimes... seems like every part of me is injured... But I feel so happy... Feel so honoured and lucky to train everyday..
Though sometimes, I really can't breathe when I have to run around the track with the weights... the sense of satisfaction that comes from surviving that is really incredible.. Serious!!
I love TKD!!!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Positivity
"I have never seen a gun save anybody."
Heard this quote from a movie... Found it very applicable for the following blog entry...
I have never seen a negative thought benefitting anybody... Ladies.. Ladies.. Ladies.. This blog entry is for you... I have often noticed girls, ladies... grouping up together to bitch about something.. be it studies... CAP.. GPA... job availability... taekwondo... Girls are so good at grouping up together to spread negativity about things...
"Haiz... my results are so poor.. I doubt I can even get a job when I graduate."
"You are right... I worried too... Mine is as bad as yours... I feel like I have no future."
"What are we going to do... We are hopeless."
And when you ask them about their results.. they have a CAP of about 3.8... Which is really not bad at all... The thing about people nowadays (especially girls)... they confuse humility and modesty with a form of self-depreciation... They feel like if they if keep thinking negative thoughts.. they will be pleasantly surprised when things turn out better than they 'expected'... So you see even the most brilliant and capable ladies grouping up together and complaining about how lousy they are...
What I need to say is... You got to fix your mind... Change your mindset... Be positive... I have never seen a negative thought save anybody before.... It only serves to weaken the spirit and weaken the mind... A good fighter who thinks that he sucks.. will have no confidence.. He can't fight... The negative thought killed him...
On the other hand... positive thoughts are fuel for the spirit... like glucose to the brain... they empower us to take on difficult challenges... we are not afraid to try because when we think positively... we focus on the prospects of winning... not on the prospects of losing... and precisely because we believe we can win... we train even harder.. and achieve even more...
Kill your negative thoughts... Even if you happen to develop one.. don't talk about it... Counter it with a positive thought... And for the good of mankind... don't go around discouraging your friends or worse... joining them in self-pity... instead... give them a positive thought.. or better still... A God centered thought... You will really save their lives... Trust me...
Heard this quote from a movie... Found it very applicable for the following blog entry...
I have never seen a negative thought benefitting anybody... Ladies.. Ladies.. Ladies.. This blog entry is for you... I have often noticed girls, ladies... grouping up together to bitch about something.. be it studies... CAP.. GPA... job availability... taekwondo... Girls are so good at grouping up together to spread negativity about things...
"Haiz... my results are so poor.. I doubt I can even get a job when I graduate."
"You are right... I worried too... Mine is as bad as yours... I feel like I have no future."
"What are we going to do... We are hopeless."
And when you ask them about their results.. they have a CAP of about 3.8... Which is really not bad at all... The thing about people nowadays (especially girls)... they confuse humility and modesty with a form of self-depreciation... They feel like if they if keep thinking negative thoughts.. they will be pleasantly surprised when things turn out better than they 'expected'... So you see even the most brilliant and capable ladies grouping up together and complaining about how lousy they are...
What I need to say is... You got to fix your mind... Change your mindset... Be positive... I have never seen a negative thought save anybody before.... It only serves to weaken the spirit and weaken the mind... A good fighter who thinks that he sucks.. will have no confidence.. He can't fight... The negative thought killed him...
On the other hand... positive thoughts are fuel for the spirit... like glucose to the brain... they empower us to take on difficult challenges... we are not afraid to try because when we think positively... we focus on the prospects of winning... not on the prospects of losing... and precisely because we believe we can win... we train even harder.. and achieve even more...
Kill your negative thoughts... Even if you happen to develop one.. don't talk about it... Counter it with a positive thought... And for the good of mankind... don't go around discouraging your friends or worse... joining them in self-pity... instead... give them a positive thought.. or better still... A God centered thought... You will really save their lives... Trust me...
The flying fox
The reason why so many of us find the process of living so tedious and tiring is because most of us take too much responsibility for the things that are happening in our lives.... We imagine that we are where we are now because of the things we have done previously... and what we do now... will affect where we will be in the future... Therefore... we become very careful about everything we do... utterly afraid that we might step on some land mine somewhere along the way... This thoughts are wrong.
I can't imagine living a life without God... I am serious... That is why I can't imagine how free thinkers stay alive... It must be such an effortful existance... a constant effort to struggle to stay alive... and worse... living with the mindset that your own actions can determine your future... how tiring is that?
Lucky for me... God has thought me an important lesson through the most painful way... Well, probably to ensure that I remember that lesson...Though I forget it time to time and feel utterly miserable...
Important lesson:
What you do do not at all affect the direction that God is leading you to... If he wants to bless you with something.. he will go out of the way to give you that blessing... All you need to do is to concentrate on breathing.. and let God take care of the rest...
It doesn't mean that you work hard, you will definitely be rewarded... Similarly, God can bless you even if you don't work hard... So... just endeavour to enjoy whatever you are doing... live for the moment.. God will take care of the future...
How I learnt that lesson:
Worked very hard... Put in so much effort... Was humiliated, chased out and discriminated...
Lost all hope... just wanted to stay alive... Didn't put in any effort... God took care of everything... Restored to me everything I lost.. and MORE... =)
To illustrate this lesson, I need to tell you another story:
The flying fox
There is this ride in outward bound called the flying fox... It involves having a raised platform of about 6 storeys. A wire is connected from the top of the platform all the way down to the ground... A harness is attached to it... and the person is strapped to the harness and allowed to sail down the wire to the ground...
Heard this story in church... One of the coaches in church had to coax a girl down this flying fox... She was too afraid to let go... and she was hanging at the top of the platform for about 30 minutes crying.. All her friends had gone down and she desperately wanted to do it too.. But she was too afraid...
The coach said "Girl, listen to me, as surely as the wire is connected from here to the ground.. you will definitely reach the ground safely... You don't have to do anything... just let go and concentrate on breathing... you don't have to peddle... you don't have to wave your hands.. this involves no effort on your part... All you have to do is breath."
After she said that, the girl finally let go and sailed gracefully down to the ground...
That's the problem with most of us.. We are too afraid to let go... God wants desperately to bless us and to bring us to a better place.. be it a better job... a better situation.. a better relationship... All you have to do is to go with the flow and be aware of the opportunities that God is opening for you (don't worry about that.. God is very obvious when he wants to bless you with something)...
The things is... most of us have such a bad opinion of God we are so afraid to let go because we are afraid that it will lead us to somewhere even worse than our present situation... What these people need to do is to have a better opinion of God... just let go... And understand that living life is nothing more than just following God's flow and concentrating on breathing... It doesn't have to be such an effortful struggle everyday...
Effortful struggle... There was this smoker who came to church every sunday... He kept asking God for the strength and discipline to quit smoking because he desperately wanted to quit smoking for his kids... he prayed day and night but for 3 years he could not do it... he just couldn't... One day, he finally made up his mind that this struggle was too much for him... He told God:
"God, I can't do it. I just can't. I give up. You do it for me. Fix this part of my life. I trust you. It's all about you. Not about me."
Surprisingly, within 2 months, he was completely free from the addiction... This is a true testimony.. Not some bogus thing... Therefore, perhaps, its time for you to acknowledge, your weakness and just allow for God to take over...
Life doesn't have to be so difficult... You are supposed to enjoy it... Not hate it and struggle needlessly.. Of course... life is not a bed of roses.. but it doesn't have to be a bed of thorns. =)
Just let go k.
I can't imagine living a life without God... I am serious... That is why I can't imagine how free thinkers stay alive... It must be such an effortful existance... a constant effort to struggle to stay alive... and worse... living with the mindset that your own actions can determine your future... how tiring is that?
Lucky for me... God has thought me an important lesson through the most painful way... Well, probably to ensure that I remember that lesson...Though I forget it time to time and feel utterly miserable...
Important lesson:
What you do do not at all affect the direction that God is leading you to... If he wants to bless you with something.. he will go out of the way to give you that blessing... All you need to do is to concentrate on breathing.. and let God take care of the rest...
It doesn't mean that you work hard, you will definitely be rewarded... Similarly, God can bless you even if you don't work hard... So... just endeavour to enjoy whatever you are doing... live for the moment.. God will take care of the future...
How I learnt that lesson:
Worked very hard... Put in so much effort... Was humiliated, chased out and discriminated...
Lost all hope... just wanted to stay alive... Didn't put in any effort... God took care of everything... Restored to me everything I lost.. and MORE... =)
To illustrate this lesson, I need to tell you another story:
The flying fox
There is this ride in outward bound called the flying fox... It involves having a raised platform of about 6 storeys. A wire is connected from the top of the platform all the way down to the ground... A harness is attached to it... and the person is strapped to the harness and allowed to sail down the wire to the ground...
Heard this story in church... One of the coaches in church had to coax a girl down this flying fox... She was too afraid to let go... and she was hanging at the top of the platform for about 30 minutes crying.. All her friends had gone down and she desperately wanted to do it too.. But she was too afraid...
The coach said "Girl, listen to me, as surely as the wire is connected from here to the ground.. you will definitely reach the ground safely... You don't have to do anything... just let go and concentrate on breathing... you don't have to peddle... you don't have to wave your hands.. this involves no effort on your part... All you have to do is breath."
After she said that, the girl finally let go and sailed gracefully down to the ground...
That's the problem with most of us.. We are too afraid to let go... God wants desperately to bless us and to bring us to a better place.. be it a better job... a better situation.. a better relationship... All you have to do is to go with the flow and be aware of the opportunities that God is opening for you (don't worry about that.. God is very obvious when he wants to bless you with something)...
The things is... most of us have such a bad opinion of God we are so afraid to let go because we are afraid that it will lead us to somewhere even worse than our present situation... What these people need to do is to have a better opinion of God... just let go... And understand that living life is nothing more than just following God's flow and concentrating on breathing... It doesn't have to be such an effortful struggle everyday...
Effortful struggle... There was this smoker who came to church every sunday... He kept asking God for the strength and discipline to quit smoking because he desperately wanted to quit smoking for his kids... he prayed day and night but for 3 years he could not do it... he just couldn't... One day, he finally made up his mind that this struggle was too much for him... He told God:
"God, I can't do it. I just can't. I give up. You do it for me. Fix this part of my life. I trust you. It's all about you. Not about me."
Surprisingly, within 2 months, he was completely free from the addiction... This is a true testimony.. Not some bogus thing... Therefore, perhaps, its time for you to acknowledge, your weakness and just allow for God to take over...
Life doesn't have to be so difficult... You are supposed to enjoy it... Not hate it and struggle needlessly.. Of course... life is not a bed of roses.. but it doesn't have to be a bed of thorns. =)
Just let go k.
2 Short and powerful stories
Was speaking with Stella yesterday... Recalled a few short stories that I am dying to publish in this blog entry now... Wondering if I sounded a little too enthusiastic and intimidating yesterday... Maybe she's scared of me now... =) HAHA
Two stories for today... Butterfly and Bamboo
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Butterfly story (heard from Hanseng)
There was a boy who saw a butterfly struggling out of a cacoon... His heart melted when he saw the butterfly struggling so hard... He decided to give the butterfly a hand and help peal it out of the cacoon... Instead of coming out as a magnificent butterfly, the butterfly came out wet and wrinkled and died shortly...
Instead of helping it, the boy indirectly killed the butterfly... There are some people out there who are destined to become very strong and magnificent people... But before that, they have to undergo lots of hardship and struggling... It's the necessary process for greatness to be created... What you can do as the boy, is to just stand aside and watch... Look after the butterfly from a distance but do not meddle with it directly... This way, the butterfly will grow big and strong...
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The Bamboo story (heard from Pastor Lian)
There is this particular breed of bamboo that needs to be planted for 5 years before any visible signs of growth is seen. For the first 5 years, the planted seeds grow downwards expanding their roots.... You see nothing... and imagine that nothing is actually happening... But after 5 years, the bamboo actually grows 5 feet in one night... It is able to do so only because it had established a deep and sturdy root system in the past 5 years...
So no matter what you are praying for... or working for... remember that no results now doesn't mean that nothing is happening... It is just that you can't see it... If you persevere, you WILL have a breakthrough.
----------------------------------------------------------
Two stories for today... Butterfly and Bamboo
-----------------------------------------------------------
Butterfly story (heard from Hanseng)
There was a boy who saw a butterfly struggling out of a cacoon... His heart melted when he saw the butterfly struggling so hard... He decided to give the butterfly a hand and help peal it out of the cacoon... Instead of coming out as a magnificent butterfly, the butterfly came out wet and wrinkled and died shortly...
Instead of helping it, the boy indirectly killed the butterfly... There are some people out there who are destined to become very strong and magnificent people... But before that, they have to undergo lots of hardship and struggling... It's the necessary process for greatness to be created... What you can do as the boy, is to just stand aside and watch... Look after the butterfly from a distance but do not meddle with it directly... This way, the butterfly will grow big and strong...
-------------------------------------------------------------
The Bamboo story (heard from Pastor Lian)
There is this particular breed of bamboo that needs to be planted for 5 years before any visible signs of growth is seen. For the first 5 years, the planted seeds grow downwards expanding their roots.... You see nothing... and imagine that nothing is actually happening... But after 5 years, the bamboo actually grows 5 feet in one night... It is able to do so only because it had established a deep and sturdy root system in the past 5 years...
So no matter what you are praying for... or working for... remember that no results now doesn't mean that nothing is happening... It is just that you can't see it... If you persevere, you WILL have a breakthrough.
----------------------------------------------------------
Monday, October 13, 2008
Kingdom of God
Went to church yesterday… We had a guest speaker… Pastor Col Stringer… from down under… He preached about the gospel of the kingdom of God… He mentioned that the kingdom of God is here and now… right where we are at this very moment… and it does not operate on the same principles of the world… We are in this world but not of this world…
World says:
Kingdom of God says:
------------------------------------------------
Crush everyone on your way to the top… Destroy them completely
Bless the people who curse you…
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You are great and mighty… do not associate with the weak or you will be defiled…
The humbled will be exalted… Whoever wants to lead must first be a servant…
-------------------------------------------------
Hang on tight to what you have… Don’t be self sacrificial… no one will appreciate it anyway…
Give it all away and trust that God will restore to you more than what you have given up… Note that whilst we humans are only good at doing one thing (breathing)… God is good at doing the one thing that matters (saving us)….
--------------------------------------------------
If you are down with Aids and Cancer… You have a death sentence… prepare to die…
By Jesus’s blood, that disease has no right to be in your body… Jesus says that when hands are layed on the sick… they shall be healed… It’s a promise… 100% coverage… ALL are healed
--------------------------------------------------
A broken relationship can never be as good as before… like a broken mirror… can never be pieced together as perfectly as before…
God trains his people by breaking and molding them… and subjecting them to all kinds of challenges… Similarly, only relationships that have sustained all kinds of tests and trails are tested and proven strong… Don’t give up on your relationships… It’s never too late to make amends…
----------------------------------------------------
Don’t be so optimistic… you might be disappointed…
Have a good opinion of God and believe that he will work and will save you from every evil circumstance in your life (refer to Psalms 91)
-----------------------------------------------------
Do not be kind to people… They might take you for granted…
Love everyone around you… Love your neighbor as you do yourself… Love them with the same kind of love God loved you… A love great enough to sacrifice his only son… Do not be afraid of being taken for granted… For ultimately, it is not man who metes out judgment and reward… it is God.
-------------------------------------------------------
Always be aware of your own limitations… Don’t dream too big…
The sky is the limit… Nothing is too difficult for God… You are a prince/princess of God… Nothing is too difficult for you… Aim high…
Pardon me… I am writing this in a school computer lab without my bible for referencing… Also I have a couple of stressed out students around me being irritated by my loud typing… The point is… Seek first the kingdom of heaven and ALL else will added unto you.
All else… success in relationships… in business… in health… prosperity and wholeness in all areas of your life… All this will be added to you… but only if you give it all away first… stop looking at your own feeble hands… your own feeble strength… fix your eyes on God… and give up all you have for all those around you… Don’t depend on yourself… always fix your eyes on God… Remember, that he fights the battle for you… All you have to do is turn up for the battle… He will take care of everything else…
Remember the story of David and Goliath? All David had to do was to turn up at the battle… But even then… it was such a brave… courageous and faithful thing to do… He had real faith in God… 99.999% of us would probably be so scared we won’t even turn up for the battle…because the world says that we can't possibly win... we are just showing up to be slaughtered... But David was different… He had faith (a good opinion of God)… He believed that God was on his side... He really believed it...
Therefore, know this… just continue turning up for your battles… eventually, your adversaries will begin to understand that God is on your side… they can’t possibly win… And it is not you they are fighting… they are fighting against God…
No weapon formed against you shall prosper…
Believe it! =) Go out and live life with the boldness you ought to have... You are the protected, favoured and beloved one... Believe it!!!
World says:
Kingdom of God says:
------------------------------------------------
Crush everyone on your way to the top… Destroy them completely
Bless the people who curse you…
-------------------------------------------------
You are great and mighty… do not associate with the weak or you will be defiled…
The humbled will be exalted… Whoever wants to lead must first be a servant…
-------------------------------------------------
Hang on tight to what you have… Don’t be self sacrificial… no one will appreciate it anyway…
Give it all away and trust that God will restore to you more than what you have given up… Note that whilst we humans are only good at doing one thing (breathing)… God is good at doing the one thing that matters (saving us)….
--------------------------------------------------
If you are down with Aids and Cancer… You have a death sentence… prepare to die…
By Jesus’s blood, that disease has no right to be in your body… Jesus says that when hands are layed on the sick… they shall be healed… It’s a promise… 100% coverage… ALL are healed
--------------------------------------------------
A broken relationship can never be as good as before… like a broken mirror… can never be pieced together as perfectly as before…
God trains his people by breaking and molding them… and subjecting them to all kinds of challenges… Similarly, only relationships that have sustained all kinds of tests and trails are tested and proven strong… Don’t give up on your relationships… It’s never too late to make amends…
----------------------------------------------------
Don’t be so optimistic… you might be disappointed…
Have a good opinion of God and believe that he will work and will save you from every evil circumstance in your life (refer to Psalms 91)
-----------------------------------------------------
Do not be kind to people… They might take you for granted…
Love everyone around you… Love your neighbor as you do yourself… Love them with the same kind of love God loved you… A love great enough to sacrifice his only son… Do not be afraid of being taken for granted… For ultimately, it is not man who metes out judgment and reward… it is God.
-------------------------------------------------------
Always be aware of your own limitations… Don’t dream too big…
The sky is the limit… Nothing is too difficult for God… You are a prince/princess of God… Nothing is too difficult for you… Aim high…
Pardon me… I am writing this in a school computer lab without my bible for referencing… Also I have a couple of stressed out students around me being irritated by my loud typing… The point is… Seek first the kingdom of heaven and ALL else will added unto you.
All else… success in relationships… in business… in health… prosperity and wholeness in all areas of your life… All this will be added to you… but only if you give it all away first… stop looking at your own feeble hands… your own feeble strength… fix your eyes on God… and give up all you have for all those around you… Don’t depend on yourself… always fix your eyes on God… Remember, that he fights the battle for you… All you have to do is turn up for the battle… He will take care of everything else…
Remember the story of David and Goliath? All David had to do was to turn up at the battle… But even then… it was such a brave… courageous and faithful thing to do… He had real faith in God… 99.999% of us would probably be so scared we won’t even turn up for the battle…because the world says that we can't possibly win... we are just showing up to be slaughtered... But David was different… He had faith (a good opinion of God)… He believed that God was on his side... He really believed it...
Therefore, know this… just continue turning up for your battles… eventually, your adversaries will begin to understand that God is on your side… they can’t possibly win… And it is not you they are fighting… they are fighting against God…
No weapon formed against you shall prosper…
Believe it! =) Go out and live life with the boldness you ought to have... You are the protected, favoured and beloved one... Believe it!!!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Keep breathing
There was a big hole in my heart... When I moved around and struggled to stay alive.. I felt like a dead man walking.. The only way I could convince myself to stay alive is to stop loving myself.. Because if I did.. I would definitely sink into self-pity.. and I knew that there can be nothing more deadly than self pity...
So it was good... but I can no longer settle for a life of a walking dead... I need to really love myself then come back into terms with the abuse I have been through and move on with life as a real living and breathing person.. Not some substandard lizard or monster... I must be a human again...
Training at NTU really gave me back all the self-pride I needed to fuel my recovery... I am finally slowly starting to recover..
First stage of recovery - Extreme self pity and feeling of injustice (all suicide intentions come in here)
Second stage of recovery - Understanding that when everything falls apart.. you just have to trust God and continue breathing...
Third stage - Finally becoming Denise Thong once again...
I am not good at looking after myself... I am not good at surviving... what I am good at is breathing... So let me.. for now concentrate on breathing... and let God take care of the rest...
Life doesn't have to be that hard.. You just have to be less perfectionistic... you have just have to ignore the mean comments of other people... You just have to keep your eyes on God and know that you are the righteousness of God through the blood of Jesus... Nothing you do can earn God's grace and love... but all that... is already given to you through the death of Jesus.. So your job is just to rest and recieve...
Of course... escapism is not a good option.. somewhere along the way.. you just got to sit yourself down and think about what you have been through.. not to fuel your self-pity but to grow wiser from your experiences... Try not to lose yourself in your struggle to stay alive.. Instead.. learn how to be comfortable in the skin you own... that you can walk around in this skin.. and feel proud of being you...
I think that's what adulthood is all about... Becoming comfortable in your own skin....
So it was good... but I can no longer settle for a life of a walking dead... I need to really love myself then come back into terms with the abuse I have been through and move on with life as a real living and breathing person.. Not some substandard lizard or monster... I must be a human again...
Training at NTU really gave me back all the self-pride I needed to fuel my recovery... I am finally slowly starting to recover..
First stage of recovery - Extreme self pity and feeling of injustice (all suicide intentions come in here)
Second stage of recovery - Understanding that when everything falls apart.. you just have to trust God and continue breathing...
Third stage - Finally becoming Denise Thong once again...
I am not good at looking after myself... I am not good at surviving... what I am good at is breathing... So let me.. for now concentrate on breathing... and let God take care of the rest...
Life doesn't have to be that hard.. You just have to be less perfectionistic... you have just have to ignore the mean comments of other people... You just have to keep your eyes on God and know that you are the righteousness of God through the blood of Jesus... Nothing you do can earn God's grace and love... but all that... is already given to you through the death of Jesus.. So your job is just to rest and recieve...
Of course... escapism is not a good option.. somewhere along the way.. you just got to sit yourself down and think about what you have been through.. not to fuel your self-pity but to grow wiser from your experiences... Try not to lose yourself in your struggle to stay alive.. Instead.. learn how to be comfortable in the skin you own... that you can walk around in this skin.. and feel proud of being you...
I think that's what adulthood is all about... Becoming comfortable in your own skin....
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Emotional outburst
Something great happened.... I am going for AUG... well.. most probably... but I don't want to be so happy just as yet.. cannot be sure if it really will happen.. Whatever it is.. please pardon me as I express my great joy in the following emotional outburst.
I AM SO HAPPY!!! SO HAPPY!!! GOD, YOU FINALLY DID SOMETHING!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! OH MY GOD.. I AM SO HAPPY!!! SO HAPPY!!! HAVEN'T BEEN SO HAPPY IN AGES!!! SUFFERED SO MUCH!! AND NOW I FEEL THAT ITS ALL WORTH IT!!! SO IT IS TRUE, PRAYERS DO GET ANSWERED!!! I AM SO HAPPY!!!!!
Ok, with that said, IAM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO HAPPY. For such a long time, I totally gave up hope that God would do anything but inflict me with more challenges and trials... and on the night I gave up hope on God and totally believed that there is no one on earth and in heaven loves me, God finally answered!!! I was so sad I was ready to die. I cried so much that I had a terrible headache the next day. And then a miracle happened. The sports officer sent us the list of fighters. And my name was on it. For a moment, I didn't know how to react. I decided not to believe it.. But now, after 5 days.. the truth has finaly sunk in.. I am going for AUG!!! I am going to fight!!!! OMG... I am so happy!!! I can finally fight my first international tournament.. I can train with the national squad... and I have the chance of bringing a medal back for Singapore.. I AM SO SO SO HAPPY!! It's like striking lottery.
I endeavour to train even harder now that I know that I can go... I want to go and bring something back... For my parents who funded all my TKD fees... For Shifu who believed in me despite all the bad influences.. For Mam who rubber banded me to today's fitness and most importantly.. for God.. who saved my life...
I hope that through my success.. people out there would know that it doesn't matter how many times you fall... as long as God is with you.. you will rise up stronger than before... I want to show the world taekwondo is not only about trashing people and winning medals but also about perservering despite all circumstances.. It's about enduring all kinds of humiliation and pain and still having enough guts to stay alive with dignity...
It is the hard times that really show the character of a person... Anyone can be cheerful and positive when everything is going fine.. but when things start getting choppy.. that's when you need real faith to put on a smile and go on with life... I love taekwondo.. I really love taekwondo alot...
I AM SO HAPPY!!! SO HAPPY!!! GOD, YOU FINALLY DID SOMETHING!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! OH MY GOD.. I AM SO HAPPY!!! SO HAPPY!!! HAVEN'T BEEN SO HAPPY IN AGES!!! SUFFERED SO MUCH!! AND NOW I FEEL THAT ITS ALL WORTH IT!!! SO IT IS TRUE, PRAYERS DO GET ANSWERED!!! I AM SO HAPPY!!!!!
Ok, with that said, IAM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO HAPPY. For such a long time, I totally gave up hope that God would do anything but inflict me with more challenges and trials... and on the night I gave up hope on God and totally believed that there is no one on earth and in heaven loves me, God finally answered!!! I was so sad I was ready to die. I cried so much that I had a terrible headache the next day. And then a miracle happened. The sports officer sent us the list of fighters. And my name was on it. For a moment, I didn't know how to react. I decided not to believe it.. But now, after 5 days.. the truth has finaly sunk in.. I am going for AUG!!! I am going to fight!!!! OMG... I am so happy!!! I can finally fight my first international tournament.. I can train with the national squad... and I have the chance of bringing a medal back for Singapore.. I AM SO SO SO HAPPY!! It's like striking lottery.
I endeavour to train even harder now that I know that I can go... I want to go and bring something back... For my parents who funded all my TKD fees... For Shifu who believed in me despite all the bad influences.. For Mam who rubber banded me to today's fitness and most importantly.. for God.. who saved my life...
I hope that through my success.. people out there would know that it doesn't matter how many times you fall... as long as God is with you.. you will rise up stronger than before... I want to show the world taekwondo is not only about trashing people and winning medals but also about perservering despite all circumstances.. It's about enduring all kinds of humiliation and pain and still having enough guts to stay alive with dignity...
It is the hard times that really show the character of a person... Anyone can be cheerful and positive when everything is going fine.. but when things start getting choppy.. that's when you need real faith to put on a smile and go on with life... I love taekwondo.. I really love taekwondo alot...
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Believe that you can win
For fighters, I think its important that you before you fight a tournament, you make a list of reasons why you should fight.. and reasons why you must fight at your best and win... BUT first, you must believe truly that you can win....
There are people who enter the arena thinking they have no chance to win. And that they are just entering this tournament for the exposure. With this kind of mindset, it is only expected that they lose... The truth is.. the thing that makes us work hard, fight hard.. is the promise that at the end of it, we will be successful. So do not cut yourself short by convincing yourself that you have no chance of winning even if you tried your best.. If it is so, then I suggest you don't try at all.. If you want to try.. expect results.. Even if it is not by your own ability and doing, expect that God grace will suffice and he is always on your side.. With God on your side, be brave to dream big dreams...
It is easy for a fighter who has sacrifised so much and put in so much effort, lost so much blood and sweat and pride.. just to fight a tournament to understand this fact... this message is for all those who got it easy.... You might not display the drive because you do not understand what a privilege this is... you go for training as if it is a chore when there are so many people out there looking at you and wish for an opportunity as such... So, in whatever you do today... recognise it as a privilege, not a job... but a privilege...
Basically, I really enjoy doing taekwondo... i will liken it to something like going for a Seoul Gardens buffet... I enter training and get a buffet of kicks.. And I enjoy kicking so much.. its like eating the kicks... So, since it comes so easy to me, I don't have to keep pushing myself to kick well... I just have to embrace it as it comes and try to enjoy it as much as I can... It is that simple... Maybe its good to not think about the tournament, and just focus on the training, or rather, that particular kick at that point of them.. Don't carry too much emotional baggage into your kick... just relax and try to enjoy it...
Besides, you must know that at the end of the day, it is not hard work or drive or passion that brings us success and glory... it is the grace of God... Yes, it's true that with drive, passion and hard work, there is a higher chance of success, but it doesn't guarantee anything... So it is important to always fix your eyes on God and understand that God's grace covers everything.. its covers you completely. =)
There are people who enter the arena thinking they have no chance to win. And that they are just entering this tournament for the exposure. With this kind of mindset, it is only expected that they lose... The truth is.. the thing that makes us work hard, fight hard.. is the promise that at the end of it, we will be successful. So do not cut yourself short by convincing yourself that you have no chance of winning even if you tried your best.. If it is so, then I suggest you don't try at all.. If you want to try.. expect results.. Even if it is not by your own ability and doing, expect that God grace will suffice and he is always on your side.. With God on your side, be brave to dream big dreams...
It is easy for a fighter who has sacrifised so much and put in so much effort, lost so much blood and sweat and pride.. just to fight a tournament to understand this fact... this message is for all those who got it easy.... You might not display the drive because you do not understand what a privilege this is... you go for training as if it is a chore when there are so many people out there looking at you and wish for an opportunity as such... So, in whatever you do today... recognise it as a privilege, not a job... but a privilege...
Basically, I really enjoy doing taekwondo... i will liken it to something like going for a Seoul Gardens buffet... I enter training and get a buffet of kicks.. And I enjoy kicking so much.. its like eating the kicks... So, since it comes so easy to me, I don't have to keep pushing myself to kick well... I just have to embrace it as it comes and try to enjoy it as much as I can... It is that simple... Maybe its good to not think about the tournament, and just focus on the training, or rather, that particular kick at that point of them.. Don't carry too much emotional baggage into your kick... just relax and try to enjoy it...
Besides, you must know that at the end of the day, it is not hard work or drive or passion that brings us success and glory... it is the grace of God... Yes, it's true that with drive, passion and hard work, there is a higher chance of success, but it doesn't guarantee anything... So it is important to always fix your eyes on God and understand that God's grace covers everything.. its covers you completely. =)
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