Hardship breeds appreciation

It is really true.. that hardship brings out the best in you... And its also true that hardship makes you appreciate the happy moments so much more... IF YOU LET IT...

Of course hardship can also destroy you and plant seeds of hatred and vengence in your heart... but just like any good thing in life.. you must learn to allow for God to let it work for the better...

God needs to enlarge and strengthen his people through hardship... its just the way things are molded... A piece of glass needs to be heated and softened up by fire before it can be molded... No one can shaped if he isn't first humbled...

So when hardship comes... don't look at it and think "SIANZ.. that again... Life sucks." Instead, understand that this is NECESSARY challenge to help you become a better version of yourself.. You might not understand it now... you might feel mighty lonely and abandoned.. but it is at these most trying moments that God is closest to you... So enjoy this feeling of love.. and ultimate dependence on God.. You'll learn that you are actually not in control of everything... but that's ok.. Cause God who is in control of everything loves you... and he is ON YOUR SIDE... so you don't have to worry or fear... just be yourself... and endure the challenge...


The thing about life.. when I was younger.. in my teens.. I felt that love songs and movies.. and sunsets were beautiful... but lame... and I never could understand why adults are able to view and treasure these things in such romantic abstract ways... I found it completely uncool to be all over such mundane day to day things.. I seriously found it totally uncool...

It was only as I experienced more and more hardship and trauma that I begun to truly value the simple things in life... simple things like children laughing and playing.. sunsets.. love songs... all carry new meaning to me now.. and simply acts of kindness are sufficient to touch me to tears..

The thing is.. how can you truly understand the value of a warm blanket until you have experienced real cold? Yes... and its precisely because of all my bad experiences that I now am truly able to appreciate the simple things in life...

When I was only a child.. below the age of 10.. I used to enjoy going to hotels on grand buffets and all sorts of high class things.. those were events I looked forward to.. Nowadays.. even going to Ikea for lunch.. or to taekwondo training.. is an event for me.. I seriously... took all these for granted.. but now, having witnessed so much ugliness and injustice in this world... all these little things seem so precious to me...

And because I can appreciate these small and simple things in life now.. I find it so much more joyful to be alive... to be able to wake each day.. with everything I have now... Of course I might not be as rich and beautiful as Angelina Jolie.. but does Angelina Jolie have a Loki as cute as mine? OR does she get to come down to NTU everyday to train? And she doesn't get to come down to sportsteam to play with the adorable kiddos... Nahz.. I am the lucky one... I have all these things to look forward to when I wake up tomorrow.. =)

Thanks God!! You're the best!!!