My Walk with God 🌱

Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. -Psalm 145:2 Have you ever been on the receiving end of an unexpected but much appreciated act of kindness? It is a beautiful feeling knowing that someone considered you and met you at a point of need with their act of kindness. Not all acts of kindness come gift-wrapped, or from someone we can see, or with a price tag. In fact, everyday we are on the constant receiving end of a mutitude of gifts. Consider our senses, without which we wouldn't hear beautiful songs, or see the sunsets around us, or smell that rose in the garden or even taste delicious fruits or the lovely meals prepared with love. How about a family member, a friend, a neighbour, or even a complete stranger who is there for us if needed? Even the ability to heal when we get a cut, or the ability to walk or run or do simple tasks? “When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.” -Vietnamese Proverb Today, we have so much to be thankf...

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” -Matthew 18:12-14 This week, I came across a piece of art in my archives which has been one of my all time favorites. I don't know who the artist was, but I consider it a deeply meaningful image. It depicts a sheep that has found itself in a precarious position, and its shepherd having placed himself in a risky position to be able to rescue the sheep. Several questions usually surface in my mind when I reflect on this. How did the sheep get there? Didn't it realize how dangerous it was before reaching so far? How did the shepherd find the sheep? How many times has the shepherd or the sh...

I thank God every time I remember you. - Philippians 1:3 Sometimes, just sometimes, we ought to stop, reflect, and appreciate what we truly have before it becomes 'had'. Tonight I just want to say a simple Thank You to my mother, for the many complicated things she did for me that were simplified by love.  Thank you for your patience, your love, your sacrifices, your training and your nurturing. Thank you for trying to protect us even when things were hard. Thank you for being my most silent supporter in the background, yet my biggest cheerleader. Thank you for continually trying to be the best role model you can be. Thank you for putting up with me, on my moody days, my tired days, the days when I just feel like retreating to my quiet shell. Thank you for guiding me on the straight path, for being a Christian mother, for loving the Lord, for your many many prayers. Thank you for thinking of us when you find a new recipe, or a funny video, or a new flower or plant you are excit...

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” - John 4: 13-14 The woman at the well is a classic character in the gospel accounts. The story can be found in John 4 (which you are encouraged to read), but this is a quick summary. She goes to the well to draw water, and meets Jesus who is seated there. He asks her for some water, but she is confused that he would consider asking her for water. During a meaningful conversation, Jesus tells her that He has a better water, a living water, and if she would drink from this water, she would never thirst again. At the end of the conversation, Jesus reveals his identity and she fully understands what he was saying. Jesus was the Messiah, and he was referring to himself and the fulfilment that comes from accepting and pursuing God in faith, in spirit, and in truth....

'The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love." -Psalm 147: 11 "Hope floats" .  Have you ever heard this term? What does it mean? It describes the ability that hope gives to rise above and eventually overcome difficulties and hardships, which can otherwise weigh down on ones spirit, slow down ones progress or trigger the temptation of giving up. Picture yourself on a long exhausting journey, and no end in sight. We continue not knowing if we will ever reach our destination. However, if it is a place we have been to before or been told of it before, we know it exists, we have its image in our mind, we walk with the hope of seeing it at the end.  We are acquainted all too well with life's twists and turns, but through it all, we hold on to hope, that things will get better. Some may place our hope in a human being like ourselves, a thing or even an event. These may fail us. For the Christian, our blessed hope doesn't only re...

"Not that I have already obtained it, this goal of being Christlike, or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that perfection for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own." - Philippians 3:12 QUESTION : What does a slippery salmon and a rip-current have in common? Continue reading 😎 Have you ever tried to swim upstream in a river? For those who have, they often say it is a tiring process, sometimes even futile for those who are not strong enough swimmers. There is a particular fish that has been known to do this very thing, at least once in its lifetime. The salmon, who is usually born in fresh water (rivers), tend to live most of their lives downstream in the ocean. When it is time for them to lay their eggs however, they instinctively return to the areas they were born, which unusually requires for them to find their way from the ocean back to the rivers, and successfully swim upstream.  I have another analogy I ha...

"Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God. Thy Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness." - Psalm 143:10 Decisions, decisions. We make them everyday. They can range from what to have for breakfast, to what movie to watch, and these choices can be made in split seconds without much thinking because they are considered to be low-impact decisions. Then there are the high-impact major decisions. These can be contemplating on which university to attend, or where to live or who to marry. These are decisions that require a little more thought, because the way forward and their consequences can be life-changing, as they aren't easily reversible. It goes without saying that we all want the best possible future outcome.  For the Christian, there is an additional dimension - we desire the assurance of a decision or path that has been guided by God. When one makes a decision based on ones own judgement, we tend to have to take responsibility for that path. However, when...