For Such a Time as This

After listening to John Maxwell at the Hillsong Conference, I've been motivated and inspired to do some character studies as a part of my Bible reading plan. The first character whom I have just completed is Esther. 

The following verse caused a perspective mind shift on how I saw myself in various roles when I personalised the verse.              

                  

Esther 4:14 (NLT) - "Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" Instead of queen, I inserted service consultant, sister, friend, coach, mentor and thought, what were the implications of my roles? The thought of God specifically placing me in these roles for a reason and in some instances for a specific season just blew my mind. Meditating on this verse stops me from thinking about the ideals and helps me to focus on where He has placed me and to be faithful with what He has given me. It continues to give me fresh perspective when things get tough and encourages me to find renewed purpose and hope in what looks purposeless or hopeless. 

Furthermore, in the NKJV, it says this - "Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" God has chosen each of us to be a part of His kingdom at this point in time, no earlier, no later. Everyone has a different story and has a special part to play. I can't imagine what God has in store for us in these exciting times ahead. Although the road may seem hazy, may God give us the spiritual eyes to see what He desires of us in the midst of Satan trying to make us lose focus through uncertainty, fear, doubt or insecurity. 

It's All God's

I am reminded that everything that I have belongs to God - my finances, time, giftings, possessions. I've been thinking about the implications of this reminder. If God requests for ten percent of my salary to go back into church, then it shall be done because that is what God desires for His finances. I know that in the past, when I haven't had much, ten percent felt like a huge chunk. But then again, how many times have I spent money on things that don't have eternal value or were just for temporary satisfaction? It's the same in regards to my time. What is the ratio that I spend on mindless activities compared to activities that last for eternity? I am actually borrowing what is God's in order for "His kingdom to come, His will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven." In this I am comforted that if I need something or if I lose something that is of importance, that God has already got it covered. I am also constantly encouraged by Luke 16:10 - “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities."

God in Everyday Life

I love this space that God has given me. I've been actively seeking God on a day to day basis; in the events that happen, in the people that I meet, in my job, in life. When I was taking the train home on Thursday, an elderly man saw another passenger and said to him, "When I saw you, I knew that I was on the right train." I think that is how God works with many of us. Some people may get huge revelations about where they're heading in life. For others like myself, God is in the little things. He drops us hints, a sign or a thought to guide or affirm us in the direction that we're heading. However we have to look out for them, something that I often forget to do, especially when I'm worried or frustrated. Many times we ask and wait for God to give us in your face guidance about where we should go. But He's not like that. His Spirit is gentle and if we just quietened our own spirits, then maybe we'd just be able to hear or see Him a little clearer. I loved what Josiah Connor preached last Wednesday at Oxygen Live about how "the story that we see ourselves is what we live" and it's about us aligning with God's story and not about trying to get God to align with ours. I've also been inspired by Ken Duncan's story tonight at church. He showed us these amazing photos that he took. What stood out for me tonight was about how awesome and real God is, whose existence is evident in all of creation and how our hope should only be placed in Him. In this, our fears and worries will seem very small when we believe that our God is in complete control. By having that assurance, He will give us that perfect peace that only He can provide. A final challenging thought that Ken mentioned was about putting ourselves in a position where we need a miracle in order to see one and about how God doesn't work around our capacity but His. Here's one of my favourite Ken Duncan photographs! 

Leading Yourself

I've finally found time to post the following words that I had shared with my Network, now known as EMANATE at our gathering last month. I am absolutely excited about where God is taking us in this new season as we look forward to the new things that He has in store for us. 

A question that I've been thinking about recently is "Who, or what is leading you?" 

A natural instinct that we all have is to follow and rely on someone, whether it is a friend, a partner, a sibling, a parent, or a leader. Then there are also factors such as fear, pride, sin and our past that also affect the decisions that we make in life. However, what if that person wasn't around anymore? Would you still be able to function on your own? What if a certain factor did not have a stronghold over your life - how much further would you be? There will be decisions that we will have to make on our own, in order to grow in life and to follow God's calling for our lives. 

It takes personal leadership and initiative to be good at an instrument or sport, in finishing your university course, in finding a job, in keeping healthy friendships and relationships and in being a passionate follower of Christ, through your personal walk with Him. Also, in order to lead others, whether it be a small or large capacity, we need to know how to lead ourselves first. I'm a strong believer in the following quote: "Give a person fish and you feed them for a day. Teach a person how to fish and you feed them for a lifetime." I think that we not only need to learn how to lead ourselves but we need to teach others what it means to take leadership of their own lives as well.

How you lead your life will affect your future, both in the short and long term. Therefore, it is important that we all learn to lead ourselves in our attitudes, in our giftings, in our decisions and in our circles of influence, no matter how you feel, no matter what other people say and no matter the circumstance. 

I'm going to wrap this up with the lyrics of a Switchfoot song: "This is your life, are you who you want to be? This is your life, is it everything that you dreamed that it would be when the world was younger, and you had everything to lose?" 

My Baking Expedition

This past month I've been trying out new recipes that go beyond my banana cake, and Al's and my famous choc chip cookies. I discovered that I can spend up to a day baking without getting sick of it. This has definitely been made easier with my 21st gifts of a hand mixer and the Choc recipe book so thanks guys!!! 

Vienna Jam Fingers

Ladies Kisses

Bitter Choc Mint Tart

Jam Drops

Choc Mint Cookies

A Ride Into the Unknown

Another month has almost passed and I am still in the same period of uncertainty.. not knowing where I'm heading job wise / career wise. Yes, I've specialised in two majors for my uni course but it's still so broad within itself about what I can do, where I should go and how I can use the knowledge and experiences that I have gained. Now I am just waiting on God to open that right door. It's times like these where there may not seem to be much hope but right from the very Word of God.  Two verses come to mind. 

Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Proverbs 16:9 - "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps."

So after 25 job applications, 7 interviews / assessment centres and coming a close second for 2 jobs, as frustrating as it has been, I am now at a place where I can acknowledge that I have been blessed to have had all of that practice in such a short amount of time, ready to claim the future job that God has already planned for me. 

For those who are in the process of looking for jobs, a few things that I've learnt in terms of interview practice is:

1) Be confident in who you are and what you can do

- Confidence comes from practice and the constructive feedback that you get. 

- I used to hate talking about myself but Mum used to tell me, "An interview is not the time to be modest."

- I learnt that the content that I shared could be the very thing that puts me ahead of another candidate.

2) Be enthusiastic about the job

- No matter what preference / preconceived thoughts you have for a certain job or company, talk as if this is the only job that you want. Who knows, it could be a stepping stone to something greater! 

3) Protect yourself

- Do what is best for you and always have a backup plan. 

All the best and I can't wait to hear success stories / testimonies in the near future!

Devo: Temporary or Eternal Value?

In the past couple of weeks, I've been hearing stories about how major, life changing decisions were made in certain individuals' hospital beds, which had led them to start up a non-for-profit (NFP) organisation or church. Throughout the years, God has been intercepting with our values at various points in our lives but He still continues to remind us of two fundamental values that we need to strive to keep consistently in our daily life. That is, that "life is about Him and about people" and that it is not all about wealth, fame, popularity and all of the other treasures on earth that we tend to try and store for ourselves. Sometimes we lose focus of these values because of factors such as busyness or social influence. Other times, we may find ourselves so task focused that we forget about the people around us. In this, I've been reminded of the following verse. 2 Corinthians 4:18 - "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Some questions that I continue to ask myself are: 

• Is what I am doing, including daily tasks, of temporary or eternal value?
• Are my actions aligned with my so called priorities?
• What is it that I want to have accomplished before my time here on earth is over?

Whether our calling is to ministry through a church or NFP organisation or other places that we spend majority of our time at such as work, university or sporting clubs, I encourage you to take some time out of your day to talk to someone, to have a meal or even to act in the simplest way to show that you actually care. One small action could lead to something that lasts forever, in your life and in the life of another.