Transformed by Trouble
Everything happens for a reason..................
I have always heard this phrase from friends and said it many times myself. In this trimester, it feel that i am really experiencing its meaning, and I am truly amazed by way the EVERYTHING happened.
I would say that relationship problem was my biggest problem! It caused me not only family problems but began interefering with my studies, that i realized it just wasn't meant to be. I would not go into the details of the whole story as it would be too long, but for those of you who had read my previous blogs may get a better picture. (its not available online now, but you can always find out from me)
Lesson 1
People walk in and out of our live but true friends leave footprints in our heart
Pirana was a great friend to the goldfish. Even though things lead to love, and reversed back to friendship, I must admit he was a great friend and has touched my heart in many ways.
Lesson 2
You don't get acquainted by chance. God meets you up for a purpose.
Pirana and i actually knew of each other's existence when they were little children because our parents were family friends. But we only talked when we met during my industrial training. Our acquaintance developed into friendship and soon evolved into love. Yes, there were many similarities and complements between us, but as the song goes, "Sometimes love just ain't enough"....and when you know that the two of you are just incompatible, it's better to end it earlier when the attachment is not yet too stong. It was nobody's fault. We were just incompatible.
But saying our first "Hi" to each other really had deeper purposes although it seemed to halt at friendship. I learnt many things about life and business from him. We also realized that there were many things that we wanted to do for God for a long time but we had kept putting it off. After becoming friends, we actually encouraged each other towards achieving those individual goals.
Pirana and I are not from the same church but he's very active and experienced in his youth group. I expressed the plight of the youth group in my church which was so inactive and its need for help. Pirana volunteered himself and he's doing a great job leading the young people, organizing various beneficial and meaningful activities to keep them occupied and develop themselves, and he's even helping youth with personal problems. Even now that we are just friends, his work for the Lord continues and i believe this was God's plan.
I also learnt a lot from the qualities he exhibited, and some of the things he has said and done are stuck with me for life. For example, when I was going through a rough patch in my life, he told me, "Look up into the sky. Take a deep breath and feel the presence of God." And that has just stuck with me. Sometimes when I walk to class with many cares on my mind, his words come to me and i feel comforted,remembering that God is there.
We had encouraged and strengthened each other a lot.I would say that knowing each other truly made us better people. God did plan our acquaintance.
Lesson 3
Problems in life are testing grounds. It makes you a stronger and better person.
I seriously ended my relationship with pirana during one of the most hectic and stressful time of my trimester; having 3 midterms in 2 weeks and loads of assignment and presentations. I told him I wanted to end it all when I had a paper the next morning at 8 am. I had not finished revising that night, but i knew I had to end what was leading nowhere or it would keep troubling my mind...with all the factors involved; family, studies, future plans, my own personality and his, other guys, church etc.
It was during my stressful period that the Lord taught me to discipline my mind to concentrate on my studies. Even when pirana knew I had an exam at 8am the next day, and yet disturbed my sleep at 4am through his unneccesary sms, Jesus helped me to focus on answering my paper and even gave me remarkable results despite the ordeal i went through ( i got the highest in class!). Truly, I owe that results to Jesus. I know I couldn't have achieved it by my own strength.
Seriously, it is through my darkest days that i have been privileged to experience the peace and strength of God by spending more time in prayer and reading the Word. And I have become a stronger person, both emotionally and mentally. This experience made me realize that it also takes strength to let go, and now when people share experiences of "break up", I know how it feels and can relate better to it. Besides, it will help me make wiser decisions in the future.
Truly:
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" - 2 Corinthians 4:17 (The Bible)
Joni Eareckson Tada (http://www.joniandfriends.org/about/tadabio.shtml), a well renowned writer and speaker who became paralyzed at the tender age of 17 due to a diving accident once said "When life is rosy, we may slide by with knowing about Jesus, imitating him and by quoting Him and speaking about Him. But only in suffering, we KNOW Jesus.
Corrie then Boom (http://www.soon.org.uk/true_stories/holocaust.htm) , who suffered in a Nazi death camp during World War 2 talked about the power of focus: "If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you'll be at rest."
I have always heard this phrase from friends and said it many times myself. In this trimester, it feel that i am really experiencing its meaning, and I am truly amazed by way the EVERYTHING happened.
I would say that relationship problem was my biggest problem! It caused me not only family problems but began interefering with my studies, that i realized it just wasn't meant to be. I would not go into the details of the whole story as it would be too long, but for those of you who had read my previous blogs may get a better picture. (its not available online now, but you can always find out from me)
Lesson 1
People walk in and out of our live but true friends leave footprints in our heart
Pirana was a great friend to the goldfish. Even though things lead to love, and reversed back to friendship, I must admit he was a great friend and has touched my heart in many ways.
Lesson 2
You don't get acquainted by chance. God meets you up for a purpose.
Pirana and i actually knew of each other's existence when they were little children because our parents were family friends. But we only talked when we met during my industrial training. Our acquaintance developed into friendship and soon evolved into love. Yes, there were many similarities and complements between us, but as the song goes, "Sometimes love just ain't enough"....and when you know that the two of you are just incompatible, it's better to end it earlier when the attachment is not yet too stong. It was nobody's fault. We were just incompatible.
But saying our first "Hi" to each other really had deeper purposes although it seemed to halt at friendship. I learnt many things about life and business from him. We also realized that there were many things that we wanted to do for God for a long time but we had kept putting it off. After becoming friends, we actually encouraged each other towards achieving those individual goals.
Pirana and I are not from the same church but he's very active and experienced in his youth group. I expressed the plight of the youth group in my church which was so inactive and its need for help. Pirana volunteered himself and he's doing a great job leading the young people, organizing various beneficial and meaningful activities to keep them occupied and develop themselves, and he's even helping youth with personal problems. Even now that we are just friends, his work for the Lord continues and i believe this was God's plan.
I also learnt a lot from the qualities he exhibited, and some of the things he has said and done are stuck with me for life. For example, when I was going through a rough patch in my life, he told me, "Look up into the sky. Take a deep breath and feel the presence of God." And that has just stuck with me. Sometimes when I walk to class with many cares on my mind, his words come to me and i feel comforted,remembering that God is there.
We had encouraged and strengthened each other a lot.I would say that knowing each other truly made us better people. God did plan our acquaintance.
Lesson 3
Problems in life are testing grounds. It makes you a stronger and better person.
I seriously ended my relationship with pirana during one of the most hectic and stressful time of my trimester; having 3 midterms in 2 weeks and loads of assignment and presentations. I told him I wanted to end it all when I had a paper the next morning at 8 am. I had not finished revising that night, but i knew I had to end what was leading nowhere or it would keep troubling my mind...with all the factors involved; family, studies, future plans, my own personality and his, other guys, church etc.
It was during my stressful period that the Lord taught me to discipline my mind to concentrate on my studies. Even when pirana knew I had an exam at 8am the next day, and yet disturbed my sleep at 4am through his unneccesary sms, Jesus helped me to focus on answering my paper and even gave me remarkable results despite the ordeal i went through ( i got the highest in class!). Truly, I owe that results to Jesus. I know I couldn't have achieved it by my own strength.
Seriously, it is through my darkest days that i have been privileged to experience the peace and strength of God by spending more time in prayer and reading the Word. And I have become a stronger person, both emotionally and mentally. This experience made me realize that it also takes strength to let go, and now when people share experiences of "break up", I know how it feels and can relate better to it. Besides, it will help me make wiser decisions in the future.
Truly:
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" - 2 Corinthians 4:17 (The Bible)
Joni Eareckson Tada (http://www.joniandfriends.org/about/tadabio.shtml), a well renowned writer and speaker who became paralyzed at the tender age of 17 due to a diving accident once said "When life is rosy, we may slide by with knowing about Jesus, imitating him and by quoting Him and speaking about Him. But only in suffering, we KNOW Jesus.
Corrie then Boom (http://www.soon.org.uk/true_stories/holocaust.htm) , who suffered in a Nazi death camp during World War 2 talked about the power of focus: "If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you'll be at rest."
Well, well......I know i have not gone through the kind of trials and suffering that these 2 remarkable women, among countless other men and women, have endured. But i have experienced the truth in what they say.
And indeed,
"And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28 (The Bible)
So my dear friends, when troubles come your way, do not fret:)....You will be transformed for the better by troubles if you take it with the right attitude....Everything happens for a purpose:)
posted by JJ at 1:14 AM
2 Comments:
> You don't get acquainted by chance. God meets you up for a purpose.
[max] what is the purpose of women being 'acquianted' with rapists who 'just happen to be' in the area ..
rmacapobre....u really do ask thought provoking questions. You got me thinking..Thank you for your questions. I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Please keep your comments coming.
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