A life worth living.

The secret of a beautiful existence.

With the dawn of every new year, we can’t help but get excited at the thought of a new beginning. We start the new year full of hope, anticipating only good things to happen because we’re committed to doing everything right this time around. We should have an optimistic attitude towards the future, but we need to be cautious about allowing ourselves to dream about a new year filled only with joy and perfection. Our hearts are made for bliss and we live our lives in search of happiness, disregarding the reality that God alone can bring us the happiness we’re searching for. We need not allow our pursuit of happiness to replace our pursuit of God. A life is not worth living if all we’re living for is making ourselves happy. True purpose and fulfillment is not found in seeking our own happiness; it is found in knowing God and surrendering to His will for our lives. Yes, God will give us moments of happiness throughout our lives, but they are only small glimpses of our true Joy, Jesus Christ. Our hearts become shallow and our purpose goes unmet when our reason for existing is the mere pursuit of happiness. The human heart is deceitful beyond all measure and what we sometimes think will cause us happiness might be a real cause of grief and disappointment in the end. But did you know that pain and suffering can give way to beauty, a real source of joy? You see, our lives are like tapestries, carefully created by the hand of our skilled Weaver. In the beautiful pattern that’s displayed, there are both threads of gold and grey. The good times and the bad times of our lives together create the most magnificent tapestry ever seen. Only God knows what this year will bring; we might encounter moments of happiness, as well as moments of sadness. However, we can’t expect only moments of joy; pain is just as essential as happiness on life’s journey. Usually, we don’t see the beauty pain can create in our lives while being in the midst of experiencing it, but we do find new beauty after the pain has pierced our hearts. My intention is not to say that pain is good in itself or that pain will always have good consequences in our lives. What I’m trying to say is that we should start looking at pain in a different light. Pain can be used by God in a creative way for our benefit, if we choose to trust God even when it hurts. Did you know that pearls are the result of pain caused by irritation? When the shell of an oyster is invaded by a foreign object, such as a grain of sand, the healing fluids produced by the oyster cover the grain of sand in an effort to reduce the irritation that tries to destroy the delicate shell. Those healing fluids come together to create a beautiful pearl. Without the pain caused by the roughness of the sand, there would be no pearl. Pain creates depth of character. It gives way to hidden beauty, the kind of beauty that lives inside the heart, just like pearls live inside the shell of the oyster. Pain makes us humble because it helps us realize how dependent we truly are on God. Pain gives us compassionate hearts by helping us identify with someone else’s suffering. Trusting God in the midst of pain and suffering solidifies our faith and makes us stronger. Humility, compassion, faith, and strength are only a few of the beautiful pearls that pain can create in our heart. God does not like to see us suffer, but He does allow pain into our lives because he delights in giving depth to our shallow hearts. We need to look at pain with different eyes. Even Jesus suffered the excruciating pain of the beatings and the crucifixion for the joy set before Him. Our suffering is not in vain; it is carefully allowed into our lives for a purpose. As the tapestry of our lives will continue to be weaved throughout the year that has just begun, may we trust the hand of The Weaver as He skillfully creates a beautiful pattern for our lives! May we look forward to the moments of joy that await us, but may we also embrace the moments of sadness that might come our way with hearts full of faith in a God who is so worth our trust!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

When God sets the standard.

Breaking away from mediocre Christianity.

The Church finds itself in the midst of a tragic dilemma. In our attempt of running away from legalism, it seems that we have abandoned holiness altogether. Why should we allow the fear of being labeled “legalistic” to keep us from becoming holy? The Christian life is one of becoming more and more like Christ, or growing in holiness. The Bible clearly states that, “without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14b, NIV); yet how often is holiness preached from the pulpit of our churches? We know God is holy. We sing it in our worship songs over and over again, but do we really know what it means? The tendency of the Church is to think of God as loving because of His sacrifice for us but that’s about it. Yes, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is the epitome of God’s love for us, but the way we think of His sacrifice is extremely crucial. Today, many Christians don’t understand the depth of God’s love and they misunderstand the grace of God as a result. This misconception has its roots in the way Christians perceive God’s holiness. God is not just loving, He is also holy. The fact that God didn’t just forgive us without sending His only son to be punished for our sins attests to this truth. Because God is holy, He is not a God of cheap grace; His grace possesses the highest of value. The problem with today’s Christianity is that it takes God’s grace too lightly. I’m in no way suggesting that we can buy our own salvation; the only way to being saved is by faith alone and this is because of God’s undeserved grace. My point is that if believers truly understood God’s grace, they would be truly changed as a result. There’s a hidden lie floating around in the Church today and it goes something like this, “There’s no need to let go of your sin, God loves you anyways. So, go ahead, watch the same movies, listen to the same music, read the same magazines; do everything that the world does. Shouldn’t Christians try to be relevant anyways?” The danger caused by this subtle, yet powerful lie is more devastating than we could ever imagine! God’s love leads us to repentance; repentance leads us to experiencing His grace, which in turn produces real change in our lives. If someone’s heart has been changed by Christ, how can that person still love the things of this world? He/she simply can’t! My fear is that many so-called “Christians” are not really Christians because they haven’t experienced real change in their lives. In our modern churches, pastors often “water down” the Gospel in an attempt to grow in number; but the true message of the Gospel does not tickle the ears- it calls for complete surrender to Jesus Christ, which blossoms in a death to self. Today, people don’t want to hear this truth because they want to continue living in their sin. One cannot be a follower of Christ and be in love with sin at the same time. It’s either we take up our cross and follow Him or we don’t. There’s no such thing as partial-surrender. It’s so disappointing to see that so many churches (especially mega churches) have become like the world because their desire for attracting people is greater than their desire to stay true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How tragic it is when unbelievers come with thirsty hearts to our churches only to find that the “church” is just like the world they’re so weary of! We speak of leading people to Christ, yet how can we do so if we don’t give them the whole Gospel? God is not just loving, He is also holy, and He calls us to live holy lives by the power of His Spirit living in us. It’s time for Christians to live lives worthy of the calling they have received and to live by God’s standards, not the world’s. We are called to separate ourselves from the pollution of the world, but our churches are filled with Christians who are polluted by it. God is looking for people who are true to Him in a time when the Church is rapidly vanishing away into the darkness of this world. We simply cannot shine the light of God in this dark world if we partake in its darkness by indulging in sin. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the Christian life doesn’t require sacrifice. It does, but the life God intended for us is found when we lay down our lives as a sacrifice of love for the One who loved us first. Will you embrace the call of God to be radically, completely, and absolutely set-apart from the world?

Do you struggle with depression?

Only God can heal the soul.

Fall is a beautiful season. Everywhere you look, tones of brown, yellow, and red capture your eyes and bring color to your world. I love walking outside in the crisp air and admiring God’s canvas. Sadly, the trees’ beauty is only temporary as hundreds of their leaves rest lifelessly on the ground. Though the colors of fall bring much warmth to my heart, I find myself battling with sadness sometimes. As I struggle to embrace the change that’s happening all around me, depression fights to win my heart. Could it be because fall brings with it many memories from the past that I wish I could forget? Or is it just because I have a hard time accepting change? Whatever the cause may be, I know I’m not the only one feeling like this. Do you know what it feels like to be lonely even when you’re surrounded by people who love you? Have you ever felt so sad you don’t even want to let the tears fall because you know they won’t bring healing? As I’m typing this I realize just how real depression is. Even though there’s the temptation to cover up what I’m feeling, I want to be real. If you’re human, you know what depression feels like, yet how many of us dare to admit what we’re truly feeling? We live in a world that runs from pain by seeking comfort in things that don’t satisfy. When people see that the pain is resurfacing, they run from it even more, often trying to cover it up in the hopes of becoming numb to it. I never want to become numb. I would rather feel pain instead of feeling nothing. Did you know God sometimes uses depression as a way of drawing us back to himself? What may seem to us like pointless pain could actually lead us straight into God’s arms! As Christians, we tend to get shy when it comes to the issue of depression. I think it’s because we feel guilty for not having it all together, but have you ever read the book of Psalms? This book is filled with prayers of Christians who chose to be real with God. I love reading Psalms because it helps me realize the fact that I shouldn’t be ashamed of feeling pain and sadness. Even David, a mighty man of God, experienced depression. In verse 6 of Psalm 38 he writes, “I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning.” I love his sincerity as he pours out his heart in verses 9 and 10, “All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes.” Wow, how comforting it is to be able to identify with the pain David experienced! The resounding question is, how do we deal with depression? The answer lies in verse 15, “LORD, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God.” Other translations substitute the word “wait” with “hope.” Hope in God and pour out your heart before Him in a prayer that is honest and real! How encouraging to know that God hears our prayer and He will answer us! Are you looking to Him for healing?