my story (3)

my loneliest night

I came home to a very quiet & lonely apartment. There was no one I could talk to. Lord, where are You?

Tears rolled down my face. I felt so lost & lonely. I tried to make sense of what was happening. I couldn't believe I had succumbed to the very illness I had worked so hard to avoid all these years. I had seen how my late sister had struggled & suffered when she had breast cancer 18 years ago. Haven't I followed the healthy lifestyle as prescribed by health books? Then how come I still have cancer? What has gone wrong? What stage is my cancer? Will I die? How long more can I live? What should I do now? There were so many questions but no answers.

I knelt down beside my bed in desperation. I cried out to the Lord. I questioned, I pleaded, I implored. I told God I was scared. I prayed, "Lord, I don't know what to do but my eyes are on You." I was on my knees for hours, with my Bible before me. I didn't sleep the whole night. I could sense the Lord's presence in my loneliest moments. God saw my anguish, my pain, my fears. I asked the Lord for a Bible verse to assure me He would be with me all the way. I opened my Bible & this verse caught my eyes :

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalm 73:26)

God spoke to me. I heard Him. God had given me His word. God promised He would be my Strength & my Portion forever. That was sufficient. That was all I needed to know - that God was with me & I was not alone. God's words gave me comfort. God's words gave me assurance. God's words gave me hope against all hope. I ended my prayer, "Lord, no matter how hard or uncertain the journey, I know I can trust You all the way."

I lifted myself up. I felt much strengthened. I was ready to begin my journey with cancer. God had assured me He would fight this battle for me. This battle belonged to God. The battle would be fought not in my strength, but in His strength. If God is with me, what do I fear? The words of the psalmist came to my mind, "When I am afraid, I will trust in You......in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can 'cancer' do to me?" (Psalm 56:3-4)

I spent the wee hours of the morning sending emails to all my contacts. Although tired & hungry, I felt I was ready for the battle ahead of me. God had strengthened me. God had comforted me. God had assured me. I was confident I would win the battle against cancer in the Lord's strength. God is Sovereign & is in full control of my life. I submitted myself to the Lord's will.

The journey into the unknown had just begun. The worst was yet to come. In the coming weeks & months, I suffered the most agonising pain in my life

........ to be continued in the next instalment.

Lesson : God is strong when we are weak.
When we are at the lowest point in our life, only God's strength is sufficient to sustain us. God is strongest when we are weakest.

Application : What will you do when your burden is so heavy you feel you can't carry on anymore?

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

my story (2)

"What? Nose cancer?"

In early July 2006, after less than 2 weeks of swimming lessons, my left ear developed an unusual ringing sound. I stopped my swimming lesson immediately.

I had a strange feeling something was wrong with my left ear. Maybe water had gone into my ear & it should clear, I thought. When it didn't get better, I went to consult a doctor who prescribed ear drops for infection. But my left ear not only grew worse, it was now blocked. I couldn't hear clearly. I became very concerned. I was referred to an ENT specialist. A biopsy was done on 8 Aug 2006. The result confirmed a malignant tumour behind the nose. I was told I had nose cancer.

The news came as a shock to me. It had started as an innocent ringing sound on my left ear. How could it turn out to be cancer? How could a small problem turn out to be so serious? It just didn't make sense to me. Everything was fine just one month ago. How could things change so fast within a month? I never had problems with my nose before -- no bleeding, no sinus, no running nose. How could I possibly have nose cancer? If it had been breast cancer, I think I might have believed it more easily as my sister had breast cancer. But nose cancer? I wished it was all a dream but it was not. The report was right before me. I had been diagnosed with nose cancer.

I was very calm when the ENT doctor broke the devastating news to me. I was too shocked to cry. But the doctor had tears in her eyes. She probably felt guilty as she knew that her ENT team at Alexandra Hospital had failed to do a proper diagnosis of my ear problem. They had time & time again dismissed my fears as unfounded. They kept telling me my ear problem was a "common problem for people your age". It was only after I had made a lot of noise & insisted on more tests to be done that a biopsy was finally performed. And the biopsy result was something they had never expected.

When I came out of the doctor's room, I appeared strong & composed as I walked towards my 3 friends who had come unannounced to be with me. God must have sent these angels although I wanted very much to be alone. They brought me out for dinner. But the minute I reached home that night, when I was all alone in my apartment, I broke down in tears.

............ to be continued in the next instalment.

Lesson : God works behind the scene to protect & care for His own.
Imagine this scenario. If I had not moved into this new apartment, I would not have signed up for swimming lessons. If I had not taken up swimming, I might not have discovered I had cancer until much later. Can you imagine what will happen then?

Application : How will you trust God when things don't turn out the way you had expected?

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

my story (1)

Moving In

I had waited 2 years to move into my new apartment. When TOP was finally granted, I was among the first few to move in. I had written in to Far East Organisation to grant me first priority as the tenancy on my rented flat was expiring in end-Sep 2005. FEO was very kind to grant me my request. I moved to Hillview Regency on 6 Oct 2005.

I enjoyed the new facilities & greeneries. There are 2 adult, 2 children, 1 toddler & 1 aerobics swimming pools within the condo development. Being hydrophobic, I don't enjoy anything that has to do with water such as swimming, boating, fishing, etc. But one day, I told myself I must overcome the fear of water by learning to swim. It seemed so silly & wasteful to pay for the facilities without making use of them. If I could swim, I could save myself should I accidentally fall into the swimming pool. If I could swim, I could play in the water with my nephews & nieces whenever they visited me from Malaysia. So I decided to engage a swimming coach for personal swimming lessons.

I began my first swimming lesson on 23 Jun 2006. I invested $200 on my swimming gear. Each course of 4 lessons cost me $160. Half-way through the 2nd course, my left ear began to give me problems.

.........to be continued in the next instalment.

Lesson : With God, nothing happens by chance.
Cancer doesn't happen overnight. God already knew that cancer was growing in my nose years before I discovered it. It was not by chance that I moved into my new apartment. If I had not moved into a condo, I would never have thought of taking up swimming lessons. God's timing is always perfect. He knows when & how to alert us of dangers to our lives.

Application : How will you react when something bad happens to you unexpectedly?

thanks for joining me in this memorable journey into the past.
sockkim

my story

October is known by my oncologist as my anniversary month. This is because I completed my cancer treatment on 30 Oct 2006. In the twinkling of an eye, 2 years have flown swiftly by.

In June, I wrote "My Story" in my other blog (my journey with nose cancer) to chronicle my journey with cancer. I received encouraging feedback. One reader suggested I should repeat the story on this blog. Another reader said I should compile my writings into a book. Thank you, readers, for your kind words.

Since October is my anniversary month, I think this is a good time to bring "My Story" series to this blog. There will be one instalment every week. "My Story" is written with the aim that you will love & trust God as you see God in every circumstance of your life.

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

you are God's masterpiece

The following is adapted from an article taken from : www.christianity.com.

Isaiah 64:8
Yet, O LORD, You are our Father. We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.

Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Your past sins do not define you. Your painful scars do not define you. Your present sufferings do not define you. They are just shards of brokenness that God will use to lovingly refine your beauty. The transformation from broken into beautiful is neither easy nor instantaneous. It demands a yielded heart and can be quite painful, but it comes with great reward. God will need your broken pieces - scars, pain, suffering, disappointments, failures. You might find it hard to hand over hurts. But difficult as it may be, it's good to hand them over and let our masterful Lord create a stunning work of beauty in you. And He's going to need all of your broken pieces to complete the restoration.

Real beauty isn't about a finished or flawless product. It can't be. It's not possible on this side of eternity to have complete beauty. Our restoration will be complete in the presence of God when we see Him face to face.

Heavenly Father, I am humbled by Your willingness to love and forgive someone like me. Please take the broken pieces of my life and don't allow me to have them back. I surrender to Your healing. Mold me and shape me into a beautiful reflection of Your glory. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

your scars are beautiful to God (5)

We all have liabilities. We all have scars. It is how we view them that will change our hearts. It is what we do with them that will change our lives. What is your story? Are you ready to experience the power of God working through your life as you share with others those beautiful scars in your life? Are you longing for a life-changing experience? Read this last instalment from "Your Scars are Beautiful to God" by Sharon Jaynes.

Book Review (by Belinda Elliott of CBN.com)

Beauty From Ashes
Author : Sharon Jaynes

Often, if we allow Him to, God will use our deepest hurt to develop our greatest ministry. The reason our scars can be beautiful, she says, is because God gives us opportunities to invest in other people because of the struggles we’ve gone through ourselves.

For this reason, we should not despair when we experience painful circumstances. Rather, we should look for how God may want to use those circumstances.

Jaynes says, “I’ve learned over the years to stop saying, ‘Why did this happen to me?’ Instead, I say to God, ‘Okay, what now?’ This is a shattered dream, now what do I do with it? Where do I go from here?”

If we allow God to replace our wounds with scars, and we are willing to use them to help others, He will redeem even our most painful experiences.

Jaynes says, "Satan wants to use our past to paralyze us. God wants to use our past to propel us. The choice is ours."

Hope this book review has shown you how you can recognise Jesus through your scars, remove your mask & release the power of healed wounds. Give your wounds to the One who sees your beauty & who can turn your pain into purpose and heartaches into hope.

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

your scars are beautiful to God (4)

You have a scar, you have been healed but you hide your scar. Physical scars represent a story, a moment in one's life, and they show others that there is a history & a healing. Your internal scars - invisible marks from heartbreak, mistakes & losses - also represent stories of healing & restoration. Here in this 4th instalment from the book, "Your Scars are Beautiful to God", Sharon Jaynes shows how we can allow God to use our scars.

Book Review (by Belinda Elliott of CBN.com)

Show Your Scars
Author : Sharon Jaynes

Once we are healed, the way we allow God to use our scars is by sharing them with others. Too often, Jaynes says, we hide our past hurts from people around us either because we are ashamed or because we fear rejection. Carrying these burdens around – something Jaynes compares to the dust cloud that follows Pigpen around in the Peanuts comic strip -- can limit the ways in which God is able to use us.

“I lost a child a long time ago,” Jaynes says, “and when that happened I didn’t want to talk to anybody except someone who had gone through the same thing I had. I think that is how most people feel when they have gone through a struggle.”

Perhaps the increase in the number of people seeking help from secular support groups supports this idea. “People are going anywhere and everywhere to find someone who has struggled with the same thing they have struggled with,” Jaynes says, “and it’s a little heartbreaking to think that they are having to go outside the church.”

One reason people are afraid to show their scars is because they feel that their past will disqualify them for ministry. Jaynes believes that this doesn’t happen in churches as often as one may think. And if it does ever happen to anyone, she says, they should seriously reconsider their connection with that body of believers. “If we are at a place where we share that struggle and people do not rejoice with us and with God for restoring our lives, then we need to go somewhere else,” Jaynes says.

Churches should seek to create safe places, such as Sunday School or small groups, where members can tell their stories. When that happens, Jaynes says, congregations will see a lot of healing take place.

............to be continued in part (5), the last instalment.

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

your scars are beautiful to God (3)

Do you want to be healed? This sounds like a silly question to ask. Of course everyone wants to be healed, you may say. Do you? Have you been wounded by past unhappy experiences but refuse to let go of your feelings of hurt, anger, sorrow, self-pity, despair, revenge?

Some Christians choose to live with these wounds all their lives. They become miserable & deprive themselves of a full abundant life that God has promised. Do you truly want to be healed? Then read this 3rd instalment of the book review.

Book Review (by Belinda Elliott of CBN.com)

Choose to be Healed
Author : Sharon Jaynes

Each of us can be healed, Jaynes says, but first we must answer a question. She recalls the story in John 5 of Jesus healing a man who had lived as an invalid for 38 years. Before He healed him, Jesus asked the man, “Do you want to get well?”

Perhaps the reason Jesus asked this, Jaynes says, is because the man’s life would drastically change once he was healed. He would have to learn to walk and get a job, among other things. Our lives, too, will change when we allow Jesus to heal our wounds.

“I think we can be so comfortable with that wound that it almost becomes who we think we are,” Jaynes says. “‘I am a rape victim.’ ‘I am a woman who has been abused.’ ‘I had an abortion, and that’s who I am.’ We can become very comfortable in that and to let go of it and be healed is scary. You take on a whole new life.”

Healing, Jaynes points out, also involves choices about forgiveness. If our wounds are from poor choices that we made, we must ask God to forgive us and accept that His death on the cross is enough to pay for our sins. Then we need to release the guilt and shame that we have felt.

Healing often involves forgiving others as well. “I think that many people believe forgiveness means that we are saying that what they did is okay,” Jaynes explains. “It’s not okay. What it is saying is that I’m not going to let that control me any longer. I’m giving it to God.”

Until a hurting person accepts God’s forgiveness, forgives themselves, and forgives the person who hurt them, Jaynes says, healing can never take place.

.......... to be continued in part (4)

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

your scars are beautiful to God (2)

Are you ashamed of scars that remind you of your past? A broken marriage? An attempted suicide? A wrong decision? A costly mistake? An unexpected illness? A painful loss? Do you know that God can turn your ugly wounds into beautiful scars? Do you know that God can turn your pain into purpose, your heartache into hope?

As you read this 2nd portion of the Book Review on "Your Scars Are Beautiful To God", I pray that you will find comfort in the "Father of compassion and the God of all comfort" and in turn, you will bring comfort to others (2 Cor 1:3-4).

Book Review (by Belinda Elliott of CBN.com)

When Bad Things Happen
Author : Sharon Jaynes

We will probably never understand some of the things that happen to us in life. When approached with the question of why God allows pain in our lives, Jaynes says she usually refers to something she once heard Dr. James Dobson say. “He said that for us to try to understand God’s ways is like an amoeba trying to understand how the human body works. We just can’t do it,” Jaynes says. “And that is something that we have to come to grips with.”

It is during our times of struggle that we find out what we really believe about God. A tragedy in our lives often leads us to a crisis of belief, Jaynes says. “I think that it’s very easy to believe in God when life is good,” she says. “But when life is not good, then that’s when we really decide if we believe it.”

She tells the story of Wendy, a young woman who was raped. “She was very angry at God because she had been a good girl,” Jaynes explains, “and she thought that if you were good, then bad things would not happen.” Wendy was left with a choice to make.

In the midst of her pain, Wendy had to decide between three options:

God was not powerful enough to stop what happened;
God was powerful enough, but simply didn’t care enough to stop what happened; or
God allowed it to happen and He has some greater purpose behind it.

After struggling for several years, Wendy decided God must have a purpose for what she endured, and she chose to release her pain to Him and trust Him with the outcome. It is a choice we all face when troubles hit our lives.

.........to be continued in Part (3)


nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

your scars are beautiful to God (1)

I am now reading a book, "Your Scars Are Beautiful To God" authored by Sharon Jaynes. Jaynes says, "Each scar represents a moment in time or a passage of time when something happened to us or through us that we will never forget."

Every scar has a story to tell. If you've been hurt, if you carry scars from heartbreaks, mistakes, losses, failures, illnesses or mishaps, this book is for you. This inspiring book will help you see your scars in the light of scriptures.

I will post on this blog a Book Review by CBN.com in small, digestible portions over the coming days. May God give you a word of comfort in whatever situation you are in right now.

Book Review (by Belinda Elliott of CBN.com)
Your Scars are Beautiful
Author : Sharon Jaynes

“Bad things happen to good people.” We hear it all the time. We know that it is true. Yet, when the “bad thing” happens to us, we somehow often seem to be caught off guard. The deep hurts that we experience in life can plague us for years to come.

Author and speaker Sharon Jaynes knows this well. For years, she carried around wounds from her past without even realizing it. Jaynes grew up in a home filled with fighting and violence. Her father was an alcoholic, and his drunken rages left her crouching under her covers at night trying to shut out the sounds of her parents arguing.

At age 12, Jaynes met a Christian woman in her neighbourhood and began spending time with her. Although her family attended church every week, she had never seen a relationship with Jesus modeled in her home. Through her new friendship with her neighbour, she saw more than just the religious rituals her family performed on Sundays. She learned how to have a relationship with Jesus, and she accepted Christ two years later. Within five years both of her parents also came to know Christ. Her story seemed to have a fairy-tale ending.

However, the years of fighting and violence at home left her very insecure. Among her deep-rooted insecurities was the belief that she was ugly and unloved.

“Even though I became a Christian, I still had those wounds,” Jaynes explains. “And I carried them around with me well into my 30s.”

Jaynes began to feel like something was missing from her life. As she attempted to discover what it was, she sensed God telling her to let go of her past hurts. That’s when she began the process of healing – a process that she calls “turning the wounds into scars.”

“There is a big difference between a wound and a scar,” Jaynes says. “Because a scar says, ‘I’ve been healed, and this is my story.’”

In her book, "Your Scars Are Beautiful to God", Jaynes encourages readers to embrace their scars and allow God to use them in the lives of others. She says God prompted her to write the book after reading the familiar Scripture passage about the resurrection of Christ.

Jaynes says, “When Jesus appeared to His disciples, they did not recognize Him when He walked in the room until He showed them His scars. Once they saw His scars, then they knew who He was. And as I was reading that I felt like God was saying to me, ‘that is still how people know Jesus today.’ ”

Jesus could have healed His scars and come back without them. Instead, He chose to keep them. Jaynes believes that is because He had a message for us. Our scars are important, and He wants to use them.

........to be continued in Part 2.

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

are you prepared for a storm?

Can you sleep soundly when a storm suddenly comes upon your life? How secure is your life? When the storms of life hit you such as sickness, sadness or sorrow, will you collapse or will you stand firm? How prepared are you for an earthquake, typhoon or tsunami which strikes when you least expect it?

The following story reminds us that we need to prepare ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves firmly in the Word of God. Have you?

Refuge from the storm
(author unknown)

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.

As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him.

The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows." Enraged by the old man's response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm.

To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away.

The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, and he returned to bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

SPIRITUAL TRUTH: When you're prepared, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves firmly in the Word of God.

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

do it anyway

Do It Anyway
by : Mother Theresa

People are often unreasonable,
illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win
some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis,
it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

you call Me but .....

You call Me the Way
but you don't follow Me.

You call me the Light
but you don't see Me.

You call Me the Teacher
but you don't listen to Me.

You call Me the Master
but you don't obey Me.

You call Me the Lord
but you don't serve Me.

You call Me the Truth
but you don't believe Me.

Don't be surprised if one day
I don't know you.

Jesus said: "If you love Me, you will obey what I command." (John 14:15)

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

unconditional acceptance

The world system has become more & more elitist. You can see evidences of this around you. Some friends had shared with me their concerns that some signs of elitism are creeping into their churches. It would be very sad if the church of Jesus Christ becomes elitist one day.

What I know is that Jesus came into the world for sinners, the poor, the undeserved, the untouchables, the unloved & the unlovable, the "harassed & helpless" (Matt 10:36). The Lord Jesus reminded us, "Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me." (Matt 25:45)

Do you feel unloved, unaccepted, forgotten & abandoned? I hope that the following inspiring story will assure you that God loves you unconditionally. Come to Jesus. Only Jesus can give you hope.

Unconditional Acceptance
(author unknown)

I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree. The last class I had to take was Sociology. The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with. Her last project of the term was called "Smile". The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.

I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway, so I thought this would be a piece of cake, literally.

Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son and I went out to McDonald's one crisp March morning. It was just our way of sharing special play time with our son. We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. I did not move an inch…….an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved.

As I turned around I smelled a horrible dirty body smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men. As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was smiling. His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance. He said, “Good day!” as he counted the few coins he had been clutching. The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally deficient and the blue eyed gentleman was his salvation.

I held my tears as I stood there with them. The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said, “Coffee is all, Miss” because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).

Then I really felt it – the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes. That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action.

I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue eyed gentleman's cold hand. He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes and said, “Thank you.”

I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, "I did not do this for you. God is here working through me to give you hope."

I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. We held hands for a moment and at that time we knew that only because of the grace we had been given were we able to give.

I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand. I turned in my project and the instructor read it. Then she looked up at me and said, "Can I share this?"

I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class. She began to read and that is when I knew that we, as human beings and being part of God's world, share this need to heal people and be healed.

I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn : UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.

God loves you as you are. Come to God as you are. Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick.........For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners." (Matthew 9:13)

nothing can separate us from the love of God,

sockkim

lessons from Noah's ark

The story of Noah's Ark is an all-time favourite with children. There are 11 lessons we can learn from this great Bible story.

1 Don't miss the boat.
2 Remember that we are all in the same boat.
3 Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
4 Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
5 Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
6 Build your future on high ground.
7 For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
8 Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
9 When you're stressed, float a while.
10 Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
11 No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

no time

poem by : K. J. Koshy

I knelt to pray but not for long,
I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work
For bills would soon be due.

So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,
And jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done
My soul could rest at ease.

All day long I had no time
To spread a word of cheer.
No time to speak of Christ to friends,
They'd laugh at me I'd fear.

No time, no time, too much to do,
That was my constant cry,
No time to give to souls in need
But at last the time, the time to die.

I went before the Lord,
I came, I stood with downcast eyes.
For in his hands God held a book;
It was the book of life.

God looked into his book and said
"Your name I cannot find.
I once was going to write it down...
But never found the time"

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

refuse to quit

In 1902, a 28-year-old aspiring poet received a rejection slip from the editor of the prestigious Atlantic Monthly. Returned with a batch of poems he had submitted was this curt note : "Not one worthy of publishing." That poet's name was Robert Frost.

In 1905, the University of Bern turned down a dissertation by a young PhD, calling it "fanciful and irrelevant." The name of that physics student was Albert Einstein.

In 1894, a 16-year-old boy found this note from his speech teacher in Harrow, England, attached to his report: "Hopeless......seems incapable of progress." That boy's name was Winston Churchill.

What's the message for us? Even when situations or circumstances offer us no hope or encouragement, refuse to quit!

Listen to the words of Joab, the commander of King David's army : "Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people & the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in His sight." (2 Sam 10:12).

Joab knew that as long as you stay on the battlefield, God can give you victory. But if you quit, what more can God do for you?

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

how do you handle adversity?

This is an inspiring story on adversity. When you go through the darkest valley or the greatest trial in your life, will you be a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Carrot, egg & coffee bean
(slightly modified version)
original written by : Mary Sullivan

A daughter went to her father and told him about her life, and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it, and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

Her father took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water. In the first pot, he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs and the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to his daughter, he asked, "Tell me what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that the carrots got soft. He then asked her to take the egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to smell and sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she smelled and tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What's the point, father?"

Her father explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity - boiling water - but each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" he asked his daughter. "When trials and adversity knock on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

What about you?

Are you the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do you wilt and become soft and lose your strength?

Are you the egg that starts with a passive heart, but changes with the heat? Do you have a fluid spirit, but after an illness, a financial hardship or some other trial, have you become hardened and stiff? Does your shell look the same, but on the inside, are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or, are you like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavour. If you are like the coffee bean, when things are at their worst, you become better and change the situation around you.

When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Like the CARROT, the EGG, OR the COFFEE BEAN?

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

It's in the valleys that I grow

poem by : Jane Eggleston

Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble and woe
It's then I have to remember
That it's in the valleys that I grow.

If I always stayed on the mountaintop
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God's love
And would be living in vain.

I have so much to learn
And my growth is very slow,
Sometimes I need the mountaintops,
But it's in the valleys that I grow.

I do not always understand
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Lord will see me through.

My little valleys are nothing
When I picture Christ on the cross
He went through the valley of death;
His victory was Satan's loss.

Forgive me Lord, for complaining
When I'm feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder
That it's in the valleys that I grow.

Continue to strengthen me, Lord
And use my life each day
To share your love with others
And help them find their way.

Thank you for the valleys, Lord
For this one thing I know
The mountaintops are glorious
But it's in the valleys that I grow!

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim

God always answers prayers

Do you believe that God always answers prayers? God's answers can be "Yes", "No" or "Wait" but it is still an answer. God sometimes answers our prayers in a way we least expect it or not in the way we want it to be answered. But our Heavenly Father knows what is best for His children (Matthew 7:11)

If you love dogs, you will love the following inspiring story. It's a long story but it will touch your heart to know that God can use an ugly dog to answer someone's desperate prayer.

Dad & Cheyenne

"Watch out! You nearly broad sided that car!" my father yelled at me. "Can't you do anything right?'

Those words hurt worse than blows. I turned my head toward the elderly man in the seat beside me, daring me to challenge him. A lump rose in my throat as I averted my eyes.I wasn't prepared for another battle.

"I saw the car, Dad. Please don't yell at me when I'm driving." My voice was measured and steady, sounding far calmer than I really felt.

Dad glared at me, then turned away and settled back. At home I left Dad in front of the television and went outside to collect my thoughts. Dark, heavy clouds hung in the air with a promise of rain. The rumble of distant thunder seemed to echo my inner turmoil.

What could I do about him? Dad had been a lumberjack in Washington and Oregon. He had enjoyed being outdoors and had revelled in pitting his strength against the forces of nature. He had entered gruelling lumberjack competitions and was placed often. The shelves in his house were filled with trophies that attested to his prowess.

The years marched on relentlessly. The first time he couldn't lift a heavy log, he joked about it; but later, that same day, I saw him outside alone, straining to lift it. He became irritable whenever anyone teased him about his advancing age, or when he couldn't do something he had done as a younger man.

Four days after his sixty-seventh birthday, Dad had a heart attack. An ambulance sped him to the hospital while a paramedic administered CPR to keep blood and oxygen flowing. At the hospital, Dad was rushed into an operating room. He was lucky; he survived.

But something inside Dad died. His zest for life was gone. He obstinately refused to follow doctor's orders. Suggestions and offers of help were turned aside with sarcasm and insults. The number of visitors thinned, then, finally, stopped altogether. Dad was left alone.

My husband, Dick, and I asked Dad to come live with us on our small farm. We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust. Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation.

It seemed nothing was satisfactory. He criticized everything I did. I became frustrated and moody. Soon I was taking my pent-up anger out on Dick. We began to bicker and argue. Alarmed, Dick sought out our pastor and explained the situation. The clergyman set up weekly counselling appointments for us. At the close of each session he prayed, asking God to soothe Dad's troubled mind. But the months wore on and God was silent. Something had to be done and it was up to me to do it.

The next day I sat down with the phone book and methodically called each of the mental health clinics listed in the Yellow Pages. I explained my problem to each of the sympathetic voices that answered. In vain. Just when I was giving up hope, one of the voices suddenly exclaimed, "I just read something that might help you! Let me go get the article."

I listened as she read. The article described a remarkable study done at a nursing home. All of the patients were under treatment for chronic depression. Yet their attitudes had improved dramatically when they were given responsibility for a dog.

I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. After I filled out a questionnaire, a uniformed officer led me to the kennels. The odour of disinfectant stung my nostrils as I moved down the row of pens. Each contained five to seven dogs. Long-haired dogs, curly-haired dogs, black dogs,spotted dogs . . . all jumped up, trying to reach me.

I studied each one but rejected one after the other for various reasons: too big, too small, too much hair. As I neared the last pen, a dog in the shadows of the far corner struggled to his feet, walked to the front of the run and sat down. It was a pointer, one of the dog world's aristocrats. But this was a caricature of the breed. Years had etched his face and muzzle with shades of gray. His hipbones jutted out in lopsided triangles. But it was his eyes that caught and held my attention. Calm and clear, they beheld me unwaveringly.

I pointed to the dog. "Can you tell me about him?" The officer looked, then shook his head in puzzlement. "He's a funny one. Appeared out of nowhere and sat in front of the gate. We brought him in, figuring someone would be right down to claim him. That was two weeks ago and we've heard nothing. His time is up tomorrow.' He gestured helplessly.

As the words sank in I turned to the man in horror. "You mean you're going to kill him?"

"Ma'am," he said gently, "that's our policy. We don't have room for every unclaimed dog."

I looked at the pointer again. The calm brown eyes awaited my decision. "I'll take him," I said.

I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. When I reached the house, I honked the horn twice. I was helping my prize out of the car when Dad shuffled onto the front porch.

"Ta-da! Look what I got for you, Dad!" I said excitedly.

Dad looked, then wrinkled his face in disgust. "If I had wanted a dog I would have gotten one. And I would have picked out a better specimen than that bag of bones. Keep it! I don't want it" Dad waved his arm scornfully and turned back toward the house.

Anger rose inside me. It squeezed together my throat muscles and pounded into my temples.

"You'd better get used to him, Dad. He's staying!' Dad ignored me. "Did you hear me, Dad?" I screamed. At those words Dad whirled angrily, his hands clenched at his sides,his eyes narrowed and blazing with hate.

We stood glaring at each other like duel lists, when, suddenly, the pointer pulled free from my grasp. He wobbled toward my dad and sat down in front of him. Then slowly, carefully, he raised his paw.

Dad's lower jaw trembled as he stared at the uplifted paw. Confusion replaced the anger in his eyes. The pointer waited patiently. Then Dad was on his knees hugging the animal.

It was the beginning of a warm and intimate friendship. Dad named the pointer Cheyenne. Together he and Cheyenne explored the community. They spent long hours walking down dusty lanes. They spent reflective moments on the banks of streams, angling for tasty trout. They even started to attend Sunday services together, Dad sitting in a pew and Cheyenne lying quietly at his feet.

Dad and Cheyenne were inseparable throughout the next three years. Dad's bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne made many friends. Then late one night I was startled to feel Cheyenne's cold nose burrowing through our bed covers. He had never before come into our bedroom at night. I woke Dick, put on my robe and ran into my father's room. Dad lay in his bed, his face serene. But his spirit had left quietly sometime during the night.

Two days later my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne lying dead beside Dad's bed. I wrapped his still form in the rag rug he had slept on. As Dick and I buried him near a favourite fishing hole, I silently thanked the dog for the help he had given me in restoring Dad's peace of mind.

The morning of Dad's funeral dawned overcast and dreary. This day looks like the way I feel, I thought, as I walked down the aisle to the pews reserved for family. I was surprised to see the many friends Dad and Cheyenne had made filling the church. The pastor began his eulogy. It was a tribute to both Dad and the dog who had changed his life. And then the pastor turned to Hebrews 13:2. "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers." "I've often thanked God for sending that angel," he said.

For me, the past dropped into place, completing a puzzle that I had not seen before : the sympathetic voice that had just read the right article . . .

Cheyenne's unexpected appearance at the animal shelter. . .his calm acceptance and complete devotion to my father. . .and the proximity of their deaths. And suddenly I understood. I knew that God had answered my prayers after all.

nothing can separate us from the love of God,
sockkim