Life and Faith Update

It’s perfectly fine if you didn’t have a New Year’s resolution at the beginning of the year. To be completely honest, I didn’t have any either because I was simply exhausted from the previous year, and all I wanted was to embrace life, without any specific goals or commitments.

It had become a consistent pattern for God to interrupt my plans and establish new ones.

I had made up my mind to surrender to the guidance and promptings of the Holy Spirit, which I hold to be of the utmost importance.

As someone aptly expressed, if making “the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” is your life’s goal, then you are on the right path.

You may have a different perspective from mine, and I understand that. However, what I want to emphasize is that even if you had a resolution initially and it no longer seems to align with your current circumstances, I encourage you to embrace new ideas and seize the opportunities that come your way.

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Speaking from personal experience, I began drafting this blog on April 25th, and the fact that it remained untouched in my notepad until now is a prime example of how self-doubt can hinder progress, lol.

While I didn’t set a specific resolution, I encountered a remarkable opportunity in February to learn a valuable skill at no cost, and I decided to pursue it wholeheartedly. By April, I had completed the learning process. Despite my initial excitement about acquiring a new skill, I found myself doubting whether I truly grasped its essence. The idea of putting the skill into practice seemed daunting as if I were deceiving others.

Towards the end of April, a spontaneous idea struck me: to challenge myself to read a book every week. Now, if you know me well, you’d be aware that reading is typically a laborious task for me.

Despite graduating with good marks, I must admit that reading is not a pleasurable activity for me. It often feels like a stressful endeavor.

I tend to lean towards listening to audiobooks or even engaging with the Bible audibly, as it allows for a more convenient experience. However, I realized that I often struggle to retain a significant amount of information when I rely solely on audio. There are instances when I unintentionally doze off or miss crucial points.

Then, by chance, I stumbled upon a collection of books that belonged to my father. The thought of committing to reading one book per week spontaneously crossed my mind. I began with one book, and it took me a week and four days to complete it. However, as it is now July, I find myself not even halfway through the second book.

This serves as a glimpse into the multitude of tasks I had hoped to complete within specific timeframes.

I acknowledge that I have been pushing myself in various other endeavors, and there are instances when my body strongly craves rest. However, it seems that my conditioned mind refuses to find solace in the fact that I am still alive (which was my primary objective for the year) and that I am making progress, regardless of how seemingly small it may appear.

When the year comes to a close, even if I don’t consistently adhere to the idea of reading a book every week, I will take pride in looking back and acknowledging that I managed to complete at least one book in less than two weeks.

I may not possess the skills of a motivational speaker, but I firmly believe that it is never too late to establish new resolutions, whether they pertain to physical, spiritual, or mental aspects of life. Even if these resolutions arise spontaneously, they can still have a meaningful impact.

It is perfectly acceptable if you encounter failure in pursuing your resolutions. What truly matters is that you attempted, at the very least.

It’s amusing how the initial idea I had in April for this post has evolved into something different.

I had initially intended to discuss my tremendous achievements, such as surpassing my goal of reading a hundred pages of books every week. I also wanted to highlight how I successfully balanced my work life, Bible study, prayer, ministry commitments, communication, and rest time. However, if I were to claim that I navigate through all these aspects flawlessly daily, I would be dishonest.

The truth is, I still struggle with standing on street corners to preach. Some days, I simply feel the urge to escape engaging in conversations with others about Jesus. It’s not because I’m scared, but rather because I don’t always feel like talking. I’m not prepared for the potential back-and-forts that may arise (Perhaps I will delve into that topic at a later time when the moment feels more appropriate).

This year, I embarked on a project with a friend, and I had planned to share an announcement post with all of you, proclaiming its success. However, the ironic truth is that I have lost track of where I stand with the project, lol.

As I write all of this, tears of laughter fill my eyes.

I hope I haven’t bored you with these anecdotes, but I felt compelled to provide an update on my life and journey of faith.

I must confess, I am not always put together (oh, how I wish I were at least half of the time), but perhaps it is in these moments of vulnerability that the Spirit of God exerts even greater dominance, wouldn’t you agree?

There was a part of me that felt unworthy of expressing myself through a post, but a friend reminded me, “Post anything, whether or not you believe it meets a certain standard. Because, in the end, there is always someone out there experiencing something similar and thinking they are alone.”

In her wise words, sharing is a way of showing care, even in times of pain.

I understand that this post may seem scattered and disorganized, but my sincere hope is that it has been able to alleviate someone’s mental burden, provide solace in times of pain, or dispel feelings of unworthiness. And if nothing else, I hope it has served as a reminder that you are not alone in your journey.

Dear friend, I want to remind you not to overlook the importance of incorporating Christ into your plans. As believers, our ultimate goal in any activity or accomplishment is to bring glory to God through our lives and achievements.

If what you are currently engaged in does not revolve around this central principle, I believe it would be beneficial to reconsider your plans and strategize accordingly.

On another note, confessions have been a significant source of strength for me. These confessions consist of words derived from scriptures, which I desire to see manifested in my life.

The same principle applies to my perspective on the nation. It is the only way I have managed to maintain my sanity amidst the events unfolding since last year.

If you would like me to share any of these confessions, kindly leave a comment on the post and subscribe to my mailing list. Depending on the number of requests received, I may consider sending out these confessions to my subscribed friends.

Thank you for taking the time to read through.

Sending you love and appreciation.