For the past few weeks I have been working on faith. Faith has been something that I never quite had a good grasp on, even though I grew up as a Christian. That being said, I had decided to consciously endeavor to build my faith.
In the past I've prayed for opportunities to build faith, but the problem was that I often forgot about my prayer. Thus they were meaningless attempts.
These past few weeks have been different. With conscious effort I've been praying for particular things and had been watching for an answer. There were three things in particular that I had been praying to God about during the time span, (not all at the same time!). One was to meet somebody who was ready to hear about the gospel, another was for help to find a part-time job to help finance us newlyweds, and the last was to have opportunities to have charity like Christ. If I wanted to know if it was true, I had to believe it, and then test it right?
When I consciously practiced growing my little seed of faith in God, I saw how He had answer my prayers. From years before I've known that He listens to and answers our prayers because of a few particular incidences, but again this time I was consciously practicing having faith in Him. Focus: faith.
So what happened?
Lo & behold, God has answered all three of these prayers (and graciously, this time the answers came so quickly!). He gave me a special opportunity to share the gospel to someone very dear to me (I had never expected that it would be that person). After spending hours of applying job after job, I found a perfect employment opportunity that was looking for workers on the exact days and the exact hours that I had been hoping to work. Both of these events did not happen long after I've prayed for it (which usually doesn't happen quite so in my cases). I know that if we pray with sincere intent, God will answer in his own due time. As for these cases, I've also learned that God perhaps likes surprising you.
Lastly, he also let me come across trials to help me change my perspective & see the broader view. I remember how in the past, when I would pray to be more like Christ & never remembered the prayer later on, and then a trial would come I would feel sad and devastated. Often following with the question "How could this happen to me? Why would God do this to me?" This time was different, I knew I had asked for a strengthening opportunity, and surprisingly, I felt different about the trial this time. :)
I know these are not coincidences. So what I again had been testing wasn't whether God answers prayers. I already knew the answer to that. What I definitely gained was indeed faith. My faith in Him is stronger, I never feared or worried when things seemed to go wrong, or when answers didn't come quickly. I feel that if I ask for God's hand in my life, I know everything will work out for the better, because He sees the long run, and I can't.
So, the test worked out!
I mentioned that this would also be more of a personal journal for me right? Hope this didn't offend any readers.
FOOD:
Sunshine:
Today I got to talk to the mailman who Chadsen & I both noticed was such a bright person. When I talked to him about it, he told me about the wisdom that he's attained from life. He's learned to take the bright side and enjoy his life. I hope to be able to help clients get there when i start working. He said something along the lines of "When I'm a chipper person, it brings chipper people around me!"
Theres this phrase I've heard Chadsen's friends say, "I don't have a lot of friends, but the ones I do have are good ones" That's the same with me. I love the friends that I still keep in touch with, because I cherish those ones. I feel very grateful to have such friends :). I hope to strengthen my friendship with old and new friends too though :)
Masumi
When I consciously practiced growing my little seed of faith in God, I saw how He had answer my prayers. From years before I've known that He listens to and answers our prayers because of a few particular incidences, but again this time I was consciously practicing having faith in Him. Focus: faith.
So what happened?
Lo & behold, God has answered all three of these prayers (and graciously, this time the answers came so quickly!). He gave me a special opportunity to share the gospel to someone very dear to me (I had never expected that it would be that person). After spending hours of applying job after job, I found a perfect employment opportunity that was looking for workers on the exact days and the exact hours that I had been hoping to work. Both of these events did not happen long after I've prayed for it (which usually doesn't happen quite so in my cases). I know that if we pray with sincere intent, God will answer in his own due time. As for these cases, I've also learned that God perhaps likes surprising you.
Lastly, he also let me come across trials to help me change my perspective & see the broader view. I remember how in the past, when I would pray to be more like Christ & never remembered the prayer later on, and then a trial would come I would feel sad and devastated. Often following with the question "How could this happen to me? Why would God do this to me?" This time was different, I knew I had asked for a strengthening opportunity, and surprisingly, I felt different about the trial this time. :)
I know these are not coincidences. So what I again had been testing wasn't whether God answers prayers. I already knew the answer to that. What I definitely gained was indeed faith. My faith in Him is stronger, I never feared or worried when things seemed to go wrong, or when answers didn't come quickly. I feel that if I ask for God's hand in my life, I know everything will work out for the better, because He sees the long run, and I can't.
So, the test worked out!
I mentioned that this would also be more of a personal journal for me right? Hope this didn't offend any readers.
FOOD:
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| How do you feel today? Happy? |
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| Or sad? |
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Looks like I'm strangling Mimi..jpg) .jpg)
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Theres this phrase I've heard Chadsen's friends say, "I don't have a lot of friends, but the ones I do have are good ones" That's the same with me. I love the friends that I still keep in touch with, because I cherish those ones. I feel very grateful to have such friends :). I hope to strengthen my friendship with old and new friends too though :)
Masumi
