Isaiah 61:1-3 - The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to preserve those who mourn in Zion, to give to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.
The past couple of weeks have been incredible. I had a difficult 2015, and yet, the Lord is making sure that this will be a year to remember. My year was marked with many tears, but the Lord allowed me to see that He is a big God, a God who operates in the miraculous, a God who heals and binds the brokenhearted, a God Who sets the captives free, a God who is with me at all times - He is Immanuel. This was also the year that had the most laughter, and really really good memories. He is my Peace and Source of Joy.
I wanted to write a very long thank You list to the Lord for all the good things that happened in 2015. However, I don’t think a blog entry will do any justice on His faithfulness, mercy, provision and lovingkindness towards me. So I’ll just write about what happened in the past few days.
Before leaving for the Philippines, the Lord showered me with wonderful memories in Jerusalem. I realized that I have built really good friendships that are as close as family. One thing that was sure - I am abundant in love. There is nothing good that the Lord withheld from me. I realized it further when 2 of my good friends came to visit Israel. I was led to share many things that the Lord has done. On a normal day, I would not remember them. However, the mere recollection to share the stories to my closest friends has made me remember how far I have walked with the Lord, and how much good memories we have created together along the way. He has been my constant Companion, my Favorite Companion, and He knows me completely. My second greatest reward is to have relationships where I can be completely honest and real to them, even if we come from different cultural backgrounds or age group. We just know, and we understand each other, with or without words. I have great assurance that they care about me, I care about them, and we pray for each other.
Now that I am back to my roots, I am thankful to the Lord for many things — for giving me a chance to meet up with an old friend, and see that we can pick up from where we left off, or even way better than where we left off. We grew up, we changed, but it was definitely for the better. I am thankful that I have a best friend who takes care of me as if I am not just her friend, but I am family. It’s a huge bonus that she loves the Lord with all of her heart, her life is truly a testament that God is with her. I am thankful for allowing me to have time with family — to see how faithful He is to them even if I am not here with them most of the time, especially with how He took care of my siblings and my parents. I am thankful that my sister had to drive for more than 2 hours so that we can see each other for 5 minutes. I am thankful that I could hear my dad pray, and to know that his leadership means a lot to me. I am thankful that my wake up call is my mom, who just wanted a hug and to catch up, and to find out that I grew up to be like her and I am proud of it. I am thankful that my brother has grown up to be a fine young man who values excellence and relationships, and he didn’t resist me hugging him haha! I am thankful that the Lord has moved mightily in my family, especially my aunt who is undergoing chemotherapy. I was told that she is the first case to survive the first cycle when her platelet count was just 1. Now she’s on her 3rd cycle. And in a few weeks, I will have a nephew! Truly, He is a promise-keeping God Who will never leave us or forsake us.
It helps that I also got upgraded twice to premium economy. And my best friend kept pampering me. And I have a big bed all for myself. Yes, I am well loved.
This is truly a season to celebrate, and the reason for this season is because the Lord is good. Praise Yeshua for coming into this world to save us, for staying with us, for being our Light, and for directing our paths.
P.S. I am no longer allowed to complain about the internet and the traffic.
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