lilytbh: religion

As I was reading today's devotional, the headline struck me.

"Share Your Story".

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”-Mark 5:18-19 (NIV)

I've always wanted to share the amazing story of how God came into my life but felt it a tad too personal for public sharing.

However, I take this as a sign that God wants me to share so that others can come to know Him through this story.

So here goes:

I was a Buddhist since birth. I'd pray to Buddha, but my spiritual state went on a decline when I realised Buddha isn't a God per se. He is a religious teacher setting us up for eternal happiness by following in his footsteps.

For a period of time, I became an agnostic mostly due to confusion. I stopped praying.

Unbeknownst to many, I was silently suffering from self-esteem issues, anxiety and mild depression for 1+ year when I was in uni.

On the outside I look normal, but on the inside emptiness consumed me.

Discouraged with many issues that I felt was wrong with my life, I felt hollow and purposeless. I remembered coming back from class, constantly asking "what is the purpose of my life". Sadly, I couldn't answer it at the time.

One day, I was coming back from class as usual. That week I was fighting a particularly tough battle of the mind. Thank God my friend helped me so much too throughout this tough period of time.

As I was walking back to my room, the heights suddenly felt tempting. I kept fighting with the voices in my head asking me to give up.

As soon as I opened my room, I heard a voice in my heart say, "read the Bible".

Though I didn't know where that came from, I decided to listen and bought a study Bible online from Kinokuniya.

Throughout waiting for the Bible to arrive, I felt spiritually thirsty.

As soon as I collected the Bible and read the first page on Genesis, a gush of warmth and peace flooded my heart.

Over the months, I was slowly but surely transformed by the Word.

I continued reading the Bible on and off for a few months without anyone knowing about it, until one day my best friend who was a Buddhist confessed that she has been going to church with my other friend for a few times.

On that day itself, we were shocked and pleased by God's plan to reveal this to each other. She then invited me to go to church on the very next day.

The rest, as they say, is history.

I will always be forever grateful that Christ saved my life that day and also through His work on the cross. My only wish for this life is to be His humble servant to carry out His purpose for the world through me.

Though hard days are aplenty, God has consistently reminded me that He will always be with me and I shall not be afraid.

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?-Psalm 118:6 (NIV)

I am so blessed to finally see and hear the good news, that we are fully redeemed by His work on the cross.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.-John 3:16 (NIV)

Being a Christian, our lives are transformed not by legalism and good works, but by grace through faith.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.-Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

My Christian brother at the time (now boyfriend, another miracle story for another day) bought me The Case For Faith as a Christmas present. It answered so many questions that I had as a new Christian and solidified my faith.

Another hallmark of my Christian journey is reading the Sinner's Prayer. I stumbled upon it kinda by accident as I was reading KLBC's welcome book.

What happened after that is an unexplainable peace, God's way of saying "welcome home".

If you yearn to experience peace and His forgiving love, pick up a Bible today and just let God's word and love lead you home.

Always remember, God loves us all and desires us to have an intimate relationship with Him.

May God's peace be with you always.

“To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.”

― St. Augustine of Hippo

PC: Cristian Escobar (Unsplash)

Recently, certain events that happened in my life made me wonder: are the dreams harboring in me meant to be realized or to be buried? Do I really need to be talented enough to succeed with my dreams?

But then I remembered Moses, tasked with bringing the Israelites out of Egypt into the promised land. He raised his doubts again and again with the Lord answering him patiently. Lastly, he talked about his own ability because he is not talented in speech.

But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”-Exodus 4:10-12 (ESV)

But truly the Lord is mightier, for He sees our weakness and converts it into our greatest strength. This commentary particularly struck a chord with me:

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
4:10-17 Moses continued backward to the work God designed him for; there was much of cowardice, slothfulness, and unbelief in him. We must not judge of men by the readiness of their discourse. A great deal of wisdom and true worth may be with a slow tongue. God sometimes makes choice of those as his messengers, who have the least of the advantages of art or nature, that his grace in them may appear the more glorious. Christ's disciples were no orators, till the Holy Spirit made them such. God condescends to answer the excuse of Moses. Even self-diffidence, when it hinders us from duty, or clogs us in duty, is very displeasing to the Lord. But while we blame Moses for shrinking from this dangerous service, let us ask our own hearts if we are not neglecting duties more easy, and less perilous. The tongue of Aaron, with the head and heart of Moses, would make one completely fit for this errand. God promises, I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth. Even Aaron, who could speak well, yet could not speak to purpose, unless God gave constant teaching and help; for without the constant aid of Divine grace, the best gifts will fail. (Source: http://biblehub.com/commentaries/exodus/4-10.htm)

Truly if it's His will, nothing can stand against.

In moments of doubt, may we have faith in His purpose for us, even when we doubt our capabilities. May we focus on carrying out His plan through our strengths and weaknesses, instead of focusing on fear and anxiety over what we "lack". For we are all unique individuals, each with different roles to play in His plan for the world.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. -2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)

Our greatest weakness is also our greatest strength, for the Lord's glory is all the more glorious in times of darkness.

Let us seek refuge in the knowledge that God is with us through thick and thin, even when we are at the lowest of lows.

PC: Nina Uhlíková (Pexels)

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