A step of faith.

For I know the plans that I have for you,
declares the Lord,
plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me,
and I will listen to you.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me
with all your heart.
I will be found by you
Jeremiah 29:11-13

What I love:)

One of the things that I enjoy doing either during early mornings or late afternoons.

Running.

It's best time to commune with God.

I would definitely do this until I get old.

P.S. I don't live near the beach, though. This is just a picture of my dream running haven:)

:)

Love is patient.
It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13

Joshua Harris reiterated in his book, Not even a Hint, that "God has made men and women gloriously different, We were made to complement each other. We have different strengths" (p.84).

The past 2 years and 7 months have been the best times of my life. Three years ago, I would have probably seen life in a narrower perspective. Three years ago, I would still be in my comfort zone. I'm glad that I trusted God and His plans for me.

In the span of three years, God has enabled so many opportunities for growth, for discovery and for steps of faith. He has chiseled me and molded me so I would appreciate life and the individuals He has given me to the fullest.

I would love to write about every individual that I have been with all these years but for now, I am drawn to dedicating this post to someone who has walked with me through moments of friendship and relationship.

To Mike,
Thank you for the amazing adventure.
Thank you for inspiring me to take steps of faith,
to embrace life's challenges with courage and humility,
Thank you for the little things that you do that make me smile.
Thank you for leading me and loving me well.
Most of all, thank you for walking with me as I discover God's heart
day by day.

Lake Merced
San Francisco, California
February 2008

The sense of wonder...

There are only two ways to live your life.

One is as though nothing is a miracle.

The other is as though everything is a miracle.

-Albert Einstein

Wonder. I remember seeing my toddler students' eyes light up every time they see a bug crawling on the sand.

Wonder. I remember hearing the five-year old boys in my class screaming excitedly when they see the raindrops dripping on our school window pane.

Wonder. I remember peddling the bicycle while my three year old student sat on my lap and she later exclaimed, "Wow. Look at the water flowing from the side tracks."

It's saddening that as we grow older, that child-like character slowly fades.

Have we become too busy that we no longer recognize the beauty of His creation?

Have we become discontent with the simplicity of life that we crave for more "exciting" things?

Stuff bought, stuff invented, stuff that limit our attention and box our creativity?

Do you still wonder and gaze at His beauty?

My hope is that we would never lose that sense of wonder in our lives.

Working with all your heart:)

This is an excerpt from the book, Now what? God's guide to Life for Graduates by John Ortberg. I got this copy from Ross, one of my favorite stores in L.A. The moment I read the first few pages, I knew that I shouldn't let go of this book. Why? Because it transformed my perspective and attitude towards my work and why my work truly matters to God. It instilled the values of excellence and joy in what I am passionate for.

Read on...

Work in itself is a part of what God does. God creates and he made us in his image to do work, to create. That's a real good thing. And God says over and over again in the Scripture, "I want you to excel at what you do. I want you to abound. I want you to take the gifts and talents that I've given you and develop into the fullest potential you're capable of. I want you to discover the deepest passions that are hardwired into you, and I want you to fan them into flames. I want you to make a difference in this world."

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might" -Ecclesiastes 9:10.

The very best thing we can hope for is, when we get to the end of our lives, to be able to say to God, "I abounded in the work you gave me to do. It may or may not have looked impressive to other people. It wasn't perfect by a long shot. But whatever my hands found for me to do, I really did try to do with all my might..."

"He sought his God and worked wholeheartedly, And so he prospered"- 2 Chronicles 31:21.

(Ortberg, 2004, p. 11-12)