From FAI-lure to FAI-thfulness

Hi everyone,

Thanks for allowing me to share on Friday and for sharing with me too.

My Thanksgiving
I began by thanking God and as I looked through my weeks, I realised I had so much to thank God for:

1. I thank God for work; how he had moderated my work these few weeks especially when I wasn't feeling very well... there are just days when my volunteer mailbox had no emails to attend to and this is just rare considering that it is supposed to be a peak period with my fundraising project going on
2. I thank God for my dad's health; that he is cleared of Lymphoma, TB and HIV, although there is a chance that his current medical condition may lead to Lymphoma but then there is nothing I can do now except to trust God.
   
3. I thank God for my bonus and the recognition I have received at work be it from management or from volunteers and their parents
4. I thank God for showing me how there are still nice people throughout the time I did kettling and for sending passionate volunteers to me to busk in their passion to help
5. I thank God for my leg that the pain seems to be going away
6. I thank God for bringing comfort to me throughout the past 2-3 weeks and for speaking to me, by sending friends, bible verses to encourage and also through sharings by Nick Vujicic and Nanz-Chong Komo. I thank God for working with my negative emotions in my life.
   
7. I thank God for watching over a friend spiritually
   

On Failures
I thank God for bringing to me Isaiah 41:8-20 in time to share with cell. I was at a loss not knowing what to share for cell on Friday but God, you brought the verse to minister to me when one of my colleague opened his diary and there staring at me was Isaiah 41:10:

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

It is interesting how so many bible verses were given to me this week but none spoke to me at such a deep level than this. It became clear that God had wanted me to share about the topic of failure and our propensity to feel we are so. God brought Nick, then Nanz and then He brought me Isaiah 41:8-20 and showed me how (i) He have chosen us and not rejected us; in fact we sometimes reject ourselves (v8-9), (ii) that we should not fear as God is with us (v10) and (iii) that through our weakness, God's glory will be shown as we stand as wonderful testimonies of His work (v18-20).

Hanging On to our Faith
Following Nanz's sharing, it became clear to me upon reflection that I am still learning to hang in there and trust God because sometimes when the tough gets going, it can be tough to hang on. But, I have learnt how the following have helped me to navigate through tough times:

1. How I still trust that God is real and in control from how I see Him work on a daily basis in my life; even though sometimes it takes a little reminding, I have come to trust that He has His plans for me (Jer 29:11)
2. How I stuck on in God's community because it is tempting to just pack and leave. God DO send people to uplift me, even though sometimes in surprising ways. I have also learnt that God can send people but then it is whether we sometimes open ourselves to help from them
   
3. How keeping a thankful heart (1 Thess 5:18) and seeing how God work in my life, through regular thanksgiving and through journalling have helped me to continue to have trust in Him.
4. How I believe I can claim on His promise made that He has His plans for my ministry and when He send me verses, circumstances, people and sharing to encourage me on, I can claim that promise

How are you keeping on?


Rescue
You are the source of life
I can`t be left behind
No one else will do
I will take hold of you

Chorus:
Cause I need you jesus
To come to me rescue
Where else can I go
There's no other name
By which I am saved
capture me with grace
I will follow you
I will follow you

My heart is your for life
I need your hand in mine
No one else will do
I put my trust in you

Bridge
I will follow you (This world has nothing for me)
I will follow you (This world has nothing for me)
I will follow you (This world has nothing for me)