7.29.2007

mutilate

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
- Genesis 1:1

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good."
- Genesis 1:31

"And the LORD God said ... “What is this you have done?”"
- Genesis 3:13

*-*-*-*-*

mu·ti·late [myoot-l-eyt]
–verb (used with object), -lat·ed, -lat·ing.
1. to injure, disfigure, or make imperfect by removing or irreparably damaging parts.
2. to deprive (a person or animal) of a limb or other essential part.

an account of how a 'creator' feels:
i did floral arrangements for a friend's wedding recently,
and to be honest, it wasn't easy putting things together the past few days.
time and effort were spent in an attempt to make things as perfect as
i possibly can so as not to disappoint the couple
and hopefully they'll like it all and enjoy them.
it all went well, and i was glad with my work, it was good!
but after the wedding ended, i witnessed something heart wrenching...
i saw people playing with the flowers and dirtying the premise,
and i also saw people taking flowers from other arrangements
and casually putting them into another arrangement.
the flowers didn't belong to that arrangement,
they ended up sticking out and were super out of place,
flowers that were supposed to be there were taken apart
and replaced with something else...
it was pure mutilation to me!

i was offended actually,
simply because these people didn't even have the
decency to respect the 'creator's' creation.
they think they know better, they want to experiment,
they want to toy with it, or they simply have itchy hands.
it was all good!!! why add or try to change it with your own means?
i repeat, it was all good!!!
ok, i'm not trying to say i'm very good at arranging flowers,
cause i truly believe i still have a long way to go
in perfecting the skills of floral art,
BUT, to do something, feel proud of my work, hear others say that it's nice,
and then to witness senseless people mutilating it...ARGH~!!!

i was sharing this with gim today and she said to me,
"well, at least maybe now you know how God feels..."
(she's always been so perceptive...)
and yah, i think maybe He might have felt the same way, or more even.
just look at the way we treat our planet
and what's worse is the way we treat ourselves.
we are His creation too...
He was glad when He created us, we were good in His eyes.
but look at us now...see how we treat ourselves, how we treat others...
i am ashamed myself, guilty of it all.
we failed to respect our Creator,
we think we know better,
we are myopic,
we destroy,
we hurt,
we disregard His commands,
we rebel,
we mutilate, things and humans alike.

it was all good.
now it is not.
our only hope - it will be all good again one day.

i can't wait \(^_^ )/

meanwhile, let's do our best to play our part right,
as it was intended by our Creator,
the One who knows best!

Posted by jing at 7/29/2007 10:59:00 PM

7.16.2007

imperfect

in this imperfect world,
there's the imperfect me,
with my imperfect health,
and my imperfect soul.

my imperfect family,
my imperfect parents,
my imperfect friends,
and my imperfect job.

this is my imperfect life.

but i'm happy,
coz there's a perfect You.
and one day,
You will come and restore all things to be perfect once more.

there it is...the perfect life.

Rejoice~!!!

Posted by jing at 7/16/2007 09:25:00 PM

7.15.2007

4: suffering

Psalm 137

1 By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down, yea, we wept
When we remembered Zion.
2 We hung our harps
Upon the willows in the midst of it.
3 For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song,
And those who plundered us requested mirth,
Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How shall we sing the LORD’s song
In a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
Let my right hand forget its skill!
6 If I do not remember you,
Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth—
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, “Raze it, raze it,
To its very foundation!”
8 O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed,
Happy the one who repays you as you have served us!
9 Happy the one who takes and dashes
Your little ones against the rock!

***

v8-9
so much hatred, violence, desperation and vengeance...
how should we respond when we come across such passages?
have we any idea how or what that feels?
*sit, be quiet, feel the terror and pain of it.
share their sorrow, all that un-containable emotions.*

Church is not meant to be a fantasy world.
Church is a place to help people face reality, and cope with it.
To come before God to recognize, to complain, to lament, to protest...
of this world of suffering and pain.

Psalm 137 is a cry for justice.
WILL this day ever come?
Yes! New Jerusalem. New Heaven. New Earth.

Christianity is a faith that faces the reality of pain and sorrow.

Jesus Christ came to bear all the sufferings for us,
laying aside all his immunity to pain.
What greater love is there?

Words don't just mean things,
words DO things!
If we don't do, then we haven't entered into the reality of the word.

***

God meant it when He said He loves us all.
He demonstrated this by sending His only Child
to suffer like one of us and to die in our place.
He did it.

Have we? Are we doers of the Word?
Or mere listeners and big-talkers?

am i...?

***

Posted by jing at 7/15/2007 09:22:00 AM

7.13.2007

3: citizenship

Psalm 87

i may enter into all that God has prepared for me in love.

God's plans are all the good this love can see for me.

for those who love God, nothing irredeemable can happen to you.

gateway into God's kingdom ---> Jesus Christ
(John 10:7-10)

Revelations 21 ---> new heaven new earth

By His grace, we get to be citizens of His kingdom, His city.
By the grace He showed us on the cross, we get to live with Him forever and ever.

Praise the Lord~!

Posted by jing at 7/13/2007 06:56:00 AM

7.12.2007

2: history

Psalm 78

Our rebellion,
God's merciful grace,
All demonstrated when Christ was crucified.

our past may include fears and anxieties which
we tend to bring forward in our lives...
BUT they are rooted in our past!

we can't change the past past,
BUT we can change the present past!

we are not controlled by the past,
we can be FREE!

as we do historical reflections upon our own lives,
we will find our lives marked with rebellion, hurt,
stubbornness, guilt, sin...
BUT we will also see many of God's goodness and grace
despite all our sinful acts against Him.
we will also find things we can be grateful for,
and we shall once again be astonished!

the significance of God's grace~!
We can be good again!
coz of what Jesus did on the cross.
We can change!

Posted by jing at 7/12/2007 11:35:00 PM

7.11.2007

1: Creation

Psalm 8

1 O LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
4 What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,[b]
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

***

have always liked (and still do) this passage from before...
what is the meaning of my creation?
why am i here?

We are the focus of God among all creation~!
Jesus Christ is the symbol and proof of it.
We are ALL significant~!
God revealed this to us through Jesus Christ.

isn't that something worth celebrating?

indeed it is~! Praise the Lord~!
Hallelujah~!!!

***

Posted by jing at 7/11/2007 06:30:00 AM

7.08.2007

when answers aren't enough

you have faced the mountain of desperation
you have climbed you have fought,
you have won
but this valley that lies coldly before you
casts a shadow you cannot overcome

and just when you thought you had it all together
you knew ev'ry verse to get you through
but this time all the sorrow broke more than just your heart
and reciting all those verses just won't do

when answer aren't enough, there is Jesus
He is more than just an answer to your prayer
and your heart will find a safe and peaceful refuge
when answers aren't enough, He is there

instead of asking "why did it happen"
think of where it can lead you from there
and as your pain is slowly easin'
you can find a greater reason to live your life
triumphant through the tears

when answer aren't enough, there is Jesus
He is more than just an answer to your prayer
and your heart will find a safe and peaceful refuge
when answers aren't enough, He is there!

***
gim pointed out this song to me today at wesley.
decided to share with you all.
i think it expresses quite a big bit of me...
somehow i feel God answering me in lots of ways
during my time at wesley; be it sermons, songs, congregation...
really thankful (^_^) to God and to my dear & faithful friend
who basically stuck it out with me when i needed most.
you're indeed God-sent~!

Posted by jing at 7/08/2007 10:38:00 PM

7.07.2007

happy.BIRTH.day

yanling!!! thank you thank you thank you!!! you're the best~! \(.^_^.)/

Posted by jing at 7/07/2007 11:18:00 PM

7.01.2007

不能说的秘密

見たい！！！