Truly, my King works in mysterious ways that cannot be fathomed even by the most brilliant human minds in the world. Even when I felt like He really wanted me to ask for something, it seems that I got another thing in return.
It was a really weird feeling. I had no idea that while I was praying for someone else, in the end I was the one being prayed for. And one, or rather, a few of the people I had been praying for were the ones who did that. Can you spell S-T-R-A-N-G-E?
Seriously though, it was a wonderful feeling. It felt like I had done some spring cleaning mentally without waiting for a 'proper' time. It's a fact: There is NO proper time. There's only my King's time. When He moves, you won't even know it was Him until He had blessed and comforted/delivered you and moved on a long time ago. It makes hindsight look like the most wondrous invention in the world, you know.
But seriously, it was so out of the blue that it felt like I had been hit with a wave. A lustrous wave of silk and satin that sought to bring me comfort and reassurance. Earlier, I had foolishly thought that it didn't matter that hardly anyone cared. It didn't matter that someone unknown was going to pray for me when I went down with a willing heart.
I was wrong on both counts.
Firstly, it wasn't that 'it didn't matter' and I knew it. I was deceiving myself and when the time came, it wasn't that hardly anyone cared. Everyone that I knew and were around me cared, and I instantly knew it.
It was an inexplicable feeling, but the moment I felt hands upon me, it was like there was a silky but strong veil surrounding me, protecting me from spiritual harm and attempting to filter out the weeds that were growing in my garden. It was a tough thing to handle, these weeds, which leads me to my next point.
Secondly, it did matter that someone that I did not really know was praying for me. Pulling at the weeds bit by bit was one thing. Totally uprooting them in a forceful yet caring way (Oxymoron alert!) was another.
With that, spring cleaning was done. I. Am. Free.
Which leaves me so very free to run the good race for one last day before getting ready to do battle with my examinations in all earnestness. Which leaves me so very free to start expecting the flowers in my visions to bloom, the winter to turn into spring and for my journey to add in bliss.
It has got me believing again, no matter what the current situation might be. All it took were two touches and a smile, and I was so very ready to believe again and continue fighting and living for my visions and dreams.
And lastly, the long-awaited fourth step into Dreamland:
* * *
In the Lion City, there was once a man who dreamed big. He wanted to do great things that would astound and impress many people. He wanted to be the one to do something that was outstanding, even radical that would eclipse even the greatest achievements by the great men and women of the city. He wanted to wow the girl of his dreams that he would be able to get closer to her and start a relationship. Being a good, honest and kind person, the man received much moral support from his friends, family and loved ones.
One day, God spoke to him as he had just finished exercising.
"Man of great dreams, hear me."
"Yes, Lord?"
"You'll be able to achieve great things. In due time-"
The man cut him off. "Thank you Lord! This is the affirmation I needed! I'll go and start planning for it right away!"
God was not finished. "Wait, young man. I still have more for you..."
But in his excitement, the overjoyed man did not listen. So happy was he that he immediately spoke of his encounter with his friends. Many were happy for him and offered their support, while a few others were doubtful and asked him to seek God again for advice. The man rejected their offers nicely, claiming that he could do anything now that he had the support of God.
One day, the seemingly perfect opportunity came for him. A lightning bolt struck a pillar from the national monument and it toppled to the ground. The pillar was a hundred metres long and weigh more than a thousand tonnes. As it fell, the pillar obstructed the road for many pedestrians, causing a lot of trouble for them.
This is my chance! The man ran all the way to the place where the pillar had collapsed. Having trained and learned as much as he could to prepare for such a day, the man rolled up his sleeves, took a deep breath and with a mighty heave, lifted the pillar up upon his shoulders. People stopped to look and began pointing excitedly at him. Some asked him what he was going to do with the pillar.
"I shall take this pillar out of the city. I shall erect it on the tallest hill and sculpt it such that everyone will be able to see it!"
In the Lion City, there was once a man who dreamed big. He wanted to do great things that would astound and impress many people. He wanted to be the one to do something that was outstanding, even radical that would eclipse even the greatest achievements by the great men and women of the city. He wanted to wow the girl of his dreams that he would be able to get closer to her and start a relationship. Being a good, honest and kind person, the man received much moral support from his friends, family and loved ones.
One day, God spoke to him as he had just finished exercising.
"Man of great dreams, hear me."
"Yes, Lord?"
"You'll be able to achieve great things. In due time-"
The man cut him off. "Thank you Lord! This is the affirmation I needed! I'll go and start planning for it right away!"
God was not finished. "Wait, young man. I still have more for you..."
But in his excitement, the overjoyed man did not listen. So happy was he that he immediately spoke of his encounter with his friends. Many were happy for him and offered their support, while a few others were doubtful and asked him to seek God again for advice. The man rejected their offers nicely, claiming that he could do anything now that he had the support of God.
One day, the seemingly perfect opportunity came for him. A lightning bolt struck a pillar from the national monument and it toppled to the ground. The pillar was a hundred metres long and weigh more than a thousand tonnes. As it fell, the pillar obstructed the road for many pedestrians, causing a lot of trouble for them.
This is my chance! The man ran all the way to the place where the pillar had collapsed. Having trained and learned as much as he could to prepare for such a day, the man rolled up his sleeves, took a deep breath and with a mighty heave, lifted the pillar up upon his shoulders. People stopped to look and began pointing excitedly at him. Some asked him what he was going to do with the pillar.
"I shall take this pillar out of the city. I shall erect it on the tallest hill and sculpt it such that everyone will be able to see it!"
Some laughed, though others cheered him on. His friends also came to see what the commotion was about, and offered their aid to him.
The man shook his head. "No, I'll be fine on my own." With that, he began pulling the pillar along with a spring in his step. As he moved, the people on the streets started cheering and it spurred him on. After all, he was helping everyone while impressing them. His friends would definitely be pleased.
The man took the pillar for ten miles and though diminished, there was still a crowd cheering for him He took it for twenty miles and though further diminished, there was still groups of people egging him on. He took it for thirty miles and though even further reduced, there were still pockets of people cheering him on.
As he reached forty miles, the man began to tire. There were hardly any people left except for a few passerby who either stared at him strangely or tried to make small talk with him. He obliged, but even then the man began sweating under the stifling heat from the sun and the biting cold from the rain.
At fifty miles, the man was truly fatigued. I can't take a rest now, he thought, wondering how his friends would laugh at him if he took too long to return. Wild thoughts began to assault him about how everyone else was having a relatively easy life compared to his and how his dream girl would already have met someone she preferred over him. The man grunted and panted his way to the sixty-mile mark, trudging towards it with what was now his burden over his shoulder.
Amazingly, as he reached the sixty-mile milestone, the load became lighter. It came to a point where he felt as though he could run with the whole thing. This is great! Looks like God is giving me strength! Yet when he called out, there was neither booming voice to be heard nor presence to be felt. Feeling puzzled, the man continued.
At seventy miles, the burden suddenly became heavy again, and he finally sat down, totally exhausted. The ease he had when taking his pillar was gone and his strength depleted. He looked up into the sky and shouted in frustration.
"God, where are you?! Didn't you say that I was going to do greater things? Didn't you say that I could go to greater heights?"
Unperturbed, God finally spoke to him. "Take a break, then try lifting the pillar up again."
"What would a break do for me?! How am I-"
"Rest. Now."
This time, the man obeyed and took a nap. Half an hour later, he woke up and felt refreshed. Thanking God silently, he took the pillar and moved on without looking back and once again felt the lightness.
Past the hundred and forty-mile mark, the man tired once more. This time, he was puzzled. There were many times where the pillar felt heavy, while at other times it felt as though he could sprint away with it without stopping. Every time he stopped to look behind, there was nothing. There was no divine hand that God sent down to help him. There was no person in sight. No, not a single one. How was that possible?
Then, God spoke to him once more.
"You have a question, my son."
"Yes, Lord. Why is it that my pillar feels so heavy at times, while during others it was as light as a feather?"
"Let me ask you this first, my son: Do you feel tired?"
"Yes, Lord. So much that I hardly feel like moving on sometimes."
"Do you feel a sense of loneliness?"
"Yes, Lord. So much that I just want to see my friends and the person I care about, even for a few minutes."
"Do you, then, trust in what I have to say?"
The man laughed wistfully. "If only I had done so earlier, Lord."
"Then pick up your pillar and run. When you've picked up speed, turn around and look behind."
The man obeyed without question this time and steeled himself as he heaved the heavy thing onto his shoulder once more. Gritting his teeth, he mustered all the strength he could in his legs and broke off into a sprint. When his strength failed, he mustered all his mental strength to keep him going. Finally, he managed to get into a run and as he did so, the pillar felt lighter and lighter.
With trepidation, the man looked back.
To his amazement, at the second half of the pillar, his friends were there. Those who he thought had abandoned him. Those who had asked him to reconsidered. Those who had sought to help him. Even the people he cared about were there, all lifting the pillar on their shoulders, huffing and puffing as they kept it up. The man could even see a young man with his arms outstretched, attempting to add in as much strength as he could.
"You see now?" God spoke gently. "This is what's sustaining you. This is what's giving you strength. While you seek to help others, there were others still who want to help you. Others who you thought didn't care. Others who you thought were against you. Others to help you lift up your dream when you start losing sight of it. Others who will help you in whatever way possible."
With tears in his eyes, the man replied. "How can I ever thank you, Lord?"
"It is not only me, child. You have your friends to thank, for it is their desire to help you that allows them to travel so far just to aid you."
The man nodded and as he set down his pillar for another rest, ten miles away from his objective, he sincerely thanked every single person before they could plan and do the final sprint to the hill.
Then God spoke to him again. "My son, hear me as I speak."
"Yes, Lord?"
"Wait. Do not move just yet."
"But why, Lord? Aren't we in the final lap of the goal? Now it's the time to seize the day!"
"My child, just wait till noon tomorrow."
Puzzled, the man obeyed nevertheless. That night, a great congregation of dark clouds brewed a great thunderstorm, eroding the soil on the hill, making it so treacherous that not even the most sure-footed mountain goat would survive it.
As the storm cleared, the man waited till it was noon before finally setting the pillar on the hill.
* * *
Aesop time!
1.) There are many times when God gives us a promise, a hope or a dream so great that it gets us all excited. But in our excitement, have we forgotten to WAIT upon the Lord's instruction? Have we given Him enough time to finish speaking to us before rushing off headlong into things? Are we then, respecting Him?
2.) There are many times where friends and loved ones give us advice or offer to help us but we say "It is MY dream. Let ME do it my way." When we fail and start becoming bitter, blaming others and even blaming God...Have we assessed our own attitudes previously? Have we ACTIVELY sought God CONSTANTLY for all the dreams we wanted to come true? Have we pushed away the friends and people who love us in ways that sometimes we don't understand?
3.) There are many times where we feel so impatient, wanting to fulfill our dreams as soon as possible that we charge on with drive and passion, refusing to rest, always hoping to reach the destination as soon as possible. Are we then, like the man who did not want to rest till God ALLOWED the circumstances to force him to rest, with a STERN word?
4.) Sometimes, God breaks us through many circumstances. He keeps silent because He wants us to go through them. He does not speak because He knows we would not listen to Him. Sometimes it is through the trials and tribulations that when we emerge from it, battered, bruised, lost and utterly heartbroken that only then will we listen. Only then will our hearts be contrite.
5.) Sometimes, we always believe in helping others while attempting to attain our dreams. But there are also many times where our own strength fails us and we fall. Our dreams, once so easily carried, became a burden, bogged down by the cares of life, disappointments, heartaches and loneliness. Although we may not feel it tangibly, there will ALWAYS be someone trying to help you as much as they can. Even when we think they don't care. Even when we think God doesn't care. But they do. Even people you don't expect to, in the most unexpected ways.
6.) Sometimes, we really have to wait for the right season and timing for our dreams to come to pass. The man had to wait before he could complete his dream. He listened to God, who determines what the fate of your dream ultimately is. More importantly, the man believed in God after his experiences and waited, knowing that his God-given dreams were destined to be fulfilled in God's time. Are we then, waiting long enough? Are we always impatient, always asking God for this and that to be fulfilled at our own timings?
Hope you managed to get through the whole thing. Cheers! =D
1.) There are many times when God gives us a promise, a hope or a dream so great that it gets us all excited. But in our excitement, have we forgotten to WAIT upon the Lord's instruction? Have we given Him enough time to finish speaking to us before rushing off headlong into things? Are we then, respecting Him?
2.) There are many times where friends and loved ones give us advice or offer to help us but we say "It is MY dream. Let ME do it my way." When we fail and start becoming bitter, blaming others and even blaming God...Have we assessed our own attitudes previously? Have we ACTIVELY sought God CONSTANTLY for all the dreams we wanted to come true? Have we pushed away the friends and people who love us in ways that sometimes we don't understand?
3.) There are many times where we feel so impatient, wanting to fulfill our dreams as soon as possible that we charge on with drive and passion, refusing to rest, always hoping to reach the destination as soon as possible. Are we then, like the man who did not want to rest till God ALLOWED the circumstances to force him to rest, with a STERN word?
4.) Sometimes, God breaks us through many circumstances. He keeps silent because He wants us to go through them. He does not speak because He knows we would not listen to Him. Sometimes it is through the trials and tribulations that when we emerge from it, battered, bruised, lost and utterly heartbroken that only then will we listen. Only then will our hearts be contrite.
5.) Sometimes, we always believe in helping others while attempting to attain our dreams. But there are also many times where our own strength fails us and we fall. Our dreams, once so easily carried, became a burden, bogged down by the cares of life, disappointments, heartaches and loneliness. Although we may not feel it tangibly, there will ALWAYS be someone trying to help you as much as they can. Even when we think they don't care. Even when we think God doesn't care. But they do. Even people you don't expect to, in the most unexpected ways.
6.) Sometimes, we really have to wait for the right season and timing for our dreams to come to pass. The man had to wait before he could complete his dream. He listened to God, who determines what the fate of your dream ultimately is. More importantly, the man believed in God after his experiences and waited, knowing that his God-given dreams were destined to be fulfilled in God's time. Are we then, waiting long enough? Are we always impatient, always asking God for this and that to be fulfilled at our own timings?
Hope you managed to get through the whole thing. Cheers! =D
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