To my dear self

To my dear self,
I know that this journey has been too long for you. Writing this thank you note to you was even tougher.
Well, you should know that I am proud of you. You continue to amaze me.
 Thank you for unlearning the negative titles that people gave you.

Thank you for not placing people’s opinion as your priority

 Thank you for accepting your journey (come what may)with your head held high. Thank you for getting back your confidence曆

欄 Thank you for being vulnerable before your people so that they could help you.

✌ Thank you for learning to dance despite every imperfect move because it makes ur soul happy

Well, I hope you remember that every step you take to become a better version of yourself needs celebration拾

Thank you for not giving up and loving yourself and allowing yourself to smile even with that awkward tooth gap.邏

I love being you ❤and thanks for being the one 隸‍♀️and only you.‍♀️❤

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Fighting on Knees:

More often have I heard to take ur prayers to the Lord, kneel.on your knees , keep them at His feet. Also, some fights are won on knees. Until few months , i thought fighting on knees would help me win. And I was confident on this But as days passed , I realized that my perspective was changing.
“first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:5
There were no more battles between us. Everything had almost diminished and we were together working in harmony.
There was another similar incident and I thought arguments would continue to exist and it was better to part ways than destroy the relation. Days and nights seemed to be more of worries. I had forgotten that we have a loving God who listens to us at all times. We just to need to keep them at Jesus’ Feet and have faith in Him , “ My Lord and My God” John 20:28
We need to stop doubting and believe John 20:27
However, yet again I am convinced that ” fighting on our knees ” would change our thoughts. Letting the other person know, that you have realized your relationship is much more important than a silly difference of opinion… can make arguments vanish. And love can finally take over.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
The peace that He gives us is beyond understanding .
We need to remember to Take it to the Lord in prayer

Identity in Christ

I still remember the day when I cried so loud when my mother bid me good bye at the gates of my school. Now , I was a boarder, which meant I would no more be around my family but with a new set of family, a new home. It seems to be of great fun, but it’s also tough because home-sickness can strike you at any moment.
Today, when I look back I know that this was a preparation for everything else that came into my life. At each step, I was getting less dependant on my parents, new friends became my family, learned to tackle a lot many things without getting over shadowed by the love and care of dear ones.
In this journey of leaving places and people , stepping out of every comfort zones of my life I saw jealousy creep in when I saw the relationship between my friends and God, A hunger to Know Him more, a realization that there is somebody Above who is a friend, a guide to my friends ;Also that He knows me more than I do myself .

“You know when I sit and when I rise;you perceive my thoughts from afar.You discern my going out and my lying down;you are familiar with all my ways.” Psalm 139:2-3

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;”Jeremiah 1:5

“For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb” Psalms 139:13″

“all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16

The words were now alive to me.I saw strength building in me, began defeating anxiousness, worries , taking charge of emotions and of course the character building , building of confidence and strength in me and also helped me survive lies of toxic relationships and most importantly reveal the truth about who God says I am,

I am free in Christ.” Galatians 5:1
“I am loved by God” 1John 4:10
” I am forgiven” Colossians 2:13
” I am not ruled by fear” 2 Timothy 1:7
“I am a child of God” John 1:12
“I am fearfully and wonderfully made” Psalm 139:14

Immanuel: God With Us

This year is almost done and I am happy to welcome the most wonderful time of the year, ” The Christmas Season”.
I cannot stop myself from being thankful . Almost every post that I put up this year mentioned how this year had been more of watching impossibilities turn into miracles.
💢 Every time I felt I had a good grasp on situations, new frontiers were introduced into my Life. They helped me grow because Jesus showed me something else that required healing
💢I saw extreme changes in myself , a shift in my internal world that was also changing my expectations.
💢 I could lay aside the things that I was holding a grip so tight , only to realize they never belonged to me and that I do not have to worry any more. God cares, he gives you better
💢 I witnessed anger rise when things seemed to be unacceptable but also saw it fading away when humbleness, human love and tenderness was what hitting me all day from people around me.
💢When I thought I couldn’t get past this day, when it seemed difficult to put one foot in front of the other, is when people showed up to me in strange wayS from everywhere
💢 This Advent season of Love and peace gives me so much joy to tell that even during those anxious days, I experienced peace that surpasses all understanding.He has been my refuge, my strength. He has been where I could run to during greatest desperation.

We all know him as ” Immanuel“, “God With Us” and that I and you can always depend on Him

Let’s Fight Well

*Let’s Fight Well *!
Aye, you read it right.If we want our relationships to work out, “*Let’s Fight well!* ‘
Every individual has their own way of resolving conflicts. Some of us keep blabbering, talk about it over and over again while the other person being thoroughly exhausted and frustrated.
Some of us, could just bury it in our hearts and never communicate.
And people like me could either grow the poison within or could even explode and also be one of the most impudent person .
What I have learnt this week is, “Can we talk? “,”Okay, Lets just hear it out” and then yeah we could bring up each other’s opinions” .
At the end of the day, we all wish to find joy and peace with each other
We may not come up with the resolution right way but at least the discussion wouldn’t make the person miserable the next day because the person may have been thinking on it all night.

Miracles

In a span of few weeks , I saw myself under the weather, hypotension, experienced a lot of unnecessary hustle , was made to make life’s important decision. And most of the time,I didn’t know if I would get through the day. I didn’t know If I’d return home that day. Had it not been a an unexpected message from my mom asking If I am back home, had it not been a sister who decided to talk to me accidentally, had it not been few women in my life who called to just inform me,”we miss you”. Had it not been a friend asking,”When are are you coming home, We are waiting”. To that experience , Isn’t that a miracle for in my weakness , I found strength. When I found myself fighting, I found assurance. I experienced Grace. I do not understand what the whole thing was about, but people showed up to me in strange ways from everywhere. I experienced goodness and Miracles are goodness,through people who are just passing through our lives, to dear friends who are there for us no matter what. Miracles are love and Forgiveness.(P.S.the last statement made sense to me , so its been copied). I am a witness to His Glory.
#ApennyOfSundaySermons

Time

They say that half information is dangerous. But all I know is that ‘this’ half information was painfully important to me. So much so, that knowing it before I did could have destroyed my day’s purpose. I may not have won the whole damn thing, and perhaps may not have even been able to put my foot in front of the other to just get through the day.
However, now I question as to why did this ‘now complete statement’ try to shatter the whole beauty, that knowing the half information held? Maybe all I need to take it as is a miracle since the universe was very kind, not to disclose it to me earlier.
Maybe everything happens for a reason, but sometimes I wonder… that I knew what the reason is.

Tomorrow’s Worry Can Drain you off Today

There were times when worry grasps me and drains me of my energy. None of these things that I am thinking about is in my control. But It could even depress me for a day and make me physically weak . not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ of these things that I am thinking about is in my control. But It could even depress me for a day and make me physically weak . Anxious thoughts began to deprive me of my sleep, it begins with an irritation then to dizziness , even letting my mind go blank.
Do you know Jesus pointed out saying,” Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27)”.
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34
It’s weird that we let tomorrow be our cause of worry for today when each day has enough troubles of its own. The worry brings more headaches making us think as to how I may deal with things that are yet to come.
I had to bring myself out of these worries because I knew that God has his control. God has his hand on it. He knows us.
“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.Before you were born I set you apart” Jeremiah 1:5
I see a change in myself every week. Because God cares. The moment you let yourself on your knees, the moment you cast your burdens on Him, You are free. He waits for you to come to Him simply because he loves you.
He says,“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”Matthew 11:28

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”Philippians 4:6-7

Let Him take over your worries.

A packet of Chips

Last week, an incident seemed so fierce to overtake me . For a moment, I had a flash of self doubt and fear of losing.For those few moments I could sense some set of things ruining within myself. I could sense that in my moist eyes.
A person in the room might have sensed something wrong in me. Well, we weren’t proper friends ;May be we had hardly spoken to each other at some rare occasions. At that time, she did not approach me with a direct question on How am I doing;Instead she offered me a packet of chips ,might I feel better. The little act of kindness was profoundly powerful in helping me come out of that terrible moment.
In Latin, ‘compati’ means “suffer with.” Compassion means someone else’s suffering becomes your heartbreak. They say that true compassion can improvise life.
Christ suffered for the world and asked us to live and act compassionately. Bible tells us instances where Christ has compassion on the people.
“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” Psalm 145:8-9

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”Colossians 3:12

We don’t have to do something big to be compassionate.
There are plenty of of ways to do that:
1. Be a good listener: You can just shut up for few minutes and let another person talk
2. Being Empathetic : You don’t have to undergo somebody else’s plight of experiencing it. Just Imagine yourself in other person’s shoes to understand the feelings through other person’s eyes.
3. Be a giver : That could encompass your time, or any old stuff which you don’t require but somebody else is in need of it.
4. Be Private : be good at keeping secrets as no one is encouraged when their struggles are made public. Sometimes, just a few words of appreciation can do magic.
What are your experiences on being compassionate?

Hail Mary ,full of Grace

“Kairé” which means “Rejoice.” In Greek.Then Gabriel says “Kékaritoméné” which means “who has been filled with grace”.

As a child I often struggled to understand, even argued with Sisters who taught me Catechism as to why Catholics pray to Mother Mary, when Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John14:6
I knew Mary is significant, but yeah I kept her at a distance (always) .Born of a Protestant tradition, I had a hard time wrapping my head around to allow Mary into my life because it felt like betraying Jesus. I was afraid if I would elevate Mary into the position of my Saviour. I was always afraid that somehow my relationship with Mary would take the place of my relationship with my Saviour, Jesus.
But we cannot deny that Mary is the Mother of Jesus Christ and consequently Mother of God. Mary is the Church’s model of faith and charity” Mary is the one eyewitness who was there for all of it – from birth to death to resurrection.
Mary is the perfect disciple, the perfect apostle, and the perfect woman to imitate if I want to love Jesus perfectly.
“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)
The display of amazing boldness , trust and confidence that she placed in God’s will for her life encourages me to say “Yes” to God when I have multiple options of measuring the pros and cons of my doubts and really question , is this really the best for me?
I find no other way to explain my belief ,than to say that there is something about Mary ,something Incredible, Something Blessed. As a Protestant, I have struggled here. But its clear that The Gospel says that the generations will proclaim her blessed .
My devotion and honour towards her does not take away my devotion to Jesus; in fact, it strengthens it. We honour her simply and solely to honour Him all the more perfectly.

We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek – Jesus, her Son. Its exactly the same way we go to Pastors/friends and family to pray for us not because that our prayers don’t reach God but because we find comfort in knowing that others are praying on our behalf. Yes, She is in paradise with Jesus, She can lay our requests to God.Its a simple interpretation that if the good thief is in heaven with Jesus, If Elijah and Moses appear and talk to Jesus then Will not Mary(Full Of Grace) – whom all generations must call blessed not in Heaven with God?

I now understand what Saint Teresa meant, “Mary, give me your heart: so beautiful, so pure, so immaculate; your heart so full of love and humility that I may be able to receive Jesus as the Bread of Life and love Him as you love Him and serve Him in the distressing guise of the poor.”