Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Architectural drawing is no easy task for me since I'm not good at maths. But I thank God that my boss's always patient with me. He always tells me "one at a time". By the way, would people believe that a language teacher would be reading and drawing architectural graphics everyday? Many of my friends can't believe what I'm doing now. Oh well, very often God's plan doesn't make sense. The good thing about working in this company is I'll have qualification to apply for interior design courses - something like a diploma or even a degree.
In Hong Kong, interior design is considered a prestigious career. It helps people make their "dreams" come true. Chinese people always gives great values to family or home. (Home and family are one word in Chinese language.) Most of them dream about having a nice home. Apparently home should be a sanctuary where we can find (physical/mental/emotional/spiritual,etc) rest. That's why so many people invest a lot of money in their houses or apartments. To be honest, it would be an honour to me if I could be an interior designer.
Just then, I had a question: Interior designers make other people's homes nice and comfortable, so what kind of home should these interior designers have? Nice and comfortable as well? I've seen a report on the home of a world famous interior designer. His house was gorgeous, luxurious, awesome! It's what I expected actually. But, can a top designer live in a crappy place?
Jesus is the best "interior" designer ever. He's the one who designed the earth, a big big house, for everybody to live. (Isaiah8:30) How nice and beautiful the earth is? Download Google Earth, and look around this planet. You'll know how good Jesus is at "interior" design.
Jesus made a beautiful home for us and his "talent" and ability are undeliable. But what sort of place he lived in when he was on the *earth? The place is called Nazareth where nothing good can come from (John1:46). Why would he live in such crappy place? He chose to. What for? Us.
*The design of beauty and harmony was destroyed by sin.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Dear struggler,
I forgive you
I shouldn't have drawn an equal
Between who you are and what you've done
To my husband and me
God never draws an equal
Between who we are and what we've done
He loves us the way we are
He knows how weak we are
Even before we were born
Yet before we were born he started to love us
God persists in his love
No matter how much we hurt him
I forgive you
As I'm told that you always struggle
And I know I struggle just as the way you do
I know how struggles are like
I'm nothing better than you
We all are imperfect human beings with a sinful nature
I forgive you
As we all made mistakes
And we need forgiveness
As well as a second chance
God knows what we need
He never is slow to forgive
And he always gives us second chances
I forgive you
Because God's forgiven you
And me
I forgive you
And I believe God's healing
The wound you left on my heart
I forgive you
Even if you don't want it or
you think you don't need it
I forgive you, and
I want to love you
Love,
Reese
Friday, September 01, 2006
The longer I am in Christ, the more I find myself weak. I can't agree more with what Paul said.
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:18-24 NKJ)
I can't remember how many times I grieved over my struggles - lust and pride (1 John 2:16-17 NKJ). Sometimes I didn't want to confess how horrible I am. So I gave new names for my struggles. I called lust "natural biological desire"; pride - self approval. The euphemism made my sinful desire sound very reasonable and I became tolerant of them. In fact, I was fooling myself with the knowledge of the world. In other words, I was blinding myself from the knowledge of God. As John directly said:
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 john 2:15 NKJ)
Rejecting God's knowledge is dreadful. In the Book of Hosea, it is written:
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God. (Hosea 4:6 NKJ)
The world lacks the knowledge of God. They see their sinful desire from a perspective that is different from God's. As a servant of God, I should not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2 NKJ)
