posts about lessons learned through journey
Please take a moment to appreciate what you have and what you’re able to do. Not everyone has a safe place to sleep, a warm meal to eat, has the ability to walk and/or talk, has the ability to see, etc.
It’s easy to overlook these everyday treasures, but gratitude turns what we have into enough, and it reminds us to cherish the present.
What are you grateful for?
Veterans Day is a day we should pause to honor those who’ve signed up to serve—not knowing where that service would take them, or what it might cost.
Veterans carry scars (unseen too) and remind us that freedom often comes through sacrifice, and that strength doesn’t always shout.
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13
Veterans have lived this verse. Their willingness to serve is selfless love in action.
So let us live out our gratitude — by showing kindness, by listening to someone’s story, by remembering the freedom their service helped protect.
Let us honor their courage by walking bravely in our own callings, whatever battles we face.
Because in every act of service, every moment of perseverance, we are reminded that courage still lives among us.
I’ve recently seen headlines about this “AI Jesus” to simulate conversations with Jesus Christ. I heard that some are in confessional booths and some are offering responses in different languages.
I know AI is popular and can be useful, but imitating Jesus is on a whole new level of wrong. There is only one Jesus.
Yes, they can quote Scriptures and offer comforting words, but they’re programmed responses.
They don’t know us. They can’t sit with us in silence or bring peace into our storms.
And that’s the problem because their imitation starts to feel like intimacy (I’ve seen videos where people are dating AIs too), but they are not real.
Jesus came down as a human to offer Himself. He touched lepers. Ate with sinners. Wept with friends. Challenged the powerful. Restored the broken.
This kind of love cannot be coded and should not be coded, even though we live in a world of instant replies and curated personas.
Real faith asks for our presence, surrender, and trust all the time. And in return, we get a living relationship with the One who knows us fully and loves us always.
Please make time (a few minutes is better than none) to pause and take deep breaths. He’s still here. Not behind a screen, but beside you. Not scripted, but speaking.
And He’s not waiting for the perfect question. Just your honest heart.
There’s always something demanding our time; people to care for, deadlines to meet, responsibilities that don’t seem to end. Before we know it, stress has slipped into every corner of our day. It’s hard to keep up.
But even God rested. After six days of creation, He paused (Genesis 2:2–3). If He made rest part of His rhythm, then it must be important for us too.
When we rest, we give our body, mind, and spirit the space they need to heal and recharge. It’s a way of saying, “I trust that the world will keep turning even if I pause for a moment.”
I used to believe that slowing down meant falling behind. I grew up around people who pushed through exhaustion just to finish what they started, and I did the same — until it caught up with me. When I finally gave myself permission to rest, things changed. My mind was clearing up. My body began to recover. My spirit felt lighter.
So please listen to your body. Let yourself recover without guilt. Step outside for a moment of stillness. Breathe deeply between tasks. Set aside time each week to slow down — even if it’s just a few minutes of alone time.
If someone offers to help, let them. Accepting help is also a form of rest.
Rest matters because it’s how our bodies repair what’s been worn down and how our hearts find calm in a noisy world. Our sleep is a sacred pause that reminds us that we’re human.
Rest is not selfish. It’s a way of caring for the vessel God gave you. Give yourself permission to pause, to breathe, to be renewed. You don’t have to push yourself to the limit to prove your worth. Sometimes, the most faithful thing we can do is rest.
It’s easy for family time to slip through the cracks of our busyness. But I’ve learned that spending time with family (biological, adoptive, friendships, etc.) leaves precious memories in our lives.
Family time doesn’t have to be about vacations or restaurant dinners, but more about sharing a meal at the table without cell phones, playing games, sitting together watching tv, etc.
Making time for family is a powerful choice. They build connections. They shape memories. They remind us that we’re not walking through life alone.
Family time = love over distraction, presence over busyness, and connection over isolation.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be together.
Gratitude does show up in the small stuff such as a nice bed to sleep in, a warm cup of coffee, a text from a friend at just the right time.
It’s easy to miss these little reminders when life feels heavy, but gratitude invites us to pause, breathe, and see what’s still good.
And here’s the thing, gratitude grows stronger when we practice it together. When one of us notices a bit of light in our day, it helps the rest of us remember to look for ours too.
It’s tempting to think gratitude has to come from something big like a promotion, a breakthrough, a once-in-a-lifetime event. But often, it’s the simple things that hold us steady.
Think about the laughter you didn’t expect, the meal that turned out better than you thought, the smile from a stranger. These little pieces of light are worth noticing.
So maybe we can start asking: Where’s the light in this moment, right here, right now?
In my situation, I struggle to with severe trismus. Haven’t been able to open my mouth since 2006. Yeah, it sucks to not eat or talk normally like I use to. Sometimes it hits me hard with a train of emotions. I’m human. What helps me is that I know I am still able to eat everyday. I just have to purée my food and talk a bit slower.
Point is that gratitude doesn’t erase our struggles, but it reminds us we’re not defined by them. Some days it will come easily. Other days, it might feel far away. Even small sparks of thankfulness can make the situation better.
This past Sunday, the pastor was preaching about what love is and is not, based on 1 Corinthians 13.
He did mention the typical romantic love or the kind that’s easy to give when everything’s going well. However, his emphasis was on real love–the kind that reflects the heart of Jesus.
It was towards the end of the sermon when he read verses 4 through 7:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
He paused for a bit, then asked us, “Do you show love to people?”
He read the passage again—but this time, he replaced the word love with I.
I am patient, I am kind. I do not envy, I do not boast, I am not proud. I do not dishonor others, I am not self-seeking, I am not easily angered, I keep no record of wrongs. I do not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth. I always protect, always trust, always hope, always persevere.
I’ve read the verses many times before, but I’ve never read them like that. Just like that, the verses became a mirror that I dared to look at.
We are human, but we are called to be like Jesus. Not just on Sundays or when it’s convenient, but all the time. That’s not easy. It’s not natural. But it’s what we’re here for. To be the light in this dark world. To reflect the kind of love that doesn’t come from us but flows through us when we stay close to Him.
Song I thought of is called “Love, Love, Love” by Sidewalk Prophets
A frequent phrase my mom says to our Siamese cat when she is constantly whining for attention or for wet food when it’s dinner time.
And it got me thinking—how often do we whine for things? Not in meows, but in sighs, groans, and “Why today, Lord?” laments. We grumble when we’re forced to wait.
When we try to stitch together a good day only for life to unravel it with a series of snags—a traffic jam that eats the morning, a car that refuses to start, a rude interaction that scrapes at our peace.
Our common response is to complain which does nothing, but makes us more frustrated or angry than before.
But as His children, we’re invited into something counterintuitive. I am not saying that we will have a life free of stress and/or chaos, although that would be nice. What I am saying is that we can have a life that doesn’t have to be consumed by it.
Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
And 1 Peter 5:7 wraps this truth in saying:
Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
In other words, we are called to cast our worries to Him, and trust that the God who sees us is also guarding us. Not some of our worries, but all of them–petty ones, the overwhelming ones, and the ones we are too embarrassed to admit. He cares.
Here are a few examples of finding calm in the chaos:
Sometimes I hum a random song that pops in my head.
Maybe what we need isn’t just the solution we’re crying out for, but a reminder to return to stillness. To trust that He is already at work.
Because sometimes the most profound peace comes not from the absence of problems—but from the presence of God in the middle of them.
God’s forgiveness is part of His love for us that is always offered freely, no matter how many times we fall.
Yet as humans, we often place limits on the grace we extend to others. We keep a tally. We set conditions. We give a few chances and then decide we’ve had enough.
But He never stops forgiving.
God’s Mercy Is Limitless
Throughout God’s Word, we see His patience with His people, His willingness to restore what was broken, and His readiness to forgive even the most grievous sins.
Psalm 103:10-12 (NKJV) reminds us:
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
We never had a moment where God says, “That’s it, I’m done with you!” Instead, He removes our sins, washing us clean again and again and again and again…
He sacrificed His only son so that we could always come back, no matter how far we’ve strayed. That had to be the hardest thing to do. Abraham almost did the same.
Point is that His love is like no other love we’ll receive.
Limits on Our Forgiveness
Unlike God’s mercy, we struggle to forgive people repeatedly and genuinely. We might say, “I forgive you,” but deep down, we don’t. We often forgive only when it feels fair or when the offense isn’t too painful.
Yet Jesus challenges us in Matthew 18:21-22 (NKJV):
Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven
In other words, our forgiveness shouldn’t be limited. This does not mean enabling harmful behavior, but it does mean letting go of bitterness and offering the same grace that God has shown us.
Forgiveness Frees Us
Don’t hold on to the grudges. It adds more weight on the shoulders, plus we are “prisoners” to the past. But when we forgive-truly and fully-we reflect God’s heart and experience the peace that comes with release.
bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
Colossians 3:13 (NKJV)
God’s forgiveness gives us infinite chances to start again.
Let’s take one step closer to forgiving like He does and always will. It may take some time. Pray about it. He already knows.
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.
Hebrews 8:12 (NKJV)
Prayers don’t always get answered the way we hope. Healing doesn’t always come when we expect it. But having faith is about trusting God all the time.
MercyMe’s song Even If speaks to the kind of faith that holds on in the hardest moments.
I’m not saying that we should be pretending things don’t hurt or that struggles don’t weigh us down. We should keep in mind that God is still good, still present, and still worthy of our trust, no matter what.
Faith in the Fire
I know You’re able
And I know You can
Save through the fire
With Your mighty hand
But even if You don’t
My hope is You alone.
In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood before a fiery furnace because they didn’t worship the king. They knew God could save them, but they also declared, “But if not… we will not serve your gods” (Daniel 3:18).
God is bigger than the fire. Faith isn’t based on circumstances, but on His unchanging character.
Holding On in the Waiting
Waiting is hard, especially when we’re praying for answers. But when we look back, we can see that God was with us through it all.
Waiting is the test of our faith in that we’re learning to trust Him beyond what we can see. Even if the healing doesn’t come, even if the answer isn’t what we expect, God is still working.
Life is full of even if moments. The question is, will we still trust God through them?
No matter what you’re facing today, take heart. God is still with you. And even if things don’t go as planned, He is still good.
