Faith Noodles

I'm posting again after a 3 year hiatus (wow, that's pretty long) with encouragement from my cousin. Thanks Dan for your encouragement to blog again! I thought my first post back could be about my reflections from the past year that's just been. It was such a tough year as I had quite a serious injury and took awhile to recover and am still recovering, though I am so much better.  Sometimes you just want to forget things like that ever happened, sometimes you want to just forget that reality is hard and life is hard and our bodies will accumulate more and more problems in this broken world. Yet, I think it is wise and important for me to pause and reflect. So here are my learnings from 2024. During a year that was hard for me give to the people I love, I learned that they would continue to be there for me through the seasons, giving me a deeper experience of unconditional love. It was overwhelmingly beautiful and I felt and feel so loved. Life's too short to paint your ...

I really love this quote about the gospel that's explained in really simple language that a child would understand. It reminds me that I don't have to overcomplicate following Jesus. I think I might reduce a lot of grief for myself if I learn to let go of overthinking things, and simply trust and obey. I think it also changes how I think about stepping into the unknown. Rather than 'aaaahhh, I'm going to lose control', it feels much more like I'm heading out on an adventure with God. I still have no idea where I'm heading, but I'm being guided by a reliable and experienced mountaineer acquainted with all the different paths. :) 'Now the bible isn't just a book of rules or heroes, it's most of all a story, an adventure story of a young hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story of a brave prince who leaves his palace, his throne, everything, to rescue the one he loves. It's like the most wonderfu...

Lord, You have always given bread for the coming day; And though I am poor, Today I believe. Lord, You have always given strength for the coming day; And though I am weak, Today I believe. Lord, You have always given peace for the coming day; And though of anxious heart, Today I believe. Lord, You have always kept me safe in trials; And now, tried as I am, Today I believe. Lord, You have always marked the road for the coming day; And though it may be hidden, Today I believe. Lord, You have always lightened this darkness of mine; And though the night is here, Today I believe. Take heart, our strength is not our own. We are resilient to the extent we lean on You. Lord, You forever go before us to prepare a place for us. You are on the road we tread. Wherever life is leading us, You go before. Perhaps we have no clue about what lies ahead; We know You are ahead of us, so the future is not so unknown. - Author unknown

My pastor presented us with a really great challenge now that we are coming out of the lockdown. Think about the new practices that you have acquired during the lockdown period, which of these are important for you to keep now that life is going to start getting really busy again, and which of these might you want to let go of. I think one of the main things I have taken away during the lockdown is really learning to slow down and to be content in Christ. So I just really want to take some time to reflect on how I've slowed down during my past week :) I listened to a song I loved during my lunch break. I re-read a Scripture that really encouraged me the night before while I was at work and wrote it down on a post-it note. I acknowledged that I had navigated a therapy session well rather than focusing on what I wished I had done better. I responded to criticism without allowing myself to be more critical of myself, but rather, to be more reflective instead. I took one day of leave t...

A friend of mine asked me to share with her some things I praise God for during this time so she can also be encouraged. That question really moved me and made me think how strange Christians may seem to others - who in their right mind would praise God during a time the world is undergoing so much turmoil and grieve? So here is my response to my friend - For me, I'm grateful that God has used this time to deepen my trust and reliance on Him, and teach me about different aspects of who He is... my Friend, who is with me at every meal when I can't go out and meet friends for a meal; my strength, for each day, as work has been really draining; my peace, for teaching me I can trust God with my loved ones and in this uncertainty by turning my worries over to Him in prayer; my firm foundation, this pandemic has really exposed so many other things that I value in life to be 'sand' - these things just will not last, but God's promises will.

My church has been going through this series on gratitude, and I feel God really convicting me. If you know me, you probably know that while I may not be so inclined to grumble about my circumstances, I am definitely one to worry a lot about it. My attention is often narrowly focused on how incompetent I perceive myself to be or how I am won't be able to cope with the feared outcome. Worry takes me to a self-focused and self-serving place, and blinds me to God's presence in my situation. But gratitude for all the good gifts God has given us, including the most amazing Gift ever which is His Son, Jesus, really helps open your eyes to the presence and goodness of God. A quick squizz as well on the neuroscience behind gratitude also shows that it increases activation in the medial prefrontal cortex, which is the region of our brain that allows us to step back in situations, gather the big picture and choose our response (rather than react). I really want to - more and more - th...

I am now flying back after three days of visiting my hometown. During those three days, I had a chance to celebrate my grandmother’s life with so many who love her. We knew that her condition was declining, but her passing took us all by surprise. This emotion of grief is not a new one, but the intensity at which I am feeling it is. This is the first time I have ever lost someone so near and so dear to me. This emotion feels similar to a break-up, where there is this intense pain and longing, but it is so much worse. The reality that I will not get to see her again until I get to heaven is a hard one. And yet, as I typed that sentence, I realise that the reality that I will get to see her again is an incredibly comforting one. When I walked into her living room and saw her body lying in the chiller, I expected to break down, but there was such a look of peace on her face that I could not help but quiet my heart and share in my grandma’s joy that she is now reunited with Jesu...