Sept 30th, 2020: With Hope We Keep Going

 Put Your Hope in God

A friend asked me recently how I find strength and confidence to keep doing what I am doing all of these years. She wanted to know whether I feel tired of listening to people's struggles and problems day after day. For more than 34 years, I have not yet experienced professional and emotional burnout, and I don't intend to.


One of the main factors for me is to learn how not to take myself too seriously while taking God's plan for the world with commitment and endurance. I have learned to accept the fact that I will not be able to help everyone and not feel guilty about it. Only God can, and the last time I checked, and I am not Him.


One of the verses I read, when things are challenging for me, is 1 Thessalonians 1:3:

"We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."


First, remember that God is with us. That thought gives me a lot of comforts when I have to make hard decisions and make uncomfortable choices. Sometimes we will have to stand on what we believe in, and that is not always popular. Seeking popularity while trying to serve others is a sure pathway to burn out.


Secondly, my work is the manifestation of my faith. It is based on the acceptance of Jesus' forgiveness. So I tried to integrate that truth into all aspects of my work. Caring for people is no longer about having the answers to their problems. It is about encouraging people to receive God's grace and walking with them on that journey.


Thirdly, nothing we do is good without love. The objective is about learning how to love God more deeply in going about my responsibility. If people don't experience God's love in being with me, then what is good with the time we have together? I might not have the answers they need, but I hope that they will have a glimpse of how much God loves them as we reason together.


Lastly, we can not help people if we cannot hope. Hope is the bloodline for life. Without hope, darkness can dominate life. Hopeful people inspire other people to walk towards the light and find life. The answers for what they are going through is actually in hope itself. It is the kind of hope that redefines the essence of who we are in God. It also redirects our life with others.

Popular posts from this blog

Aug 31st, 2024: Confession

Image
Dealing with pain sometimes affects our ability and flexibility. A physiotherapist friend gave me a set of home exercises to help with that. They are simple yet intense at the same time. Dealing with our human brokenness sometimes affects our ability to see and hear God. Our commitment to spiritual disciplines must be at the core of our relationship with God. One of the disciplines I have been trying to embrace more fully is confession. It’s not just about recognizing where we have gone wrong; it’s about how we have chosen to live our lives independently from God. It’s about whether we truly want God to be part of our lives. The absence of meaningful confession will damage our freedom to experience intimacy with God. "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." - Proverbs 28:13
Read more

Sept 4th, 2024: Praying in Images

Image
It has been a rough few days. Living in immense pain does not allow us much energy to think about anything. I ended up praying in images, and not many words came out of my mouth. Most of the images were of people I know. God knew that I was praying for them as their faces came to my mind. I did not need to mention the circumstances or situations of their lives—He knows. My heart was at peace as I ended my days with these images. He will take care of my body, and I know this because I was able to get some sleep. Tomorrow is in His hands.
Read more

Oct 1st, 2022: Be With Those Who Suffer

Image
  Listening to a young woman who shared her experience of being raped repeatedly by a family member for over four years as a teenager made my heart ache. The man who did that was a leader of a church. He was imprisoned for seven months and released. He was her stepfather. Her mother chose to pick him over her after his release. Her life has changed forever. She had to go to a foster home. Her foster parents helped her with her restoration and her faith in God. Her supervisor at work asked me to see her because someone at work was inappropriate toward her. That triggered many emotions within her. I did not expect the story I heard from her. The meeting took longer than I thought, and it was toward the end of the day. She kept talking about her anger and the pain she felt when men treated her like a subject. I knew that the best I could do was to listen. She told me she had not been able to tell anyone as much as with me. God reminded me of the true calling of being a pas...
Read more