The One reason to keep you going and growing

What keeps you going?
What keeps you growing?

Coming to Christ gives us a new command centre, but as we can clearly see from all the difficulties Paul the apostle had with the early church, a new identity and destiny does not always translate into new godly behaviours easily.

With Whatsapp, I belong to several group chats. One of them is a group of ladies who I go to exercise class with. That chat is filled with Youtube videos, links, pictures and quotes about living healthy, shopping cheap, and eating well.

One time I decide to risk a little and peel it all back by asking, "It is normal to be afraid of sickness and want to be happy. Perhaps we should ask 'Why'".

Perhaps we should /why?'.

I imagine it is entirely possible for other chat groups to exist consisting of fellow Christians who post videos, links, pictures and quotes about .... more or less the same thing, with a layer of 'faith' and large doses of Christian activities thrown in. 

Another event.
Another seminar.
Another conference.
Another gathering.
Another training.

Another speaker/teacher/prophet.

Perhaps we should ask /why?'.

What if --

We are afraid... that Singaporean syndrome called kiasuism. We are afraid to lose out on the latest, the great 'spiritual deals' as it were.

What if we are really worried that we will look ignorant, ill-informed, not with the times?

What if we are really unsure of our faith?

I was prodded to start asking 'why' many years ago by a missionary friend's well-written piece on what he calls a peculiar Christian disease: 'meeting-gitis' -- the endless meetings Christians feel obliged to attend. 

It is true, isn't it?

 So few of us even  think through the ramifications of our daily devotions and Sunday sermons so that we are living them out.

Many of these conferences are fantastic and have solid material. But our buffet spread is wolfed down and poorly digested, much less savoured for all its texture and flavour.

Less can be more.

Scripture urges us, '

keep in step with the Spirit' ~ Galatians 5v25

How do we do this unless we know where we are. Unless we really see, for without good sight, how shall we know which way to go? 

This admonition is given in the context of real intra- and interpersonal struggles. Right here, right now. 

Yes, it's great to follow the grand winds of the Spirit. But the Spirit of creative orchestration works specifically and uniquely in each of our lives. A meaningful journey is not a long march of the masses. It is a deliberate walk by the pilgrim. A walk where flowers are noticed, pauses are made, strangers are met and turn into friends, where difficulties are surmounted and overcome.

It is a journey where we learn to see truly, rightly and lovingly.  

You are a pilgrim, not a tourist. 

Go on your walk.

Keep in step with the Spirit who is leading you.

You may be feeling tired from all the stuff you feel you ought to be part of. You may know others who are trudging along and adding one more thing to their plate.

Ask yourself 'why?'.

The Holy Spirit works in our lives and circumstances to bring us to both understand and experience God's goodness of abundance.

I have met too many who don't know how to relate to parents, spouse, sibling. I have met too many who complain about fellow Christians. I have met too many who live clueless about why they have the issues and struggles they do.

Their lives appear to suffer from a lack of leadership. Or perhaps, it is a lack of follower-ship. There is no real pause to observe, sense, and obey the Spirit.

Life is hard, and it doesn't get easier except in one way: you either know how to walk, or you don't.

The Holy Spirit wants to lead you. Will you follow?

Don't let the reason to grow and go on be a fear of being left behind. Let is be that you hear the Spirit beckoning you. Let it be Love. Nothing else will really do.

Next steps for destiny unfolding

When we feel pulled in many directions each day and as we watch a world that seems to unravel; it is easy to lose heart and even wonder if such a thing as destiny exists.

There are no easy answers for the poor little Syrian girl whose body is writhing in pain while her family cannot be found.

There are no easy answers for the family forever changed by the suicide of their teenager.

There are no easy answers for the old lady all alone in her tiny flat whose spouse has died and whose children are too busy to visit.

These are all real stories.

These too are real stories:

Ruth
Sarah
Miriam
Rahab
Mary
Elizabeth

The Bible gives us stories that are grit-real and the answer that God changes the script when we turn to Him and trust in Him.

Our lives are not a pointless treadmill of trying to get on, ahead and stay alive.

Jesus came to live, die and rose from the dead to change that script forever. 

When we live into our destiny, our changed life scripts begin to inter-weave with other real, actual lives - maybe even in the lives of those far away, in despair, hopeless - and together, we say against all the odds stacked against us: there is another way to live!

In the last post, I shared 2 practical daily-life steps for living into our unfolding destiny.

The next 2 are:

3. What is my heart's burden/longing/inclination?

Think about what you brought you delight as a child. Think about what would make you jump out of bed to do, even if no one paid you. Think about the time(s) you felt alive. Think about a change you want to see happen.

You may come up with a few answers. See if there is any overlap or a theme. Wait on God for insight. You may find the word that comes could be -

encouragement
comfort
children
support
team-building
harmony
marriages
leadership
homeless
life-giving beauty

With a sense of what this may be, redesign your routines so that it includes either learning more or being more involved in this area. 

This is something I still reflect on. What God has laid on our hearts sometimes get buried under years of doing what others expected, what we thought was the right thing to do, what we felt was needed to get ahead. Yes, we can uncover our true selves slowly as we peel back the layers. It can be scary, but it is definitely liberating!

This journey of discovery and growing confidence needs to be paired with the other step that keeps us humble and dependent on the Lord.

4. Growing to be ready for my destiny, what weaknesses do I need to overcome at this point, so that I can be ready to walk through the door God opens?

For many of us, a fear of failure and the loss of control straps us down to the status quo. Others really do resent change of any kind. 

Yet to grow is to change. Change is inevitable. We may as well take charge of the process rather than let our lives get overrun by changes we did not intentionally pray and work out.

When I tell people that I work as a life-coach*, they always say, "O counseling...". I have thought about it. Counseling is of immense value and I do seek help myself. But there is a huge difference. Counseling is typically crisis-driven. You see a counselor because you hit a crisis. I prefer to get people to be proactive, to look ahead and to seek wisdom before their lives hit a snag.

Consider what weakness(es) are limiting you. Do you tend to be negative, doubtful, worried, calculative?  Are you prone to laziness, gossip, disrespect?

Being brave to face our weakness is very critical. Our weaknesses creep up on us and disable us sometimes when we are about to make a difference.

I have a tendency to slip into melancholy and during those times, it is easy to become rather absorbed in my thoughts and emotions. As a result, I am unable to pick up cues or truly be present to others. It is a weakness I learnt can be overcome by noticing the danger zones.


Your destiny matters.

It makes a huge difference to the way you live daily.
It makes a huge difference for the people you will bless and impact (and perhaps a social change!)
It makes a huge difference to your relationship with God.

Let us live with intention, hope and faith.
Let us love others even as we live amazed that God's love gently intervenes in the script of our lives.
Let us marvel that our one small life is so treasured and loved by One so Great.

*I use this term in general as I welcome anyone to contact me for a conversation about their life. But the skills involved are pastoral, facilitation, mentoring, and spiritual direction (where it applies).

Navigating those steps in my unfolding destiny

When God wanted Adam and Eve to face the truth of their lives; He asked them a question: where are you?

God of course knew where they are. The question is: they needed to know.

They needed to know and confess that they are hiding.
They needed to know and confess that they are hiding because of what they have done.
They needed to know and realize what that hiding would mean for their future.

Similarly, if we want to take steps that are in sync with the Spirit who is working to unfold our destiny, we need to ask some relevant and revealing questions of ourselves.


In this and the next post, I want to share  4 questions we can use that will help us look deeper and realise where we may be at. I hope you will print/draw and place them somewhere you will remember to look at, pause and consider.


Q1. What is my current assignment and am i doing it with my whole heart?

At the end of the day, Jesus tells us he will look at our deeds. They matter because our deeds are an indication and manifestation of our values and priorities. God says that we cannot claim to love Him and fail to love those around us.

God has given each of us gifts, opportunities and even suffering to steward. As we accept and labour, we are being trained and transformed. 

God has given us a mandate to steward the earth: our relationships, resources and this physical earth. If we cannot be trusted with what we have been entrusted; God will not enlarge the scope of our stewardship; and He wants to! This is not a matter or pride, but a matter of real needs that need to be met by women (and men) who are ready to act. 

Q2. How can I keep my heart pure to be able to hear God? 

Everyday, our heart not only pumps millions of times to keep us alive, it also absorbs a lot from all we experience. Our hearts are often cluttered and burdened with hurt, anger, sadness, regret, and doubt. Carrying around a heavy heart will affect our ability to commune with God deeply and hear him.

Find a way to be still and hear your own heart, to unburden yourself regularly before God. The early Christians did this every evening with a short time of quiet meditation. Can you include something like this in your system of discipline?

I will share 2 more helpful Qs in the next post. To make sure you get it, type your email in the box provided on the right bar.

Here are some further readings that may help you (simply right click on link):


Doing God's Will when your emotions are helter-skelter

When I feel my faith isn't enough

Do share your thoughts in the comments!