Faith 4 Things To Do When Faced With Difficult Times 5:00 PM We all have our stories of pain and difficult times. How our story ends though is up to us. What are the things you do when you're faced with difficult times? Here's what Charmaine did: Almost ten months ago, my mother was diagnosed with late stage cervical cancer. The diagnosis didn’t just turn her life around but mine, too. The past ten months have been really rough. When I look back, I’m in awe of how we managed to survive. I can’t help but wonder at how merciful, faithful and gracious God has always been; He enabled us to make it through each painful and trying day. I don’t know what you’re going through. Maybe someone you love is currently fighting the same battle my mother is faced. Maybe you’re dealing with an unspeakable pain nobody understands, no matter how much you try. The bottom line is: we’re tired. We carry burdens every day but our shoulders aren’t that strong. Our hearts are about to faint. Some of us are near the end of the rope. What do we do? 4 Things To Do When Faced With Difficult Times1. We Hold On To Our Faith Hebrews 11:1 states “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Based on this, faith is two things. First, it’s confidence in what we hope for. For me, it means putting my confidence in what God said over what my eyes see. It means hoping on God’s promises despite what my circumstances. It means getting up on days you’d rather stay in bed, smiling on days you want to cry, and continue with your life like you’re carrying nothing because God is faithful to you every step of the way. 2. We Rest In God’s Feet When we wake up to difficult circumstances, we shouldn’t busy ourselves, trying to figure out how we’ll make it through our trouble. Instead, we sit at Jesus’ feet and receive from Him. It doesn’t mean that we should stop working. Resting in God’s feet means we honor our quality time with Him. We continue to seek Him so our minds get renewed and we see our situation from His perspective; not from our limited sight. This way, we are not only renewed, we are encouraged and revived. 3. We Trust In God’s Will We don’t always understand God’s will. Some things happen which we can’t comprehend. Maybe in your struggle, you asked God why. I did. I often ask Him why He allowed cancer to strike and debilitate my mother. As I seek Him, I understand that when God leads us to deeper waters, we can be assured that He has His reasons. We can trust in the knowledge that our circumstances are going to be for our good and for His glory. 4. We Stay In His Love The truth is, either my mother will be cured of cancer or she will die of it or of something else. I struggled with accepting this fact before. But now, I already understand God’s purpose. It’s still painful and I can’t even imagine how painful it’s going to be if my greatest fear happens instead of my greatest hope. Whatever happens, I know God will give me the grace to stay in His love. Whatever it is you’re dealing with, if you trust Him and you surrender your life to Him, I’m positive He will do the same for you, too. About the author: Charmaine is the founder and editor-in-chief of inspirational blog Organized Lunacy. She’s in a mission to spread inspiration and motivation to people who can use some. Join her in her journey in spreading love and hope to make this world a better place to live in.
Listicle Post-birthday Reflection: 5 Life Lessons 12:31 AM And the beauty of a woman, with passing years only grows! -Audrey Hepburn My actual birthday came and went like an ordinary day. Uneventful for "normal partying society" standards. But I've never really been a part of that society. A few days before my birthday, I traveled with my sister. It was a 5-hour trip, but I loved it. First off, I love exploring new places. This city is super simple: no cabs, no huge malls, and honestly, the spots we wanted are within walking distance. It's the most relaxed trip I've ever had, especially since I usually go to islands and beaches for that chill vibe. Bonus: I got to see Michael Jackson's This Is It for the nth time in the hotel room. Hurrah! The day before my birthday, my sister and I hit up our town square for our favorite hotcake—hard to find anywhere else. We were so excited, like kids again. We savored our under-a-dollar hotcake, laughed remembering childhood stuff, and enjoyed the familiar vibe of the place. If those weren't grand advanced birthday celebrations, I don't know what is. So on my birthday, while I was eating rocky road ice cream in our kitchen, I thought of these five lessons as my post-birthday reflection. Post-birthday Reflection 1. You don't have to wait for an occasion or special day to make epic happen. Every day you wake up is special. Because every time you're able to open your eyes in the morning (or night if you work graveyard shifts) is reason enough to celebrate. So go travel whenever you want. Go eat something special. Celebrate anytime. 2. Dreams do come true.Some of my dreams from back then, like working comfortably in my pajamas, writing for a broader audience (and getting paid for it), investing in the stock market regularly, and traveling MORE, to name a few, are now a reality. A few more are on their way. It took a while, but I finally got here. God has been faithful to me even during times I was not. 3. Stick to your goals, but be flexible with your game plan. Life will not always cooperate with you. The enemy will try to delay your God-ordained destiny. But that's all he can do. He will never be able to take away your calling. So when it seems your plans are falling apart, take heart. It's just a detour, not a dead end. 4. There may be a lot of hate, but there is also so much love. I may not be the same goody two-shoes I used to be, but I am still swimming in an ocean of blessings. On my birthday, I got so many well wishes and heartfelt messages from family and friends. My heart flutters with joy when people close to my heart honor me, thank me for random things, and express their love for me. My love tank overflows. There may be a lot of hating, war, and chaos going on around the world right now, but love is still alive. Love is still around. Love is still as powerful as it was. 5. Growing old is inevitable, but growing up is optional. Need I say more? It's been a crazy year. I don't post everything but I swear it was a bumpy ride. A lot of changes happened, a lot of major and dare I say it, "adult" decisions were made before I turned another year. If you'll ask me what got me through, I'll give you one cheesy answer. It's love. Love from the Almighty, love from the people around me, love from our dogs (so pure and so sweet), love for myself. It's cliche, but it's true. Love will always pull you through. Grand celebration or intimate moment, the important thing to remember on your birthday is to remain grateful for what you have and hopeful for what you're still aiming for. So thank you, universe. And yes, I'm ready for more.
Lux Thinking Aloud A Scary Kind Of Calmness: Faith in God 5:00 PM She does not fear bad news; she confidently trusts the Lord to take care of her. -Psalm 112:7 There's a scary kind of calmness in me. My life is far from perfect. If you look at it from the world's perspective, many things are missing. And I don't know if I should be scared or worried that I might just be procrastinating or something, because I feel so... calm. Like, even when things aren't perfect — I get exhausted from working, I get bored, I get sick, my body clock is ticking a little more loudly. Still I feel at peace inside. Not everything's going my way. Traffic is still dreadful. Income tax is still a burden. Zac Efron is dating someone. Ugh! There might be a storm outside, but I'm perfectly calm inside. The right people, circumstances, and opportunities come to me effortlessly. Sometimes I have to pause and ask myself if I'm dreaming. It feels unreal to be blessed this much. I don't know what to make of this scary kind of calmness in me. I don't know if it's normal. I just know I'm unperturbed by the chaos around me. I think that's a good thing. Don't you?
Dating Strangers Again 5:30 PM Strangers Again How can you look at the same familiar eyes and not see the person you used to know... and love? Strangers Again One moment it seems as if nothing can separate you from this one person, and the next moment, you're strangers again. All good times are gone, and all promises vanished. It's sad when you see two people share their lives; laughter, secrets, and special and ordinary moments...Then one day, completely ignore one another. Like total strangers. The world around them is oblivious.Unaware that these two strangers who are avoiding each others' eyes, acting as if they don’t know one another used to share a world of their own that no one else can join in. Strange. Curious. How can you look at the same familiar eyes and not see the person you used to know... and love? Is he still there somewhere?Does he remember?Was it all a bad dream?Everything that happened feels like ages ago, so long that you start to wonder if it was even real. What of those who have been a huge part of your life, your plans for the future, you've given your all to, but whom life wouldn't allow you to be with anymore? What happens when your paths cross again? Do you keep ignoring one another until you've totally forgotten that certain phase in your life when you had each other? Until you both become a blurry memory that you’ll soon forget?Do all happy beginnings have to end with you being strangers again?
Fashion & Style A Dazzling Thank You Giveaway For You 5:00 PM You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. -Buddha Christmas is almost here!!! Giphy I love receiving presents, but I get a kick in giving too. It's my love language. That’s why I couldn’t say no when I saw an opportunity to give back to my lovely blog readers and visitors who for a year (and even longer for some), never got tired of wasting a few minutes of their time to read my written thoughts here.THANK YOU! Your comments, shares and messages in my inbox means the world to me. Now that I’m done with my dramatic speech, let’s proceed to the fun part! Last Halloween, A Touch of Dazzle gave away a gorgeous Halloween Floating Charm Locket and a gift card. I’m partnering with them again. This time, they’re giving away this superb Christmas Charms Locket. This contest is closed. Congrats Johna J! A Dazzling Thank You Gift For You Amazon is restrictive on jewelry shipping internationally, so this contest is only for US residents. You may add this to your list of presents for your loved ones or reserve it to that special person who’s worked so hard this year and deserves a reward---you! I’m sure it’s been a year of highs and lows (I read your blogs too!) and getting this far is not as easy as it seems. You deserve a lovely treat. These gifts are perfect for you! Happy Christmas, everyone!
