Hi UWCCF! Here are just a collection of thoughts/reflections that I’ve gathered throughout the week — I pray that God will stir something in your hearts; whether it’s conviction, comfort, or new perspectives.
seasons
I hope this isn’t news to you; but in your years of journeying through university (and the rest of your life, really), you will go through seasons of suffering and even of silence where God seems to be so cold and distant. You will be overwhelmed with feelings of anxiety, depression, disappointment, frustration, homesickness, heartbreak and loneliness. The real question you will need to answer time and time again is this — to whom will you choose to run to? Your family may fail you, and your friends as well. Even we, as your community of brothers and sisters in Christ may let you down.
During those times, you can be like those who find other ways to fill up that void, whether it be idolatry through relationships, earthly possessions, grades, and even yourself; but in the end, these things will leave you broken, empty, and longing for more. I’ve been here personally, desperately finding ways to ease my restlessness and emptiness that I found myself in my first few years of university. Of course, I won’t go too deep in depth because this isn’t ultimately about me, and this isn’t about the sins I’ve committed and the times I’ve rebelled against God; but this is about the One who sees you where you’re at and calls you by name. He remembers that we are made out of dust; that we are lost and helpless without Him.
So I pray and beg you with all my heart that it is Christ you choose to run to. Let Jesus be the first name you call. There is no other source of comfort and satisfaction that you will ever find anywhere else. Run and cling onto Him even if He feels distant and silent.
“The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”
Psalm 9:9
don’t live your life in vain
To live a life without Christ in the picture is meaningless, purposeless. The happiness we think we can receive through chasing after worldly things is like a facade. It is incomplete, vanity, chasing after the wind.
An analogy that I always picture in my head is this — When you go to the beach and attempt to scoop the sand into your hands, the tighter you cage your fists in hopes of accumulating as much sand as possible, the more the sand falls through the cracks of your fingers. The same can be said about chasing after the worldly desires of your heart — even if you desperately try to hold onto them as tightly as possible, in the end your efforts will be futile and you will be left with nothing.
Everything not of God is temporal, after-all.
“I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.”
Ecclesiastes 1:14
like new
To those who struggle with guilt over their past sins, this is for you — there is always an overflow of grace that He gladly offers you at every point of your life. When you accept this marvelous grace, you can choose to live forgiven every single day.
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13–14
Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
Hebrews 12:1b
remember who you are
sometimes there’s a disconnect between your experiences with God and your knowledge of God. But I just want to gently remind you that your emotions do not reflect the absence/presence of God. So trust in the promises of God and cling onto Him. Trust in who God says He is and what He will do for you. He promises that he will never leave nor forsake you. remember who you are. You are a child of the Most High King! Know your worth, and know your identity. When you know you are so deeply loved by the One who created it all, your life will be changed forever.
“ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
Romans 8:28
waiting
Sometimes God is quiet. Almost a bit too quiet for our liking and a bit too quiet it’s uncomfortable. So doubts arise and our natural inclination is to accuse God for his absence as if he owes us everything. We are impatient, demanding creatures. Maybe you have unanswered prayers, or maybe you’re grieving over something or someone you loved and lost and God just doesn’t seem to care. It feels so unfair. How can God be a good God if He is silent in my hurting?
I know opening up the bible is the LAST thing you want to do. But just do it. God is moving and He is speaking if not through brothers and sisters in Christ, then through the very word of God.
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
Psalms 27:14
Here’s a promise from the Lord:
“And I will lead the blind
in a way that they do not know,
in paths that they have not known
I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.”
Isaiah 42:16
resentment
This one hits home for me. Feelings of betrayal, bitterness, and anger. You feel like you have every right to feel this way. Maybe it’s been days, weeks, months, or even years since something happened and you just can’t seem to let it go. But I’ll tell you this: as cliche as it may seem, pray. God will work in you when you do.
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:31–32
coming soon
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;”
Philippians 4:4–5
Christmas is approaching and I know there are some of you guys who are probably already blasting Christmas music (I’m guilty of this tbh). We are excited as we anticipate for this day to come.
So why do so many Christians lack that same anticipation and excitement for the coming of Christ? It says that the Lord is near! Why do we live as if God isn’t coming anytime soon? He could come back tomorrow! If he does, will you be happy to see Him or would you hesitate and want to ask Him to wait for you — To wait for you to finally get that dream job in Silicon Valley, or get married or whatever before you decide that its the perfect time to meet with the Lord?
When the time comes, would you be willing to drop everything you have, willingly, to be with Christ?
are you making the most of what God has given you?
In the past month I’ve come home to a broken fridge twice. I would come home and hear the sad sound of fridge beeping, signaling the death of all the precious food that I’ve stored up for the last few weeks. Although it’s quite unfortunate that I probably need to buy a mini fridge for the remaining of my coop term, it was a good reminder for myself that the treasures I store on this earth is temporary. One day, everything you own will spoil. So my question to you is this — are you making the most out of the gifts God has given you and investing the majority of your time and money in the things of God?
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:19–21
stop looking down on Christians who don’t seem to have “enough faith”
life isn’t easy. everyone is fighting a hard battle. Our strengths and our weaknesses lie in different areas. So whenever you walk with a struggling brother or sister, don’t forget to pray for them and also for yourself. Re-examine your heart. Do you somehow start comparing yourself to the other person and start questioning the authenticity of their faith? or do you secretly feel better about yourself thinking you have “more faith” because you don’t struggle with the same thing that that person is currently struggling with? do you go straight to condemning, criticizing, and judging them for their lack of unbelief? do you automatically assume and judge that they are not a “strong Christian” because they are going through seasons of doubt? it can be frustrating at times to walk with your friend. Maybe it’s because you don’t understand why they’re having such a hard time dealing with an issue and you start losing that empathy and patience you once had. Maybe it feels like everything you’ve been trying to say to them seems to go in one ear and out the other. You’re exhausted. You need a break.
I’ve been both people throughout the years. Both are hard; but God never said it would be easy.
I want to share this quote with you:
“It’s impossible to love someone you disagree with when you secretly think they need Jesus more than you do”
I’ve come across many struggling Christians who feel as if they cannot share about their deepest struggles with other fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Not because they never tried and opened up, but because they did and was judged for their lack of unbelief. This shouldn’t be. We are all broken people who all need Jesus “equally”.
The Christian community is like family; and families can get messy. So my encouragement is this — always strive to be genuine. There should always be love coated on your tongues as you speak in wisdom. Let’s all learn to speak with love, wisdom, kindness, patience, gentleness, and holiness. Our words are powerful; there is weight that comes with every syllable that form in our mouths. They can build people up or tear them down. Let’s aim to build people up.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:2
