A reminder this Christmas: 'Why did God choose her?'

Ahhh. Its that time of the year again! Blessed Christmas everyone! :) I absolutely LOVE this season. It's just so full of love and joy. I feel in my skin, miracles about to happen. I know this is the season where we can taste and see that He is good; as He always is and never fails to be. 

This year I'm reminded of something I wrote in my blog that I posted five years ago, when I was only fifteen (its gone now). Just felt it important that I should share it again. Hoping it will bless someone, even as we remember the birth of our Saviour.

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

- Luke 1:28

When I was fifteen, I was reading the Bible and it occurred to me that being brought up in a Christian home, I've always been taught so well that Mary and Joseph were the earthly parents of Jesus Christ. But I wondered, what was it about Mary that God chose her? I mean, to be given the responsibility to be the mother of the Messiah was a huge responsibility indeed. She was definitely not chosen at random but given so much thought. Out of everyone in the entire world, it was her that God picked. I found that too amazing and something in me, wanted that too. She was so highly favoured! This world is so full of people crying out that they need God one second or another. Many, even saying that they love God and that's awesome! But I yearned to understand how to catch the Lord's attention in this sea of people who loved Him. I wanted Him to choose me.
So what was it about Mary? 

1)  The angel appeared to Mary and explained to her that she was to bear a son who would be the Son of the Most High, even though she was a virgin, for nothing is impossible with God. I mean if I were Mary, that's really heavy news to take in and really big shoes to fill, but even at that second, she knew how to reply. She didn't figure if she was capable of doing it, she just did. She didn't stop to doubt herself but found it an honour. If I put myself in her shoes, her simple act of obeying was really willingly giving up her entire life in one response. Can you imagine going to your parents after this word from the Lord and telling them you are pregnant because the Holy Spirit filled you? I asked my mum (who really loves the Lord) if she would even believe me and she said probably not. I honestly think, she would have given me a slap on my face. Can you imagine how everyone in your town would look at you? All your relatives and friends and people in the church (temple at that time)? That's kind of crazy and I'm sure she would have realised all that. Her town at that time must have really shunned these things. She was pregnant before she was married. Now I understand why in Luke 2:19, Mary treasured up many things and pondered them in her heart. How would you even tell anyone that this was of the Lord?

Also, I've always heard that time tells all things but in Mary's case, even to the end of her lifetime, she would have to endure the thought of a completely wrong image of her in other peoples' heads. Truly, she lived not for herself one bit. She cared not about how she seemed in front of others and she was willing to endure rejection from her friends and family. She gave up her entire life and any personal dreams of her future, at that one second because she must have been prepared for the Lord to call her all this while. Mary had nothing much. She didn't have any great talents, she wasn't completely outspoken but all she had to be was to be a girl, and God used that. She was so ordinary, she was probably timid but she was willing to give up every little thing she had for the Lord. She didn't even need to think twice. 

2) Yes, Mary was special and obedient but ALSO, she was pledged to be married to the right man. This man, Joseph must have been way devastated when he heard that she was pregnant but he still cared enough to do what he needed to do quietly so as to not expose her to public disgrace. He must have been walking closely with the Lord, enough to flow with what the angel told him in a dream and immediately take on this calling upon himself. He was a descendant of David and he was a good man; one that the Lord deemed worthy of being the earthly father of His Son.

So, God chose Mary not only because of her but because BOTH of them were pleasing in the sight of God. They both individually were careful in their walk with God, so as to be used at any instance of God's choice. A couple that pleased the Lord so much, that He was able to trust them with His most precious gift. They both fulfilled God's list of approval for they both loved the Lord with their lives.

In other words, who you spend your life with is too important. It actually has the power to determine the capacity in which the Lord will use you. Don't merely live a right life but also, when the time is right, find your 'Joseph' or 'Mary' who shares the same vision as you and is able to fulfil God's purpose together with you. Living a right life but finding the wrong partner to spend it with might limit the greatness of the calling over your life. It might take away greater opportunities and purposes installed for you. 

And even if you are in a healthy, God-pleasing relationship right now, always be prepared for when the Lord chooses to use both of you. It would be an amazing journey together with each other and Him. 

Think of it; if Mary loved the wrong man, would God choose her to be the earthly mother of Jesus? Would He want His Only Son to have an amazing mum but an unsuitable earthly father?

I'm not saying I've got it all figured out yet. I'm also still too young, but writing this is a reminder to myself that it's so important to find that right person (not just who goes to church, but who really lives unreservedly for the Lord) for this is nearly as important as living a right life yourself. I've always believed that the Lord loves when we find the balance in all things, and through this, I catch a glimpse of how important a godly and united family is to our God.  :)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :)

xx.

Fresh Start.

Hey guys! It's been mad long since I last updated. I've been meaning to blog for awhile now. Just so many things start to get in your way when you want to do something productive. Not to mention how busy I am over here. I am really trying to make it a point from now onwards to blog once weekly or at least once in two weeks. I really hope I'll stick to it this time cause I've been caught up with so much recently. I never knew life here would be this tiring and studies are honestly pretty stressful. It's tough. I never understood till now.

Well, I'm actually trying to restart my blog now that I find that it serves a different purpose. I started blogging in 2008, on the day of my baptism. I don't remember why I was prompted to do so but I felt it was important and frankly, ever since that day my life has changed drastically and it's funny how I have pieces of it lying around in my blog to reflect on and give thanks for. The Lord has done great things in my life since then. In 2008 and for a long time, I just wrote in my blog to store up memories of the days that passed by and even to share a little of my life with anyone who was interested. I guess I ranted a lot too and I took the ugliest pictures. Haha. (I was fifteen) 

But in the beginning of this year, I started receiving many encouragements from my friends, my family and even people I didn't know that something had changed in the way I wrote the things I did and that it struck the heart. Many people started nudging me to continue writing about my walk with the Lord and that they could see something greater in this. I was so blessed by people's words but I guess I lazed around a lot. Frankly, I sort of knew that the Lord was telling me through people that I should write more. Ever since forever, I have loved writing. I don't read much, but funnily enough I love writing to express myself. I'm not so good with oral words (sadly), so writing is a means of speaking on my behalf. I just never thought that anyone could see something beautiful in it too. I always thought it was my eyes only.

On the 20th of May, I had the opportunity to have had dinner with prophet Cindy Jacobs whom I adored because she too loves the Lord and loves dressing up. ;D ;D hahah! She prayed and prophesied over my life and every word was so accurate. After the prophecy, she said the strangest thing. She said to me that she felt like I should blog, for the Lord has called me to use my ability as a communicator to fight for my generation. I was stunned. I knew there were many great things the Lord always sees in everyone of us. But for Him to specifically say 'BLOG, FAITH. JUST BLOG' was the cutest thing in the world. Something so small and so insignificant, was important to Him and He was willing to use it. It's pretty amazing how the Lord sees the little things we say about Him and delights in it. How He observes the little things we do and smiles upon it. Sometimes it blows my mind that He believes in me. He knows all the dirt and flaws. He knows how I feel like trash at times. But He never ever fails to see beauty; to see greatness in me.

Today, I was reminded about how what was first known about God in the Bible was that He was a Creator and that He delighted in His creations. Before we came to know any other attributes of the Lord, we knew He created. So when the Bible mentions that we were made in His image, it also means that we were made to further create; to form tangible words and art and music with the intangible things He inspires. I suppose this is my little goal and my fresh purpose for my blog. I love love love pretty things and I just can't be too serious or distant in my writings. I'll just be me! And I hope the little glimpses of my life I make tangible here, will touch your lives alike. Just as the Lord is creative beyond measure, my desire is to adopt His image more and more, day by day. I came to understand today that the simple act of writing reflects who He is, as we create something out of nothing. So I'll trrryyyyyyyyy my best to be creative too, using words to express the things He has taught me.

Anyways, I know this is barely a blog post but it's a mini update about my blog. Just in case you guys are curious stalkers, I have deleted most of my stupidity in my earlier posts since 2008 because Roy keeps reminding me of how lame I was and it makes me sad. Hahahaha. So don't even bother looking for it! :P

For those of you who don't already know, I'm currently studying in Australia. Crazy story how I got here. Never planned to come here but God is really just so spontaneous. Lol. I guess I might blog about this story one day. He has taught me so much in that season. So much in this season too!

More to come, guys! I pray you all will be blessed. It would make me the happiest girl in the world!! <3

xx