Tonight i read again. As i struggle between midnight hunger pangs, late night thoughts, need of sleep at 3.38am, and the need to do my quiet time, God spoke again.
I read today with a mind full of distractions. About my testimony of job search and especially about the negativity i received - I felt i havent fully expressed how much negativity ive gotten. I felt i should have listed some examples. I was thinking and replaying all the comments ive had WHILST reading. Yup. My brain was reading the words but my thoughts were elsewhere. It actually is possible in the mind of a woman 😂 #powerofmultitasking But then you get pockets of alertness and selectively concentrate, absorb, and really READ. Pockets as in maybe 5 phrases to a sentence long. So it better be impactful else you might just not get anything out of the reading today 😂
Anw, I "read" through a whole passage and came to a part on dealing with negative media.
Now Elevation Church - Ps Steven Furtick's church - can be considered what they call a mega church with thousands of congregation. He talked about how as the church grows, they had to overcome all sorts of opposition and slanders.
"A local TV stn once ran a piece suggesting that our church didnt accept people with physical or mental disabilities. This was less than a month after we had released thousands of dollars and commissioned hundred of hours of volunteer efforts to support a local organisation that ministers to those with disabilities. Some best volunteers we have are people with disabilities. Added to that, my sis-in-law Joy is disabled and I would punch someone in the mouth to defend her. My mum has given much of her adult life to serving people with disabilities. Why would a reporter suggest that we would ever offer anything less than love support compassion to these in a position of such vulnerability?"
It resonates with me quite a lot because few days back i was just thinking of the immense persecution mega churches get because the limelight shines on them and little weaknesses gets magnified so carefulness is sooo important. Tweeted about it.
So i went back a few paragraph and read on about how ps furtick said we all have unlimited access to unlimited variety of opinions and not every opinion is worth listening to. Because encounters with these people can be crippling when youre trying to pursue the life God had called you to.
And then i thought of a question ive always asked. So do we then remove such friends in our lives? Because I really want to sometimes but for some i can, and for some I really cant - I love them for other things. I might love them for their heart for people, for knowledge, their initiative, their boldness, their creative talents and idea, anything but maybe not sensitivity. and suddenly i had an answer for it. my personal take at least.
I was just praying for phuong because she texted the group chat that she has been struggling at work. And in my mind i actually prayed that God will not take the pain away but help and strengthen her to persevere it. Because pain has its advantages such as developing perseverance, strengthening faith - But i didnt say directly for God not to take the pain away. I just prayed that God be with her, strengthen her and teach her how to persevere it.
So anyway, my personal take to it was that I pray these insensitive people will stay in my life despite the negativity. I would love to get them out of my life because they really do suck out the joy in me. And it's tiring, depressing, and frustrating talking to them. it is so easy to avoid them and lose all contact for some people or throw my temper and reason out why they shouldnt have said what they said because it hurts. But what i'll get out of it is awkwardness, and what I'll do will all be void of love - I know it will, because my anger just overwhelms me sometimes.
So you know what, perseverance produces way better fruit. And through it, I really will be dependent and reliant on Him. I really would need to rely on Him to give me strength, joy, patience, kindness, self control, love. Without Him anything I say or do will be void of love. And I think I'll like this dependency. Although super tough, but I know I have God, the strong pillar, to rely on.
I still will complain about these people after taking this stand though... but i know that the placement of such people in my life are not that bad afterall and I can keep them close 😘💕
Now Elevation Church - Ps Steven Furtick's church - can be considered what they call a mega church with thousands of congregation. He talked about how as the church grows, they had to overcome all sorts of opposition and slanders.
"A local TV stn once ran a piece suggesting that our church didnt accept people with physical or mental disabilities. This was less than a month after we had released thousands of dollars and commissioned hundred of hours of volunteer efforts to support a local organisation that ministers to those with disabilities. Some best volunteers we have are people with disabilities. Added to that, my sis-in-law Joy is disabled and I would punch someone in the mouth to defend her. My mum has given much of her adult life to serving people with disabilities. Why would a reporter suggest that we would ever offer anything less than love support compassion to these in a position of such vulnerability?"
AMEN?!
So you know what, perseverance produces way better fruit. And through it, I really will be dependent and reliant on Him. I really would need to rely on Him to give me strength, joy, patience, kindness, self control, love. Without Him anything I say or do will be void of love. And I think I'll like this dependency. Although super tough, but I know I have God, the strong pillar, to rely on.
Everything for my good.
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