Remember the Karate Kid movie, “Wax on-wax off?” The future karate champion had no idea why he had to wax cars using a certain hand motion. He just knew he was wasting valuable time when he could be in training for the big competition. As viewers, we were also baffled, until the last scene of the movie, when all those hand motions finally made sense.

Have you ever found yourself repeating the same tasks day after day? Did you ever ask God, ‘Why am I wasting time here God? What does this have to do with your destiny for my life?’

I’m sure young David asked these questions. Day after day he sat and watched sheep. This bored teenager found two ways to pass the time—practice with his slingshot and write music.

How could he have known those dull, lonely years of shepherding would be the very thing to prepare him for his destiny?

God used David’s skill with a slingshot to launch him to fame and fortune when he killed Goliath. His reward was to marry the king’s daughter and never again pay taxes. From then on, everyone knew his name– he was elevated to our century’s status as a “rock star.”

God also used music to position David in the King’s court. His music career began in the palace, singing songs before a mentally troubled king Saul. His passion for worship would inspire him to one day bring the Arc back to Jerusalem and set up a Tabernacle of 24/7 worship. Finally those songs and poems would one day fill the book of Psalms, the finest poetic literature ever written, inspiring countless millions of people to worship God and know Him intimately.

God will use your skills, even the menial and tedious ones, to position you one day in your place of destiny. I remember for 10 years, I ran our church’s nursery. I’ve worked in just about every area of church ministry, but this happened to be my least favorite. I never imagined God would use changing diapers and disinfecting toys for anything special.

But one year, God opened a door for my husband and I to go to Israel to work at the Feast of Tabernacles, an international Christian Convention in Jerusalem.

The leaders of the convention needed someone to run the youth program and someone to run the nursery. I had always dreamed of going to Israel, and now God was using my experience in the nursery to fulfill my hearts desire! Since then, we’ve returned to Israel 10 times to help with ministry, but not to work in the nursery.

Oswald Chambers says, “When the Spirit of God comes, He does not give us visions, He tells us to do the most ordinary things conceivable…the ordinary commonplace things…the most natural simple things—the things we would never have imagined God was in, and as we do them we find He is there.”

So, the next time you feel like banging your head against the wall because the daily grind of life has become routine, say a prayer of thanks. God doesn’t waste our time. He is the master Karate teacher, preparing us for battle. He knows what skill we will need to fulfill our role in building His kingdom.

“How can we understand the road we travel? It is the Lord who directs our steps.” (Proverbs 20:24)

To those sitting at a computer all day, mowing lawns, studying in school, washing dishes, or practicing the piano—rejoice. It all matters.

 FROM: www.cbnasia.org

PS: For someone who is jobless like me, this gives me comfort. As in! Hehe. Thanks Lord! You’re the best! I know I am still being used despite the fact that I am just staying at home. Do it your way Lord…

Learning has never been that fun to me. I wasn’t just discovering about the sport but also about life. My coach is 30 years older than me. Those years added to his knowledge things that I can never learn from people of my age. He was one of the first few instructors in Cebu City Sports Center and his expertise is exhibited not just in how he teaches but in how he deals with people. He told me precious truths about the pool and about the road called life. It’s amazing how many things you can learn from one person just by holding on to the side of the pool while listening.

Dear Kids,

Don’t be alarmed; the world isn’t coming to an end. I am simply taking a bath. It will take about 30 minutes and will involve soap and water.

Yes, I know how to swim. Even if I didn’t, forcing myself to drown in a half-inch of lukewarm water is more work than I’ve got energy for. (Which reminds me, I’m all for science projects, but the next time you want to see if Play-Doh floats, use cold water.)

Don’t panic if I’m not out right on time. I’ve heard that people don’t dissolve in water, and I’d like to test the theory.

While I’m in the tub, I’d like you to remember a few things:

The large slab of wood between us is called a door. Do not bang to hear my voice. I promise that even though you can’t see me, I am on the other side. I’m not digging an escape tunnel and running for the border, no matter what I said a while ago. I didn’t mean it. Honest.

There will be plenty of time later to tell me about your day. “Later” means at a time when I am no longer naked, wet and contemplating the bubble gum in the blow dryer. I know you have important things to tell me. (Please let one of them be that you have invented a new way to blow bubbles, not a new way to add gum to your hair…)

Believe it or not, shouting, “TELEPHONE!” through the closed bathroom door will not make the phone stop ringing. Answer it and take a message. Since Amazing Mind-Reading Mom has the day off, you’ll need to write that message down. Use paper and a pencil. Do not use your brother and the laundry marker. We can’t send him to school with telephone-number tattoos.

Water makes me wet, not deaf. I can still tell the difference between the sound of “nothing” and the sound of a child playing the piano with a basketball. I can also hear you tattling at the top of your lungs. I’m choosing not to answer you.

Don’t call your dad at work and tell him I am unconscious in the bathroom.

No matter how much I would like it, water does not make me forgetful. I remember who you are and why you are grounded. No, you can’t go to Shelby’s house to play. No, you can’t go to Shelby’s house to use the bathroom. If someone is in our other bathroom, you will just have to think dry thoughts and wait. Unless you have four feet and a tail, do not think of going outside to “water” the lawn. I know the dog does it. The neighbors don’t feel the need to call me when the dog does it.

Unless the house catches fire, stay inside and keep the doors locked.

Do not go outside and throw rocks at the bathroom window to get my attention. I know it works in the movies, but this is reality, a place where people don’t like to sit in a tub while rocks and broken glass rain down on them.

Do not set the house on fire. Call me if there is an emergency.

Emergencies are:

1. Dad has fallen off the roof.
2. Your brother and/or sister is bleeding.
3. There’s a red fire truck in front of our house.

Emergencies are not:

1. Dad has fallen asleep.
2. Someone on TV is bleeding.
3. There’s a red pickup truck in front of our house.

By the way, all Play-Doh experiments are hereby canceled.

Be good. Entertain yourselves. (Yes, you can do both at the same time.)

Try coloring, playing a game or paying that stack of bills on the coffee table.

I’ll be out soon. Maybe.

Love, Mom

Here’s a wonderful text message that was sent to me by a friend and I hope this will inspire people to trust Him most especially when the sea is raging and the skies are gray.

God delights in impossible situations. They are opportunities to prove His power, His love and His determination to fashion us into overcomers. 

This tells me that there is nothing too difficult for God. Nothing that is beyond His control… and as I write this, I am thinking of many different situations that I might encounter this month or much later this year. Yes, maybe my journey wouldn’t be that smooth sailing and most likely, I will be TESTED.. But bring it on because I BELIEVE I am being taken care of. It’s allbeen done two thousand years ago and I am very much grateful.

For with God nothing shall be impossible. Luke 1:37 

So who are you going to trust in the light of such wonderful promises? 

“True love pulls others through, carries them over, looks beyond.  It knows no boundaries and it never runs out ”

-Unkown

Faith is realizing that I am useful to God not in spite of my scars but because of them.

*Pamela Reeve* 

It’s a beautiful sunday and I was trying to prepare myself for a time with God by getting my Bible and journal. But then my sister asked me about Adreno Cortical Carcinoma (ACC) and I said, I am not familiar with it but that I think it involves the Adrenal Gland (obviously,hehe.).

She told me that a little boy is suffering from that kind of cancer and I got so curious that instead of reading my Bible, I turned on the computer and visited the site which was dedicated to that little boy.

Surprisingly, it was not a wrong turn for me, because there, I saw GOD in the journals, pictures and guestbook entries of the little boy. There, God taught me about trust and my heart just goes out to his family. His life blessed me because I see a very strong faith in them (the patient and the family) though the situation looks hopeless.

I encourage you to visit the website and read the JOURNALS and the part where it says: MY STORY. The journals have a lot of entries already but you can read the very first entries and the latest ones to get an idea about the whole situation.

It is a good thing for nurses like me to learn about that rare type of cancer and at the same time, learn about what FAITH is all about. Notice just how his father holds on to Jesus even when things are not going his way. Please also say a prayer for Cole (the patient suffering from ACC).

My prayer and hope is that this will inspire you guys to cling to Jesus as well when you are going through rough times.

This is the site: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/coleruotsala

Thank you very much and God bless us all.

You called my name
Reached out Your hand
Restored my life
And I was redeemed
The moment You entered my life

Amazing grace
Christ gave that day
My life was changed
When from my shoulders
Fell the weight of my sin

So it’s with everything I am
I reach out for Your hand
The hope for change
The second chance I’ve gained

On You I throw my life
Casting all my fears aside
How could greater love than this
Ever possibly exist

Consume my thoughts
As I rest in You
I’m now in love
With a Saviour
Bearing the marks of His love

So I’ll wait upon You now
With my hands released to You
Where a little faith’s enough
To see mountains lift and move

And I’ll wait upon You now
Dedicated to Your will
To this love that will remain
A love that never fails

-Hillsong United-

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

-King James Version

It’s Going to Be Okay

by Max Lucado

Bill Tucker was sixteen years old when his dad suffered a health crisis and consequently had to leave his business. Even after Mr. Tucker regained his health, the Tucker family struggled financially, barely getting by.

Mr. Tucker, an entrepreneurial sort, came up with an idea. He won the bid to reupholster the chairs at the local movie theater. This stunned his family. He had never stitched a seat. He didn’t even own a sewing apparatus. Still, he found someone to teach him the skill and located an industrial-strength machine. The family scraped together every cent they had to buy it. They drained savings accounts and dug coins out of the sofa. Finally, they had enough.

It was a fine day when Bill road with his dad to pick up the equipment. Bill remembers a jovial, hour-long trip discussing the bright horizons this new opportunity afforded them. They loaded the machine in the back of their truck and secured it right behind the cab. Mr. Tucker then invited his son to drive home. I’ll let Bill tell you what happened next:

“As we were driving along, we were excited, and I, like any sixteen-year-old driver, was probably not paying enough attention to my speed. Just as we were turning on the cloverleaf to get on the expressway, I will never ever, ever forget watching that sewing machine, which was already top-heavy, begin to tip. I slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. I saw it go over the side. I jumped out and ran around the back of the truck. As I rounded the corner, I saw our hope and our dream lying on its side in pieces. And then I saw my dad just looking. All of his risk and all of his endeavor and all of his struggling and all of his dream, all of his hope to take care of his family was lying there, shattered.

“You know what comes next don’t you? ‘Stupid, punk kid driving too fast, not paying attention, ruined the family by taking away our livelihood.’ But that’s not what he said. He looked right at me. ‘Oh, Bill, I am so sorry.’ And he walked over, put his arms around me, and said, ‘Son, this is going to be okay.’

God is whispering the same to you. Those are his arms you feel. Trust him. That is his voice you hear. Believe him. Allow the only decision maker in the universe to comfort you. Life at times appears to fall to pieces, seem irreparable. But it’s going to be okay. How can you know? Because God so loved the world. If God can make a billion galaxies, can’t he make good out of our bad and sense out of our faltering lives? Of course he can. He is God.