May I bless you with the blessings I received?
A close girlfriend (her birthday is 1 week before mine) and I made it a point to celebrate our birthdays together every year. We had muffins this time. It was her treat. Thank you for the yummy muffins 🙂 That certainly contributed to my weight gained during CNY. Heeheehee…
I was grateful to be able to invite my parents for a homecooked meal along with desserts. The children drew me beautiful cards. We lit the candle again and again and they took turns to blow the candle (small cake lah – so can only put 1 candle; or maybe I secretly wish to be younger??!!). We were all SUPER full by 9pm and had a lot of fun. I was reminded by one pastor that when it’s my birthday, I should think of my parents. Without them, I wouldn’t be here. It’s my continued prayer that they come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour.
On the actual day…
* My mom-in-law called me early in the morning to bless me. It’s such a wonderful privilege to be blessed by one who loves me and consistently prays for me. Thank you mom:-)
* I suddenly realise the beauty of the Facebook – everyone knows your birthday!! Thank you friends and family for your birthday wishes. Thank you for taking time to send me your well-wishes – although it was only a few keystrokes but I see your hearts.
* A good friend from university days actually put my birthday in his phone and sent me an email early in the morning all the way from Shanghai. Thank you so much. I am touched 🙂 God knows I can do with more love this birthday…
* CM gave me a day off. He was so kind to apply leave to be with the children (actually the children LLLOOOVVVE to be with daddy!!!) so I could do what I wish. Thank you dear!
* I was given a whole cheesecake, an organic fruit smoothie and an organic salad. WOW!!! Such sweet and healthy blessings. And not cheap ok…
* I had uninterrupted time to relax under a big and beautiful tree in Botanic Gardens to hear what God has to tell me. While He sheltered me, He gave me rest. He allowed rays of sunlight through and gave me cooling breezes amidst the scorching heat. I sensed this is also what I have to do for my children. And God showed me how (He sure worked FAST!!).
* I was seeking the Lord on His will regarding homeschooling. I felt the agony in my spirit and didn’t know what to do, how to pray or who to turn to. I just wanted to find a private place to hide and cry my heart out to God. You know what? Even before I could find a place and chance to cry, I could feel God’s mighty but gentle hands catching hold of my tears and preventing them from falling. This verse in Psalm 56:8 (Amplified Bible) came to mind
You number and record my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle–are they not in Your book?
I couldn’t believe it – even my tears are so precious to the Lord! After that, it’s really quite hard to cry, believe me.
God continued to affirm me as I read ‘My Utmost For His Highest’ by Oswald Chambers on 5 March:
– When God has called me to the ministry to home school, He will give me opportunities to fulfil His will. I only need to be loyal to this ministry.
– What God requires is not that I’ll be successful, but that I’m faithful to this call.
– That also implies I have to forsake demands for service along other lines.
That didn’t fully address my query and God knew it all. I needed to know if I’m on the right track in building the children’s character. I wanted to know how I should teach my children to walk the narrow way – how to live in the world but not of the world. Beth Moore, in her devotion ‘Daniel’, shared pointedly about how she hopes to live knowing we are in the endtimes
“..holy and godly lives will not be accidental for any of us. The virus of self-gratification is far too contagious. If we don’t want to catch it, we must deliberately immunized ourselves against it…As I consider our ‘times’, I don’t only want to be fortified against the influences of wickedness. I want to be an active influence for Christ…I don’t want to guard against a cold heart, I want a heart that burns with fiery passion for Christ and for the world Hw came to save. I want to be part of worldwide missions. I want an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on my very own head! I want to take my place int he times to which I’ve been entrusted.”
I want that too!!
I praise God for another acknowledgement of my goals for homeschooling. Thereafter, God gave me the model answer on ‘How to Pray Powerful Prayers’ – Daniel 9:1-19. Let me share an excerpt of one of the most powerful prayers in the Old Testament: verses 16-19 (KJV)
16O LORD, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
17Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.
18O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
19O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.
As I go to God urgently in prayer, my anguish was relieved and my mourning was turned into dancing because of the assurances and hope in my Abba Father. It sure was hard to keep my feet from tapping after that 🙂
* I had wanted to visit a couple of friends to fellowship but God closed the doors, telling me that He only wanted me to receive on my birthday – an outpouring of His blessings. Who can out give a God like that?
Finally, I learnt that these blessings can be received on a daily basis. On one condition – that we declare our poverty spiritually. Jesus taught in Matthew 5:3-4
3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Our Lord is ever ready to open His floodgates of blessings.
Are you willing and ready to receive?
I Can Do It! 
You on fb too? Must go find you then! ANd the part about God does not require success but obedience? I agree. In fact, I would add that God also does not promise success but our job is obedience not demanding that He grant us success 🙂
We sure can find one another in facebook but I am not so active there lah..
hello, enjoyed reading your blog. I think if you can put in some photos will be exciting! 🙂
Yes I pray I can do put up some photos too. The problem is I feel my head swimming whenever I see the technical terms. Shortcuts anyone??
Thanks for sharing, Apple!
Indeed, we need to go to our daily manna, to be utterly dependent on Him every moment.
Problem of course, is that, especially for us adults, we have been trained from young to have an increasingly independent spirit. We need wisdom from God to train our children to decrease their dependency on us while at the same time increasingly learn to be dependent on God instead of having an independent spirit that most of us have been trained to rely on since young.
May God help us!
Margaret
You are so right in what you said. I’m so grateful the we’ve God to help us.