Blessed New Year
As many of us are celebrating the coming of a New Year, I am left wondering is it just me that is feeling a little upset that the year that passed has just became an ‘old year’ one that is left catalouged in our minds.
For me, 2012 has been an exciting year. I had a closure that could not be compared to any. I quarreled on the last day of the year! How exciting was that! :) Can’t disclose details :)
But I definitely was reminded by God with that small bicker that we had. At that moment, everything seemed bleak, nothing seemed to be working out in the last moment.
God still does wonders. With that, God made the truth, truth between one another, truth from him more valuable and more important than any other thing. The past year, I have learned to be truthful to everyone especially brothers and sisters. I have also learned to accept as well as speak the truth in love and if that includes telling off a person harshly.
I was watching Les Miserables and I saw a scene that I was moved. It was the scene where Fantine died. She mentioned in the lyrics that Jean Valjean, was an angel. But I thought again, how many of us when we are helping others, others might see us as a helper, an angel, Godsent. But we know, deep down in that heart of ours, lies our deep dark secrets just as Jean Valjean did. But that doesn’t mean we cannot help others, it doesn’t mean that we are not worthy of God’s love because he sent Jesus to die for every single one of us. We are all worthy and deserving of the love of God. We should never belittle His creation.
That’s me rambling again. I hope that everyone will have a blessed new year! My personal prayer is that God teaches me again how he has taught me over 2012, be it trails or reward, I will take.
Have a Blessed 2013 and for those at another time zone, the last bits of 2012.
Love,
Victor
Forgetting the Reason
One of the main reasons why I love taking photos is because I can try to portray God’s image in that one frame. I try my best to show God’s creation, I know that all that I am doing is merely trying to show the house through a peephole.
I have been guilty of forgetting the reason why I am shooting and this time I was reminded. My camera got stolen recently along with my favourite lens (70-200 f/4 IS) I hope the person that got it is using it better than I am! :D The reason I said why I have been forgetting the reasons, is that I have been taking photos to gain an audience and it was really a fine line crossed or maybe I didn’t cross the line but it was really more for gaining fame.
I think it’s sort of similar in many walks of our lives as well! I don’t know if any of us started out doing things, be it business, working, and even serving (worshiping and serving) in a good way, trying to serving God to the very best we can but in the midst, we might be diverted and the only way to do is to always stop and tell ourselves to redirect and check whether we have gone on another track and if we have, turn around, walk back and go back on the right track!
Many people have asked me this question: “Don’t you feel a pinch that your camera is missing?”
My answer has been: The camera is merely an object. I thought I would have been more affected but it was lost during a Overseas Christian Fellowship Convention and there were more reasons to be joyful like a brother and sister coming to be part of the family that something as small as this didn’t really matter. The camera definitely was expensive and it might have blown a hole in my pocket, but there were more reasons to celebrate and I would just have to work harder to fund another camera.
Also not forgetting, the greatest memories are never captured by a camera but by our God given eyes and mind.
I will not have a camera for some time but I will have time to just enjoy the things God created for us and maybe sort out some of my photos. There might just be a gem in the midst of all that coal stored away in my computer.
P.S. on a side note if you want to help me out with my fundraising, do drop me any amount on paypal or anything :) and I will be uploading older photos :)
Caption for the photo: The reason the sun sets and rises! I found S.S Sunset.
One of my favourite photos yet.
Love,
Victor!
Perth 2012 - Forgiveness
Before reading! Think of someone you really really hate.
ALRIGHT! It has to be that person, no changing of minds now.
Proceed.
A couple of months back when I took this photo, I remembered that I was discussing with a couple of friends about forgiveness.
A year back, when I was back home, I remembered that I was part of a conference that was about forgiveness.
Forgiveness - to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.);absolve.
I believe that in the bible, forgiveness means more than just a pardon, more than just to cancel indebtedness. I was just wondering about what was the opposite of forgiveness and it was hate or something along that line. Flipping it around again, I think the opposite of hate would be love.
To forgive in the bible I believe is to love. And by loving, it means more than just forgiving and forgetting. It is to embrace the person that inflicted pain on you. It is to take an extra step to care and love for the person that you say you cannot forgive the most. “Even the pagans and the tax collectors love the people they like” what should Christians like us do when we proclaim about God’s mercy and love and we go around holding grudges.
It is not just that! God has forgiven us, the sinners of the world, think of the worst thing you have ever done, stole, committed adultery, lied? He forgave all those and gave you all the blessings that you now have, a home, love, or anything that you can call your own.
To sum up, I have a quote:
I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least
-Dorothy Day
Love the person that you thought of at the start NOW! Take action and forgive.
Matthew 18:21-22
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. (NIV)