Footprints in the Sand

"One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.


In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.


This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,


'You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?'


The Lord replied, 'The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.'"


-Mary Stevenson

Honestly; I love this poem. Or quote if you prefer to call it that. It really gets to me. The first time I ever read that, I felt a ppang! in my heart. It made me realize that I am never ever alone. Especially during my darkest times and my time of need. Even during my brightest times; the Lord is always walking beside me, and of course: you. It made me realize that there's always someone there for me. Those times when I'm too tired to continue walking... the time that I just... need to close my eyes and faint, the Lord is always there, ready to catch me when I do fall. And no matter how heavy my burdens may be, he's still willing to carry me throughout the whole way until I regain my strength to be able to walk with him again.

Before I read to the very last line, I wondered to myself. "Is it true? It can't be. Jesus would never leave us, especially during our lowest times of our lives. But... then, where did his footprints go?" Of course, I don't mean to doubt God, in fact... I wasn't doubting at all. It was just the quote that got me wondering these things... as if it was a story I was reading; asking myself questions. But when I read the last line, it was like everything around it disappeared and all that I could see was:

"The Lord replied, "The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you."

I stared at it for a while and felt my heart softened up. I smiled to myself and thought to myself "I can relax, knowing that when I fall, the Lord will carry me."

SO. I was hunting around today for that picture and that quote and everything to post on my tumblr.
And came across the song "Footprints in the Sand" by Leona Lewis.
The Lyrics:

You walked with me
Footprints in the sand
And helped me understand
Where I'm going
You walked with me
When I was all alone
With so much unknown along the way
Then I heard you say

I promise you
I'm always there
When your heart is filled with sorrow and despair
I'll carry you
When you need a friend
You'll find my footprints in the sand

I see my life
Flash across the sky
So many times have I
Been so afraid
And just when I
Have though I've lost my way

You give me strength to carry on
That's when I heard you say

I promise you
I'm always there
When your heart is filled with sorrow and despair
I'll carry you
When you need a friend
You'll find my footprints in the sand

When I'm weary
Well I know you'll be there
And I can feel you
When you say

I promise you
I'm always there
when your heart is full of sadness and despair
I'll carry you
When you need a friend
You'll find my footprints in the sand

Here's the youtube link: Footprints in the Sand 
Please listen and watch. (:

"If you ate today, Thank a Farmer."

Read that while going to a provincial park.
So true...
so...
Thank you, farmer Bill.
|: Random name just popped in, but i'm sure there's a farmer bill somewhere! D:

What does it mean to feed your spirit and let it breathe?

A few days ago, I was having a conversation with my mom. It was one of those "deep" talks that my mom and I have about God once in a while. We were discussing a few stuff, but one of them was about feeding the spirit and letting it breathe.
Now, we all know that feeding our spirit means we need to read the bible. Why do we feed it? Of course, it's to give it more strength and to make it stronger. In a way, the spirit is like our body. If we don't give our body food, we most likely will be weak, and won't be able to do things that require our strength. Much like the body, the spirit needs food. Without food for the spirit, then the spirit won't be able to connect with God. In a way, I guess you could say that if we feed our spirit, then it will have more strength to be able to move towards God. So on earth, more food for body, more strength and energy for us to do stuff. In spirit, the more we feed it, the more it has strength and energy to run towards God. If we don't feed our spirit, then our spirit is just going to become weak and won't be able to reach God anymore. Think of it as running if you need to. To get the the finish line, what do you need? ENERGY!
Of course, the bible isn't the ONLY thing that feeds your spirit. Any devotions you do, or daily reading, or even things about Christ will feed your spirit. BUT. The bible is the BEST source of food for our spirits. You can never learn more than enough from the bible. Each time you read it, you gain something new from it!
But believe it or not! Or unless you already knew, that having a stronger spirit means your soul can be more controlled! Say what? Okay, so this is how God made us: God-->Spirit-->Soul-->Body.
So we feed our spirit so that it may be closer with God and be able to connect with God. When our spirit is strong and have a connection with God, it can control our Soul. Our soul is.. something like our emotions and feelings. Whatever the soul feels, it makes the body do. The soul is uncontrolled, BUT, the only thing that CAN control it, is the spirit. That's where feeding the spirit comes in handy. Like I mentioned before, when our spirit is strong, it can control our soul so that it doesn't go out of hand. So, is that what it means by "self-controlled" for the 9 fruits of the spirit? So keep your spirit strong so your soul won't take over you!
Breathing is essential, no? It's IMPORTANT. It helps you LIVE. So of course we can't suffocate our spirit, that's why we PRAY. My mom said that praying to God, helps our spirit breathe. And truthfully, it does. I was showering the same night I spoke with my mom, and while I was showering, I was repenting and asking for forgiveness, forgiving those that I need to forgive, just saying sorry, etc. After I showered, man, did I feel so refreshed. It's like I suddenly breathed PURE air. While I was talking to my mom, I couldn't help but feel so happy, but also wanted to cry for some reason... but more so happy.
So really!
Keep those spirits fed and let it BREATHE.

7 years of suffrage

I'm not so sure whether to be scared or whether to be excited anymore. My parents came home from listening to a guest speaker at my church and they talked about revelation. I've mentioned this before that, no one is ready. We can't be ready when there's still so much to learn about not only God but the world. How can we be ready when we've known just learned a small part of something so big? We can't...

So the guest speaker at my church talked about revelation, and there were I believe... 2 sessions for today. My mother went to both of them, morning and night. When she came back so that she could go with my dad, she told me "it's so scary. Jesus is coming, he's really coming. The guest speaker says starting either this year, 2011, or in 2014, after 7 years, Jesus will come." Well, either 2011 or 2014? What happened to 2012 and 2013? Was what ran across my mind first... then I began to think about the 7 years stuff. It seems like you've got forever, especially if it starts in 2014... but truthfully, time goes by really quickly. Half the time you don't even remember that the world is coming to and end soon. My second question was "I thought you can't calculate the time..." which is why I'm not sure whether to believe it or not... until my mom told me about the 7.... something... I will have to get back to you after reading revelation... Sorry. >-<; But yeah, she told me that you actually can calculate... but I guess when they said you can't calculate the time, it means you can't find the exact date, but you can probably estimate the year and stuff. I told her to stop talking because I didn't want to hear it. It's not that I don't want to hear it, it's just that I didn't want to get scared...

For the second session, I could've went... but I chose not to... But my mom came home and I went downstairs to talk to her like I normally do... and she told me... "it's scary... it starts in September. 7 years Jackie, 7 years! We're going to have to suffer for 7 years before Jesus comes!" Okay, mom... that scares me... :/ I'm being honest here, I'm not going to hide my fear and put up a strong armour... because I seriously am quite scared for this... event. I have another friend that said that we should want to leave before Jesus actually comes... something about rapture? Or whatever that word is. I told my mom and she told me "the rapture is before Jesus comes". I looked at my mother dumbfounded while she closed her room door until it hit me... Does that mean that the rapture... is starting in September? Of this year in 2011? Everything's a smokey, mist, haze kind of thing in my brain regarding this situation right now... it'll probably take a while to clear up in my head... and I hope it does soon or else i'll be lost forever.

7 years of suffrage, starting September. We're given a warning now... It's up to us to choose our path; it's not to late to make a "U-turn" from going to Hell to going to Heaven. It's never too late, God's open arms will always be open... he's willing to accept us, our mistakes and our faults. Sure we have to be perfect in order to be with him in heaven and no one is perfect at all... but that's why God sent us Jesus and gave us many materials in order to follow him. So that by knowing Jesus, in our heart... not just knowing this name, but personally having an intimate relationship with him by getting to know him and loving him with all your heart, we will have a path to the light. We were born to be in the light while the dark follows us... but some people trip and fall... or follow too slowly... and end up being sucked into the darkness behind... But of course, if they're lucky enough, they'll be able to catch up with the others and crawl out of the darkness to join the others in the light.

So make your decision now; you have 7 years.

Bruce Van Natta: Saved by Angels

God... is such an amazing God. This person was able to survive because of the miracle God sent.
Praise the Lord, and Bless this man. (:

The true meaning of being a Christian?

I think many people have the wrong idea about Christians. We're not Jesus. Christians aren't Jesus. We're not pure, we have so many flaws that it's almost so hard to cover up, and we are definitely not perfect. In fact, we're FAR from perfect or being anything like Jesus. Whoever said "Christians are supposed to be peaceful" or "Christians don't lie" or anything along the lines of that, I'm sorry to say that your definition of "Christian" is wrong. Being a Christian doesn't mean we've become a saint or whatever whatever, it just means that we're dedicating our life to Jesus. True, we have to obey the 10 commandments, but we're humans too. We also make mistakes just like everyone else. Saying that we don't lie is a lie right there. It's in all our bloods to lie; it's one of those natural reactions.Why? It is because, my friends, we're all born a sinner. This goes back all the way to Adam and Eve, but we won't go there today.

I just wanted to note to people that Christians =/= perfect.
When I was younger I had a friend that would always tell me "You're a Christian! You're not supposed to lie!" At that time I didn't know what to say, well... i was young... I didn't know anything. But I know I didn't like it when she said that, it made me upset and furious that she would say that. "I'm a Christian yeah, but I'm still like you people... right? Being a Christian doesn't mean I don't lie... right?" I always asked myself these questions. But now that I know, it doesn't mean I'll go off lying every 5 seconds. No, psh. I'm not going to purposely lie, I'm just saying that Christians are just as flawed as everyone else.

Three Words: He Is coming

Look around, what do you see happening on our Earth right now? Pollution? Look again. Global Warming? Look again. Earthquakes and Tsunamis? Almost there. World Disasters? There we go. Recently, there are been many earthquakes happening, many tsunamis and many... unpleasant things. People often think of Canada as a good place because nothing happened, other than that mini earthquake that took place last year. But honestly, no one can say for sure that absolutely nothing will happen to Canada because truthfully... it's unpredictable. Other than a video my friend showed me of a guy predicting North America to be next in line for earthquakes, and apparently, this guy is never wrong in his predictions. But who knows? Even he may be wrong.

So what happened to Japan was indeed, very devastating, and still, we #prayforJapan. Why? Because we can. After the earthquake, Japan has officially moved about 16 fts closer to USA. Which opened my eyes to see our world changing bit by bit and loads by... loads.

And this all brings us back to what people are saying. That the coming of our Lord is near, and that we must prepare. Truthfully, I am not ready. Neither are many others, but that is what makes everything scary. We're so unprepared... so how many of us are going up to Heaven exactly? Probably less than half the world's population, or even less than one eighth; but who knows? Are you ready? Let me ask again, ARE YOU READY? That's really the only question there is to ask yourself right now. Are you ready for when Jesus comes? Are you ready for the moment when your soul is taken from your body and brought back up with Jesus?

There are so many questions to ask at the moment, that sometimes you get so confused and become unsure of things. I tell myself "I'm a Christian, of course I'm ready to go with Jesus", but am I really? I think over it and say "But wait... I don't know anything. I don't know anything about the Heavens and the Hells. Where do I go?". Jesus is coming, that is definitely true. Ask yourself, are you ready? Like the 10 virgins in the bible, only 5 were prepared to go when the prince came because they were ready. They brought extra wax so that when they run out, they can replace the old with the new. The other 5, missed their chance because they were unprepared. So perhaps... within all the Christians there are on Earth, only half will be saved?

The thought of death alone scares me. Knowing that Jesus is coming... is supposed to be something you rejoice over right? But also knowing that the world will collapse and split in two isn't so reassuring. I fear more than I am excited. Someone at church, someone who was a friend of my parents, someone who was older, told me that "Jesus is coming. He won't be coming in my life time, but you, he will be coming in your life time. Be happy about it and be prepared for the coming of Jesus because it's exciting. It's so exciting that Jesus is coming! Your soul will be lifted from your body and you will enter the gates of heaven!". On the other hand my mom said we're supposed to fear the Lord. I dont think she meant to literally fear the Lord, I mean, the Lord is just so GREAT. Why fear him? But I do wonder what Heaven is like... I imagine fluffy clouds and a wide open space. And on one side, a big.. I don't know, something that looks like where greek gods live... But it was white and gold. PURE white and gold. And the pavements are made of real gold for I heard that in heaven, stones are worth more than gold. It was just a grand place.

So many questions for God, but so little time, and I mean literally, so little time. But is there enough time to patch up your relationship with God? I know my relationship with him isn't good. My mom often tells me that when Jesus comes, he won't take me because I am not doing anything to keep my relationship with God. My Love Relationship with God. How much do I love him? Any person would say "I love him the most" but is that REALLY how you feel? I want to patch up my relationship with God. To have an intimate relationship with him... but I feel that it could be too late. My purpose for doing so is not because I want to, it's because I'm scared that I won't go to Heaven. Now, whether that reason alone is good enough or not, I'll never know. But I know that that reason, is definitely not a good reason. For sure it must be one of the reasons why we all want a better relationship, but i wouldn't say that it's the best reason ever.

Lord, I pray that you open the eyes of the people in the world. Let them know that you are coming and that it's not too late to turn away from all sins and evil and come join you. Let them know that your arms are still open and willing to grab them and embrace them with a hug. Let them know you're still there even until the last second before the inevitable happens but when it does happen, it'll be too late. You're like the ark in Noah's ark and we are the people and animal. You're opened to everyone, and we, the humans and animals, walk towards you where you can protect us from the flood, the earthquakes and tsunamis and all natural disasters. And from that on, whoever chooses not to come in, will be swept away because when God told Noah to close the ark and when he started the flood, many were in pain and wept. Many called out to Noah to tell him to open up the ark, but in your command, he didn't. I know it must've pained you to have to do that too all many of your children, but it was for the better future of the World. But the world at the moment isn't any good, in fact, it could be worse. Satan is on the verge of breaking loose and you're the only one who can stop him. And so just like Noah and the ark, when you tell Jesus to bring back all those who have been saved and believes in your name, those who have not been saved will be locked away from the "ark" and will suffer. So Lord, please shine your light among everyone and show the world that it's not too late for them to choose you, to choose the light and not the dark. Many are afraid of the truth, and though it is hard to follow the truth and be a Christian, I can wholeheartedly say that I do not regret knowing you. That after I found you, I found peace within my soul. Who knows where I could've been right now if not for you? Would I still be me? Or would I be completely different? Let people know that knowing you will bring peace in their heart. I pray that they will be saved.

To my friend who may be coming Sunday: bring your bible. Like we planned, we'll be bible studying and trying to patch our relationship with God because we want to. Not because we have to, but because we choose to. Operation have an intimate relationship with God.. it starts now.

Anddd just a side note: JESUS LOVES YOU, because GOD IS LOVE.

My awesome GOD IS LOVE shirt that I got when I went to USA over the March Break. The back says:
"God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself.
Because the answer to religious complacency isn't working harder at a list of do's and don'ts -
It's falling in love with God.
Read Matthew 22:37-40"
Strong message on T-shirt? I think so.

 

#prayforJapan

Japan, struck by an 8.9 magnitude earthquake and after, a tsunami that swept Sendai, Japan and etc. Many people dead, many people lost, many... disappeared. The affects of the tsunami poured over the coast of Canada and United States. It's a tragic event for many, many people. And truthfully, this isn't the first time that something like this happened in the world. And to tell you the truth, Jesus is coming. Let me repeat that: Jesus... is coming. It's time to get ready for the coming of Christ the King. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but one day at church, we had guest speakers and they said that the coming of Jesus Christ is very near. Well, he gave a story, but the main point was that the coming of Jesus was so close it's as close as your hand can be to your cheek without touching it. That's scary, believe me.

My dad says the reason that Japan was victimized b the earthquake and the tsunami because they for one, did many bad things. For example, the way they killed many chinese people, were pretty much "unforgivable" according to my dad. My dad also said that it was also because many Japanese people didn't want to believe in Christianity... I'm not sure if this is true or not... but yeah. Although that is what my dad said, my friend said that it was because next Saturday is the "Super Moon" when the moon is closest to the Earth and because the moon has some kind of magnetic field or whatever for tidal waves, that might be the reason why Japan was affected.. so badly? I don't know..

But let us pray for Japan, pray for forgiveness for any bad they have done in the past, or just anything in particular. Let us pray for the recovery of Japan and that they may be up and on their feet again. God is a forgiving God, right? So even if Japan doesn't believe in God, let us pray for their forgiveness anyway as fellow Christians. Don't hate, spread the love.

above our heads is a little something that can protect you and me

What I appreciate#2. (:
Really, there's a lot of stuff to be thankful for on Earth, we just have to use our heads and dig deeper in there. Yesterday I posted that I was thankful for the Earth itself, and really, I am. Although there are stuff that angers us and many things that are unfair, look on the bright side! At least this is better than nothing. So today, what I appreciate is having a house. Having a roof over our head to block snow, cold, heat, rain etc. Our parents worked hard to support us and give us a house to live in. Some people may live in an apartment, a townhouse, a semi, a single house, or whatever, but they all count as something. They pay for the gas we use in the house, the water usage, the electricity, and many other bills... except some people take advantage of not having to pay and forget about money. Some people leave lights on (which indeed, costs money), some people take forever to shower or uses the water too much. Water consumption much? We need to think about the person who's supporting us and allowing us to live in the house, right?
a house is a house is a house is a house. (: So yes, we must be thankful for having a house and help those who are homeless. Now, I don't mean to go to every "less fortunate" people, you'd be pretty broke by the time you're done... but have a heart and give. Don't be so frugal and keep all those money! You're given money for many reasons and one of them is to give.
When you give, God gives back. You could call it a reward, but sometimes i don't mean it's hard cash or a better living style or something. When you give with a happy heart and a heart of love filled with godliness, God will see this and you will be rewarded. Maybe it's your heart that will change. Maybe your reward is having a different point of view in life? But one thing, never be greedy and give just so you can receive something back. Be like the woman in the bible, specifically the widow who literally only had 2 cents left and gave away with all her heart for.. offering or something. Even though she only had 2 cents left, she was still willing to give it away wholeheartedly with no regrets. THAT is how we are supposed to be. Give with all our hearts. Forget the rewards or whatever right? Yeah, we don't need those. The satisfactory in our heart is more than enough.

the moon rises and the sun sets

I think you'd all agree with me when I say:
"We all think about our complaints more often than we do with things we can appreciate."
How have I come to realize it? It actually didn't strike me in the head until just recently being proven to myself. Other than this blog and my everyday blog, I have a memo to myself on my computer of things that annoy me, bother me, things I've been emotionally hurt from, and etc. Basically things that can ruin one's image, if you get me. And let me tell you, I haven't even started that for a month and the number of things I have to say there have basically almost caught up with posts i have on this blog. I find that kind of sad. I've had this blog for how long? And this is only my 19th post. From now on, I shall come here more often and write about things I appreciate because these things haven't just been thrown at us. They have been given to us for a reason. So to start one off, I say, I'm thankful for the world.
What I mean is what I say. Some people may think "that's baloney, look how chaotic and upsetting our world is!" You know what I say to that? "Things happen for a reason. I can say that half the things that happen on our world that are 'chaotic' are for us to be blamed. Recently there are people who are quite harsh with their criticism and when I say harsh, i mean harsh. I think people have lost the respect for one another and for people who have a higher status or authority than us. We have people 'unfollowing' singer Justin Bieber on twitter because of his haircut? Isn't that a little outrageous? This proves people to be very judgmental. Like my friend says, it's bad, but it's something that happens naturally. But these kind of problems, these social problems, can be solved. And it can be solved by starting with us, people all over the world of different culture, religion, etc. There will be no difference until we make a difference."
And seriously, without the world, you won't be able to see all the beautiful things that there are/were on Earth. We were all placed on Earth by God. I'm sure everyone has heard that at least a thousand if not, a million times. Why? Because it's true. But really, here's a hint. -->Though you were placed on Earth by God for a reason, you must make that reason happen. Sitting on a couch or chair in front of your computer or just following your daily routine isn't enough. In order for God's plan to work on you, you must first work with God's plan. Strive forward in life and don't hold back too much, otherwise many opportunities will pass by right in front of your eyes. Take a risk sometimes; you won't know until you try. We are all given a childhood, a teen life, a young adult life, a heart of a parent, and an age for a reason. In childhood you're still experiencing many things and learning different aspects of the world. In your teen life, you're learning more about life and life in depth. You learn about relationships, making your own decisions and knowing what's best for you. As a young adult, you're starting to choose your career. At this point, maybe you've reached your goal or maybe you're still working on it. But as a young adult, it's time to find your other soul and find a good job. Maybe start a family. Having a parent's heart is big. The heart is filled with warmth, love, care and knowing how to properly discipline your child. After having a child, it is then time for you to learn to be a parent and teach your kids what you know; the difference between what is wrong and what is right. And an age, to experience life itself. To see how much the world has changed.
We're placed on Earth because God placed us on Earth. Be it whether you're destined to be a pastor, a scientist, a famous artist, a well known cook, or just a parent who is to guide the soul of the next generation. Even that, is something you're placed on Earth for. Without parents, well, the whole world wouldn't be standing and lasting for this long.

God... is a God that deserves our thanks.

I think about my family and the conditions that it's in right now..
not just my parents and I.
but my cousin and aunt.
Arguments happen and all, and sometimes they get really.. out of hand.
Their arguments are a lot more "difficult" than my parents and I...
and in a way, I think back to my mom's side of the family and dad's side of the family.
Although not much can be said about dad's side of the family, much can be said on my mom's side.
And really, i'm TRULY THANKFUL that God gave me... out of 4 siblings, THIS ONE for me... as my mother.
Out of THESE FOUR siblings... my mom is the most mature and most knowledgeable and realistic(?) one.
I truly thank God for giving me my mother. Without her, I would not have been able to meet God.
God is a miracle. God is great.
God is above all things.
and God, I truly do thank you for giving me my mother out of her brothers and sister. The most reasonable one, and the one out of the four, that loves you most. I'm sure with her knowledge of you and your ways, she can teach me what you taught her. I will take your teachings and her explanations of your teaching, and become someone you can use one day.
Thank you Lord. (: