Cannae sleep

It's 0101hrs right now, early Sunday morning. I should be in bed really, but I can't seem to get myself into the 'sleeping mode' yet. Sigh... lots on my mind.

I came home from working adults cell group just over half an hour ago. It started late at 2030hrs and natually finished late too, especially since Arianna was sooo cute and we (Cat and I) spent a while playing with her and taking pics of her and with her. :) At the start of the cell she was quite distant with me, having not seen me or played with me for a few weeks. But by the end of the night I managed to get the hugs, the high-fives and the winks that I asked for. Hehe! Also, her high-fives are getting stronger, must be due to her arm muscles developing. Good stuff! She speaks a lot more not too. Praise God!

So tonight's cell started off with our outlook for 2009, what we hope to achieve this year and what mistakes from last year we'd like to avoid. One of the ones which we'd all like to avoid from last year would be neglecting God, not spending enough time with Him, our Maker. There are 168hrs in week. If we give back to God that 10%, like we tithe, that would be around 16.8hrs a week with God. Does anybody you know dedicate that amount of time to God? Or would we rather devote our time to other things? Like Facebook, the gym, cinema, (these are my top three) partying, clubbing (ok, these are not mine!). I said to Aaron, what if we keep these 16.8hrs for Sundays. Like Wake up in the morning then devote the 16.8hrs (or more) to God and go to church(es) and serve God etc. That was just an idea as a joke. We looked at the cost of following Christ and when Jesus calmed the storm, taken from Matthew 8:18-27. My take home point from the night is I was reminded that God is never sleeping. Though we might go through hardship, tough times, trying times in our lives (the storms), we shouldn't think that God is not present, is too busy elsewhere or is 'asleep'. God is omnipresent (everywhere) and omnipotent (all knowing). How can He not know what we are going through? I concluded and shared, that sometimes going through hardships can be good for us. Like a piece of gold, going through the burning furnace, being purified by the refiners fire. Obviously it will not like the heat, the intensity, but it comes out purified. It comes out sparkling and shiny and is worth lots lots lots! What does not kill you can only make you stronger, and you can live to tell the tale and use it to encourage those people around you :) Amen to that!

I'm feeling bit better right now. I thank God for his gracious love that carries me through all things. From all the disappointment of taking my Advanced Driving test to passing it last week and now as I face new challenges ahead with this last module Instructional Techniques, I have to work and study twice as hard. It is not gonna be an easy ride - I have already planned out regular trips to the library after work - but I know God is gonna be with me along the way. :)

So, the things on my mind huh? Complicated. Well, not really, but is kind of because I don't want to disclose that much online you see. I know my friends read this, but some folk may not be my friends and there is no need to let the whole world know. I'm not that important at the end of the day. But another reason I can't say that much is to protect the folk involved.

One of the hopes I have for 2009 is to be more like Jesus. Yes, that is a person 'aim'. And I think I have already been 'tested' on this point on a few things and on a few occasions. Been reading some interesting blogs, some emails and some books. And my, it really makes me wonder why certain things happen. I seek God and ask for His will to be carried out in my life. Also, why do certain people behave in certain ways towards certain people? Why is the discrimination in the world? Because of sin! I hear you all say. Yes, that's true, but why do some Christians discriminate so badly? Is it because of selfishness? It must be. It's so sad when it happens so closely around you. There's not much I can say. There is not much I can teach on. I can only pray that God's love can penetrate everyone's heart.