Faith vs. what if

I sit here wondering about all the "what ifs" for my life.
What if I would have graduated college already.
What if I would have allowed my heart to fall on love;would I be married already?
What if I would have lost my mom last month? How would I live?
What if I would have never adopted a child from Africa?
What if I would have never started teaching?

You see, Satan loves to put "what ifs" in our life because he traps us in this lie. But the truth is that when God is in control, He works it all out. What seem like missed opportunities will be knitted together to make a bigger blessing. Don't give up. Keep the faith!

New Year!

All morning I have been sitting in my room reflecting the goodness and trails that have happened to me in this year 2012. I must say that two wonderful blessings have been given to me, and I cannot stop talking about it. I am so blessed by the family I get to volunteer with on Saturday nights and my students there. They make me smile! I also extremely blessed by the students at my work. I could talk for days about how much they bless me.

I am blessed that my sister is healthy again. She is beating cancer's butt once again with the strength and healing from God. It is an answered prayer to my family. :)

But most of all, I am thankful for the relationship I have with my Heavenly Father. He is always faithful and never gives up on me. I may be a work in progress, but I am able to change through His grace.

2012 was an amazing roller coaster ride of ups and downs. And I would not change a thing about it. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me :)

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray over those who read this post. May they make You their priority in 2013 and established a real relationship with You. I pray for the goodness to come to their lives and blessings from above. 

In Jesus Name,

Amen! 

Happy New Year, everyone! :)

What I have always wanted to say…

I have always wanted to tell you to leave me alone,

I have always wanted to tell you to move on,

But you never listened.

I have always wanted to tell you to grow up,

I have always wanted to tell you that I won’t be here forever,

But you never listened.

I told you good-bye once too many,

I told you this is the end of this chapter

But now you want me back.

You should have listened to me.

You should have given me the time to tell you

But now it’s too late.

Psalm Challenge: Day One Hundred and Fifty!

The last psalm! It repeats the theme throughout: praise the Lord! Praise the Lord with music! Praise Him with dancing! Whatever you do, praise the Lord! 

Psalm 150

"Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.
² Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.
³ Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,
⁴ praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
⁵ praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord."

Psalm Challenge: Day One Hundred and Forty Nine!

Psalm 149

"Praise the Lord.

Sing to the Lord a new song,
    his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.

² Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
    let the people of Zion be glad in their King.
³ Let them praise his name with dancing
    and make music to him with timbrel and harp.
⁴ For the Lord takes delight in his people;
    he crowns the humble with salvation.
⁵ Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor
    and sing for joy on their beds.

⁶ May the praise of God be in their mouths
    and a double-edged sword in their hands,
⁷ to inflict vengeance on the nations
    and punishment on the peoples,
⁸ to bind their kings with fetters,
    their nobles with shackles of iron,
⁹ to carry out the sentence written against them—
    this is the glory of all his faithful people.

Praise the Lord."

Psalm Challenge: Day One Hundred and Forty-Eight!

Praise the Lord for my family! Praise the Lord for giving me love! Praise the Lord!!!!

Psalm 148

"Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord from the heavens;
    praise him in the heights above.
² Praise him, all his angels;
    praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
³ Praise him, sun and moon;
    praise him, all you shining stars.
⁴ Praise him, you highest heavens
    and you waters above the skies.

⁵ Let them praise the name of the Lord,
    for at his command they were created,
⁶ and he established them for ever and ever—
    he issued a decree that will never pass away.

⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth,
    you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
⁸ lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
    stormy winds that do his bidding,
⁹ you mountains and all hills,
    fruit trees and all cedars,
¹⁰ wild animals and all cattle,
    small creatures and flying birds,
¹¹ kings of the earth and all nations,
    you princes and all rulers on earth,
¹² young men and women,
    old men and children.

¹³ Let them praise the name of the Lord,
    for his name alone is exalted;
    his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
¹⁴ And he has raised up for his people a horn,
    the praise of all his faithful servants,
    of Israel, the people close to his heart.

Praise the Lord."

Psalm Challenge: Day One Hundred and Forty Seven!

Verse four paints a picture of a very big God loving even the smallest of stars. He names you, and He knows you! Now it is up to you to make that choice to follow Him!

Psalm 147

"Praise the Lord.

How good it is to sing praises to our God,
    how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

² The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
    he gathers the exiles of Israel.
³ He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.
⁴ He determines the number of the stars
    and calls them each by name.
⁵ Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
    his understanding has no limit.
⁶ The Lord sustains the humble
    but casts the wicked to the ground.

⁷ Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;
    make music to our God on the harp.

⁸ He covers the sky with clouds;
    he supplies the earth with rain
    and makes grass grow on the hills.
⁹ He provides food for the cattle
    and for the young ravens when they call.

¹⁰ His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
¹¹ the Lord delights in those who fear him,
    who put their hope in his unfailing love.

¹² Extol the Lord, Jerusalem;
    praise your God, Zion.

¹³ He strengthens the bars of your gates
    and blesses your people within you.
¹⁴ He grants peace to your borders
    and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.

¹⁵ He sends his command to the earth;
    his word runs swiftly.
¹⁶ He spreads the snow like wool
    and scatters the frost like ashes.
¹⁷ He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
    Who can withstand his icy blast?
¹⁸ He sends his word and melts them;
    he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.

¹⁹ He has revealed his word to Jacob,
    his laws and decrees to Israel.
²⁰ He has done this for no other nation;
    they do not know his laws

Praise the Lord."