BFF!

I really really liked this passage. More than the miracle of being healed of his blindness, I was blessed by Bartimaeus' eagerness to know Jesus more closely through His healing touch. Sooo many times, I forget that I have a friend in Jesus. Such a simple statement can often go unnoticed or forgotten, but it's really really liberating to know that I have this intimate connection with the Son of God, and no one can take that away from me, no one can tell me to hush when I shout.

For so long, I didn't know what it felt like to desire Jesus like Bartimaeus does in this passage, and for so long, I didn't really care. But lately, I've been feeling like I can really identify with his longing for Jesus, and it's been a really powerful experience. When I seek God during my day, sometimes I don't necessarily feel Him or hear Him or see Him right away, but seeing how Jesus drew near to Bartimaeus when he drew near to Jesus, I have hope that Jesus will do the same for me.

Child-like faith

Two things happen in today's verse; Jesus is first put to the test through the question of divorce, and then the story of having childlike faith.
The only reason Jesus was asked the question of divorce was because the Jews were trying to trap Jesus and attempt to bring him down. Though we see them do this quite often, since they certainly didn't like Jesus very much, I wonder if we ever put ourselves in similar situation. For instance, are we always the agents of peace and patience in the relationships around us, or do we simply flame the fire of dissension? It's funny because in the sermon today, PD talked about how we ought to be patience towards one another and how we ought to be the agents of peace... and yet, how many times do we act like the Jews, trying to raise troubles and respond to evil by evil, in a way?

On another note, we are always reminded of the childlike faith, especially as we work with the children in RY, and yet I wonder if I can say I have the pure and simple faith of one of these children of God, who just like following their parents command without raising a fuss and asking all kinds of questions, how many times do we simply, and obediently, follow God's command? Instead how often do we find ourselves asking God, why, and how, and etc...

Marriage: a Life-Long Commitment

Having been married for a little over a year, I am still amazed at how God can bring two people together to make a life-long commitment to one another... When I think about Daniel oppa and I as individuals, we are the opposite of one another... we don't have any mutual hobbies... we have different interests... we grew up with different family experiences... and so on. However, as we put God at the center of our lives and of our relationship, none of our differences matter because what we have in common matter so much more! Being in Christ, we have the same beliefs and values, which affect the decisions we make on a daily basis... which in turn, affects our relationship as a married couple... It's truly amazing... and a true blessing how God has brought the two of us together and gave us this awesome opportunity to be committed to one another, striving to be Christ-like as one instead of as two individuals... =) I am challenged to love my husband more with God's love... and to continue to live with God at the center of our lives and relationship so that others (especially our students) can see how a marriage can be a blessing...