He Never Fails

I had a really, really good day today. Nothing spectacular happened but it was the kind of quiet peaceful goodness reigning within your heart that you know it is coming from the Lord God. 

The day started out with a frantic desperate search for a cab but to no avail. I had a 10am church meeting that I did not want to be late for and the time was already 9.50am! Taking a bus would mean having to take two buses and about 20mins to get to church. Hence seeing that I didn't have much choice, I boarded the feeder bus that approached. 

However to my dismay, due to a massive traffic jam leading to the Woodlands Checkpoint, the bus had to stop at the T-junction and all passengers had to alight to walk to wherever as the bus was going to make a detour. I waited at the nearest bus stop and prayed and asked the Lord to please send a bus (or a cab!!) so that I could make it on time but all buses just zoomed past the bus stop as they were filled packed with people from the earlier bus stops, who were affected by the jam.

In my despair and desperation, I prayed and ask the Lord to please help me, and quickly as I really didn't want to be late!! I gave up hope on getting a cab as there were already two people ahead of me trying to flag down cabs, all of which had their red 'HIRED' sign on. So you can imagine my surprise when a red 'HIRED' cab drove by and stopped by the two people ahead of me to ask where they were going. The cabby turned down the first person and as I watched my eyes moved to the 2nd person. The cabby asked the 2nd person his location and apparently, it wasn't where he was headed to and so he turned down the second person!!

And then, here comes the cab as I started flagging it down like a 'siao char bor' (aiyah desperate lah). The cabby stopped and asked where, and I told him and PRAISE GOD ALLELUIA AMEN!!!!! He said OK!!!!  (hehe ok that's just me typing in caps to express how freaking excited and exhilarated I was!!).

The Lord NEVER fails!! Ask and you shall receive. Pray from your heart, not from your head! I may have been 10mins late but given the dire situation I was in, it could have been a lot worse!! 

The meeting was a fruitful and blessed one and we were able to accomplish some work, had a wonderful lunch with church friends at Causeway Point and then I headed to Novena Church thereafter. After that, I made my way to Holy Spirit Church of Sunset Mass and it was a pleasant surprise that my Mr. could join me. It was the Feast of Corpus Christi and I am ever grateful for the Lord 's love for me. After Mass, we were both ready for dinner and decided to bus down to Yishun for some ARNOLD'S FRIED CHICKEN!! OMG, IT WAS SOOOOOO FABULOUSLY GOOD!

On a serious note, today could have gone the other way having started the day with the 'bad jam-no cab' situation, and any spillover negative emotions from the past days. However, a simple prayer led to a day filled with so much peace and joy. 

For all that I am, all that I have, all that I know, I am truly grateful, thankful and blessed.

Moth to a Flame

Feels like it was just yesterday when I would be magnetically drawn to a Starbucks store and just buy a mocha frappe without thinking twice, not even asking the basic question of whether I even needed a cuppa or will I have enough for dinner after forking out a good $6 to $7 for a shot. It was draining me financially and quite frankly, shows nothing but a lack of self-control and discipline. I was helplessly addicted to it, and it affected me physiologically (caffeine), psychologically (brand association), and emotionally (temporary feel-good). 

Friends around me knew of my 'problem' and of course you get mixed comments like how "it's ok to just drink up, it's just coffee, you know you need it etc." then you also get some advising with "hey, you may want to consider switching to something cheaper, not too good for health too to keep drinking this etc".

So I take it all in both the good and the bad, and the strangest thing was that I already knew that it wasn't good to keep doing this but I just couldn't stop, or rather I THOUGHT I couldn't stop this cursed habit. I remember how bad it was, I would be working out in the gym and thinking how I'm going to grab that frappe right after the workout, I mean afterall I did just burned X no. of calories, I deserved a cuppa, don't I? I would justify with something weak like that.  So the time came, I knew I had to do something. I started praying. Didn't the Lord say 'Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be open?" Also, growing up there was this one bible verse that stuck to me and it was "I can do all things with Christ who strengthens me." Amen, I also had good friends who supported and encouraged me. 

After more than ten years of Starbucking, I'm finally freed from being a slave to the drink. I can walk past a Starbucks store without any cravings, desires, clingy thoughts to the cup. I switched to my weekly (not daily) McCafe coffee and if I'm out with my guy, I would order my teh xiudai from the foodcourt,Ya Kun, Toastbox or wherever I'm at, the point is, it doesn't have to be Starbucks. I don't shun it like the plague or something, I still drink Starbucks, and I love every drop of it still, the only difference now is that I am the one in control :) 

So yes, there is a point to my sharing. You reading this would have your own forms of addictions or issues (eg compulsive buying, anger, gossiping, gluttony, jealousy), here are some of my personal tips to help you overcome your sitch:

1. Acknowledge that you have a problem

No one needs to know. Chances are, they already do but they don't know how it really feels like to be you. You are the one walking in your own shoes so acknowledge that you have this problem and that you are going to overcome it. Just by acknowledging this, it's a great first step because it shows that you want to get out of this crappy vicious cycle-zone, and you will.

2. Small Steps

Nothing great happens overnight, it's all a built-up of small steps. I didn't go cold turkey with my Starbucks either, cos I would have failed miserably if I did that. It has to first be a conscious decision which you are committed to keeping. So whatever stage of addiction you are at now, make that conscious decision that you will make a slow but steady cutback. Eyes on the prize, baby! (Prize here refers to how you would like to see yourself at the end of this, eg better health, happier days, clearer conscious, bigger pockets now that you had successfully saved a few dollars!!)

3. Build a Good Support of Friends

Surround yourself with friends who build you up, friends who are truly happy for you when you make a progress towards your goal. Remember that they too have their own problems and addictions, so respect them the way they are, even if they are not as encouraging or 'inspiring' as you want them to be. Instead, you can be that person to them. Lead by example and let others see the change taking place in you.

4. Prayer

This list wouldn't be complete not at all, without prayer. Never underestimate the power of prayer, better still if your friends can pray for you too. The Lord made us and He knows our constant struggles with our weaknesses. We are no saints but He loves us all the same and He will help us overcome our struggles, but first your heart needs to be open to receive. Do not give up in life, there is always hope, hope in the Lord.

I know it's not easy, and I can tell you, you will fail the first few times, but this consciousness of wanting to change will bug you so bad and raise your awareness to new heights that you will want this for yourself. I mean afterall, you owe it to yourself and you worked hard for it, why throw it all away?