Until the day breaks...

Until the day breaks
Until the shadows flee away
I will go my way
To the mountain of myrrh

Until the day breaks
Until the shadows flee away
I will go my way
To the hill of frankincense

I will sing the songs
That awakens the dawn
And I will usher in Your appearing

It is Your face that I crave
And it’s Your presence that I long for
Your Kingdom come!

With Your seal on my heart
Stronger than the grave
Set me ablaze!

And from the ends of the earth
We hear this song
Glory to the Righteous One

And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come!

And we say come....

Until the day breaks
Until the Day I see Your face
I will go my way
To the mountain of myrrh

You said it. We believe it. Come!

[The pre-requisite of saying this prayer 'Come', as I later come to realise, is a divine dissatisfaction that only God can put in open hearts. For how can one ask of God's presence to come unless 1. We know that it's what God says He'll do 2. We are totally dissatisfied, utterly inconsolable until His Word comes to pass...]

You said You would come

And so we wait

You said You would break in

And so we tarry in expectation

We lay hold of Your promise

And seek You early in the morning

We lift up our heads to You

And sing a new song to You late in the night

You said You would come

We believe... Selah

You said You would break in

So we press in with one accord

Casting off every weight

And sin that so easily entangles

Running this race

Fixing our eyes on Jesus

When we grow weary and faint

When we lose sight of You in the waiting

He who holds the seven stars in His hands

Holds our hearts

Ever Faithful

Ever True

This shall be my confidence

You said it, we believe it

Come, Holy Spirit, come

Break in

Why not now

Why not here

Come like You've never come before

Let Your glory fall

Let Your presence come and bear fruit

And not return to You void

Until the day breaks

And the shadows flee away

I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh

And to the hill of frankincense..

Am I Destined for Greatness?

I get inspired whenever I hear anecdotes of people whom I look up to as successful. They've been there, done that and made it and are telling their stories, again and again. And each time, there's just this zest in them that you wonder where that came from, and stay amazed at what keeps them going.

In each of our worlds, we all have different heroic figures from whom our constant source of motivation comes from. Some we know personally, some we hear about them from afar. Some are still alive, some have departed. Be it near or from a distance, they are the ones who have blazed the trails for many to take courage and follow suit, to lay it all aside and pursue no-matter-what.

Have you ever wondered... were they destined for success and greatness right at the start? Have you thought... how about me? Am I destined for greatness? Could that be even possible?

No qualms that our heroic figures have worked hard, perhaps harder than most people to become who they are today. In our world view, they seem to just have it - that can-do attitude and never-say-die doggedness, honed through the numerous episodes of failures and hard knocks. Some secretly wished to have these traits overnight, or better still, just in their genes. I confess I do! Yet how wrong we are if we think that such an overcoming mentality and outlook can be simply inherited or easily gained!

In non-fiction book written by Malcolm Gladwell entitled Outliers: The Story of Success, Gladwell examines the factors that contribute to high levels of success. Throughout the publication, he repeatedly mentions the "10,000-Hour Rule", claiming that the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours.

Granted that hard work and endurance are the main ingredients in the recipe for success... In the same vein, I am of the opinion that it is not the outcome that makes one great or successful; it is the pursuit and setting of the heart for greatness that gives one the sparkle in their eye, the spring in their steps and a countenance that turns heads. For if the pursuit and setting of the heart is there, it's a matter of time the fruit of the labor comes... don't you think so?

Although one may not be another Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, I believe there are many unsung heroes who stand in the hall of fame, relentlessly pursuing their greatest potential. We can't quench or deny the desire to be great, to be successful, each in our own right, for that is how we are created. Dismissing the desire to be great will cause one to live life without zeal and thus go through motion in life. Life without a zeal... living-dead...that's not how it's supposed to be!

We are great when we are passionate about something and go hard after it - be it a goal in life or a dream. For believers of God, the fact that we can love God and continue to love Him makes us great. Think about it... we are successful if in our lives we love God wholeheartedly! For that is what we are made for - loving God... If you really understand this, it will propel you to love God even more!

Yes, we are all destined for greatness... Do you have a passion in your life? Find it, go for it and live it.

Carpe Diem!

Friendships

One can have many friends, family members, business associates in their life. Yet alone. Does this thought strike a chord in you? Many numbers in your contact list, many friends in your FB account, many emails to check in a day... yet the feeling is not as buzzing as it should be. Perhaps people around put on a mask when relating to people... Just functional... superficial...So I asked myself - do I use my true heart when I relate with people around me?

Sometimes people put on a guarded heart. Not because they want to, but because they think they have to. Perhaps they have used their true heart before and people have not cherished it or even trampled over it. That's why they need the space for their wounded heart. It's safer to relate with people at a distance, at least they do not get hurt, yet they may not experience true hearts around them, including their own... but they'll choose the 'safer' choice or so they think?

Time passed... have hearts healed? Perhaps it's not time that'll heal... Perhaps we need a right perspective about carrying our hearts and growing friendships... Friendships don't always go the way we hope they'll go, or do they?

With some, it takes 10 days to strike up a good friendship. With others, the friendship stays at a functional or superficial level even after 10 years... yet with some others, despite the silence of 10 years, the hearts still connect at a perchance moment...

So do I continue trying, putting in the effort to make friends and make existing friendships grow? I remember someone telling me... in friendships, one should not be 'calculative' on how much each other has given to the friendship...in relationships, it's about giving and receiving, with open hearts. I guess that's true... how to quantify expressions from the heart? Also, sometimes friendships go through a journey... they hit at 'cap' or reach a stalemate at some point in time, and may or may not progress from there.

If we measure friendship from what we can get from people, we may be disappointed. If we measure friendship with the extent people have poured out despite all our human imperfections, we should be contented. If we measure friendship with how far we can go in this journey of friendship, I'd rather not think about it... for who knows?

So what is my resolve and what is my conclusion?

I asked myself... When I'm happiest and saddest, who would I want to talk to? I'm just glad I thought of some friends in my mind. Not many, just some... and I guess that's enough. Yet surprisingly, they are not my chummiest buddies of all... they are people who care for me and will be there for me. History has proven it, fights have pruned it... they are the ones who have seen my weaknesses and imperfections, love me enough to speak into my live and chose to see the flowers that are blooming in my garden, vice versa.

I thank you, my friends... I strive to be a friend to you too!

Closure... or is it another Chapter?

[And I thought it was easy... I mean not as in easy-easy, but no sweat... or so I thought.. Yet closures, be it a working or personal relationship, or a project of sorts, impact our emotions in some ways.. if only you let yourself feel it. Is there a way I can express it? How do I identify with what is going on inside of me, understand it and move on with a stronger resolve, having learnt new things from it and ever so thankful for the kind souls who have touched my life... Is that really You O Lord? Yes, I believe... I believe You are watching over us...]

Start, from where?

Begin, and how?

Many ideas, One passion

Full of excitement, full of anticipation

Many hands, One heart

Onwards into the untrodden grounds

Mistakes made, lessons learnt

Ever learning to carry our hearts well

Friends made, blessings bestowed

Hearts refreshed as we worked and served as a team

Pause....

Is it a closure

Or just a beginning of another chapter?

Is that really You O Lord?

You provided and opened the doors

Yes I believe

You are watching over us

I will wait upon You

I will be strong and wait upon You...

My hope is in You all day long

You are the Lord of hosts

Oh my God

In whom I love and trust with all my heart...

I believe

I believe in You...