From The Broken Road

Don't be afraid to live your life. Dance with it. After all, Papa God is holding you close.

...

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
- Matthew 11:28-30

Oh, what a season it has been - of uncertainties and so much stress. If I were to sit down and ruminate, there would definitely be an endless list of things for me to worry about because the fact of it is, life is always going to be hectic. There will always be big questions in life that just need answering and numerous little tasks in a day that just need doing. It will feel like there isn't enough time or space to just breathe.

And yet, no matter what I've gone through in a day, if I can just bring my attention back to Jesus for a few moments regardless of where I am.. I always find my feet again.

And right there next to my feet.. my dancing shoes.

Maybe therein lies the secret of life- to fall in love with it every single day.
To know that life itself is such a precious gift, and that to live it out with the One who knows my heart better than anyone else really is the BEST thing. To see a hurdle as an opportunity to work towards something, to build with my hands and joy in co-labouring with God. To consider a moment's struggle as part of the intricate handiwork that is making me wiser, gentler and stronger. To recognize hardship as gain on my part, because of all the goodness I can choose to take away from it. To appreciate and savour the precious moments instead of missing out on them by rushing through life. To understand that in every second, lies the opportunity of finding real joy.

To truly, truly.. live freely and lightly.

It really is all about perspective and not at all about circumstance, isn't it?

...

So.. stop it. Stop saying bleh. Stop the negativity, and the comparison of your lives to others. Stop saying "I can't". Stop believing it's impossible. Stop getting carried away by the waves of your circumstances. Stop being afraid of life, or the future, and stop letting crap into your spirit.

Stop, and breathe. Take His hand, and learn to fall in love with life once more. Move your feet to the music you create and dance to the beat.

And remember.. life IS beautiful.  :)

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
- Psalm 23:6

Love,
Dice

Breathe

"In the end, only three things matter - how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you."

- Buddhist saying

The Echoes of Barefeet Dancing

Thanks for the picture Luke!

And there came a time in my life where I knew that I knew that I knew.. that this was what God had created me to do. 

This was the calling He had always dreamt for me.

...

It didn't matter that I did not live on or have much then.. I felt very, very rich indeed. :)

I feel so extremely blessed, far beyond what my words alone can express. 

Love always,
Dice

Counting The Cost

There are more important things.

He Calls Me "Enough"

Seek your validation from the world and you will never be satisfied. 

There is no validation without grace, and there can't be grace without sacrifice.

Thank You Papa, for the sacrifice You made on the cross for me, that I can live each day completely soaked in grace, and know that You validate me, You say I am enough. :)

...

My supervising doctor said to me, "How do you know I'm not hearing from God right now?"

He was questioning my understanding of the ways to assess a patient's experience of delusions. In the context of psychiatry, hearing from God is considered delusional, a symptom pointing towards psychosis*.

Maybe by the world's standards then.. I am. 
I hear Him speak to me every single day. I hear Him encourage me, and I hear whispers about the future. I hear the things that He wants me to tell somebody else and I hear my God tell me He loves me.

Regardless of the norms of this world that I too may be subject to, the thought in my mind now is really this:

"Where would I be today, had I not begun to hear Him speak at all? Indeed, where would I be?"

I reckon I'd be totally missing out on life as I know it.

I wouldn't have gotten to see the breakthrough tears flow down faces when the right word came from God through me into their lives. I wouldn't have gotten to laugh with my friend as I faithfully spoke out an almost exact word I did not know before the moment that was actually spoken over her life years before. I would have missed out on hearing time and time again the exact things I needed to hear in that moment, words that spoke so directly to my heart and could move me to trembles and tears immediately. I would not have found my peace with the every day troubles that come with life, and I believe that I would have spent my life searching, and searching for something that remotely satisfied the emptiness within. I don't think I would have found the joy that I carry today at all, nor my hope for the future.

Maybe that belief makes me weak, but the truth is.. I've never felt stronger.

I LOVE that I got to live out this life so early on, and discover the immense liberation that came with my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I LOVE living from testimony to testimony, with healing miracles and divine provisions becoming the new normal, but always exciting nonetheless.

I wouldn't have picked it any other way. :)

Love as always,
Dice

*This actually applies only if it is outside of the acceptable norms of a certain community, but for the purpose of this post and in the context of that conversation, the acceptable norms of my community were disregarded.

Onwards

"If you would prepare your heart, 
And stretch out your hand toward Him;
If iniquity were in your hand, and you would put it far away,
And would not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
Then surely you could lift up your face without spot;
Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear;
Because you would forget your misery,
And remember it as waters that have passed away,
And your life would be brighter than noonday.
Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.
And you would be secure, because there is hope;
Yes you would dig about you, and take your rest in safety.
You would also lie down and no one would make you afraid;
Yes, many would court your favour."
- Job 10:13-19

To me, this says:

If you would just hold on to Him and keep going, He'll pull you through; He will preserve your joy. 

I'm thankful. :)

Especially so today for the people who are still sowing into my life with encouragements, prayers, long distance letters and last minute visits. My heart is warm. :)

"Lift your eyes! In the midst of all that's going on, lift your eyes, look to heaven and remember it is a mighty God you serve!"
- Isaiah 40:26

Love always,
Dice

"devil, your request has been denied"

Today in church, Pastor Russell talked about this couple in our church who has a 3 year old daughter. One day, mum was reversing the van and accidentally ran over the little girl (not just hit but ran over), and when she got out to see, baby girl wasn't moving. Dad came out the house and started speaking in the Spirit and declaring that everything was going to be okay, and as he laid hands on her and prayed fervently, she began to move again. So the parents quickly rushed her to the emergency department and were told that there would be significant internal injuries with this kind of accident.

Her parents kept praying outside and dad especially, kept going "devil, your request has been denied. devil, your request has been denied!"

When the doctor had completed the tests, the whole medical team was baffled, stating that this was impossible. The little girl had nothing but external scratches from where the van ran her over.

...

Soon after that, Pastor Russell instructed everyone to lay hands on the person on our left and our right and begin to declare the favour and light of God upon them. I put my arms on Lok Yee's shoulder next to me, and felt her arm on the back of my waist.. a spot I am definitely familiar with.

It was where I had my bone marrow biopsy performed on.

So maybe, it's my turn. Maybe I have put up with this sickness for too long and that it's time to pray with the same fervour as that father who just would not give up. "devil, your request has been denied!"

I find it so amazing and overwhelmingly humbling how many people there are in my life who are praying for me right now. Personally, I know I have much further to grow in my daily prayer walk with God, but throughout these past few pretty trying weeks, there have been so many people telling me that they cover me in prayer all the time.

If they can believe in me and my future for God with so much faith, why can't I? In fact, how can I not?

...

I'm so thankful for busy seasons, and difficult journeys. I'm so thankful to be reminded that I need God to keep going, and to know in my Spirit that what Papa always tells me is true - "I flourish in adversity". I'm thankful to feel and to experience and to be able to teach with my life, and to be blessed by so many in this time who are pressing in, pushing me forward, and holding up my hands.

I could not have picked a better life than this one right here, right now.

Thank You, Papa God. :)

Love,
Dice