2024 Reflections & Countdown to 2025

 

I fell and injured my right knee in January, just 2 days before we were supposed to lead worship and conduct training at a conference in Antalya, Turkey. I fell again on Christmas eve during our family retreat in JB, Malaysia and sprained my right ankle badly. So my 2024 was framed by 2 injuries.

On top of that, I had a surgery in September to remove a lump on my scalp. The wound took longer than expected to heal and even got infected 2 months later. So altogether, I've spent 44 days in the year convalescing due to surgery, infection and injuries. That is not even counting the days when I've crashed from long covid fatigue.

If I add in the 14 days with hospital visits, it would mean that almost 1 in every 6 days was spent on medical/health issues.

However, God has been reminding me constantly to look on the bright side. The collage above, for example, is made up of highlight photos from 2024 superimposed on a picture I drew during one of the many days convalescing. It was inspired by Philippians 4:8, "...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Also, an early Christmas present I had received prepared me in advance for the pain that was coming.

The verse on the mug is from John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” And the acronym GIG stands for 'God Is Good'!

Looking back, I'm actually very thankful for God's protection. In Antalya, I was at the top of a flight of stairs but I didn't tumble down them when I fell or it would have been much worse - and I wouldn't have been able to do all that I was meant to do at the conference. In JB, I actually twisted my left ankle first and landed on my butt but only my right ankle was injured - so I can still hobble on one good (left) leg instead of being completely incapacitated.

Even though I've been suffering from long covid fatigue and brain fog for over 2 years, I have learnt to manage my energy levels so I don't crash so often. I just need to make sure I schedule in breaks and keep my schedule thin so I get sufficient rest in between.

In fact, I'm coping so well with long covid that I didn't crash at all during and after coming back from the multiple trips throughout this year. Plus the long covid specialist said I don't need to see him anymore. Praise the Lord!!

Anyway, during the many days of resting in bed, I have managed to create more art. That led to me being able to exhibit my artworks (mizuhiki jewellery) for the first time at Pameran Poskad (3-8 Dec) and even set up my own booth, also for the first time, at the Christmas Creatives Market in a cafe (20-22 Dec).

That's not all, I also took part in 9 conferences and 9 workshops/talks/retreats where I was either facilitating/speaking/teaching or receiving training, led 2 mission trips, and attended 6 exhibitions/performances (of which I had organised 1 and exhibited at another) and 1 graduation ceremony (my eldest son's).

All this is not to boast, of course. Instead, it's to illustrate how looking on the bright side has helped me to keep going and doing what God has called me to despite all the "trouble" that I face. And just to prove His point, I received these 2 cards in the mail yesterday.

Arise, God's children,

And if you are feeling faint,

Put in Him your faith!

A fellow praying mom had printed out a haiku I wrote (inspired by a Wordle puzzle) soon after surgery to encourage other praying parents, and when she mailed it to me she had inserted a postcard with 2 Corinthians 12:9, "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."

Looking ahead to the new year, which is in just over an hour, I'm certainly hoping that I won't sustain any injuries or undergo more surgeries. But regardless of whatever challenges I may encounter, I'm certain that His grace will be sufficient and His strength will sustain me!

To live is Christ

Reflections (and prayers) while listening to Sidewalk Prophet's To Live is Christ:

If I rise, let me rise on you

Not on all of my successes, my esteem or my pursuits

If I lose, let me lose my life

Cause if I belong to Jesus, the flesh is crucified

Our identity and self-esteem should not be built on our achievements and successes, hence we do not pursue these for their own sakes. But whatever He allows us to achieve (or even lose) is for His glory and His purposes. May we be motivated by God and be willing to give up worldly pursuits (titles, awards, possessions, even relationships) that are not from Him.

For me to live is Christ

For me to live is Christ

For me to live is Christ, to die is gain

“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:10

God is searching for hearts that are willing to die for Him, to die to self and worldly things. He looks beyond appearances (attending church & prayer meetings, or serving) to see our true motivations. May we do everything to glorify Him and Him alone!

If I grow, let me grow in You

Wilt the seeds of wanting more

Rippin' pride out by the roots

And if I'm still, let me hear You speak

Not the tone of my transgressions,

But the song of the Redeemed

We are all good in something. Do we pride themselves and boast in our achievements or are we humbled by the grace of God working in our lives? For He gifts each one with talents that we don't deserve in order to reveal Him to the world.

My great desire is to be with You

But this is the place you chose for me

This is the place you chose for me

To lift my cross and give everything

This is the time you gave to me

God has placed each of us in our school or workplace or neighbourhood at this time for a reason, not by chance but to fulfil His purposes for our lives. May we discover God's specific destiny for us and be intentional in growing in love and knowledge of Him as well as be trained and equipped for His work.

More thoughts from John Piper's To Live Is Christ - What Does That Mean? in Desiring God:

So the upshot of Paul’s life is that other people are making much of Jesus by being joyful in Jesus and boasting in Jesus. This is what it means for Paul to say “to live is Christ.” To live is Christ means to live, to be the means, of other people making Christ look magnificent by finding Christ to be their supreme treasure and their greatest satisfaction. That’s what glorying in Christ and being happy in Christ means. So that’s the first answer...

Now back in chapter 1 (of Philippians), to die was to be with Christ; therefore, dying was gain. That means his dying magnified Christ because it showed that Christ was more valuable than everything he had lost in death.

Now here in chapter 3, he’s unpacking “to live is Christ” in the same way with the same argument. Only instead of losing everything by dying, he says, “I’m counting everything as loss even while I live” to show that the value of Christ is better than the things I have in life even while I am alive. So again, “to live is Christ” means to live in such a way as to make Christ look magnificent as your supreme treasure...

In both cases, the goal of Paul’s life is attained when Christ is magnified in his body, whether by life or by death. The key to magnifying Christ in life and in death is to find him more precious, more valuable, more satisfying, more joyful, more boast worthy than everything we lose in death — “to die is gain” — and everything we have in life — “to live is Christ.”