so it's 5 am

which means it's 5 hours past Christmas day. slowly my family, and i'm sure along with everyone else, will begin the tedious chore of putting down the lights and cleaning up the living room from its tree, ornaments, and tinsel. it's amazing how early we begin to prepare for the holidays (right after thanksgiving), yet how quick we put these things away when Christmas day is over. but, does Christmas reside behind all these pretty, shiny things? no, it certainly does not. while the Christmas tree with its ornate decorations live for only a short time, the birth of Christ and what it will bring forth continues to live on and linger in the midst of us all. 

this Christmas season was a bit different for me. i went to my family's church for Christmas service and it moved me. it moved me to see so many of God's children praising and lifting His name, it moved me to be gracious in Christ' birth which will ultimately lead to His sacrificial death, it moved me listening to every word spoken from the pastor... this Christmas season moved me. 

if only everyone saw the significance behind this season, right?

Happy Birthday Jesus and thank You, Lord for this perfect gift.

 

the love of my life, cutiepie gma looking for and opening her gift:

 

meadow

wrote this piece a while back, but thought it can have its encore here. 

so here it is:

life is painted with colors that soak our every moment.

colors that vibrantly shine but begin to fade away as time chips its paint,

and drowns it in colors of pain, emptiness, and loneliness. 

but somehow, even in this season of darkness, a light shines through.

a light far greater and with a grace far unexplainable: grace's amazing hands. 

hands that hold and embrace, hands that gently strums,

hands that intertwine and mend the broken hearts,

hands that will walk you through.

homely recap

sophomore's fall semester has come to a close. finally. this semester has been the toughest and roughest semester ever. i feel like i've been stretched in so many directions that i don't know where to begin- spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically...

spiritually: God has been really testing and stretching to see where i firmly stood in my relationship with Him. He has been, indeed, testing what i've learned for the past year and i do confess, it's been no fun or easy ride. it's been hard and dry at times. but, of course, He pulled me through. these past few months have been a good learning experience: learned to really understand what hungering for Him and the Word is, learned to really appreciate the spiritual gifts God has given, learned to really follow through with faith, learned to really break apart my pride, learned to really understand what it means to be a Christ follower and cry out for those who don't know Christ, and there's still so much more. so much more. so to keep up with my baby relationship with Christ, i'm committing to read A Hunger for God and reading the Word everyday. gotta keep up with building my love for Him. if not, i'm in the deepest hole ever and the empty, dry feeling ain't that great.

emotionally: it kinda ties in with my spiritual journey of this semester. this semester was the first for some things. first time i felt a certain way and the first time i felt another way. it was so new to me, that i really didn't know how to deal with them. but just like buying new shoes and wearing them, you gotta break into them right? that's how i see it. i'm breaking in to my emotional lockit. i'm not looking to human hands to mend my broken pieces because it just ain't going to hold. gotta go straight to God's crazy glue.

mentally&physically: this semester was a real. drag. if i had to put it into other words or try to put a picture to how i felt i would say: every class was literally holding me by the hand with my two feet dragging behind on the ground. i lost motivation throughout the semester and came across many instances when i wanted to just dropout. how crazy of a thought was that? studying for finals became a huge obstacle for me. i was literally scared out of my pants. two out of four classes, i needed to bank on my finals. the pressure was on and i thank the Lord for being there for me and helping me not hyperventilate. it was a first for me to study alllll night and sleep a total of 6 hours over the span of 5 days. craziness.

but all in all, God definitely pulled me through. do your best and leave God to the rest. that was my motto for the whole week. and He did.
and now, here i am at home just chillin. seeing the family has been wonderful. they welcomed me in like a soft, cushiony pillow i've been waiting to fall on. yeas, it's been real good. during this vacation, i have lots of catching up to do and lots of things to pull through on. sooooo

hallelujah, lock and load!