Thinking back to move ahead

Happy and blessed 2009!!!
Welcome to the new year!

Year of Sabbath has been generally a good year for me. In fact, after reflecting, I realised that it has been one of the years in which I had the most solitude hours ( as in the longer hrs kind.. not counting daily QT) in the year. Wow. Also, many activities and events had actually been cancelled. Somehow or other, some activities in which I had planned to join or take up did not come to reality. And... All 'work' kinda overseas trip had actually been cancelled too! I only managed to go for all recreation/vacation/family time/spiritual family kinda trips/camps. Wow...

God really does take this year of sabbath seriously! He tweeked my timetable in such a way that I managed to spend more time reading the bible/attend bible study courses/learn some theology n bible study techniques here and there. ( That was my goal this year). That was not all. Time spent with God deepened my relationship with Him in a fresh and new way. I experienced His love and learnt to hold on to His word and truth and comfort more dearly too. I knew I have grown... When God placed certain circumstances/people/situations in my life such that I was forced to react to it. But I rejoice when I noticed the difference in attitude/perspective when I face these issues in life. I knew that I had grown when the very first thing that came to my mind was the word of God and the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
I learnt new things. I tried new stuff. I did my best to live out Christ in every area of my life. ( though sometimes I fail, but neverthless, I still did try!) Wow.

But through all these, I knew that the no. 1 thing I took with me through my year of learning about sabbath is this: >>>>> REST.
Yes. The importance of rest while doing God's work. Physically, yes. But more importantly, the rested spirit in Christ even though the world outside becomes chaotic. I found myself much more stable and cool this year. Heh.. Although sometimes I may voice out being stressed ( yah.. those terrible times when we lost sleep for like dunno how many days), but my heart was really at rest. Its an interesting feeling... Being stressed, yet at rest and peaceful at the same time. ( think I shared it with one of my buddies before during a stressful period.. still remember him looking at me in a peculiar way and walking away blur). Well, I guess you'd need to experience it yourself before you can understand it! Guess that helped alot especially for the past sem while learning Emergency Medicine and critical care :) Those clinical situations and scoldings/sarcasm/expectations/stress we were put through. Thank God my focus was right and I managed to get lots out of those training while surprisingly, leaving with a thankful heart for specific people to whom a good many couldn't stand. Really really thank God for that breakthrough in focus!

Come 2009-Stepping into Transformation! Haha... I sense that the first transformation will be myself. And that is going to be the toughest. I know I'm in for a tough year ahead. I am already expecting lots of tears and 'can I make it?' I know there's going to be alot of self-doubt and stress. But I thank God for the training I had during the past year. I thank Him for preparing me.

Restedness of God. Yes. Rest in my spirit. I may take a longer while this time round to find that rest. But I'm sure gonna find it. I don't care if I need a week off by myself. Just me and God to talk through certain issues... But I'm determined to make sure that I get my rest in Him. I don't know how. But I'm sure will. God will see to that. Yes, I know He will.