ROMANS 8:28, One year since lockdown

Isaiah 60:22

When the time is right, I the Lord will make it happen.

Pandemic isn't a good word. Isn't it?

It brings fear, depression, hopelessness, anxiety, boredom, loneliness, and many more negative feelings we can think of.

For sure this word has brought us some sort of emotional stress that maybe only the Lord knew.

I remember when Covid 19 cases were rising here in the Philippines as our wedding day approaches, I was so anxious.

I am confused about whether I want to hasten time to the day of our wedding or to stop time to make the virus stop spreading.

Well, pause.

In this blog, I will not highlight the personal drama I have gone through during that period. 😄

I'm done with it, Praise God! 😊

I wanna highlight how really the Lord turned something negative into such praise-worthy things!

1. THE WEDDING

Our families on our wedding day

The wedding might be postponed but I got the chance to spent more time with my family - 6 more months with them.

Before getting married, I was so excited to be with my husband now.

We've been for 10 years together and for me, 10 years is more than enough of waiting for both of us.

But looking back I am so grateful God extended our waiting because I am missing my family from time to time.

I miss the life with my parents and my siblings though I am completely happy with my husband right now.

I realized that my life has really a new chapter now.

I'm absorbing the fact that I cannot go back to the time when I was still under my parents' ultimate care, - less freedom but less responsibility.

But yes, the postponed wedding is not ultimately a bad thing.

I treasure those postponed periods with my first love - my family.

2. CALLIGRAPHY AND PAINTING

Have you heard the word "ArTherapy"?

I was not so serious with calligraphy before. I just do it from time to time whenever my feeling calls me to.

But boredom strikes and I needed to do things that time to divert my attention not to stay from the emotional and mental stress I think I was going through.

That's when I started to join the #30daysofBibleLetteringChallenge where I will write bible verses for 30 days.

Day 1/30

This was the point where I got the chance to know some artists.

And as I was connecting with them, I was encouraged to explore art more - like painting florals, landscapes, coffees, bread, humans, and many more.

I almost painted every day until one day, God has impressed some people's hearts to appreciate it by giving me the chance to make art for them - and I'm getting paid for it!

My first ever orders!

Not only that, since I wasn't able to go outside to buy my journaling stuff for my quiet time.

I was pushed to make my own stickers, pure hand-made first but now we are printing it 😊

My first ever hand-made stickers!

Now from painted to printed :)

Have my own Lazada store now :)

I remember when He said to Come to Him and He will show great and mighty things which we do not know (Jeremiah 33:3)

After a year I can say that God has blessed the work of my hands more than I could think of.

It overwhelms me to think that He has brought me here where I am right now.

He has opened doors and still unwrapping things in store for us.

To conclude,

Who would have thought there is beauty in ashes?

Leviticus 26:35

As long as the land lies in RUINS, it will ENJOY the rest you never allowed it to take...

Leviticus 26:43

For the land must be ABANDONED to ENJOY its years of Sabbath rest as it lies DESSERTED.

How ironic these verses are right?

Ruined, Abandoned, Desserted - who would enjoy such things as these?

But yes, with God - We can. We will.

We might not see it at the moment, but in time, we will understand.

We will appreciate all that He is doing.

Be encouraged.

To us who might be going through this tough season - Believe that God can turn things up.

We will not forever feel deserted or abandoned, there is a reason why God is allowing us to experience such things for a reason that we cannot comprehend right now.

Romans 8:28