The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;

the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

LORD, what are human beings that you care for them,

mere mortals that you think of them?

They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow.

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

Charles Spurgeon once said,

"You expect that you will be married, and then your troubles will be over; some say that then they begin. I do not endorse that statement, but I am sure that they are not over, for there is another set of trials that begin then. 

Married life is not all sugar, but grace in the heart will keep away most of the sours."

Did you know that the 1st MIRACLE of Jesus happens in a wedding?

If Jesus hastened to honor marriage as His first miracle, then there must be something special about this that husbands and wives must also be quick to honor each other as well.

It's easy if it's all sugar, but what if, as Charles Spurgeon says, sours will come along the way?

And not just the sours, but the bitterness is also on its way.

Worst, a poison! - There's betrayal, unfaithfulness, abuse, and so on.

It feels that if we stay and continue what we have started, then we are not doing ourselves any favor but injustice.

Since marriage is the most intimate relationship we could ever have on earth.

This is also the reason why it cuts us so deep when we are hurt by our spouses, not just the sour and bitter hurts, but especially those we can call "poison" in our hearts.

Then what can we do if there are no more sweets and joy, or worse, poison has been poured into our marriages?

I guess that's why the Bible says "MIRACLE"

We do not do the miracle - Jesus does.

John 2:1-11 ESV

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”  And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”  His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”  This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him

Let's start digging this story a little deeper...

John 2: 1-3

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”

1. SHARE with Jesus our problems 

When the wedding celebration runs out of wine, Mary tells her son that they've got a problem.

We've got to tell Jesus that we have a problem.

Like Mary, she didn't go to anyone but Jesus.

Why? Because she believes that Jesus can do something.

Don't go anywhere else - seek Jesus first, His comfort, His wisdom, His counsel, His strength.

It is also important to note that she did not tell Jesus what to do; she just simply said her concern.

In the same way, we do not dictate how we want the problem to be solved - it should always be His way and not our way.

And we trust His way.

John 2:4-7

And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”  His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.

2. OBEY what Jesus said

Mary told the servants to do what Jesus told them because she believed Jesus would do something.

And so when Jesus asked the servants to just fill the jars with water, they followed without delay. 

We might expect that when we tell God our problems, they will disappear in an instant.

Well, God wants our participation, too.

While He wants us to learn that there is a blessing in obedience.

He is also after our hearts.

God's main concern is to teach our hearts to love like Him - sacrificial and giving.

He also wants us to exercise our faith by trusting what He says in His words, and that He can do the impossible.

John 2:8-11

3. SURRENDER the result

And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”  This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him

When the servants were done filling up the jar, they were asked to bring it to the groom.

And to everyone's surprise, the wine tasted better - it tasted better than the 1st day of celebration.

And this is the miracle - Jesus did not just solve what was lost - He replaced it with even better.

When God restores for sure it is even better than before.

Why? Because God has to manifest His glory before all the people around us.

And now to end this, did you know that wine symbolizes joy and celebration?

In life, we might run out of reasons to celebrate our spouses or marriage in general.

No more joy we felt.

No more surprises to anticipate.

No more love to share.

But this story is a great reminder that Jesus is the one who could only fill the emptiness of our jars, which are our hearts.

Share, Obey, Surrender.

Psalm 127:3

Behold, Children are a heritage from the LORD,

The Fruit of the womb is a reward.

We were supposed to be "one and done" with our firstborn - but then, the Lord had another plan.

While other couples are struggling with infertility, I think it's the opposite for us.

I know it should be the least concern because many couples out there are longing to have a child of their own, yet for us, for me especially, I am afraid to get pregnant again.

Pregnancy is a long journey to walk for me - it feels like forever...  not to mention the hardship I experienced - the vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite, body changes, body pain, as well as the consideration for things to use or food to intake.

Surely, there is joy and excitement that pregnancy brings - it is wonderful to think that a life is growing inside of you... yet, sometimes, fear and anxiety just creep in, and then you become overwhelmed.

I worry whether my baby will develop well or will even make it through the full term.

A lot is going on in my mind, body, and emotions.

And so, when I went through it the first time, I said, This will be the last time - I don't want to create something for me to worry about again.

My husband also supports this due to financial constraints and for us to have more time together as a couple.

While pregnancy was hard, for me, postpartum was even harder.

I was shocked - this is motherhood!

I was more afraid of it than being pregnant itself.

There are a lot of pains - pains that I really cry on to God.

I even experienced some kind of anger towards my husband because I felt "why is it only me that is experiencing pain?" , "how come my husband looks good and I feel awful?"

"I do not know myself anymore, while my husband is still the same, it is just so unfair for me"...

To cut the sentiments short, I did not handle postpartum really well, and it affected our marriage. The regrets of being married lingered on my thoughts...

So now the questions are...

1. How did we overcome that season of our marriage?

2. What makes us decide to get through it the second time?

To answer the first question, 

Thankfully, we have the support group we needed - given our own families, our spiritual families are great help as well.

Being accountable with our discipleship group helps us a lot - walking with them is a blessing, knowing we are not the only ones experiencing hardship.

The presence, the kindness, the generosity, and the thoughtfulness of the people around us made me feel better.

It feels like the Lord has indeed sent His angels to take care of us.

Our willingness to take action on our part also plays an important role - we worked on our marriage and decided to make it a priority.

We talked, we laughed, we spent time together, we shared thoughts, we served each other, we forgave, and we expected less from each other.

We tried to appreciate one another and honor each other.

We serve together and pray together.

We did not hide our struggles, our fears, our fights - we opened them to the light.

We accepted rebukes and opened our hearts for advice.

Still not perfect though - but we practice accountability and we value sharing our lives with those people who call on the Lord from pure hearts.

While we found ourselves healing from the heartaches and fear of the past (and also to answer the second question) -

We found ourselves in our church leadership conference contemplating with the Lord by what He impressed into our hearts - to have a baby again...

(Oh nohhhhh...)

Our senior pastor was sharing about what kind of legacy we are leaving in this world and that children are gifts from the Lord - they are not a burden. They are rewards.

And if they are gifts and rewards, then why don't we want them? Why do we keep ourselves from having them?

Also, if we want to make this world a better place while we wait for Christ's 2nd coming, don't we want to raise godly children who love and fear the Lord?

Imagine two different couples - one couple doesn't know and love the Lord, while the other fears and loves Him with all their hearts. Yet, this couple who follow the Lord doesn't want any kids, while the other keeps having children.

If we Christians don't want any kids, then where can we pass through the values and our love for Christ?

Don't we want this world to have more people who love and fear the Lord?

We must check our hearts why we keep ourselves from having them because it is a gift from the Lord and raising them is a privilege.

For us, I know it is fear and selfishness that keep us from saying yes to the Lord, but ultimately, the root of it is a lack of faith.

I'm afraid everything will repeat again.

I don't want the pregnancy pain, postpartum pain, the worry caused by a growing belly, growing baby and so on... I don't like sleepless nights, I don't want to lose myself again.

I'm having myself back now - I'm enjoying some sort of liberty now that my firstborn is growing more independent.

It feels like I just got my sanity.

My husband and I enjoy more time together, and we have many plans for traveling, career growth, and providing for our little boy.

We feel we are really okay now.

We are stable now.

Then, here comes God's word speaking to us.

Surely the Lord knows how to sanctify us.

He wants us to exercise our faith and put our trust not in ourselves but in Him alone.

He wants not self-confidence but Christ-confidence for us.

While the Holy Spirit is so strong and we know we cannot disobey, do you know what made me saying yes to having a baby the second time around easier?

... it is when my husband says, "I will give you the best postpartum ever"...

This just comforted me and calm my thoughts from worries.

I thought, they were the sweet words I never thought I needed.

Well, I think it comes from the Lord. He impressed those words on my husband's heart to assure me that it will be fine and surely there is a blessing in obedience.

Now, here we are, a family of four.

We welcomed our little baby girl last August 26, 2025, at 06:42 am.

Of course, it's still not easy - the labor, delivery, and postpartum were still hard - but my husband is so far keeping his words to me (wow, praise God! Haha)

Deuteronomy 1:29-31

Don't be afraid, The Lord your God is going ahead of you, just as you saw Him do in Egypt. And you saw how the LORD your God cared for you all along the way as you travelled through the wilderness. Just as a father cares for his child. Now he has brought you to this place.

Josh 1:5

For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you...

Sharing also the verses I hold on to during this pregnancy.

Indeed, the God who delivered me the first time is the same God who was with me this second time around.

He is my Promise-Keeper, my Deliverer, Sustainer, Helper and Keeper.

My soul is in awe of Him!

Also, HAPPY 5TH YEAR Anniversary to us, hon!

God did it! 🥂

We sometimes resent that our life isn’t what it once was - Or perhaps the “sameness” of life has caused us to be discontent, pushing us to wander this world and seek what it has to offer.

Have you heard the phrase "Someone who has broken down the fence wanders endlessly"?

Surely, there must be no harm in searching for the meaning and purpose of our lives - but there is a serious danger when we do it alone, following our heart's desires and lowering our guard. 

We can be easily attacked by the "roaring lions" and eventually become lost.

In Jeremiah we read that our hearts are crafty - they cannot be trusted.

Jeremiah 17:9 NLT

The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

Jesus also said that nothing good comes from our hearts. 

Matthew 15:19 NLT

For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.

We MUST NOT follow our heart, but instead guard it, for everything we do flows from it.

Don't break or lower the fence we are in.

We must guard it.

We must stay alert.

How? Let's unfold some stories from the book of Genesis and learn from them.

1. GENESIS 24: A Wife for Isaac

Genesis 24:39-40 NLT

“But I said to my master, ‘What if I can’t find a young woman who is willing to go back with me?’ He responded, ‘The Lord, in whose presence I have lived, will send his angel with you and will make your mission successful. Yes, you must find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family.

READ FULL STORY HERE

This story serves as a reminder of the firm FAITH of Abraham's servant in choosing a spouse for his master's son.

CAREFULLY obeying all instructions given by his master, Abraham.

First of is, it must be from his father's family, not to mention how long the journey from Canaan to Haran is and the possibility that there will be no woman willing to go with him and marry Isaac.

- Yet this servant believes what his master believes in - that surely God will make his journey successful.

We cannot settle for less in choosing the one we will going to marry.

Someone we choose to love or pour our energy and focus into will surely affect our walk with the Lord.

It is very important that we mustn't let our hearts be captivated by those who are not in the family of faith, even if the search and waiting are long, or there is no assurance that we will meet our future spouses or not.

Don't settle for less or compromise with our values as Christians, following our heart's desires, thinking there's no harm in trying, or bargaining with the Lord, because the truth is that issues will arise later on.

The Bible says in Proverbs,

Proverbs 14:12 NLT

There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.

Let's save ourselves from the unnecessary pain that wrong relationships might bring.

It may start well, but it surely will not finish well.

Like Abraham's servant, we must also believe our Master in Heaven - that His will is the best and He has our best interest at us.

2. GENESIS 26: Isaac caresses her wife Rebekah

Genesis 26:8-10 NLT

But some time later, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out his window and saw Isaac caressing Rebekah.

Immediately, Abimelech called for Isaac and exclaimed, “She is obviously your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” “Because I was afraid someone would kill me to get her from me,” Isaac replied.

“How could you do this to us?” Abimelech exclaimed. “One of my people might easily have taken your wife and slept with her, and you would have made us guilty of great sin.”

READ FULL STORY HERE

What we can learn from this story is the importance of spending time with our spouses, and this is not just a simple time; it is a time that ONLY a husband and a wife can SHARE.

The truth is marriage will not always be a sweet walk together, but a little mix of everything.

Its inertia is not to grow close together, but with the demands of life - kids, bills, chores - it may drift apart if we are not intentional in guarding and taking care of it.

Isaac caressing her wife Rebekah is a reminder that we must keep putting spices in our marriages.

Honoring it by honoring our marriage bed - don't stop "flirting" with our spouses, invest in each other.

Date each other once in a while.

Laugh together.

Surprise each other.

Tickle each other.

Enjoy each other, have fun!

King Abimelech had an interest in Rebekah, but when he saw how Isaac was intimately touching his wife Rebekah, this made King Abimelech stop his desire, and it saved the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah.

Let's not be ashamed of showing our affection to each other in public from time to time.

Let's talk about our spouses in front of our friends, officemates, relatives, churchmates even acquaintances.

Share their photos, and show some moments together in the open.

Don't hide them.

Let us not be too comfortable and complacent with our marriages - marriage is work, and love is an action, a choice, and a commitment.

For new and especially mature Christians, we all know that the Bible is our compass - its counseling is usually in the form of a warning, exhortation, and instruction.

Let's guard our hearts by listening to the scriptures, asking God to align our hearts with His.

Staying alert by being fervent in our prayers to the Lord, sharing the troubles and concerns of our hearts with Him, and asking for protection from the attacks of evil.

1 Peter 5:8 NIV

Be alert and of sober mind.

Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 

It's LOVE Month!

Let me highlight some sweetness, kindness, and thoughtfulness I received a little not so lately - 

Not from my husband but from the One who loved me first - JESUS 🤍

STORY 1:

There was this day when I was asking the Lord for a budget for my hair and makeup since we would be having an event in our company.

I need 1500 PHP to be exact.

That exact day, someone messaged me from the Facebook marketplace and she bought not just one but three paintings from me.

Do you know what amazes me more?

Each of my paintings cost 500 php! 😊

What a sweet Lord! Isn't He?

Hair and Makeup are not significant needs, to begin with, but for God to give me what I want instantly and very exactly - it melts my heart.

STORY 2:

I woke up one morning from a dream of eating a piece of "Mango Bravo".

It is a cake from a Bakeshop named "Contis" - so I was craving it all day.

I thought to myself it was too expensive to buy the whole cake given that there's no occasion to be celebrated, and if we just bought one slice, we would still need to buy some food to make our dine-out worthy; hence, I just decided to forget it.

Afternoon came, around 5pm.

Someone messaged us telling us that they would like to buy our baby a Birthday/Christmas present at the mall near us, so we went.

When we arrived they told us that they were at a restaurant cafe...

And Yup!

It's "Contis"

My heart immediately pounded at the thought of that cake! I realized that just when we surrendered our desire to the Lord, He give it in His own time. Praise you Lord!

STORY 3:

When we had our Christmas party last December, I had this particular prize I'm eyeing thinking that it was a house fragrance (because upon asking what is it, I found out it was not) well, I didn't get it even though I have put much effort to win the game.

Another Christmas party came, and so another gift is bound to be received.

To my heart's gladness, one of the items I got is a house fragrance! And it is big! He might not gave me what I want at the moment where I strongly want it because it is a wrong desire, indeed He gave it in the right time with a much better thing. He knows the best indeed!

Oh God, how sweet and thoughtful You really are!

Giving not just our needs but also those we desire.

Yes, it is God's desire to make our hearts glad too knowing it is good for us.

He wants to put smiles on our faces and extend His goodness to us.

Showing how much He knows us and cares for us.

If people who love us like our earthly parents or spouses desire to make us happy by granting our wishes what more is our Heavenly Father who loves us perfectly.

He doesn't withhold good things to whom it is due when it's in His power to do it.

Luke 11:11-13

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

So this season of love, I encourage you to taste and see the sweetness of our Father in Heaven.

I can say, there's nothing like the sweetness of God. It touches the soul.

And more than the gifts and surprises, for me, it's His presence that blesses me.

Truly, it's the thought that counts and to think that God thinks of me, just makes me feel special, wanted, and pursued.

Indeed, He is not just my Ultimate Provider but my Ultimate Lover as well.

Happy LOVE Month!

Ps. Thanks to my husband for this surprise

Most of us think that marriage is bliss and every marriage is a happy ever after.

After all, I married my prince charming and I will be his princess forever.

There will be no fighting, no disagreements, arguments, or struggles.

My husband says maybe that's why most fairytales end in a wedding because it will be a different story if we read it further.

In a perfect world, living a happily ever after is possible but since marriage is a union of two imperfect people living in an imperfect world - these are inevitable.

We are surprised by the reality that our prince charming is not ALWAYS charming at all and we are not ALWAYS treated the way we wanted to be treated as their princess.

Sometimes it feels like we married the wrong person - they must be the villain or the witch.

And there is really no fairy godmother to the rescue.

So are we saying that we cannot live a happy married life?

- Of course not :)

The truth is every marriage will always be under attack by the enemy, that's why we have to work for it.

And they say that God doesn't ultimately fix marriages, but He fixes people in it first.

Good marriage follows when the person in it changes.

They also say that we don't have to have a great marriage, we have to be the great spouse by focusing on what we can control.

Men and women are wired differently.

They were made differently.

God made men out of the dust of the earth while women were made out of a man.

In marriage, husbands and wives also have different roles.

Looking throughout the Bible we see one woman who exceeds the role of being a wife - She is called a woman with a noble character.

Her worth is far above rubies.

And she is his husband's most precious treasure.

Proverbs 18:22

The man who finds a wife finds a treasure,  and he receives favor from the LORD.

So what's in the heart of this woman that her husband and children praise her?

As a woman ourselves, what can we learn from her?

1. A Heart that can be TRUSTED

A TRUSTWORTHY wife is more concerned about doing her husband good than how much good is he doing to her.

Her husband's heart fully trusts her.

He doesn't hide anything from her because he has confidence in her.

Her husband doesn't worry about the way she handles their resources.

Nor does he bother sharing anything including his failures because he is not afraid to be judged or to be blamed whenever things go out of their way.

He feels respected - and this is how men translate love.

We respect them not based on how good are they doing but because of their position in the house - and this is WISDOM.

They are the head - the Leader.

The Bible even says Sarah obeys Abraham by calling him Lord.

They say that a man wouldn't fight for the leadership in his home.

He will quit.

He wouldn't fight to get that respect.

Proverbs 21:9

It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.

Respect also includes the way we treat them both in private and in public.

How we speak about them in front of others - including our jokes about them.

Respect also involves how we listen to them.

Their opinion matters - it is valuable.

It means we also consider our husband's wishes.

2. A Heart that CARES

A CARING wife means we nurture the things God has entrusted around us.

We bring out the best in them, that's why the Bible calls us "helpers"

Nurturing BEGINS in our home.

Regardless of whether the house is big or small, remember that wherever we live, that is our home and our husband wants us to take care of it.

Part of caring is being appreciative of our husbands.

A man has a big responsibility to provide for his family that's why they need appreciation.

Words are also a huge part of nurturing someone; hence, the way we speak to our husbands plays an important role in whether they will succeed in leading our home.

We are not called helpers because they are already perfect.

My husband says that how can I help him if I am not encouraging him, I am not believing in him, I am not cheering him up.

Be careful not to speak discouragement to them - our words have the POWER to build them up and to tear them down.

Someone says that we have to recognize our husband's efforts even if they don't meet our expectations.

Because our affirmation in responding to their effort will encourage them to make more effort.

Also, a woman who truly cares carefully watches her household.

She rises early and prepares food for her family.

She doesn't suffer from idleness.

She is purposeful in her time and this is WISDOM.

She clothes his husband and children with not just clothes but with SCARLET clothes.

She does all these things with DELIGHT.

The whole household is in order because she CARES.

Her children feel blessed to have her.

Her husband feels proud of her.

Proverbs 12:4

An excellent wife is the CROWN of her husband, but she who shames him is as rottenness in his bones.

She brings honor to her husband.

Lastly, we cannot be caring and not to be kind.

This wife extends help to the needy.

She does not hesitate to extend her hands to the poor because she believes that the LORD owns all things and that her future is secured in the Lord.

She can SMILE while thinking of the future.

This is also WISDOM.

3. A Heart that is BEAUTIFUL inside-out

They say that no man married his wife as an act of mercy.

The Bible even mentioned that Rebekah was beautiful in form and appearance.

In this proverb, the woman is cloth in fine linen and purple gown.

She takes care of herself - of her well-being as well.

She makes herself lovely for his husband.

The way we dress and look nice is also WISDOM.

But don't get it wrong, making ourselves presentable and obsessing over our looks are two different things.

A woman whose heart has been made beautiful through holiness will delight in dressing in a way that pleases her Lord.

The outside appearance is important but only secondary to what we look on the inside.

This proverb also highlights that charm is deceitful and that beauty is fleeting.

This woman clothes himself not just with good clothes but also with strength and dignity.

The inner beauty of a woman is also WISDOM.

A beautiful woman without a good character is a waste of beauty.

It is like a gold ring on a pig's nose they say, just a waste of beauty.

Proverbs 31:10-31

A wife of noble character, who can find?

She is far more precious than rubies.

The heart of her husband trusts in her,

and he lacks nothing of value.

She brings him good and not harm

all the days of her life.

She selects wool and flax

and works with eager hands.

She is like the merchant ships,

bringing her food from afar.

She rises while it is still night

to provide food for her household

and portions for her maidservants.

She appraises a field and buys it;

from her earnings she plants a vineyard.

She girds herself with strength

and shows that her arms are strong.

 

She sees that her gain is good,

and her lamp is not extinguished at night.

She stretches out her hands to the distaff

and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

She opens her arms to the poor

and reaches out her hands to the needy.

When it snows, she has no fear for her household,

for they are all clothed in scarlet.

She makes coverings for her bed;

her clothing is fine linen and purple.

Her husband is known at the city gate,

where he sits among the elders of the land.

She makes linen garments and sells them;

she delivers sashes to the merchants.

Strength and honor are her clothing,

and she can laugh at the days to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom,

and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and call her blessed;

her husband praises her as well:

“Many daughters have done noble things,

but you surpass them all!”

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting,

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Give her the fruit of her hands,

and let her works praise her at the gates

 To wrap this up, I think this woman exemplifies wisdom because she took to her heart what the Bible says in 1 PETER 3:1-6

Maybe let's dig into these verses a little further on our next blog.

Thank you for reading :)

This world tells us that love is a FEELING that can come and go.

I, myself once thought like this.

But if this is true, then love will fail us all the time. 

And it will never be strong enough to hold a marriage together - so this world created ways for us to leave it behind.

But this is NOT how God defines love.

Yes, feelings do come and go but that is IF Love is a feeling.

- because it is NOT.

The dangerous thing about looking at love as a feeling is the INCONSISTENCY of it.

It means we live based on our emotions.

The Bible tells us that true love is UNCONDITIONAL.

In reality, not every day is a good day.

There are days that we just can't get along with our spouse.

Well, truly finding love and being married are totally different things.

Finding love is something like a butterfly in your stomach which is mostly about the feeling of happiness.

It brings different levels of excitement and spark and chemistry and feeling of being in the air.

We are focus to see only the good part, the good things.

Marriage, on the other hand, is much like a little mix of everything.

Your spouse really brings out not only the best of who you are but also the worst.

It is not always a sweet walk together they say.

While marriage serves several purposes like companionship, support, intimacy, and procreation - the ultimate purpose of it will never be happiness but instead HOLINESS.

And while the world tells us to leave marriage when we are no longer happy, it's always the opposite of it.

Marriage has to be SANCTIFYING.

Not to mention that whatever status we are in - being single or married, it's always for the purpose of holiness.

None is better, and none is easier than the other.

The truth is sometimes we cannot get along with our spouse because we have something in our lives that is not CHRIST-LIKE.

And most of us don't want to deal with it.

We don't want to admit our faults.

We ignore that the ultimate problem is we just don't want to love like Jesus does.

Why?

- It's hard.

- It feels humiliating.

- It's too self-giving

- It's contrary to what this world says like "Do what makes you happy", "Follow your heart", "Put yourself first", etc...

We don't want to be sanctified.

We don't want to change.

We don't want to adjust.

You know what we want?

We want is...

 - just to be HAPPY.

And most of the time being happy means we have to be selfish, self-centered, and self-absorbed.

We want the other person to change.

We want them to do what we want - to please us.

This is what our flesh craves - to be the first, the top, the priority.

We want to always be served - to receive.

And if everyone thinks this way and acts like it's ALL ABOUT THEM, then we have no hope for melody.

Everyone has their own AGENDA and so we have no hope for peace and LOVE will not truly exist.

So, that's why God set it to be ALL ABOUT HIM, walking in harmony having one perspective, one purpose, and one end goal.

Not to see love as an act of receiving but GIVING.

John 3:16

"For God so LOVED the world that He GAVE His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Even this famous verse says,

Love is indeed an act of GIVING.

It is a SACRIFICE.

He loves us so He gave His Son to us - His one and only Son.

Marrying someone means LOSING too.

We have to lose a lot of who we are in order for us to BECOME ONE with our spouse.

We have to let go of what we want, of what we prefer, of what we used to.

Philippians 2:3-4

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

Rather, in humility VALUE others above yourselves,

not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Ps. Happy 3rd year wedding anniversary to us, my God's best!

Social media can be deceiving sometimes if we are not careful.

Our eyes have a lot to see and our hearts have too much to desire.

There is a grand destination wedding, a dream honeymoon, a date night, a vacation trip or staycation, a new house, a new car, new shoes, a new everything, having a happy family, happy marriage, and a happy self.

Everyone would like to present themselves as the one having it all and while there should be really nothing wrong with having and achieving all these things, we must not forget that our hearts are a factory of desires.

It will keep wanting.

That is why God said to guard it for everything we do flows from it.

In the Bible, it says that Solomon didn't refuse to give himself all that he had desired nor withhold his heart from all the pleasures he had in mind - yet, in the end, it feels VANITY.

Ecclesiastes 2:10

All that my eye desired, I did not refuse them.

I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure for my heart was pleased because of all my labor

And this was my reward for all my labor.

The truth is this world will always create someone who is prettier than us, lovelier, charming, smarter, younger, successful, everything we can name of.

The enemy will keep on feeding our mind that someone is better than us so pursue more, want more, achieve more.

Satan is even at work telling us the lie that everyone has an enjoyable life.

And so if we are experiencing hardships and problems, a downhill path in our life we must keep it to ourselves.

It feels shameful to admit it as the world seems perfect and seems to be happy all the time.

No one for sure will understand us and everyone will love to judge us.

Hence, our usual response will be to fix it ALONE while hiding it, brushing it off, or denying it.

But the danger of keeping our struggles in secret is that the enemy works in darkness because he is afraid that the light will expose their deeds.

Not opening it to the light is like giving an enemy the power to be with us in the dark - alone with them.

In fact like animals, we become prey and are most vulnerable when we are separated from our pack.

We are most likely to fall into temptation and so eventually give in to the sinful pattern of this world.

That's why God said that it is not good for a man to be alone and that two are better than one for when one falls, the other may help him get up.

Yet, there's a good news...

Do you know that the Bible is filled with stories of tears, yet also filled with stories of a God who wiped them away?

There is no place unreachable by the Lord.

No place that is too far from Him.

He even says that we cannot hide from His Spirit.

Psalm 139:7-12

I can never escape from your Spirit!

I can never get away from your presence!

If I go up to heaven, you are there;

if I go down to the grave, you are there.

If I ride the wings of the morning,

if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

even there your hand will guide me,

and your strength will support me.

I could ask the darkness to hide me

and the light around me to become night—

but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.

To you the night shines as bright as day.

Darkness and light are the same to you.

What a wonderful reminder!

We could come into darkness yet even that DARKNESS is NOT DARK to Him at all.

Even in the dark, He sees us,

We can never flee from His presence.

That's why he says He is our Emmanuel.

He is always with us.

He even came down to us and dwelled with us so we could have fellowship with Him.

Fellowship. 

Yes, that is SHARING our lives with one another.

Jesus shared His life with us while living in our world.

He modeled that living in a community and DOING LIFE with other believers is vital in our walk in Him.

He showed how important fellowship is to His body.

It is to strengthen one another because He knows that no one is strong enough to be alone and so we need each other's help.

It is to encourage one another because He knows sometimes we can lose hope and lose sight of our purpose.

Holiness, indeed, is not a lone ranger effort.

So let us not hesitate to open ourselves in the light together with those who follow the Lord from a pure heart.

Our inner circles are some of the most important predictors of how successful we can be in our life too.

Do not be deceived by the lie that we can keep bad company and not be negatively affected.

Proverbs 13:20

Walk with the wise and become wise;

associate with fools and get in trouble.

Do not be afraid to be a part of a community 

Share your story with your trusted circles.

Reach out to someone whom you know loves and fears the Lord. :)

Our Couple's Discipleship Group

I've been watching Kdrama lately after almost 6 yrs of stopping myself from it.

I still got butterflies in my stomach with all the love stories I watched and made me wonder what bible love stories feel like and look like.

What can we get from them?

What can we learn from God about them?

And so here they go.

1. Isaac and Rebekah

Genesis 24:62-65

Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. 

He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching.

Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac.

She got down from her camel and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”

“He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.

Genesis 24:67

Isaac brought her into the tent of her mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her;...

Love at first sight.

Although Isaac and Rebekah had not met each other before they got married they were able to love each other their entire lives because they chose to.

This may tell us that love is more than just a feeling, it is a commitment - A decision.

Their relationship shows us that marriage is deciding to love a person and that we can rely on God to keep us going and loving each other to the end even when differences and difficulties arise in the marriage.

2. Jacob and Leah

Genesis 28:1

So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him: "Do not marry a Canaanite woman"...

Genesis 29:23

Laban took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her.

One of the very important principles in entering into a relationship is that we should look for a spouse from among God’s people and that our parents' blessing must also be sought.

Their wisdom shouldn't be disregarded.

If we get involved with unbelievers, with someone who has a different faith from ours we will have to deal with the differences in beliefs and values.

Worse, we might even follow theirs and abandon the Lord.

1 King 11:2

"You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.

1 King 11:4

As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God... 

3. Hosea and Gomer

Hosea 1:1

When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution.

Hosea 3:1

The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”

If there's anything we can learn from Hosea and Gomer it is that we all marry imperfect people - a sinner.

God's love shines brightest through us when marriage is hardest.

We cannot stay in the marriage unless we truly love and fear the Lord.

Their love story displays what it means to be chosen, forgiven, and treasured by God.

Since every marriage is a union between two sinners, forgiveness will be a constant guest. 

It should always be welcome when it is knocking and celebrated when it prevails.

4. Joseph and Mary

Matthew 1:18-19

Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

I think this is a picture of "when love and respect kiss each other".

Though Joseph might found himself as the offended party, he did not make a big deal out of it by getting the attention to himself.

He has no plan of disgracing Mary publicly nor looking for sympathy of people towards him.

His love is kind and while he might felt angry and disappointed, in his anger, he did not sin.

While these stories might not give that same feeling of excitement and romance to our bones - these for sure are kind to last because it is God who wrote them.

It is the picture of the gospel.

How Christ loves his bride, the church.

Ephesians 5:25

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her...

Furthermore, did you know that the Bible itself even began and ended in a wedding?

The picture of God giving Eve to Adam and Jesus Christ welcoming His bride, the church.

Genesis 2:18

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Genesis 2:24-25

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Revelations 21:2-3

I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

The momma in me realizations.

1. Motherhood is indeed a bittersweet journey.

My heart is glad that my baby is growing well and is learning many things but I feel that a part in me is somehow sad that he is growing totally.

I feel emotional thinking that he will someday be okay without me (which is I think good because we should be raising kids to be independent of us, but of course always dependent on the Lord).

We are raising responsible individuals who are respectful and kind to men with fear and love in the Lord.

But it's just hard to let go of the thoughts that what we have now is something short and sweet.

Something momentary, something that is not forever.

And truly, the days are long but the years are short.

Taking care of a baby isn't easy, it is so tiring - Sometimes even exhausting. 

It seems your every day is a long day yet when we look back, we realized it is not and will just wonder why time went by so fast.

Sometimes I wish I could pause a moment.

Saying whisper to the Lord to make the time stop for now because his laughter is so cute to my ears, his kisses are so sweet to my skin, his hugs are so warm to my heart and when he sleeps, it is just so breathtaking before my sight.

It feels like I could live with such moments as these like forever as in always.

2. Oh mommahood! It is so beautiful yet also painful.

It is confusing.

It is hard to comprehend.

I wonder what I really want.

Is it to leave the house or stay at home with my baby?

The thought of leaving him is hard for my heart but somehow good for my head.

So will I be kind to my heart or to my mind?

Will I put my sanity before emotions or emotions before sanity?

My heart feels like to stay with him but my mind says it's okay to have a moment and get some break.

As a working mom, I feel envy with mommas who are focused on taking care of their baby but when I am at home, I want to be out there and have some other life aside from home.

What do I really prefer?

What should a mum really be doing - where does she really belong to?

This part of me, I cannot figure out.

3. Life is ironic when you become a mum.

Can you believe it, not a day passes by that I am not tired? - yet I am also at my happiest. 

I do miss my pre-baby days but I do love my new every day with him.

There are times when I'm at home and bored with our routines that I long to be free again.

And yet when I am away outside doing what I like - it feels like I am too free and liberated.

I feel guilty - missing my baby and longing to be at his side again.

I also wonder what is life like without him yet, but also know that I cannot imagine my life without him in it.

I became fearful and worried for my baby's well-being, health, development, surroundings, even future, and many more yet I know I am much stronger now compared to before.

I can endure physical pain and discomfort for the sake of my baby's safety and comfort.

I can tolerate emotional pain just to reserve my time and energy for my baby - for things that are true, pure, lovely, and praiseworthy. 

I choose to be free of those bad thoughts that can affect me as a mum.

Oh, What a life!

God has gifted me a clear purpose I can hold to my arms and carry in my heart.

This life I have now - a bittersweet, confusing, and full of irony journey as a mum is the unconditional love a mother has for his child.

Something God has installed in us as parents to somehow grasp what His love for us looks like as His child.

Job 39:13-17 

“The wings of the ostrich flap joyously,

With the pinion and feathers of love,

For she abandons her eggs to the earth

And warms them in the dust,

And she forgets that a foot may crush them,

Or that a wild animal may trample them.

She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers;

Though her labor is for nothing, she is unconcerned,

BECAUSE GOD HAS MADE HER FORGET WISDOM 

AND HAS NOT GIVEN HER SHARE OF UNDERSTANDING. 

She knows that what she is holding now will one day leave and fly without her yet she keeps on holding him while she can and his baby is allowing him still.

She might be confused about many things whether she is doing it right or not yet she is trying to do her best to be the best mum she could ever be for him.

 Isaiah 49:15

Can a woman forget her own baby, and not love the child she bore?

To my mama, I will never understand how much you have loved me not until now that I am a mum too.

Thank you for the unconditional love, sacrifices, and hard work you did for us.

I love you so much.

To my baby, there are not enough words to describe how much I love you.

Please know that you did not steal life from me, you added life in mine.

I know that I will not be your number one one day but for now, I will treasure and cherish what you and I have - this sweet, magical, captivating brief moment of our lives.

I will be forever grateful to be called your momma.

To all mommas.

Cheers.

YOU are wonderful

YOU are doing great!

YOU are worthy to be celebrated.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Proverbs 31:28

Her children arise and call her blessed, her husband also and he praise her.

Philippians 4:6-8

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.

Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.

His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.

Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Do I fear?

- Yes, we are having a baby and I still have no vaccine.

- I fear every time I went to our checkups and whenever my husband goes outside to do some errands.

- I fear whenever my parents and siblings got a cough or cold.

- I fear bad news.

Do I feel sad?

- My heart is broken for the Afghan people.

- I feel sad whenever I received a prayer request about healing and recovery from my friends - even about deaths.

- I feel sad that our families and friends are not witnessing how my baby bump grows.

- I feel sad that I can't see my family and celebrate my upcoming birthday with them.

Am I still happy?

- Yes, because I'm excited for our baby and this season is new for me.

- I'm enjoying being taking care of my husband.

- I enjoy the baby's every movement in my tummy. 

- I love it when my husband also feel and see the baby's movement.

- Seeing our baby's ultrasound makes me happy.

- and I love hearing our Baby's heartbeat.

Am I at peace?

- Sometimes I am not but most of the time yes.

God has comforted and still encouraging me with His words.

I need to be reminded daily and have to feed myself with God's truth and love for me to be at peace.

These verses helped me a lot whenever I don't feel okay,  whenever trouble starting to fill me up, and whenever bad news is robbing me of my peace.

1. Psalm 112:7

They do not fear bad news;

they confidently trust the LORD to care for them.

(Because as I said, I fear bad news, can we just all have good news?)

2. Psalm 121:6-8

The sun will not harm you by day nor the moon by night.

The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.

The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

(As I fear going outside for myself, my husband, and our families)

3. Proverbs 10:24

The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled;

the hopes of the godly will.be granted.

4. Proverbs 10:28

The hopes of the godly results in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing.

(Am I wicked? why would "fear" dominate my thoughts? Jesus said worries dominate the thoughts of unbelievers.)

5. Proverbs 31:25

She laughs without fear of the future.

(Laugh and be happy. Enjoy the moment. Joyful are those whose hopes are in the Lord.)

I am not okay all the time.

I think a lot - I overthink a lot.

And the truth is all people will not always be okay and it's okay.

Because it's an opportunity for Jesus - to be seen, to be heard, and to be felt.

Sorrows, pain, tears, sicknesses, wars - and anything negative we could think of is a product of sin.

Anything that hurts us is a part of this imperfect world.

That's why Jesus said that in the new heaven and new earth there will be no more tears - nothing could hurt us anymore.

Revelations 21:4

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.

We shouldn't be surprised if we feel afraid, sad, or worried at times - If we feel trouble or if we wanna cry.

But we shouldn't also feel guilty if we feel joyful and peaceful at times - It means Jesus has taken over our minds and filled our hearts with hopes.