Miah Learns to Write

Photo by Colton Sturgeon on Unsplash Humans are funny. I'm not talking about that in a comedic sense, although there's that dimension to us. What I mean is, we're odd and paradoxical at times. We're a conundrum. In a previous article , I mentioned that we're afraid of being vulnerable with others because we don't want them to find that deep down in our core, we're an empty shell. Now, I don't think that's exactly the reason. I think what we fear more than being seen as an empty shell, is being seen as unlovable or wretched. We have this deep-seated need to be accepted and loved, right? To have somebody else see the despicable parts of ourselves defeats the purpose of trying to paint ourselves to be lovable or good. That's why we try to be good to others, isn't it? Initially, I mean, and I don't really want to get into the religious aspects of these questions yet. Essentially, human beings are selfish by nature, and there are some people w...

Photo by Nick Chong on Unsplash About six years ago, I took a course on investments and stock trading which was fun for some parts but really complicated for the rest. However, we had this group activity that became part of our project in a way in which we went on this virtual trading platform and invested money on stocks. My friends and I were quite stressed because we didn't really understand the principles that well, so we lost some money at first, and then later on, one of my friends discovered a means of getting quick profits on short trades, so we ended up winning the virtual trading game. And here are some of the lessons and insights I learned from that time: 1. Don't get too obsessed on a particular path, be flexible and move on If you think that you are on the wrong path, no matter how much costs or losses you have incurred, do not prolong the torment. Get out of that sticky situation while you still can and simply try to recover what you have lost by making the right,...

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash Hi! It's been about ten months since I last posted on my personal blog, and that's simply because I haven't found the time to self-reflect. Over the past year, I've encountered crossroads and important junctures in my life where I've had to make several decisions that made a significant impact on me. To be honest, I'm just glad that I made it through 2022, alive and breathing still. Not unscathed, but hopefully, a bit wiser and more human(e). It was a tumultuous year, not just for me I bet, but for many people. But, it's the first time in which I've had to stand on my own two feet without having the assurance that, if I fell, somebody would catch me. Being away from family magnified the reality of having to take responsibility for myself, and the decisions I had to make. It really taught me to buckle up and prepare myself for a very bumpy road ahead, facing the unknown, and challenging myself to leave the confines of my ...

The picture above illustrates a well-known monument showing a towering edifice that aimed to reach the heavens, and probably an epitome of human ingenuity and collaboration. This is the Tower of Babel described in the Bible (Genesis 11) and the story goes that the people of those times were roaming around the earth and were commanded by God to scatter and fill the earth, which was simple enough but instead of doing that, they blatantly disregarded and disobeyed God by settling in one place and building this tower so that they may make a name for themselves. God seeing the intentions of the people, came down to see the work of their hands and He frustrated their plans by confusing their speech and thus, we now have thousands of languages that identify different people groups and cultures around the world. At first glance, it seems like a simple passage but there are questions that arise from the events that happened such as why did God want the people to scatter and conversely, why...

" But we have this treasure in jars of clay  to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 2 Corinthians 4:7 We are just simple people, ordinary men and women, who surrender our lives to an extraordinary God. Apart from God, we can do nothing. If we look at Jesus' disciples and do a background check on their status, credentials, identity, and place in society, we have to say that they do not amount to anything. Many of them were fishermen, Levi was a tax collector, and Judas Iscariot was the only one among the first twelve disciples of Jesus who had any connection with prominent people. These men had nothing special about them. When Jesus was handed over to Pilate and crucified on the cross, these men, who had been with Him for three years and saw the miracles that He performed and heard the truth that He preached, ran for the hills and hid. John 20:19  mentions that " when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of...

Lately, I have been thinking about the reason why certain people who were once Christians before suddenly fall out from their faith and stop believing. I have also noticed that there are those who did not believe before but because God opened their minds to the truth and revealed Himself to them, they started believing. They were able to understand more about God and how real He is and how much He deeply loves and cares about us. I think this is quite a concern for many Christians nowadays. Perhaps, the reason why certain people turn their backs away from their faith may be in part because of us, the community of believers and in part because of what people expect from being a Christian or living for Jesus. I believe that faith is simply the act of letting go of our worries and fears due to uncertainty, placing our trust and submitting to the will and plan of God for our lives, and obeying God's commands through the leading of the Holy Spirit or as He reveals it through...

I would like to address this post as an encouragement at the least but mostly as a challenge for many Christians out there who desire to experience God more and who want to live their Christian lives beyond the four walls of the church. This may also be considered as a wake-up call or message for all believers to burst out from the closet of ordinary, superficial Christianity and become more active in serving the Lord. I know these words may be tough but I really want to urge all of us to take part in the work of the Lord because it is good and it brings joy to bear fruit for the Lord. It is a great privilege that God has given us to be a channel of His blessing and an instrument to advance His kingdom to the four corners of the earth. I am not a scholar nor do I have any degree in theology but I am passionate for the Lord and I want to share this passion and urge those of us who have been cocooned most of our lives to listen to God's calling and obey it because God has grea...

Have you ever had one of those days when you don't feel as excited to pray or to read the Bible? Have you ever felt like the fire in your heart is not as blazing as when you first accepted Jesus Christ into your life? I think that many of us have experienced this happen a few times in our lives. There are moments when we simply long for a fresh new touch from God to give us an extra boost and we want the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts anew with the desire for His presence bringing joy, peace, and excitement in our lives. I think it is in these moments when we need to turn more to God and to really seek Him wholeheartedly. I think that when our cup is dry, we need only to spend more time with God and allow Him to fill our cup once again because He can do it and He will when we ask Him and seek Him. God always has something beautiful for us to experience and enjoy in our everyday lives. As I have said, God is always going to surprise us when we seek and obey Him and when we h...

Two weeks ago, I had been exposed to one of the most surreal experiences that I could ever have in my life. I was sent into the mission field to witness for Jesus and to bring the gospel to universities. It has changed me so much and God has taught me so much during the whole trip. My eyes were opened to the reality that many students and young people out there still have not heard about Jesus or have not made the decision to accept Him into their lives but I am grateful to God that by His grace, we were able to share the gospel and many students received Jesus into their lives. God showed Himself to be sovereign and merciful and gracious. He has shown me that He has the power to break barriers and overcome obstacles for us to bring the Word to the different parts of the world. During the week, we also had a day when we reached out to people through the internet and I have learned that all things are possible with God, no matter what medium we use, it is God who touches the hea...

Whenever God brings us to a hostile environment where we feel so out of place and intimidated, we have to believe that God places us there for a reason. We need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's work and just dive into it. I learned from one of my teammates in our mission trip that when God calls us to go somewhere, He has already gone before us and has started doing His work. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, we just need to sense what He wants us to do or where He is leading us. Then with readiness of feet, go where He leads at the very moment He urges us and do not hesitate. Lift your worries and fears to God and let Him work through you. I have learned that the Holy Spirit communicates to our spirit through deep convictions. He brings a certain spiritual desire into hearts or makes us notice a certain individual whom He wants us to share the gospel with or sometimes just to talk to. Then, when we follow His voice, He will grant peace to our hearts and show us the ...

Two thousand years ago, an extraordinary person walked on the face of the earth. What's so extraordinary about this person is that He changed the world through love and became the living embodiment of love. Everything He did was out of love for those around Him and for the world. He is love and to this very day, He continues to show His love for those who would receive Him into their lives by making them whole, healing their brokenness, mending their messed up lives and relationships, and giving them a fresh new start. He started a revolution that shook the whole world to its core and turned it around. The impact of that revolution is still being felt today and many people are becoming part of it. Although the revolution that I am speaking about is not one wrought with violence, hatred, and shedding of blood because that person already took that burden upon Himself. He took the shame, the pain, and the misery of the world upon His shoulders and He paid the price for it: He ...

Over the past couple weeks, I have encountered such amazing experiences with God and they have inspired me to keep on saying "Yes!" to God when He calls me to do something with wholehearted devotion and utmost obedience because I know that God has some surprises in store every time He calls us to do something for the glory of His Name. Obedience to God's will is, in itself, already a courageous step of faith and a show of humility as we let God move us where the Holy Spirit leads and do the tasks that He has set for us. All this we do for God as a selfless sacrifice and out of our love for Him because He has promised to sustain us throughout the whole mission and provide for all our needs. For many Christians, there are times when we hesitate to obey the will of God because there is so much uncertainty about the outcome. We spew out different excuses like we have much preparation and training to do before we can obey God. But the thing is, we do not need special ...

Lately, if you have been reading my previous posts, you would notice that I have been so captivated and enamored to share God's love and to be vocal about God's love that Jesus embodied. When Jesus entered into the world, He performed numerous miraculous signs among the people, and genuinely cared for those who were hurting, broken, and desperate, and He gave them hope and salvation through His death and resurrection. There is no doubt that the immensity of God's love for us transcends all boundaries. He just loves us so much and He showed His love for us by sending His Son to die for us and to save us in so doing. If you choose to believe in Him and receive Him, you would experience God's love in ways your eyes have not seen before. God brings tremendous change and revival through His love that nobody is the same ever again. If you choose to believe what the Bible has testified and what countless more people have witnessed and lived to tell their story - the r...

I commend those people who do not settle for less and are not satisfied with a mediocre life. Although it is good to develop an attitude of contentment and not wanting more material wealth or fame in life, we have to also study what the Bible tells us about God's plans for our lives. In Jeremiah 29:11 , God talks to the people through the prophet saying, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.'"  These wonderful plans that the Lord God has for our lives may not be of the physical or material kind although God also blesses us in those areas but these plans speak more of spiritual prosperity and depth where God's unlimited potential is manifested and unleashed through our lives. He wants us to succeed in all areas of our lives and bring glory to His Name but that comes with so much sacrifice as well to the point that we actually deny ourselves t...

Today, the message we received from our pastor revolved around the concept of time and the nature of God being eternal and transcendent. The passage of Scripture that we focused on was Ecclesiastes 3 where King Solomon pours out his thoughts and insight on time and how our lives are bound by it. Ecclesiastes 3:1 sets the tone for the whole chapter and it is written: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." The statement that King Solomon wrote is so prosaic and common to us that we sometimes forget that there is the right time for all endeavors and events in our lives. We know that we have to undergo through certain stages of development and experience all sorts of changes in our lives. King Solomon in the next verses enumerates the different activities that each have their own time. From verse 2 to verse 8, Solomon writes 28 activities and events that happen in life which includes 14 good moments and 14 bad moments. This...