Cypress And Myrtle

Tag: God’s promise

  • Ours Triggers Need to be Surrendered

    As moms, we naturally wear many hats; cook, chauffeur, home organizer, timekeeper, peacekeeper, counsellor, motivator… and the list goes on.

    Recently, when my eldest turned 10, I decided to put on a new hat: tutor. I was confident I had the knowledge to help her with her school subjects. What I didn’t realize was that knowledge alone doesn’t equal aptitude.

    As the days went by, my patience grew thinner, my voice grew louder, and irritation quickly turned into frustration. To my great shame, I became a monster mom. There were moments when it felt like all nine fruit of the Spirit had completely abandoned me. Not one fruit left in me.

    Revision time every night became stressful for both my daughter and me. I realized it had become a trigger for me.

    Something had to change. We couldn’t go on like this.

    So, I apologized to her and promised to be a calmer tutor. The look on her face told me she wasn’t convinced.

    That night, I prayed, specifically for just three fruit of the Spirit: self-control, patience, and kindness. I was desperate enough to cling to just these three.

    And at the start of every session, I prayed for just these three fruit of the Spirit. The days that followed were better than I could have imagined. Our revision sessions became calmer, lighter, even enjoyable. We shared many peaceful and meaningful moments as she prepared for her exams.

    We are not perfect moms. There are moments when we’re triggered, when we react impulsively, emotionally, even angrily. But often, the very things that trigger us are the things God is inviting us to surrender to Him.

    So, here’s my challenge to fellow moms: don’t run from your triggers. Face them. Bring them honestly before God. Name them. Surrender them. Ask Him for the fruit you lack in that moment.

    As Scripture reminds us:

    “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
    Galatians 5:22–23

    When we lay our triggers at His feet, He doesn’t shame us. He transforms us. And in the very areas where we feel weakest, His grace shows up strongest – because His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

    But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
    2 Corinthians 12:9

  • The Word Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us

    The more I ponder John 1:14, the more I am left in awe. Words begin to fail me at what God has done for humankind.

    The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

    Why would a God who existed before beginning began, who created time and eternity, the cosmos and galaxies, choose to clothe Himself in human flesh and live among us?

    The mystery is almost unbearable in its beauty. The infinite stepping into the finite. The Creator entering creation. Not from a distance, but close enough to be seen, touched, known.

    The word dwelt in the original Greek is σκηνόω (skēnoō). It literally means to pitch a tent, to tabernacle, to take up residence. This is not the language of a passing visit. It is the language of presence.

    He entered our dust and our days, our meals and conversations, our friendships and fatigue.

    A God who makes His home among us, inviting us through Christ into communion with Him.

    This is the greatest event in history. The moment when eternity stepped into time.
    When God did not merely speak to humanity, but came to dwell with us.

    And this is why every human heart should take heed. Every ear should lean in and listen.

    For this is not simply a story of the past, but a declaration of what God has done, for us. A God who draws near. A God who enters our world so we might draw into Him, our source of true life.

    The Word became flesh.
    And nothing has been the same since.

  • Fear: The Silent Grip on Every Soul

    Fear comes in many forms.
    It can strike suddenly paralyzing us in an instant. Or it can linger like a low, relentless hum in the background of our lives. Sometimes it hides behind anger, pride, or control.

    No one on earth is immune to it.
    Neither rich nor poor, powerful or vulnerable, educated or uneducated, fear touches us all.

    I’ve watched both my daughters struggle with the fear of losing me. Tears in their eyes, voices trembling as they say, “Mummy, please don’t die.”
    Their little hearts gripped by a fear that’s far too big for them to carry. And honestly, it’s a fear that grips me too.

    Because what do you say when their deepest fear is one you can’t promise away?

    As a mother, I long to shield them from pain but I’ve learned since that this is where faith steps in.
    Faith in a Heavenly Father who promises to never leave them.

    A God who sees them, loves them, and holds their future when I no longer can.

    Fear was born in a garden.

    When Adam and Eve ate from the tree God told them not to, their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked.

    Shame entered. They hid.

    And for the first time in human history, fear took root in the human heart.

    Fear of exposure. Fear of punishment.

    What began as perfect communion was now marked by hiding and fear. And humanity has been wrestling with it ever since.

    But God…

    But God, in His omniscience, knew. He knew how fear would entangle our hearts. He knew how easily we’d be swayed by “what ifs” and worst-case scenarios.
    And in His mercy, He didn’t leave us without help.

    The Bible is full of encouragement for the fearful heart. One of the most repeated commands in Scripture is, “Do not be afraid.” Not because fear will never come, but because we’re never meant to face it alone.

    “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.”

    (Isaiah 41:10)

    “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

    (Psalm 56:3)

    “Perfect love casts out fear.”

    (1 John 4:18)

    God doesn’t shame us for being afraid. He meets us in it. He offers His presence, His promises, and His peace.

    Even Jesus…

    Even Jesus, fully God, yet fully man knew what it was to face fear.

    In the Garden of Gethsemane, just hours before His arrest and crucifixion, He fell to the ground and prayed:

    “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” (Matthew 26:38)

    He pleaded with the Father:
    “If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39)

    Jesus felt the weight of what was coming; pain, abandonment, the wrath of sin. He sweat drops of blood, a sign of extreme anguish.
    He didn’t deny His fear.
    He brought it to the Father.

    And in doing so, He showed us the most powerful way to confront our fears: through surrendered trust.

    Here are two applicable truths to help us deal with our fear.

    1. God’s Presence Is Greater Than Our Fear

    Fear magnifies in isolation when we feel like we’re facing the unknown alone. But Scripture reminds us over and over that God is with us, right in the middle of the fear.

    “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.”
    Isaiah 41:10

    God never promises a life free from fear but He does promise His presence. And His presence changes everything. We may still feel afraid, but we’re not abandoned. We’re not alone.

    2. We Face Fear by Trusting in God’s Character

    Fear feeds on uncertainty, but faith rests on the unchanging character of God.

    “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”
    Psalm 56:3

    We may not know what the future holds, but we do know who God is; Faithful. Good. Sovereign.
    The more we anchor our hearts in His truth through Scripture, prayer, and recounting His faithfulness, the less power fear has over us.

    Finally, one night, after a terrible episode of fear losing her grandma, I sat beside my eldest as she cried. I taught her to surrender her fear to God.

    It was too heavy for her young heart to carry, so we prayed and gave it to the One who can. She found peace not because the fear vanished, but because she trusted God with it.

  • 8 Strips Of Paper

    It was 2006, and I was in a season of turmoil, standing at the crossroads of chasing my ambitions and seeking God’s purpose for my life. I wrestled with where my own desires ended and where His calling began.

    During that time, I was reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren and A Woman After God’s Own Heart by Elizabeth George. One night, I tore a page from my notebook and wrote down eight things I needed God to help me with, each on a strip of paper.

    In no particular order, my list read:

    To be godly feminine

    To be alone but not lonely

    To be a better steward of money

    To be a better steward of time

    To learn to live in a Christian community

    To find a life partner

    To have more faith in Him

    To have more courage

    I folded the eight strips of paper and placed them in a shoebox. A few months later, I opened the box to revisit my list. Nothing had changed.

    A year later, on my birthday, I opened the box again. Not much had happened, except one thing: I realized I was no longer as lonely when I was alone.

    At the end of 2007, I made a bold decision to leave the corporate world and become a full-time seminary student. It meant living on campus for at least a year, without a stable income. It was a scary step. (The initial one year became three years).

    A year into seminary life, I opened the shoebox again. This time, I found that almost every prayer had been answered:

    I was learning to be godly feminine.

    I have learned to live in a community of believers.

    With no regular income, I learned to steward both time and money with discipline.

    My faith was growing. So was my courage.

    All except one; to find a life partner.

    But God wasn’t done. I met him in seminary. He was a fellow student, also following God’s call. We became friends, then more. Two years after I graduated, we got married. The final prayer in the shoebox was answered.

    Blessings Come After Obedience

    My journey reminded me of Abraham.

    In Genesis 12, God gave Abraham a command:
    “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”
    (Genesis 12:1, NIV)

    God didn’t give Abraham a detailed plan. There was no map, no itinerary.

    But God let him know the blessings he would receive if he chose to obey God.
    “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you… and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
    (Genesis 12:2–3)

    So, Abraham obeyed and he went.

    The blessings didn’t come before Abraham moved—they came after his obedience. That’s the pattern we see throughout Scripture. When we obey and take the step of faith, even when we can’t see the whole picture, God responds. He transforms us in the process.

    And so, I leave you with this simple reminder:
    that blessings come after obedience.
    Not instantly. Not always the way we imagined. But always, in God’s time and way.