We all get comfortable and to be honest with you comforts are something that we all crave for. But the problem with comforts is that as we get more and more comfortable we tend to lose our drive and when we lose our drive we lose focus and ambition. And for this is something that really worries me.

Through out my whole life I have always told myself that I wouldn’t be a person that gets to comfortable and that routines were never going to be a part of my life.. But boy was I wrong … And as time goes on I find myself becoming more and more set in my ways. Sure you can say I have become my own worse enemy…. But I honestly believe that my spirit of adventure is holding its ground within me and I am always constantly checking to see if its still there…

I guess what I really need is constant affirmation to tell me that my love for challenges is still there and that I am not getting to comfortable… Because without those challenges life just wouldn’t be the same:)

What does it mean by individuality… For many of us our individuality is something that we hold close to our hearts… So when we are asked to surrender our individuality many of us react negatively and hold on to our individuality even closer and wondering that if by  giving up our individuality  we are actually in fact giving up ourselves.. But that really isn’t the case and as we learn to surrender our individuality we in turn learn to rely more on our maker the Lord Jesus Christ and less on ourselves.

Sure its going to be hard at times and to be honest letting go is never going to be an easy process, but as we learnt to be less independent and more interdependent we realize the importance of relying on God and realize that in the end no one is an island…. And that in end God truly is our strength and shield :)

Life has always been a real hustle and bustle, with new things coming up and new places that you need to be at. As a result, we have become people that do not really know how to remove ourselves from the situation, to be still and just enjoy the moment.

As of late I have been trying my best  to find that moment and to just take it easy looking for opportunities where I am able to be just still  and enjoy the moment. … This weekend has been just one of those moments and I am grateful for it….  These moments of stillness do not come around every day so when they do come I cherish them and it is during such a moment that you realize that doing nothing really is a skill that you need to learn and cherish. And it is during these still moments that you learn to appreciate all that you have been blessed with.

I suppose what they say is very true… There really is a time for everything and just as there is a time to be busy there is also time to be still….

The word change seems to be on everyone’s tongue these days… And if I am not mistaken it seems as if suddenly it’s everyone’s catchphrase…

But what exactly does change mean and what does it entail… I guess for all of us change is something that we desire and something that we look forward told and to. But for some of us myself included change can be just a little bit difficult… But what exactly does change entail. I guess you could define it as being a move away from the old and familiar a longing for something new. But if that is the case what happens to the old, the familiar and the things that we are use to? Do we just move on and forget all that is familiar or is change something, which is slower and more gradual?  Do we look at things completely anew or do we allow our experiences influence the changes of the future.

Now with everyone talking about change I just hope that we consider the old and that our change doesn’t fall under the banner of “Out with the old and in with the new” ….. And that what choices we make we cherish our previous experiences and in turn allow them to influence our future decisions.

Just recently, one of the long time members of staff at my school decided to move back to his home country. With his leaving, the school held a number of farewell dinners and there was the usual round of speeches and handshakes. However, what really stood out more than anything was how quickly he seemed to fade from our collective memory. His desk was soon cleared out and in a few days, it seemed as if he failed to exist.

For many of us we like to think that we are all in disposable and that with out us the world would cease to exist…. But is that really the case….  Our time in the light is always so short and people tend to have such a short memory… And what was once today’s news quickly becomes history…

I guess I am also reminded that I am also dispensable and that even though today I may feel that I have achieved something…. Tomorrow it will be quickly forgotten….

Being here in Korea makes you look at life in a completely new perspective and I suppose there is going to be a time when I look back at my time here and laugh at all those moments… That I thought to myself hmmm that is a little weird …. Or wait a second I don’t think that’s how we do it back home…

Sure things here are strange and in some cases out right bizarre but u know what you have to learn to laugh at them and accept them for what they are… Being a teacher has given me the opportunity to be part of the community here and as I have learnt to accept and welcome  there moments I have come to realize that I have experienced things that many people will never get to experience and that stories I have of Korea will be unique to just me…

Lately I have been reading a number of articles about the differences of being a tourist and a traveler… And I guess one of the main differences is that as a traveler your so much more part of the community. And as you become part of its fabric you come to realize how precious those moments are….

As a teacher, that is even more so…. Not only do you become part of the community you cease to be an outsider you’re allowed to interact and it is in that interaction that you learn to appreciate what it means to be part of the community….

Sure there are going to be lots of things I will remember about Korea some good and some bad… But what I am going to remember even more are the small little interactions and treasures that the community I am part of has given me

God rejoices. Not because the problems of the world have been solved, not because all human pain and suffering have come to an end, nor because thousands of people have been converted and are now praising him for his goodness. No, God rejoices because one of his children who was lost has been found. What I am called to is to enter in to that joy. It is God’s joy, not the joy that the world offers. It is the joy that comes from seeing a child walk home amid all the destruction, devastation and anguish of the world. It is a hidden joy, as inconspicuous as the flute player that Rembrandt painted in the wall above the head of the seated observer.

I am not accustomed to rejoicing in things that are small, hidden and scarcely noticed by the people around me. I am generally ready and prepared to receive bad news, to read about wars, violence, and crimes, and to witness conflict and disarray. I always expect my visitors to talk about their problems and pain, their set backs and disappointments, their depressions and their anguish. Somehow, I have become accustomed to living with sadness, and so have lost the eyes to see the joy and the ears to hear the gladness that belongs to God and which is to be found in the hidden corners of the world

Henri Nouwen (The Return of the Prodigal Son)

One of the things that I have noticed about myself is that I always like to think that I am the best and that I am able to do things all by myself and without any help from anyone.  But during today’s devotion I started to ask myself is this really what God wants from me. In today’s modern society when we are constantly reminded that it is essential that we strive for independence we need to constantly ask ourselves is this really what God wants.??? The world tells us that we need to be educated, eloquent in speech and persuasive….. And for many of these ideals confuse us as we strive to pursue our ultimate goal of drawing closer to God

We have to realize that in the end as we draw closer to Him, God only wants us to be just as we are with all our blemishes. And as Oswald Chambers puts it “ Belief in Jesus is a miracle produced only by the effectiveness of redemption not  by impressive speeches, no by wooing and persuading but only by the sheer unaided power of God”

Its now 9.21 in the morning … The fog has lifted a little but the sky is still grey…. I am not sure if this is an omen for the rest of the week but I sure hope that things brighten up a little… :)