was refreshed by CG yesterday.
heard from everyone how they want to see revivial in their own life and hearing different things from their lives really makes me smile.
for example finding sustained joy in serving God and this is one of the thing i never really notice as i walk along.
Am i happy doing what i am doing?
and if i am not happy, will it be possible to do it to the full and the best?

and during service, it was spoken by Jasmine not to settle for the second best, but for the best.
i guessed it struck many of us. it is easy to go through motions and our daily tasks, that we never really think of could we have done more for this? or why has it took so much of me? sometimes, it might not be that we do not want to do it.. in fact we want, just that we have insufficient time, strength.
just like the tiny steps we took as we grow up, we learn to handle more things.


this story was shared over holy communion and reminded us of many things too.

One beautiful spring day a red rose blossomed in a forest. Many kinds of trees and plants grew there. As the rose looked around, a pine tree nearby said, “What a beautiful flower. I wish I was that lovely.” Another tree said, “Dear pine, do not be sad, we can not have everything.”

The rose turned its head and remarked, “It seems that I am the most beautiful plant in this forest.” A sunflower raised its yellow head and asked, “Why do you say that? In this forest there are many beautiful plants. You are just one of them.” The red rose replied, “I see everyone looking at me and admiring me.” Then the rose looked at a cactus and said, “Look at that ugly plant full of thorns!” The pine tree said, “Red rose, what kind of talk is this? Who can say what beauty is? You have thorns too.

The proud red rose looked angrily at the pine and said, “I thought you had good taste! You do not know what beauty is at all. You can not compare my thorns to that of the cactus.

“What a proud flower“, thought the trees.

The rose tried to move its roots away from the cactus, but it could not move. As the days passed, the red rose would look at the cactus and say insulting things, like,” This plant is useless? How sorry I am to be his neighbor.”

The cactus never got upset and he even tried to advise the rose, saying, “God did not create any form of life without a purpose. Spring passed, and the weather became very warm. Life became difficult in the forest, as the plants and animals needed water and no rain fell. The red rose began to wilt. One day the rose saw sparrows stick their beaks into the cactus and then fly away, refreshed. This was puzzling, and the red rose asked the pine tree what the birds were doing. The pine tree explained that the birds got water from the cactus. “Does it not hurt when they make holes?” asked the rose.

“Yes, but the cactus does not like to see any birds suffer,” replied the pine.
The rose opened its eyes in wonder and said, “The cactus has water?
“Yes you can also drink from it. The sparrow can bring water to you if you ask the cactus for help.

The red rose felt too ashamed of its past words and behavior to ask for water from the cactus, but then it finally did ask the cactus for help. The cactus kindly agreed and the birds filled their beaks with water and watered the rose’s roots. Thus the rose learned a lesson and never judged anyone by their appearance again.

at the end, Yan Li said this which is very true.
everytime we look around our area, there are much trees and flowers around us.
we might not know what purpose they serve, or what good they will do for us.
and we always take it for granted. that they will always be around.
just like Jesus. someone whom we thought cant be seen, cant be felt, or how can He be related to us.. who is in fact someone who is always there for us (:

Labels: God, my life, reflections