To reach greater heights...

Quite often, I have 'jumping dreams' in my sleep, whereby I'd be leaping many feet into the air, bouncing and running across open spaces that feel like there are springs underground (just like on a trampoline). It is an awesome, unforgettable feeling. I'd feel so free, so light, so unburdened... and nothing else seems to matter, in those flying high moments.

Strange and funny it is... but I believe that God helps me even in my dreams! I occasionally dream that I am running away from my enemies...and when that happens, my feet are given the supernatural power to run swiftly like a gazelle and leap like a deer....

Cool, huh?

Whatever the interpretation of those dreams, one thing I know for sure - is that God girds us with strength and makes us overwhelmingly conquer through Christ who loves us. (Romans 8:37)

Recently, there seems to have been a break-through in the lives of a few people whom God has faithfully helped me to pray for (even though I was often not as faithful as I should have been - and I am sure that I was not the only person praying for them, haha) and whose lives I was privileged to have been given some tiny little seeds to sow throughout the years. In case you are thinking of applauding me and telling me, "Good job", please DON'T. :D It is God's glory - I shall not claim it for myself...because honestly (I am not pretending to be modest either), I did not do anything much. It was God who guided my hands to sow the seeds... and then, He watered them Himself, nurtured them tenderly when I thought nothing was going to happen... and voila! They did grow.

I was most encouraged and humbled to hear from these people. Firstly, their testimonies reminded me that God, by His grace, is able to make dry bones become as flesh... to raise man from the dead... and is able to break hearts of stone. With God, all things are possible.

Furthermore, I was assured that God, by His grace, is able to '...lead me to the rock that is higher than I...' (Ps 60:1-2) when my heart is faint and all I can do is to call out to Him -even from the ends of the earth.

I remember those times. Yes, I turned away from Him - and as expected, fell headlong into the dark and musty pits. Ah, the bitter hopelessness and desperation. And me, biting the dust. The same, stupid mistakes over and over again.

But every time, He did come for me.

He came. God came - with no condemnation, but love. With no taunts and sneers...but the offer of new hope, healing and restoration. And that marked the coming of the new, and the departure of the old. I am not there yet. My life ain't over. There are days of struggling, days of making those stupid mistakes (and falling into pits), days of immense spiritual dryness... days of unmotivated-ness...but Jesus. Jesus, my Lord will not stop weaning me back and helping me to overcome... until He finally calls me Home.

Salvation is therefore not merely a ticket to heaven, but the beginning of knowing God. It is a journey with many mountains to climb but so that we may conquer and descend on the other side having experienced the unsurpassed grace of God a little bit more. It is about defeating the Goliath of our fears as we learn God's love for us. It is a catalyst for transformation - even in the most screwed-up lives.

Ultimately, salvation is God's gift, through Christ.