It seems to be the season for commitments and covenants. First, ICPE Mission's Woman to Woman Ministry is looking for a three-year commitment from each of us in the attempt to help us deepen our respective faith walks. Then the three-year covenant I took with ICPE Mission's Companions is soon up for renewal and each of us is now discerning on next steps. And finally, I am journeying towards soon taking the lifetime covenant of marriage with P.
D led us to reflect on what commitment means to each of us last Friday evening and why we made commitments. She reminded us that we are bound by our commitments and they dictate how we think, sound and act. When it comes to commitment, quitting is not an option, and we keep going at it even when the going gets tough or when we do not feel up to it. And, we must go beyond counting the costs once we say yes, continuing to sacrifice time and effort in living our commitments out daily.
Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar said: It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.
So why bother so much with commitment when it requires such effort and real discipline? I do it because I believe in love, and commitment is the foundation of love, and of all meaningful relationships. Without commitment, I would drift from one desire to another, prioritizing selfishly and making only hedonistic goals in life. Moreover, I would not grow emotionally or spiritually.
From the beginning, God calls us into relationship with Him. As can be seen from salvation history, God continuously invites us into covenantal relationship. Through Jesus, He continues to give us a new spirit, writing the law of covenant in our hearts. The way we can live out our covenantal relationship with God fully is to rely on the Holy Spirit, His gift to us, to animate us to build healthy relationships with others, for we are called to love others by extending charity in our actions and interactions with all whom we meet.
If I follow Jesus, commitment underpins every action in my life, the will to love and to serve out of love. Springing from this one desire to love as Jesus does, my life is a web of relationships connected through my daily offering of life-giving words and actions. Truth and Mercy are my constant twin companions who guide me in living out my intentions well.
Reflecting on my 12 plus years with the W2W Ministry, it has been an extraordinary season of grace. It has been a time of laughter and tears, great spiritual growth, and connecting with other women I would not ordinarily have done so, drawing strength from them. We quench our thirst from the well of our shared life experiences and set out again on our personal journeys, refreshed, inspired and empowered. The upcoming three-year commitment to me is a no-brainer for I am passionate about helping women (myself included) to live out their true potential by developing their feminine genius and so remain committed. W2W is my spiritual hometown and I still choose to reside here.
My sojourn with the ICPE Mission's Companions in Singapore has been awesome in many ways - the bonds built, the learning, the sharing, the witness of life, it has all been good. To walk and serve with others who share the same vision and mission in life, who live out the charisms of worship and evangelization so concretely has been like travelling on the faith bullet train. Similarly I say yes to renewing my covenant, knowing I need to remain open to God's creativity in answering the desire in my heart for community and to keep following His lead for I will also be taking the covenant of marriage soon.
Speaking of marriage, I approach the marital covenant with eagerness laced with splashes of trepidation. My SD shared that courtship is a treasure hunt where P and I find what is beautiful, good and great about each other and it has indeed been so. Our courtship is a celebration of life at its best, full of joy, and an affirmation of God's abundant and merciful love. I am hopeful that marriage will continue to unearth many treasures that will delight our senses and deepen our love for each other, for Jesus will be at the centre of our relationship as He is now, and He will be the glue that binds us. I say this knowing that there will be challenges ahead, and yet, I am confident that P and I will meet them head on, with Jesus by our sides.
So this is the key component of every formal and informal commitment and covenant we take in life, that we put God in the heart of it all, that we allow Jesus to guide us always, and that we intentionally act in the Spirit of unconditional, forgiving and nurturing love. If we do this, then despite the challenges, struggles and conflicts we encounter along the way, we will enable divine grace to make all things new, beautiful and perfect.
D led us to reflect on what commitment means to each of us last Friday evening and why we made commitments. She reminded us that we are bound by our commitments and they dictate how we think, sound and act. When it comes to commitment, quitting is not an option, and we keep going at it even when the going gets tough or when we do not feel up to it. And, we must go beyond counting the costs once we say yes, continuing to sacrifice time and effort in living our commitments out daily.
Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar said: It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.
So why bother so much with commitment when it requires such effort and real discipline? I do it because I believe in love, and commitment is the foundation of love, and of all meaningful relationships. Without commitment, I would drift from one desire to another, prioritizing selfishly and making only hedonistic goals in life. Moreover, I would not grow emotionally or spiritually.
From the beginning, God calls us into relationship with Him. As can be seen from salvation history, God continuously invites us into covenantal relationship. Through Jesus, He continues to give us a new spirit, writing the law of covenant in our hearts. The way we can live out our covenantal relationship with God fully is to rely on the Holy Spirit, His gift to us, to animate us to build healthy relationships with others, for we are called to love others by extending charity in our actions and interactions with all whom we meet.
If I follow Jesus, commitment underpins every action in my life, the will to love and to serve out of love. Springing from this one desire to love as Jesus does, my life is a web of relationships connected through my daily offering of life-giving words and actions. Truth and Mercy are my constant twin companions who guide me in living out my intentions well.
Reflecting on my 12 plus years with the W2W Ministry, it has been an extraordinary season of grace. It has been a time of laughter and tears, great spiritual growth, and connecting with other women I would not ordinarily have done so, drawing strength from them. We quench our thirst from the well of our shared life experiences and set out again on our personal journeys, refreshed, inspired and empowered. The upcoming three-year commitment to me is a no-brainer for I am passionate about helping women (myself included) to live out their true potential by developing their feminine genius and so remain committed. W2W is my spiritual hometown and I still choose to reside here.
My sojourn with the ICPE Mission's Companions in Singapore has been awesome in many ways - the bonds built, the learning, the sharing, the witness of life, it has all been good. To walk and serve with others who share the same vision and mission in life, who live out the charisms of worship and evangelization so concretely has been like travelling on the faith bullet train. Similarly I say yes to renewing my covenant, knowing I need to remain open to God's creativity in answering the desire in my heart for community and to keep following His lead for I will also be taking the covenant of marriage soon.
Speaking of marriage, I approach the marital covenant with eagerness laced with splashes of trepidation. My SD shared that courtship is a treasure hunt where P and I find what is beautiful, good and great about each other and it has indeed been so. Our courtship is a celebration of life at its best, full of joy, and an affirmation of God's abundant and merciful love. I am hopeful that marriage will continue to unearth many treasures that will delight our senses and deepen our love for each other, for Jesus will be at the centre of our relationship as He is now, and He will be the glue that binds us. I say this knowing that there will be challenges ahead, and yet, I am confident that P and I will meet them head on, with Jesus by our sides.
So this is the key component of every formal and informal commitment and covenant we take in life, that we put God in the heart of it all, that we allow Jesus to guide us always, and that we intentionally act in the Spirit of unconditional, forgiving and nurturing love. If we do this, then despite the challenges, struggles and conflicts we encounter along the way, we will enable divine grace to make all things new, beautiful and perfect.
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