NOVEMBER ELEVEN TWO THOUSAND ELEVEN

I recall on the perfect date of September 9 2009 (9-9-09). I was so exuberant that day. It feels like that is the day of perfection. It’s a perfect day to start things, as its gonna be easy to remember.

What happened to my daily life at that moment was exactly not what I desire to happen : woke up late, skip my prayer time and rush my self to go to the office (its not a good start, isn’t it?), unaccomplished appointment, cancellation, anger and I messed up, here and there. The eagerness to force things done beautifully perfect is the major thing of making me so bad that day.

When I was a kid, it is the song I used to sing in Sunday School :

“Hari ini … hari ini

 HariNya Tuhan …. hariNya Tuhan

 Mari kita … mari kita bersuka ria ……”

(This is the day which Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it ….)

Every single day in our life is the day which The Lord has made. HE has never created such a bad day. HE bless the days HE created. HE conquers the days. HE grant us a brighter day every day, a new chance, a victory in hand to overcome any problems, and be a champion.

Every day is precious. Let’s celebrate every day. If we messed up yesterday, let’s make it better today. Don’t forget to stop a while and laugh ….. God bless your day.

HAPPY ENDING

Happy Ending is oftentimes epitomized in the standard fairy tale ending phrase, "happily ever after" or "and they lived happily ever after”.

“One Thousand and One Nights stories” – (kisah seribu satu malam) has the more restrained formula they lived happily until there came to them the One who destroys all happiness (i.e. Death). Satisfactory happy endings are happy for the readers / viewers as well, in that the characters he or she sympathizes with are rewarded. However, some consider this as not an ending, but an open path for a possible sequel.

Are you happy yet?

Every one pursues happiness in life. While in a happening, happy ending does not always mean happy for all. There is always loser, as you can not win everything. The problem also lies in the way we perceive happiness.

I read somewhere : “In the beginning happiness was a large crystal ball. The gods used to play with it. One day, while they were asleep, Happiness fell on the earth and shattered into millions of tiny little pieces. People were so fascinated with their beauty that immediately collecting them. Some gathered a lot, others found only a few. No one, however, could collect them all”.

The debate on whether money can buy happiness or not, has been going on for long enough, yet no one seems to be able to say for sure the correct answer is. There is also a saying that happiness come from within, we are the happiness itself. We are that large crystal ball that shattered into millions of tiny pieces.

To me, happiness is a decision. If life is pictured as a long journey, and every bend in the road is mark of a closing of one moment / happening / story in life, I would choose to be always happy, as much as I could be. Whatever it might be in life, better or worse, richer or poorer, health and sick, I hope I will always have time to stop a while, to laugh and thank God, in that oftentimes “bumpy road” called life, for I know HE is in me.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. [Rome 8:28]

There are no happy endings. There are only moments – millions of them- which we ought to live through out our live, choose to be happy!

LOVE NOTE TO MY DAUGHTER

“Kasih pasti lemah lembut

Kasih pasti mema’afkan

Kasih pasti murah hati

KasihMu kasihMu Tuhan

Ajarilah kami ini saling mengasihi

Ajarilah kami ini saling mengampuni

Ajarilah kami ini kasihMu ya Tuhan

KasihMu tulus tiada batasnya”

Dearest my little princess,

It is one old song Mommy was always singing as your lullaby. It tells us love and forgiveness, and it’s a plea to The Lord to teach us how to love and forgive.

My darling daughter, I delight in the joy of your existence. When I first cuddled you, your beautiful, soft, warm, sweet smelling in my arms, I knew I had fallen in love for the rest of my life.  You are the best gift of my life.

Being your mother is a God’s amazing grace, witnessing you grow I see every God’s promise is accomplished in my life through you.

I was not mothered myself as a teenager, so I did not have a pattern to follow. I spent so much of your childhood worrying about doing the right thing that I sometimes forgot to simply enjoy you. I made so many mistakes I wish I could rectify.

So today, I was completely overwhelmed by your trust in me, by your belief that I could help you. The fact that you want to talk to me about so many things in your life humbled me. I never knew that feeling for my mother. She had been with The Lord when I was just 13.

I hope you’ll always find time and a while to stop and laugh during the journey through this oftentimes bumpy road called “life”. When life gets you down and nothing seems to go your way, please remember that you always have Mommy, and that you are sincerely and perfectly LOVED.

My words are never enough to express my gratitude by having you in my life. You are my little princess and you remain will be.

With a hug and kisses,

Mommy

TERBEBAS DARI ROKOK - (translated by Haryono 'Yi Fu' Cokro)

{I decided to post the translation of my posting about quit smoking, as my appreciation and gratitude to my best friend Haryono 'Yi Fu' Cokro for his kind heart and care to anyone in the battle and struggle of quit smoking, thankful for his willingness to delay his bed time translating this "what he so called" - notes. Thank you Yi Fu, God bless you!!}

Terbebas dari rokok

Oleh : Ita Saleh (www.ita-notesoflife.blogspot.com) 

Ketika seseorang mengalami ketergantungan/kecanduan/ketagihan (addiction), sadar atau tidak, kita sedang menyerahkan hidup kita kepada addiction tersebut, sehingga tercipta suatu keterikatan yang membuat seorang perokok sulit untuk melepaskan diri. Bahkan ketika seseorang yang paling dekat/sayangi, termasuk putriku tersayang ketika ulang tahunnya yang ke-5, memintaku untuk berhenti merokok. 


“Hei, berhenti merokok tidaklah semudah yang Anda bayangkan”.

Salam sejahtera. Saya seorang mantan perokok, perokok aktif, dan bertahun-tahun diantaranya adalah perjuangan berat untuk lepas dari rokok. Saya suka sekali dan ahli merokok. Sensasinya ketika berada di jemariku, bau dan rasanya. Kepercayaan diri, harga diri, kekuatan, ketenangan, yang kudapatkan setiap kali merokok, membuatku semakin tidak dapat lepas darinya.

Saya menyadari betul, A.C.F (kandungan arsenik, sianida, dan formaldehida dalam rokok) sangat berbahaya bagi tubuhku. Dan efeknya lebih berbahaya lagi untuk orang-orang di sekitarku. Saya juga menyadari dan mengakui, sebagai seorang Kristen, Alkitab dengan jelas mengatakan bahwa merokok merupakan hal yang tidak sepatutnya kulakukan (1 Korintus 6:19-20). Sepertinya, setiap kali merokok, aku merusak tubuh "pinjaman" yang diberikan oleh Tuhan, dengan sengaja.

Selama 10 tahun pertama merokok, saya tidak pernah benar-benar berpikir untuk berhenti, karena saya menyakinkan diri bahwa jika saya ingin berhenti pun, hal itu tidak akan terjadi seketika. Lambat laun, saya mulai lelah, karena hidupku seakan ‘didefinisikan’ oleh rokok. Saya tanpa rokok adalah bukan saya lagi. 

Sejak saat itu, aku memutuskan untuk berhenti merokok. 1 minggu berhenti, kembali merokok lagi, 3 bulan berhenti, kembali merokok lagi. Suatu siklus yang seakan tidak berujung. Jatuh bangun berulang kali akhirnya membuatku berseru dan memohon pada Tuhan. “Tuhan, aku menyerah. Aku tidak dapat melakukan ini sendiri. Aku akan berhenti, ya Tuhan, berhenti, asal Engkau bersedia menolongku”. 

Kemudian Tuhan mengingatkanku pada suatu doa yang sudah kulupakan. Doa yang tertanam dalam rohku, doa yang membuka jalan bagi terobosan, doa yang mengubahkan hidup, doa yang ingin Tuhan dengar dariku. Doa itu adalah doa yang penuh penyerahan diri padaNya, pada kehendakNya. Aku sudah lakukan bagianku, aku berusaha semampuku, dengan tetap sadar dengan keinginan yang kuat untuk berhenti merokok, tidak lagi menjadikan rokok sebagai benteng perlindungan atau tempat pelarian.

Aku ingin bebas dan hanya Tuhan yang dapat membebaskanku. Doa demi doa kupanjatkan, akhirnya dengan kasih karuniaNya, aku benar-benar terbebas dari rokok sejak 4 tahun yang lalu. Ketika kuserahkan hal yang selama ini kupegang erat pada Tuhan, saat itulah, kebebasan penuh kudapatkan dariNya.

Ketika melihat ke belakang, saya menyadari bahwa bukan rasa dari rokok yang membuatku tidak dapat lepas dari rokok. Jauh di balik semua itu, pemenuhan diri (fulfillment) yang kucari (dan kudapatkan) dari merokok. Ketika saya stress, rokok yang kucari, bukan Tuhan. Ketika saya membutuhkan inspirasi dan ketenangan, bukan doa yang kupanjatkan, tetapi merokok. Bukankah, pemenuhan diri yang sejati hanya datang dari Tuhan? Ketika kita ‘minum’ dari sumber yang salah, kita akan selalu haus dan haus lagi, namun ketika kita ‘minum’ dari sumber yang benar, yakni melalui kebenaran Firman Tuhan, kita tidak akan haus lagi (Yohanes 4:13-14). 

Langkah pertama yang terpenting untuk kita terbebas dari merokok adalah pengakuan diri bahwa kita sedang bermasalah. Buatlah komitmen pada Tuhan dan diri sendiri untuk berhenti. Teliti dengan seksama kehidupan kita sehari-hari, situasi apakah yang membuat kita menyerah dan kembali merokok. Dengarkan hati yang terdalam, lihat dan rasakanlah kasihNya yang begitu besar, suatu kuasa besar yang memampukan dan menguatkan kita untuk bebas. Ingatlah bahwa kita tidak dapat melakukannya sendirian.

Pada akhirnya, bukan masalah biaya/harga dari rokok itu, itu tidak sebanding dengan KEBEBASAN sejati, yang membuat kita mulai berpikir untuk berhenti merokok. Berhentilah merokok! Hiduplah lebih sehat, segar dan bahagia. Dan yang pasti, hidup yang tidak perlu lagi mengorbankan orang-orang terdekat kita karena kebiasaan kita merokok. Tuhan memberkati.

SMOKE FREE LIFE

The first step toward conquering an addiction is to admit that you have an addiction. Most smokers would admit anything but an addiction itself, which is a problem. When you’re addicted, you give up your life to it. As many smokers can attest to, quit smoking is not like telling your best friends to go to somewhere out there.

Hey … I was a smoker.

I loved to smoke and was very good at it too. I loved the way the cigarettes fit in my hand, and smoking is not only about the taste your tongue tasted but the feeling, confident, dignity, affirmation and any other pleasant and poised and self assured things, name it! The feeling. The sensation. In pursuing of that feeling, even my daughter's wishes on her 5th birthday that she wanted me to stop smoking, touchy, but it didn't stop me. I just didn't do it when in the house.

It was not in my agenda to quit nicotine, simply because I had convinced my self that if I wanted to quit, I could not do it in a heart beat. Not too long ago, in 2007, only by God’s grace, I gave up smoking, quit successfully. Truth to be told, I got tired of being defined by cigarettes.

I give it up, I give it up……, shouted out loud and plea “Lord, I can’t do this by my self, I will stop. Yes I will, just help me to stop!” God has been taking me back to a certain prayer I have forgotten, a prayer that had always been at the very core of my spirit, a prayer that opens a way for breakthroughs, a prayer that has the power to transform lives, a prayer that God wants to hear from me, to surrender to HIS true will. I want to be free, and HE is the only one can set me free.

I must fight with strong desires of feeling, the ecstatic feeling, the amusement smoking brings. I must let it go and set my self free 

THE FEELING

If smoking was aimed to affirm our dignity, God has given us a dignity, hasn’t HE? If it was for a self confidence, our self confidence is not defined by a cigarette but the value within us. Naïve? The truth is our body is the holy temple of The Lord, by making it sick due to nicotine then we ruin the holy sanctuary of The Lord. You can’t set yourself free but listen to your heart, to the love of God inside you, take comfort in the knowledge that God knows you better than you know yourself. HE knows how you tick, and HE can repair you anytime you ask.

The truth is smokers know their A.C.F.s pretty well : Arsenic, Cyanide and Formaldehyde – the regular cocktail contained in a cigarette. I understand that to a –non smoker-, smoking is not only dangerous but also – let’s hear it- gross.

The first step is, off course, that you have to decide to stop and you will, then try to figure out every of your daily situation you have to cope, and every time you are about to give up your struggle, listen to your heart, deep ... deep... within your heart, there is a huge power in you, the power of God that strengthen you to overcome every temptation, believe in your self, you win!!

It’s not about the price of the cigarettes but setting your self FREE. STOP SMOKING!! You’ll be healthier, fresher and happier. Surely, you will share love with your family in an unselfish way by not making them passive smokers. 

Trust me, I did.

DESIGN OF LIFE

In an ‘after office talk’ a good friend of mine sharing about a seminar she was about to go. The topic of that seminar excited me so much. She told me about redesigning our life.  

Hmm… a design of life, a plan of a human’s life which meant to be a beautiful and successful life and now has to be rectified here and there since things went wrong somewhere somehow. It might be caused by our careless regimen or wrong reaction or decision or taking the unjust point of views, so that we could not gain even more and better. Its about fixing (what so called) a broken life, adjusting unjust point of views, renew way of thinking, making a new beginning and gain a successful ending, yeah ….., something like that. It is expected that all participants would retrieve an insight and refreshment so that they could start a new beginning, live a better life and successfully win.

There’s a saying that life is 10% what happens and the other 90% is how we react to it. I think of how often I reacted wrong and made stupid mistakes in my daily life. How many nights of regret since I fail to be good that day, fail to control my emotion, fail to be kind, fail to finish my work perfectly, fail to accomplish my promise, fail to be patient, fail to be committed to my diet, even fail to be on time, et cetera. I always hope of being given a second chance, that tomorrow will come and I would do all things better, no mistakes and the day would end perfectly.

But, that perfect day has never come. I still make mistakes here and there. If our life today is the result of our attitudes and choices in the past and our life tomorrow will be the result of our attitudes and the choices we make today, there would be an unbreakable chain of consequences as the result of yesterdays’ failure I have to face. WOW, it’s not a desired life. But to err is human and I am only a human, a creature.

Thus, how many times does my life have to be redesigned? What does my life design look like? The best way to discover the plan and purpose of a creature is to go to the creator. Who created me? The LORD did.

Jeremiah 29:11 - 'For I know the plan I have for you,' declares the LORD, plan to prosper you and not to harm you, plan to give you hope and a future.'

That is HIS design / plan for me. No matter how many times I failed but HIS design remains. HIS forgiveness enables me to forgive myself and move on. When I slip up and make mistakes, God is fully aware that I need HIS mercy daily. How awesome to know that HE loves me enough to give me HIS gift of mercy every morning to start the day.

Lamentations 3 :22-23 – “Because of The Lord’s great love we are  not consumed, for His compassion never fail. They are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness”

HIS plan doesn’t have to be re planned. HIS design doesn’t have to be redesigned. No matter how many times I failed but HIS design remains

STUCK - UNANSWERED PRAYER

Its translated by Wikipedia – free online dictionary, stuck means not moving or flowing or motionless. Its only showing little or no sign of activity or advancement, not developing or progressing.

I had ever gone through a stagnant period of my life. When I felt uninspired and unmotivated, nothing moves, dreams were far away from coming true, problem after problem, when everything seemed like out of God’s sight and I only lived a “deadly life” a life without soul, hopeless, exhausted, prayers just blown away.

When prayer seems more like struggle and I found myself repeating the same requests over and over and even wonder, "Is anyone really listening?" Then I cried out loud : “Did it mean anything to YOU, Lord? I didn’t see things happen”.

Many times I just sit back and learn to live with things that are less than God’s best. I was just hopeless that life is ever going to get any better.

How about you? Have you ever been in a stagnancy of your life? Prayers are left unanswered?

Do you realize that even not all Jesus’ prayers were being answered? I take comfort in remembering that Jesus too, had unanswered prayers. It was occurred in the garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus struggled with God, pleading with loud cries and tears to the one who could save HIM from death. “Everything is possible for YOU” Jesus pleaded to the Father. “Take this cup from me”.

But, we all might have known, it was not happening. HE died on the cross. The cup was not being taken from HIM. HE did not get the salvation but HE got instead the salvation of the world.

There are no unanswered prayers, but sometimes the answer is NO.

But, do we believe that no matter it takes HIS plan is the best for us? Do we believe that HE is never leave us alone?

God never promise a life without pain, laughter without tears. HE never promised that you won't meet a problem, but HE promised that you are able to solve it. HE grants you sufficient grace and strength to live your life.

We can stir our faith today to rise up higher, be happier, and live a more fulfilled life. We’ve got to learn how to shake of complacency.

When waiting your prayers answered, HE provides you patience. When having your prayers answered, HE adds you faith. When later HE says NO, HIS courage and strength are sufficient to hold you and keep your heart remain joyful. Keep praying !!

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

Entering 2011, a new year is always a new chance, new hope of change and a resolution. There’s a saying that new is for change, without change new is unnecessary.

I’ve never thought seriously about a resolution of a new year so far. What I have done usually after counting down the time is to thank God on HIS kindness, strength and grace HE granted me along the years passed by, and a little prayer that the upcoming year would be better than before. It has never been that distinctive and specific goal I set for next year.

Better is never measurable. I avoid committing myself to something which is measurable by numbers or any other metric. For instance, to have some Kg’s of weight loss within 6 or 12 executing months.

Even it was just for fun, I had ever declared of a funny resolution which I called “RESOLUSI TAHUN BARU ANTI GAGAL” (a fail proof new year’s resolution). What was in it? It contains of a row of non measurable things to be achieved in the upcoming year, such as : to be a better person, more love and care, laugh a lots, et cetera. How could you declare yourself achieve things without knowing / measuring the achievement?

How would you measure yourself of becoming a better person? How good you would become? This kind of promise or resolution or commitment is never ever been able to be justified. So, you can’t determine whether you success to accomplish it or fail at all.

I hate to declare myself of starting all over again. WHY? Oftentimes it relates to the things that I have not successfully done. That’s why a new year’s resolution is never been serious to me before. I was afraid to make a mistake and fail. It is hard dealing with failure and the guilt. The worse part is when I fail to believe in my self.

But, something come across my mind, a bothering question then. Despite a new year's resolution,  isn't a plan  needed before executing things? Don't we believe that when we fail to plan we plan to fail? I had never realized when I lost my faith dealing with failure, it was an ignorant of God's mercy and grace that enable me to stand up every time I fall.

This thought was encouraging me to think of a plan how to live my life in the upcoming year, more than just a beautiful resolution, but I have to oversee my regimen in order to gain meaningful things in  life, that I have to move from a comfortable zone by living a mediocre life to a miraculous zone to live a blessed victorious life.

What’s now? Here is some of my measurable new year’s resolution.

1.      Live  a healthy life by having exercise 4 times a week at 2 hours / each

2.      Spend 2 more hours to read

3.      Post new entry into my blog twice a month

4.      (What else? Some more personal things that I could not share, but believe me, they are all measurable).

Finally, my wish for you, may you have a bright today with much to be thankful for, a path that leads to the beautiful tomorrows, dreams that do best to come true and an appreciation of all the wonderful things about you. May The Lord lead you every step into victory of your life, grant you strength to live and accomplish your new year’s resolution.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!