Today's grace letter is about how grace showed up in the midst of a hard season in life.
Dear Grace,
Thanks for always showing up, especially during that week after Kara flew away. That week was extremely hard; I swear grace was the only thing that kept me going. You showed up in so many ways.
Monday was the hardest. I promised not to cry at school and failed before I even arrived. During lunch, my bad habit of getting things over with got in the way and I took a Spanish retake I thought I was ready for. In the midst of my grief, I ended up getting everything wrong. Without knowing my struggles, my teacher extended grace to me by allowing me a retake on the retake. I was so grateful for that. That week I also had a math test that I didn't do so well on. Thank you for letting me do corrections and improve my grade.
Thank you for also letting me be able to cry and grieve during worship at Friday's Bible study. I was leading worship, and since I didn't really have words to express everything at the time, I chose songs that helped me express my heart. I cried more than I had ever cried during worship that night. A friend noticed, and asked me why I was crying so much. Because I didn't really have the words yet, all I told her was that "stuff happened that week". If you're that friend (maybe you remember who you are?), now you know the whole story.
Even though that was a hard week, thank you, grace, for helping me pull through. Thank you for also getting to know you better through Kara's story.
Hope to see you again soon,
Yahan
Next week's letter will have to be posted the following week. I'm at camp all week next week.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Love and Forgiveness
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16
"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13
I'm sure most, if not all, of us have heard about the tragic events in Charleston. But what some may not know is how the victims' families responded to the tragedy. In a bond hearing, the victims' families got a chance to speak to the suspected killer, and they lived out Colossians 3:13 by forgiving him and encouraging him to repent from his sin. As I was watching the videos on CNN, I couldn't help but think, "As Christians, this is how we're all supposed to represent God's Kingdom, by showing God's love to others despite their wrongdoing" As many of my friends aren't believers yet, this encouraged me to continue showing love to them despite things they've done that hurt my heart.
If anyone's interested, here are the videos I was mentioning earlier. I hope they will encourage you to reach out to someone in your life who needs forgiveness today.
How can you reach out to those in your life who don't yet believe today? Do you feel forgiven by God? If so, would you be able to pass on that forgiveness to others despite what they've done?
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Grace Today
Dear Grace,
Thanks for showing up in so many ways today. One of those reasons being letting me write in the midst of a chaotic finals week. Yes, this week's grace letter has turned from a Tuesday Grace Letter to a Wednesday Grace Letter, but it's written.
Today I got to go home right after my Pre-Calc final. I usually have to stay at school for at least an hour to wait for the bus, but today, I was able to get a ride home from a friend. Going home early let me be able to finish a lot of the work I had to get done for my upcoming church retreat. I went to my other friend's house and got a lot done. The trivia game I'm making is almost complete, and my talent show act is coming together pretty well. I am so excited for this retreat, it will let me run away after a hard week of finals.
But just focusing on today, I got to relax. There's not much I can do to prepare for my English final since it is mostly skill based, so I get time to wind down and shorten my to-do list. I've had back-to-back exams up until now, so the break is nice. However, I'm a little worried about how I did on my exams. Please calm my anxieties when they come in the future. I know worry tends to drain a lot of my energy, and I don't want it to, especially since I need all of it for the weekend. So would you mind showing up and help me not get too stressed?
Thank you for letting me get to know another one of Kara's best friends. Today I got to hear the second half of Corrie's story. I love these "Kindred Spirits" posts. They help me get to know the people who have played a huge role in Kara's story better. Getting to know her friends has made me reflect on my own life and wish I had the same community Kara got to enjoy. Maybe that day will come soon, but today I can enjoy the grace that comes with showing love to my friends that don't yet believe. I hope some of them will choose to follow Jesus soon.
Earlier this afternoon, I went for a short run with a friend, and it was really hot. Luckily, when we met again later to go biking, it was a lot cooler. It was just the right temperature for biking. Not too hot, and not too cold. It was only slightly chilly, enough to provide a breeze to cool yourself down during your workout. It was the perfect way to end the day.
Thank you for letting me find grace in the small moments. I really enjoyed writing this letter. I hope I'll be able to find as much grace as I did today every day.
Sincerely,
Yahan
What about you? How have you found grace today? Were you able to find it in the small things in life?
Thanks for showing up in so many ways today. One of those reasons being letting me write in the midst of a chaotic finals week. Yes, this week's grace letter has turned from a Tuesday Grace Letter to a Wednesday Grace Letter, but it's written.
Today I got to go home right after my Pre-Calc final. I usually have to stay at school for at least an hour to wait for the bus, but today, I was able to get a ride home from a friend. Going home early let me be able to finish a lot of the work I had to get done for my upcoming church retreat. I went to my other friend's house and got a lot done. The trivia game I'm making is almost complete, and my talent show act is coming together pretty well. I am so excited for this retreat, it will let me run away after a hard week of finals.
But just focusing on today, I got to relax. There's not much I can do to prepare for my English final since it is mostly skill based, so I get time to wind down and shorten my to-do list. I've had back-to-back exams up until now, so the break is nice. However, I'm a little worried about how I did on my exams. Please calm my anxieties when they come in the future. I know worry tends to drain a lot of my energy, and I don't want it to, especially since I need all of it for the weekend. So would you mind showing up and help me not get too stressed?
Thank you for letting me get to know another one of Kara's best friends. Today I got to hear the second half of Corrie's story. I love these "Kindred Spirits" posts. They help me get to know the people who have played a huge role in Kara's story better. Getting to know her friends has made me reflect on my own life and wish I had the same community Kara got to enjoy. Maybe that day will come soon, but today I can enjoy the grace that comes with showing love to my friends that don't yet believe. I hope some of them will choose to follow Jesus soon.
Earlier this afternoon, I went for a short run with a friend, and it was really hot. Luckily, when we met again later to go biking, it was a lot cooler. It was just the right temperature for biking. Not too hot, and not too cold. It was only slightly chilly, enough to provide a breeze to cool yourself down during your workout. It was the perfect way to end the day.
Thank you for letting me find grace in the small moments. I really enjoyed writing this letter. I hope I'll be able to find as much grace as I did today every day.
Sincerely,
Yahan
What about you? How have you found grace today? Were you able to find it in the small things in life?
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
To My Friends
Sorry, I'm going to be busy over the next few weeks. I may not post much besides grace letters for a while. (I also apologize for the delay, yesterday was really busy)
Dear friends,
I'm not sure how many of you will actually read this letter. If you do, please don't feel pressured. I want your hearts to be able to make your own decision of whether to follow Christ or not. I hope one day we'll be able to be brothers and sisters who stand together strong in faith, but in the meantime, I pray you'll hear my heart.
I have been friends with a lot of you before I became a Christian, so I've known you for a long time. I know many of you aren't attracted to Christianity because of your personal values, which is perfectly alright with me. Like I said earlier, I want each of you to make your own decisions. But I hope there are people in your lives that know Christ and are able to manifest His unconditional love for you.
Looking back on my own life, I vividly remember how I came to know Christ. A few years, back in 7th grade, I was going through a time period of extremely low self esteem, and that summer at Camp Judah, I rededicated my life to Christ and began anew as a new person. When I went back to school the following fall, the school year went a lot smoother. I don't know your stories very well, so please don't think I'm saying that you will come to Christ the same way I did. Everyone has their unique story.
Just because I've accepted Christ doesn't mean I'm perfect. I'm still human and prone to making mistakes. If I hurt your heart in any way, let me know so I can strive to not make the same mistake again. I want to build up a community where we can all be honest with each other and not have anything to hide. I hope we'll be able to build up said community in Christ, the strongest foundation possible.
In the meantime, all I can do is pray for each and every one of you. If any of you have hardened your heart to God because you don't believe you're good enough, don't believe that. God loves you wherever you are, no matter how broken. I pray you'll come to know His unconditional love for you at some point in your life.
Your friend,
Yahan
Dear friends,
I'm not sure how many of you will actually read this letter. If you do, please don't feel pressured. I want your hearts to be able to make your own decision of whether to follow Christ or not. I hope one day we'll be able to be brothers and sisters who stand together strong in faith, but in the meantime, I pray you'll hear my heart.
I have been friends with a lot of you before I became a Christian, so I've known you for a long time. I know many of you aren't attracted to Christianity because of your personal values, which is perfectly alright with me. Like I said earlier, I want each of you to make your own decisions. But I hope there are people in your lives that know Christ and are able to manifest His unconditional love for you.
Looking back on my own life, I vividly remember how I came to know Christ. A few years, back in 7th grade, I was going through a time period of extremely low self esteem, and that summer at Camp Judah, I rededicated my life to Christ and began anew as a new person. When I went back to school the following fall, the school year went a lot smoother. I don't know your stories very well, so please don't think I'm saying that you will come to Christ the same way I did. Everyone has their unique story.
Just because I've accepted Christ doesn't mean I'm perfect. I'm still human and prone to making mistakes. If I hurt your heart in any way, let me know so I can strive to not make the same mistake again. I want to build up a community where we can all be honest with each other and not have anything to hide. I hope we'll be able to build up said community in Christ, the strongest foundation possible.
In the meantime, all I can do is pray for each and every one of you. If any of you have hardened your heart to God because you don't believe you're good enough, don't believe that. God loves you wherever you are, no matter how broken. I pray you'll come to know His unconditional love for you at some point in your life.
Your friend,
Yahan
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Tuesday Grace Letters
Today's grace letter is to my future self as a mom.
Dear Yahan,
At last. The dream you've had for years is finally a reality. Being a natural planner, you have spent more time than necessary daydreaming about and planning your future. You knew being a mom wasn't going to be easy. But by now, you have probably had a few experiences that can attest the hard days of motherhood. Don't give up during those days. Even though they most likely won't show it, your kids need you, especially during their hardest moments when they can't express their need.
Throughout your childhood, there were moments where your parents hurt your heart. Don't hang on to those hurts. Forgive them but also strive to not pass on the same hard to your children. You're most likely going to have a busy career, but don't let that get in the way of spending time with your kids. Make time to support them at sporting events and performances. I know you love to sing, cook and craft with your loves. Embrace those passions and use them to help you grow closer to your kids. Sing loud and off key together, make a meal or just watch a movie during the weekends. Always be present in your kids' lives and grow closer to them. Ask about their hearts, not just about their day to day life. Love on them in any and every way possible.
Start new family traditions. Not many were established while you were growing up, but that trend doesn't have to continue. I know you've been mentally preparing some throughout your life, but don't be confined to that list. Traditions strengthen families, so don't be afraid to start them. Drink up the joys of the little moments, you never know when they will come to an end. Enjoy them while they last. Let go of the chains that being a planner and a worrier have trapped you in. Sometimes it's better to not worry about things that didn't go your way, especially the little things in life.
When it comes to discipline, remember that love is kind, and that a gentle answer can turn away wrath. Sometimes, especially in the heat of the moment, kindness will feel impossible. It's in those moments where kindness is needed most. When you deal with disobedience in the wrong way, don't be afraid to repent publicly and ask for forgiveness. Admitting to your kids you aren't perfect will deepen your relationships with them.
Last of all, don't worry. I know you tend to worry about stuff. No matter what struggles motherhood brings, it's all in God's hands. Learn to trust in Him. He has a better plan for your kids than you could ever dream of. Trust in his provision.
Sincerely,
Your high school self
Next week's letter will be to unbelievers in my life.
Dear Yahan,
At last. The dream you've had for years is finally a reality. Being a natural planner, you have spent more time than necessary daydreaming about and planning your future. You knew being a mom wasn't going to be easy. But by now, you have probably had a few experiences that can attest the hard days of motherhood. Don't give up during those days. Even though they most likely won't show it, your kids need you, especially during their hardest moments when they can't express their need.
Throughout your childhood, there were moments where your parents hurt your heart. Don't hang on to those hurts. Forgive them but also strive to not pass on the same hard to your children. You're most likely going to have a busy career, but don't let that get in the way of spending time with your kids. Make time to support them at sporting events and performances. I know you love to sing, cook and craft with your loves. Embrace those passions and use them to help you grow closer to your kids. Sing loud and off key together, make a meal or just watch a movie during the weekends. Always be present in your kids' lives and grow closer to them. Ask about their hearts, not just about their day to day life. Love on them in any and every way possible.
Start new family traditions. Not many were established while you were growing up, but that trend doesn't have to continue. I know you've been mentally preparing some throughout your life, but don't be confined to that list. Traditions strengthen families, so don't be afraid to start them. Drink up the joys of the little moments, you never know when they will come to an end. Enjoy them while they last. Let go of the chains that being a planner and a worrier have trapped you in. Sometimes it's better to not worry about things that didn't go your way, especially the little things in life.
When it comes to discipline, remember that love is kind, and that a gentle answer can turn away wrath. Sometimes, especially in the heat of the moment, kindness will feel impossible. It's in those moments where kindness is needed most. When you deal with disobedience in the wrong way, don't be afraid to repent publicly and ask for forgiveness. Admitting to your kids you aren't perfect will deepen your relationships with them.
Last of all, don't worry. I know you tend to worry about stuff. No matter what struggles motherhood brings, it's all in God's hands. Learn to trust in Him. He has a better plan for your kids than you could ever dream of. Trust in his provision.
Sincerely,
Your high school self
Next week's letter will be to unbelievers in my life.
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