LOVE

I intentionally did not write about LOVE in time to publish it on Valentine's day! It was not easy, believe me! After all, Love was all over!

Love was everywhere! Social media posts were filled with photos of hearts, chocolates, roses and date nights....and not to forget the horrendous traffic as early as 10 in the morning!
I was actually asked thrice on heart's day if hubby and I were gonna go out. To which my reply was a resounding, "No!", simply because I shudder at the thought of trying to enjoy a date night waiting in line in an overbooked restaurant after braving the traffic and crowd to get there! The introverted Tan couple just can't stand that kind of scenario. So, I let the rest of the world go enjoy their day however they want to, while I am as smug as a bug in my abode and think about the LOVES of my life.



So yeah, I beam a smile and thank God for the simple facets of love in form of

MY FAMILY...







My hubby, who showers me with love every single day - lots of them in my love language, and some other stuff that are not but I'll take it anyway. So how can I even complain! Hahaha! Come now, we really don't need to wait for February the 14th to show our spouse how much we love one another! Every night is an opportunity to be a date night. Every day is an opportunity to show your spouse how much you love him/her.
But yeah, hubby still surprises me with a lovely bouquet of tulips (my favourite). Sweet.

My kids, who think I'm the best mom in the world, whether I feed them peanut butter and jelly sandwich or hickory spareribs. Who will love anything I buy them. Who, even at 13 and 9 respectively, still don't mind if I kiss them in public or bunk in with them on some nights, just because. Who will love me more if I give them bonus hours on the play station! And hey, a hand-made personalized valentine's day card from them beats Ferrero Rocher anytime!

And I thank God for friends...
folks who love me in more ways than I can ask for. Who know what to ask, how to ask and when to ask. Who know when and when not to speak. Who will be there well... just because. It doesn't matter what they are doing, where in the world they are. You know they are thinking good thoughts for you, and praying for you. They know how a cup of coffee will do me good. Ah, I remember a post that said that a true friend is someone who thinks you're a good egg, even though they know you're slightly cracked! Not that I want to be a cracked egg!







Then, there is the One who loves me with no "becauses".  My creator. My God. My Lord. My Redeemer. He loved me so much that He does not ask me of anything but that I trust him. He has done everything for me.  He will do everything for me. He loves me with an everlasting love, one that will endure countless of valentines.
You know what? He loves you, too!

COMFORT

"My comfort in my suffering is this; Your promise preserves my life." Psalm 119:50

Yup! Life is a pain. It is not a bed of roses. Life can throw you a curveball, - unexpected, surprising and disruptive. You may be so sure that you are ready for what life can throw at you, of what people can do to you...until the curve ball actually happens. Then you realize that all the readiness is not enough to quench the influx of affliction that begins to fill you with that painful curve ball.
Have you read the PSALMS lately. Not simply skimming through it but really putting your soul into it, to understand it and ruminate what the Psalmist writes about? He got some nasty curve balls thrown his way, and too many times to count. Unless you aim to know what is going on, then you can verge on thoughts that he is being overly mellow-dramatic. But look at his honestly with God! He just opens his heart out to His Lord! That's not mellow-dramatic. That is genuineness!
So, when you find yourself right smack in the hurt and agony of the Psalmist, it can be unbelievable that this is really happening, but it is! Such people who attack you too much exist, and such disappointments that will break you will come your way, and such pain will pierce through your heart will happen.
You take your daily vitamins from the Word of God, enough to usher you through the day. We do not really head into a regular day thinking - I'm gonna be fighting a battle today! I'm gonna dodge a curveball today! We put on the full armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) everyday, but then, this curve ball comes from an unexpected place, or an unexpected person, that even with the armour of God, it hits you real hard, because it comes from a people whom you have trusted and invested your life in. With whom, when you are with them, you unman the armour, because you believe that there is no battle here, as you are among friends.
David was among friends...family in fact. His debilitating curve ball came through his son Absalom, through his King, Saul. People whom David would even die for!

It can really seem hopeless, huh. But not so! David continues to look upon Yahweh, praising and blessing the name of the Lord at every turn! Oh how comforting it is that "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. he rescues those who are crushed in Spirit. The righteous face many troubles, but the Lord rescues them from each and every one." (34:18). The greatest, and perhaps only, comfort that we can ever receive comes from God. It comes from the eternal truth that His love for us is never-ending! NEVER-ENDING!

Trust in the Lord, my child. Take delight in Him. Commit your life to him. Be still in His presence. Rest in His promise that he will help you, he will give you your heart's desire, he will make you innocent and will vindicate you. Don't worry. DON'T WORRY!!! (Psalm 37)

So, yeah. Let the Word of God comfort you, enrich you, equip you and dwell in you. All I need is a little bit of coffee and a whole lot of God!