So, that's what I did. 

And it was such a refreshing moment because God revealed and reminded me of quite a few things that I just want to share with you guys.

1. Align your goals with God's.

Every beginning of the year, I get this sense of satisfaction whenever I jot down my goals. I don't know with you but I get excited when it comes to goal setting! But then I realized, do my goals help me become closer to the person God wants me to be? Or are my goals just based on simply what I want? Isn't it better to have goals such as to be a more loving person or be more patient? When your inside changes, you will see that the outer things will change as well. Besides, no matter how hard we try to run after material things or recognition or how meticulous we are when it comes to creating our own action plan to achieving these things, if it's not His will, it won't happen. Sometimes God isn't giving us what we want because we're not ready to receive it yet or He has better plans for us. That's why it's best to always remind yourself of what He wants you to be and the steps He wants you to take because from there, things will eventually fall into place in His perfect timing.

2. Watch your words.

When you're angry, mad or #triggered and others attack you for it, it can be quite difficult to be still and keep silent. Most people instantly attack their opponents with whatever words that come into mind. It isn't wrong to voice out your opinion but when you are in a heated argument and you are enraged, most of the time you tend to say things that you would later on regret. It's good to voice out your opinion but we must be careful about the words we utter. Ask yourself, "do I really need to say this?", "Will what I say help the situation or will it make it worse?", "Is what I am about to say full of wisdom or is it just a product of pure emotions?", etc. We must think about what we say and its impact to the person or people we're talking to.

3. We need to forgive others because God forgave and continuously forgives us for our sins.

It was very timely when I read this. When a person (or people) did something that offended you, it can be difficult to completely forget about it and act as if nothing happened. There is a saying that goes, "you can forgive but you can never forget" after all. In some cases, relationships rekindle - which is great. However, there are instances wherein you will suddenly remember all the hurt, anger, etc. you felt at the prime of that season in your life. Anything can trigger this - a situation, a place, a song, and the list goes on. The fact that I can still feel all those emotions and attack the person (or people) for it by reminding them about what they did only shows that I haven't completely forgiven them yet. No matter how grave their faults were, it isn't right to continuously remind them of their past offense. In worldly standards, I know that this may sound ridiculous. But we must remind ourselves that no matter how many or grave our sins were, God never reminded or condemned us for it. Instead, He forgave us. He continuously forgives us for all our sins. I'm not perfect and so are the people who have hurt me. So who am I to not forgive them?

4. It is not God who moves away from us. Seek Him and you will find Him.

If you feel like your relationship with Him is drifting apart, it's not Him who is walking away. This hit me hard because I'm actually guilty of this. Sometimes we wonder why He feels so distant but then we fail to realize that maybe it's because we're not spending enough time with Him. Or maybe we can't hear Him because we only want to hear what we want to hear. Sometimes we must learn to take a step back and empty our cup so we can fill it with words that comes from Him. I remember one of my friends saying that sometimes what we can also do is overflow our cup with His words so that things that aren't from Him will be replaced with His words alone. So in times wherein you feel empty or you feel like He's so far away, just talk to Him. You'll be surprised and you'll feel joyful right after!

5. You don't have to earn what He did for us on the cross. 

Why? Because He said, "It is finished!" 

Do you ever get that feeling wherein you feel like you have to do more because you have to prove to someone (maybe your parents) that you are worthy of all the sacrifices they did for you? I'm not sure if I'm the only one who sometimes feel this way but there are times wherein I feel like I should do more for Him. That's why when I was reminded of this today, I felt at peace knowing that I don't have to worry about whether or not I was worthy of God's grace. Because whatever I do, that can't surpass what Jesus has done for us. Whatever I do, He has already done it. It is finished. It's complete. So why should I even worry? And you know what, He doesn't even expect us to do all these things! He did what He did because He simply loves us - sinners and imperfect. That's love. That's grace.

If this post isn't your cup of tea, it's definitely okay! I respect that. I just want to share these things because it spoke to me and it might speak to some of you as well! :) Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend.