Have you ever wondered how a tree rest? During the colder month, the branches shed its leaves and remain dormant. It may look unproductive yet the root beneath its soil is growing deep and preparing for spring.

We are always kinder to nature's process than we are to ourselves. As an adult, we often push through tiredness as if rest is a luxury or a reward yet to be earned. When Jesus saw His disciples tired from serving, He did not chastice them nor give them more tasks. Jesus simply said come away and rest a while. Rest was God's design, it was His gift and He too, rested on the 7th day from all His work which He had done (Genesis 2:2-3)

Rest is not always laziness, there is an active faith in resting amidst all the work we must do. It is a daily admission that God is able to run everything without our interventions. When you choose to still the noises, when you choose to pray instead of worrying or "doing things," you are practicing trust. You are letting God take over and accepting His gift of rest. 

We were never created to be endlessly productive. There will be seasons of busyness but even in those moments we are invited to slow down and renew our rest. Charging ahead on empty only leaves us doing much yet accomplishing little.
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Find a quiet place today, even if it is only for a few minutes. Notice the gentle rhythm of nature, feel the air, listen to the birds chirping heartily. Jesus is not waiting for you with a list of tasks to complete. He is welcoming you to come and to rest awhile.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, teach me to receive your gift of rest and not earn it like a wage. Quiet my thoughts, slow my hurried steps and help me to trust You that today is enough. Restore to us what our busy seasons have drained. Amen.

Mark 6: 31 
Come away by yourselves to a quiet place and rest a while..

Genesis 2: 2
On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.

- Irene Soon 

I am so thankful to share that the Lord’s peace has been with me through everything lately. Much like Jacob in Genesis 33:11, I feel that I have enough, not in possessions but in the peace Jesus promised and it has stayed with me throughout this season.

I had a recent medical procedure and received my results few days ago. I am relieved to share that everything is clear and safe. While the doctor mentioned that I may need to keep an eye on things in the future, there is nothing to worry about, praise our Lord Jesus for His divine protection and healing.

The Lord has preserved my life once again. This was my sixth procedure overall and my third related to this same concern, yet miraculously there were no anxiety. In the past, I used to pray for Jesus to simply be with me as I entered the operating room. This time, my only prayer was that God would use the experience for His glory.
That perspective is exactly what I want to carry forward. Let us always pray that we never take His goodness for granted and that we could live each day as a living sacrifice, deeply aware of His presence in every situation.

God’s hand is in the small details, trust His timing, His provision and wisdom. He listens to prayers and He still heals. Praise His Holy Name and wondrous love for us.

Genesis 33:11
Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need. And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it.

- Jenni Wang

Some battles are loud, some may require hard conversations. Telling a manager the workload is unsustainable, raising boundaries with loved ones, saying no and many more. Some of these conversations may even rehearse in our minds weeks before it happen, some for years and some left unsaid becoming an invisible burden.

God said to Joshua, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1: 9. 

Notice what God said to Joshua, He did not promise Joshua that the task would be easy, he did not assured Joshua that he would be brave. The Lord gave Joshua something better than a fleeting feeling, the Lord gave Joshua a fact; the fact that The Lord God will be with him wherever he goes. Courage here is not an absence of fear, not an absence of worry nor doubt but it is an obedience of walking forward with God's assurance that He is always with us.

The word "wherever" means the Lord will be with you in that meeting room, He will be with you for that  phone call you rather avoid, He will be with you in your home when the hard conversation needs to be said with love. The Lord walks with you, sits beside you, steading your nervous ways and gracing you with His peace that surpasses understanding.

Be strong and courageous, know that the Lord will always be present wherever you go. Invite Him in your conversations, invite Him to your handle your fears and worries.

​- John W.

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​Have you ever had a feeling that something was so very right and then, when you went ahead with your gut feeling, it ended up being very wrong?

Feelings lie and they change all the time. It could be in a form of relationship, new business ventures, job change, relocations, friendships and many to count. Surely, we also have heard many words of regrets that lament, “How can it be wrong when it feels so right?”
 
 We will experience moments when everything feels completely right yet it could end up painfully wrong. Our feelings will mislead us and our instincts can fail us. We make choices that may seem harmless then wonder how we ended up struggling, confused or hurt.

The Bible, however, reminds us that real wisdom does not come from our own understanding. The Book of Proverbs encourages us to trust the Lord with all our heart and to seek His will in all we do. When we look to Him, Holy Spirit will guide us the path that leads to life. He will guide us in peace and not rush.

God wants to guide us. He wants to help us make wise decisions with our time, our efforts, our relationships and our futures. He does not hide His wisdom from us. He gives it generously when we ask.

Prayfully seek the Lord’s guidance and His wisdom as they will allow you to walk in favors, strength and peace. Open His Word and pray with an expectant heart. Let Him speak to your heart, the Lord is ready to guide and give us peace that surpasses all understanding in making any decisions. 
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James 1: 5 NIV
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Philippians 4:7 NIV
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

- Irene Soon

I used to think strength meant never showing weakness openly.

If a man was struggling, he would work and try harder. Strength in my definition would be the absence of visible need for help. Foolishly, I held on to that belief and later learned that what I thought is strength was actually, just silence and silence is not peace.

I think I may not be the only one who thinks that way. Many of us believe as a Christian, we need to be responsible and dependable at home and work, helpful to everyone around us but somewhere, somehow, we have forgotten to ask for help, even from God.

But Paul, who was not a weak man, wrote in 2 Corinthians that is both humbling and brave. He carried a struggle he could not shake yet the Lord did not remove it. Instead, God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” God’s power is made perfect to enable Paul in his weakness, the Lord is Paul’s source of strength.

If you are carrying something heavy, even in quiet perseverance, you do not have to have it sorted before you bring your burden to the Lord. He is not waiting for you to be stronger. He is simply waiting for you to come. Are you brave enough to ask for help? Asking for help is not weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

​- John W.

In my years of working, I have observed a pattern in workplaces, ministry and teams. Leadership or power quietly drift from servant posture into control and pride stemming from insecurities.

It simply happens when protecting our position becomes more important than caring for the people we lead or working with. You will see the changes when collaborations turn into compliance, others may stop speaking up because they no longer feel safe in offering ideas or suggestions in the fear or worry of being seen as challenging leadership or any power above them.

The shift is often subtle but the observing it and shifting our behaviour as someone with authority, power or leadership matters. When something goes differently than we planned, do we feel concern for those affected or do we feel personally threatened and exert control at, sometimes, the expense of others’ inconveniences. The answers will reveal whether we are leading or simply guarding our own authority and pride.
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In Matthew 20, James and John asked Jesus for positions of honour. The other disciples were upset at the questions because they too, wanted the same thing. Jesus gently redirected all of them: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”
In God’s Kingdom, greatness is not measured by influence, title or how many people “listens” to us. It is measured by how well we serve. Control grows from insecurity but service and a servant posture grow from knowing who we are in Christ.
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When our identity is rooted in Him, we no longer need to cling to our title , power and influence. We can lead with open hands, free to give, free to listen and free to serve without fear of losing our authority or leadership. We can lead through serving, just like Jesus.

Matthew 20:26–28 NIV
Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant… just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.

- John W.

There is a kind of tiredness that sleep does not fix.

It is not the tiredness of a long day. It is the tiredness that comes from seasons of faithful effort with results that seem slow to materialise. Perhaps, it is also the tiredness of not knowing what to pray anymore or from the daily grind of adulthood; a certain burnt out.

In 1 Kings 19. Elijah had just witnessed one of the great demonstrations of God's power sending fire from heaven, the prophets of Baal defeated and yet, within days he is under a tree asking God to take his life. He is exhausted. He is afraid. He is done.

However, we will read on and find the grace God imparted to Elijah. He did not rebuke Elijah, instead, He sent bread baked over hot coals, a jar of water and an angel who woke Elijah and gently remind him to get up and eat. Twice, the angel said, "Get up and eat. The journey is too great for you." Kings 19:7
In every season, sometimes the posture we could adopt is not helplessness but a posture of rest, a posture which allows us to receive and allow the Lord to restore what trials and hardships have taken from us. He knows the limit of our strength.

The Apostle Paul wrote that God's power is made perfect in weakness, not despite it, but in it. A tired person is not disqualified; he/she is often the closest to God because they have run out of the self-sufficiency that can so easily crowd the Lord’s strength out.

If you are weary today and burnt out, you are simply in the place where God does His best work.
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2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

- John W.

There is a beautiful stained glass window in the historic Wesley’s Chapel in London. Etched into the glass are these tender words: “If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me.”

For as long as people have lived, we have longed for wings or metaphorically, freedom from our troubles. We seek ways to rise above the weights and troubles of our days and surely, we have had days where we think life must be easier, brighter, freer somewhere else or for other people.

The Psalmist understood that longing too. He cried, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest”  Psalm 55: 6 NLT. Yet he also discovered the true secret of rest and he proclaimed: “The Lord sustained me.”
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The Lord will sustain us and He extends the same promise in Isaiah 40: 31 NLT, “But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

When we pause and dwell on God’s Word and promises, His presence visits our weary hearts, in quietness and prayers, something beautiful happens; we rise. We find ourselves lifted into peace, steadied by His love and sustained by His strength.

The world will try to run on their own strength, they too, wish for wings and hope they can outrun their troubles. But in the Lord’s promise, He reminds us that running and walking come after the renewing. Wings come before feet. What hope does a weary soul have when it rushes to run before being renewed and restored?
 
Psalm 27: 14 NLT
Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.

Isaiah 40: 31 NLT
But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Psalm 55: 6 NLT
Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest

- Irene Soon 

My cat, Mia, does not worry about tomorrow.

Each morning she stretches into the warmth of a sunlit patch, curl herself comfortably and simply rests. She does not know what the news say or when the electricity bill is due or what will happen tomorrow. She only knows that she will be fed, she is warm, she is home and she is certainly loved.

That simplicity taught me so much about trust, an uncomplicated trust.

There are times where trust feels less like ‘resting in sunlight’ but more of a continuous race of finishing one task after another, exhausted yet convinced that once I find this or get that done, I will then be able to ‘rest in my own sunlit patch’. I have forgotten that the Lord loves me and I’m able to access His strength and rest in the warm comfort of knowing that He is for me and not against me.

Mia trusts me without fully knowing, she doesn’t question or worry that I would forget to care for her. She doesn’t know my plans for her nor where her food comes from or why some days I come home later than usual, late in feeding her. She simply knows that I will be home and she greets me by the door without fail, surely with the hope of getting early dinner but she shows me her trust in a way a small creature could, certain and trusting. She knows she belongs to someone who loves her and she rests on that knowledge.

I wonder if this is what God gently invites us into. Not a blind trust that asks no questions, but a settled trust that says, “I do not need to understand every detail but I know whose I am and that is enough.”
The One who created and holds the universe, holds you and loves you. You can trust Him and rest; rest without needing all the answers.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Romans 8: 31 NIV
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

- Irene Soon

I keep a few photographs on my fridge and there is one that always makes me smile.

In it, my children are of toddler age, gap-toothed and smiling ear to ear, leaning to me with the complete and uncomplicated trust that only very young children have. I remember that photo, I remember that moment, I remember being exhausted that very afternoon. I remember wondering if I was doing enough for my kids.

I was present in body but my mind was burdened and three tasks ahead of time. Motherhood has a way of making me feel incompetent and not enough. The love we feel for our children is so vast that it could be frightening sometimes; knowing and worrying that we can’t always fully protect them, can’t fully fix their problems and then, there are some days where I have raised my voice when I meant to show my care in a gentler way or I simply came home from work with no more attention left to give to my children, that guilt settles in like an invisible yet tangible weight.

The Lord, however, He constantly reminds me that we are not called to  be perfect mothers. He asks us to lean on His strength. The same hands that formed our children before we even knew them are holding them still. We are not their only covering, the Lord is.

To every mother reading this, the tired one, the busy one, the one who wonders if you are enough, yes you are enough and yes, what you do matters. God sees you, God loves you and God loves your children.

Isaiah 49:15-16 NIV
Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.
 
- S.I.L