Are You the One or Am I Looking at the Wrong Man?

I have been diligently following two fan pages on Facebook; one that supports the government and one that constantly mocks it. The last mentioned has gone a few levels up from just criticising; they spread false information to turn people away from the new ruling President. 

I secretly admire the 'puppet' used by the government opposition to write super silly articles to fool people because he is so passionate about what he is doing, but every time he convinces people that he is not the kind of person he is (and even deceives himself about it too) I feel disgusted. It is better to be a villain and admit that you are a villain and do a villain job passionately than putting on a mask of an angel when you know you've got the devil's horns. What a shame. 

Whether you're an angel or a demon, you will still have followers anyway. This world is not flat and only two third of its population will want to follow the truth. The good news is: we who seek the light are far more in number than our adversary and at the end of the day the enemy will realise how lonely he is. Those surrounding him are only there because they fear him; they don't love. And when their own life is at stake, one by one they will leave him.

Our goal isn't how to slap the enemy back, how to get an eye for an eye.. Our goal is how to turn a foe into a friend. Although we can't win all of them, we can still aim for the key people. Who are the key people? The educated. The honest. The pure in heart. The ones with integrity. These people will build a nation. Forget the mockers. Because even if we make them happy, their voices don't really count.

They are the people that the Lord talked about in Luke 7 
31 “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 
32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other:

“‘We played the pipe for you,
    and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
    and you did not cry.’

They see the fruit of Jesus' ministry. They see the nation changed, they just won't be happy about it. They are so determined to be unhappy. No matter who their leader is. Because even when John the Baptist (who was the greatest among the religious leaders at that time) didn't eat bread nor drink wine, they called him demon possessed but when Jesus came and ate bread and drank wine he was bullied as a drunkard and sinner. They drag people down because they don't feel comfortable watching another person stand out way brighter than themselves.

John the Baptist had his moment of doubt too. He sent his messengers to ask Jesus (I think he knew exactly who Jesus was, he was only showing Jesus his disappointments) whether he was the true Messiah or should they wait for another man. Jesus didn't ask him to believe in him to answer that question. He simply asked John TO SEE THE FRUIT.

There will be many times in our lives when we fall into a pit of doubt. Asking God if he is really God will not do us any favors. God will not convince you as if he was afraid of losing that respect from you. Whether you believe or not, he is still going to rule anyway, forever and a day. But what he does is ask you: WHAT HAVE I DONE IN YOUR LIFE.. for you? You have a place to rest your head. You have food to eat. You have warm clothes to wrap your body. And the fact that you are still alive today.. If it wasn't for God's mercy..

Katandra Walk - NSW

John was disappointed, waiting for his life about to end at the hands of a wicked king. Jesus responded with a comforting truth:  The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.

Isn't that beautiful? These are the reasons why John was doing what he was doing. Both John and Jesus lived for the same cause and he should be grateful for the fruit, even if that cost them their lives. I believe that John eventually died in peace knowing his prayers HAD been answered.

You and I might not be questioning God's skill at being god at the moment, but we could do that to our leaders. We are being skeptical and disappointed because our expectations are not met. We doubt their anointing and authority upon our lives. But this is not a time of proving. This is time for us to look at our surrounding: have the lost been found? people's lives changed? your spiritual man grown? has the good news been proclaimed?

Check your self and check your situation. God is always at work. Whether you acknowledge him or not. A bit of gratitude will bring you forward, and not pin your feet to the ground. You will not be stuck. No one, no president, no boss, no leader is perfect. They have their own accountability before God, but our part is just to be grateful. We are kept under a shield of authority - the right place to be.

God bless you!

Udah Mandi Belum?

Sudah lama tidak menulis blog karena transisi dalam hidup (cieee..) dan hari ini kangennya tidak terbantahkan lagi. Menulis itu therapeutic. Bagi yang lebih leluasa menyampaikan uneg-unegnya lewat tulisan seperti saya, menulis itu bagaikan hujan yang meneduhkan sebuah hari yang terik #truestory. 

Saya ingat waktu berumur 6 tahun, untuk meluruskan sebuah konflik dengan teman yang tinggal two houses away from mine, saya menulis sepucuk surat permohonan maaf. The thing is, I never sent that letter to her *tongue emoticon*

Well anyway, pagi ini indah sekali. Tinggal di daerah pedesaan adalah perpindahan yang cukup drastis dari habitat saya yang hingar bingar di kota Denpasar. Tidak banyak kendaraan, tidak banyak manusia, dan toko-toko tutup jam 7 malam. Mobilitas yang rendah serta pemukiman yang jarang menjadi sebuah jeda yang manis menuju musim kami yang baru. Cities are great but we all need a simple life every once in a while, amen? 

Setelah minum teh dan ngobrol bersama mertua dan kakak ipar yang mampir ke rumah dengan kedua balitanya, saya pergi ke laundry room untuk mencuci baju. Satu hal yang saya sukai di Australia adalah betapa banyaknya hal untuk dipelajari. Beeeeegitu banyak! Rasanya seperti menjadi anak ingusan yang baru duduk di bangku sekolah, agak memalukan tapi daripada tersesat, lebih baik bertanya di jalan!

Sambil menunggu pakaian tercuci bersih, saya menatap ke luar jendela karena sudut mata ini menangkap gerakan-gerakan kecil di sana. Seekor wonga pigeon sedang mandi di pemandian burung yang sengaja didirikan oleh papa mertua saya di pekarangan rumahnya. Menyadari kehadiran saya, burung itu diam sejenak lalu melanjutkan mandi setelah dirasanya cukup aman untuk kembali beraktivitas. Tiga atau empat kali celupan (badan) kemudian, ia terbang dan menghilang dari pandangan, yang tak lama kemudian diikuti oleh kehadiran seekor birdcat. Dinamakan birdcat karena burung ini mengeluarkan suara layaknya seekor kucing yang sedang berkelahi. Badannya lebih besar dari burung pertama dengan warna abu-abu dan pendaran hijau di sekitar punggungnya. Eksotik. 

Ia mandi dengan ceria, mengibaskan bulunya sesekali dan mencelupkan kepala dan badannya ke dalam air. Saya tersenyum memikirkan betapa seekor burungpun dianugerahi hikmat oleh Tuhan untuk membersihkan diri, sekalipun ia tak bertuan.

Kebersihan sudah menjadi bagian yang esensial bagi kelestarian seekor burung. Membersihkan dirinya dirasa penting jika ia mau bertahan hidup. Lalu bagaimana dengan kita? Tentu saja sebagian besar dari kita suka mandi setiap hari, tapi bagaimana dengan kebersihan jiwa? Akankah kita tergerak untuk spiritual-grooming ourselves.. everyday?

Setiap kali jalan terasa terjal dan ketakutan merasuki jiwa, saya tahu itu adalah waktu yang krusial untuk lebih banyak membaca Alkitab, lebih sering berdoa, lebih rendah hati untuk mengevauasi diri dan merubah kelakuan. Sayangnya acapkali saya baru ingat itu di kala sulit, lalu acuh ketika kenyamanan masih terasa. Kita tidak akan menunggu badan jasmani kita untuk berbau apek dulu baru mandi, bukan? Kita mandi karena itu adalah bagian dari norma hidup di mana kita dibesarkan. Kita mandi karena dengan demikian tubuh kita akan beroperasi dengan lebih baik dan kinerja kita akan lebih memuaskan. Jadi.. sudah mandi hari ini? :)