Irene In Christ

I shared the below quote by Charles Spurgeon onto my social media the other day.   Because, well, it was such a profound truth - there ARE many sorts of broken hearts, and Christ IS good at healing them all.    Source: spurgeonbooks What I didn't anticipate is that it triggered a few 'Irene, are you OK?' or 'Irene, is everything alright?'. 😂 I guess people must have been worried when they saw me (someone who very seldom post anything to social media) shared a quote like this. They must have thought that maybe I was having a broken heart and needed Christ's healing. And somehow, by default, our society associates (or equates) broken hearts to those of the man and woman type. You know, the breakup type.  (Now, just to clarify before I write any further, I don't have a broken heart, so to say. I'm fine. So please don't worry. 😅)  But since then, from seeing this quote to sharing it to my social circle to receiving concerned questions from friends to

I hadn't realised that it's already been a year since I started my blog.  You know that phrase that you hear everyone says and repeats (and agrees on): time flies?  Guess what? It is true. Time really does fly.  As I penned down in my first blog post,  Irene In Christ , I have always loved writing.  Or, maybe I should say that I have always loved words. It seems to me that God has given me a passion, and (I would like to think) a talent, for words and with words. So I've always been writing. With pen and paper, that is. Keeping a sort of journal on my life with God.  It was only when a beloved brother (well, mentor would be more accurate) in Christ encouraged me to start a blog, that I started considering the possibility of my stories, my revelations, my journey with God as something more than just my personal and private journal.  This was what he said to me.  You have to leave behind something that outlasts you in this world. What better way than to pen down our convictio

First of all, God had been trying to get me to read Psalm 91, the day after I was tested Covid positive. He sent so many angels and channels my way to remind me and to reaffirm to me that He wants me to go read Psalm 91.  And I felt an emphasis on 'read it and get it' from the Holy Spirit.  Not just read it because 'well, Psalm 91 is the typical Psalm to declare when one is in a dire situation', but I felt God had wanted me to really get it! So I did (read it to get it, I mean 😅). Turns out Psalm 91:4 was what God had wanted me to read. His truth shall be your (my/ our) shield and buckler. It seemed the Holy Spirit was reminding me this: Regardless of whatever anyone and everyone else says about Covid, omicron, mild, serious etc., His truth shall be my shield and buckler. And for the first time ever, I got curious about this piece of defense equipment called buckler.  I mean we all know what a shield is. And have most probably seen one (or more) before, whether in real

You know, it's been quite some time since God spoke to me through dream.   Funnily enough, the last vivid dream I had from God, which I can still remember to this day was also of Daniel. In that dream, I saw Daniel and his dad walking towards me in the parking lot of a shopping mall. And somehow, in that dream, I know that Daniel was about to turn 2.  So, when the paediatrician's first diagnosis came, telling us that 'Your son may never be able to walk. If he does walk, maybe he will never run.', I outrightly rejected it. I could do so with such great confidence because I had a dream of my healthy son who walks normally.  So for those months before Daniel turned 2, I was filled with faith to see that dream come to pass. And I told everyone that he will start walking before 2.  Yes, toddlers  usually  start taking baby steps around the age of 1. But at that age, Daniel still needed physiotherapy sessions, to train to stand upright. That was all he could do at the time -

If there is only 1 thing you remember after reading my entry today, I hope it will be this:  Choose to see God's hands in every thing in our lives everyday. (To be more precise, it's to see God's good hands.) Going through this Covid episode has taught me this valuable lesson: Whatever situation that may come our way, recognise God's hands (God's working), and therefore, God's goodness in it. Why do I say that, you asked?  Well, simply because this covid thing plays out differently for us: My son, Daniel, and I with no symptom while Esther has slight fever. But whichever outcome it may be, I can say confidently that I see God's goodness in each individual case.  As I reflected on the differences, I was reminded of 2 things that the Apostle Paul said. First one is this -  I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. (Ya,   I know, this might be one of his less well-known statements, right?) Second one, which is a very famous one, is this - I can do all

On the first morning of my quarantine, I determined in my heart to do something fruitful with Daniel. (This is what I was thinking - After all, he was going to be confined within the 4 walls of our bedroom, together with me, for full 24 hours a day for 7 days, isn't it? I told myself to embrace and to relax. 😂) So, I decided to read and memorise Psalm 103 with my Daniel.  Why Psalm 103? Well, simply because I wanted to declare aloud Psalm 103:3 Who heals all your diseases. (When you caught a virus or fall sick, that's what you want to declare right? God heals all our diseases.)  Plus, 'Ten Thousand Reasons' is one of Daniel's favourite song. He was always singing 'Bless the Lord, O my soul...oooo my soul.' So, I figured I should take this opportunity to teach him the original 'bless the Lord, O my soul' from the Bible. 😝 Yet as I read Psalm 103:1-5 with Daniel, I felt the Holy Spirit echoing this verse in my heart (and in my ears).  Psalm 103:2 Ble

I wrote about how helpless I had felt on that Saturday night when my child was tested positive for Covid.  I spoke about my weak point (stronghold) and the devil's tactic to strike and penetrate my faith shield, my joy wall and my shalom gate.  I recognised what he was trying to do, from first trying to attack me with fear and worry to assaulting me with guilt and condemnation afterwards (when the fear and worry didn't work in the end).  Yet I was almost helpless when the tormenting thoughts of guilt and condemnation came flooding into my mind.  The enemy would have rendered me defeated, had it not been my family in Christ who quite literally fought the battle with and for me with their prayers and their words of faith. First my connect sisters and then my brothers and sisters in Christ in KL.  Anyway, now that I think back of that night, I realise what I had needed to do at that moment. It was something I've just learned in Greenhouse - S.N.A.P. Stop, Notice, Ask, Pivot. 

Now, the 2nd cup of this Irene-flavoured coffee is this - my stronghold.  On the night that I was tested positive for Covid, God showed me where my stronghold lies: my children.  When I saw the 2 lines, I was not shaken nor fearful. All I felt was a sense of frustration of 'how did I get it' (and of course, the sneaky pride which tried to rear its head, as I wrote in my previous post .)  I then thought of my children (My husband and I did the test together). And we quickly did a test on them. When Daniel's kit showed 2 lines, I was  immediately  stricken with fear and worry (of what would happen to Daniel) and guilt and condemnation (of having caught the virus and spreading it to him).   After sorting things out and putting Daniel to sleep, I cried so hard, telling God that I know I need to rebuke those thoughts of fear and of condemnation and that these tormenting thoughts were not from Him. I also told God honestly how hard it was  - to fight and resist those thoughts. I

So, yup, I caught the Covid virus as I've retold my story chronologically in my earlier post here . Although it still felt surreal that I was one of the numbers that contributed to the Covid statistics, God has, nevertheless, shown me a few things through this episode of unexpected 'covid positivity'. 😅 As you know, when one is tested positive for Covid, the procedure is to go through a certain period of quarantine. This time round, the quarantine period for me was 7 days; and 10 days for my children (who are not yet vaccinated).    I liken my quarantine experience to a cup of coffee (or a pot of tea, if you like) being brewed .  And now that we have all come out from our quarantine, I'd like to share and serve this freshly brewed coffee (I mean, revelations and testimonies 😂).  Starting with the Irene-flavoured coffee today.  The first thing that God showed me came the very moment I saw the 2nd line on my saliva test kit.  It was my pride.