why we're set apart part 1

hello!

it's been a while since i've blogged (i believe the last time i ever posted an online entry was during the xanga days). to be honest, i am by no means a creative thinker/writer...i'm almost embarrassed to be publicly displaying my journal entries. BUT life is not about me. the purpose of this blog is to definitely apply from one of the principles that we learned from this past weekend's family retreat: remember. it's sad to see how easily i forget the constant goodness & greatness of God. so my hope is that i will be able to share with others & remind myself of the Lord's faithfulness in my life, the joy that He brings even in the midst of trials, and the things that He's provided for my enjoyment (particularly photographs)!

so...to expand more on the title of this entry, let me first share a series of "unfortunate" events that have happened over the course of this week:

1. tuesday morning-took my car to the Allstate Inspection facility. quick explanation of why i went there in the first place: backed into one of my housemate's car and caused a "minor" fender bender; was going to pay out of the pocket, but damage on her car turned out to be a lot more than i expected (my car also got some boo-boos); daddy said to just have the insurance deal with it, hence my car at the inspection center.
2. monday night -got a parking ticket. wasn't able to go back early enough to renew my parking pass for the day.
3. wednesday night -had a midterm to study for, but needed to stop by home. parked in front of my driveway close to 9pm, where my car interfered with a "no parking zone". was originally going to just run up and grab my charger for my laptop to study, but ended up eating some dinner & chatting w/my sis+mike+rib before going. realized my phone was inside the car, so went outside towards my car but saw no car where i had last put it. eventually found out that car was towed.

sounds really bad, right? don't worry, it's not all storms&lightning.

if you knew me fairly well enough, you would know that i have not had great experience when it came to cars. even just within this past summer, i got scammed by some "autoshop pro," who ended up ruining more of the exterior of my car, and i got rear ended on the freeway. although only one of those situations was my fault, i did get in trouble under both circumstances. so based off those two events, i loathed anything that had to do with me + my car put together. i told myself that i was NEVER going to go through those kinds of situations again. well, obviously God had other plans for me.

i can now say how thankful i am for each of the car events that happened from this week.
starting with the first, i came into the inspection facility with a sad and bitter attitude. i knew that my insurance was going to up, even when it was such a small accident. one of the employees who was going to inspect my car asked me to sit in the waiting room until further notice (he was busy with something at the time). i thought it would take a while, so i opened up my bible and read a couple chapters until the employee saw me and said, "hey, that's my favorite book ever! actually, that's the only book i read". i was delighted to see look of joy & excitement in his face.

as we went outside to get my car inspected, we both informed each other how we are christians, and he ended up sharing some wisdom and encouragement with me. we went from talking about how the bible is the only source we can put complete trust in since it is purely from the mouth of the Lord. he even called it "man's everyday manual"...or something like that. but what really stuck out to me when he shared was how we ought to be lights of this world. it's so crazy how he mentioned that since we had just gone over that during the retreat (a few days before this). he told me that how we're living our lives right now is not for ourselves. they're for God and to help others see that we're not of this world. by living in accordance to His word, people will notice how we handle difficult situations differently, how we find joy in all things. lastly, he added in that he was really thankful that the Lord happened to bring me on that day to the inspection facility and that he's always thankful when he meets a Christian at the office. i couldn't help but smile at the man who encouraged someone like me, whom he had just met.

gosh, i didn't deserve that...i came into that office with such an unthankful heart to the Lord. i knew it was my own fault in causing the accident, but i was still bitter. and yet He still chose to shower me with His blessings and grace. i realized that as a believer, i have a choice of my reactions to difficult/painful/ugly situations. if i didn't know the Lord, i would not have understood the point of this car accident and would continue complaining & be angry about it. when i left the facility, i prayed as i drove back repenting & with thanksgiving. i thought "ah, so my reaction to this whole car accident showed why we are set apart from this world". God continues to amaze me with His lovingkindness by revealing His purposefulness and intentions in every single circumstance. sure, it would've been nice to not have mindlessly backed into my housemate's car, or have to make my parents pay more for my insurance. but if it weren't for these [at the time] terrible situations, i would not have been able to recognize the ugliness within my own heart, the need to repent of my sinfulness, and the glorious and beautiful attributes of God. praise Him for extending grace upon wicked souls like myself, and praise Him for allowing His Spirit to constantly mold us and shape us into His likeness.

okay, this post took a lot longer than expected, so i'm going to have to finish up the next part when i have time.