The Road Less Traveled

by Janielle Beh on Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 11:42pm

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

By Robert Frost (1874-1963)

Beauty Isn't Haphazard

by Janielle Beh on Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 10:53pm

Colours, shapes and patterns fascinate me.

I love photography, so I tend to look out for things in a perspective that may be totally different from someone who may simply pass it by and miss an extraordinary detail or scene.

Because I love colours, shapes, patterns and all things alive, I can spend ages in the garden or some natural setting taking macro photos of flowers and insects. I used to spend nearly 2 hours on many afternoons after I'd finish my studies or music, just basking in the sun and looking at the tiniest spaces of the garden in search of anything specially unusual and beautiful. Most people won't have the patience to hunch over a little seemingly insignificant flower or spider for a long period of time. But it is through the lens that I can appreciate the unbelievable intricacies of a simple flower. And I love love love it!

Symmetry and balance fascinates me to no end. Every time I go back to nature, I can't help but wonder how such a beautiful, extraordinary, living thing can grow out of mere soil. How? I'm at a loss for words. How..?

How does one plant have five perfectly symmetrical petals and another have six? Or twenty four? Its perfectly balanced and shapely and beautiful. The same goes with insects. Even the common, boring, loathsome house fly or mosquito has a structure that is worth examining. I can go on being amazed my entire life!

When an artist sets out to paint a beautiful portrait, he does not just swish a whole lot of colours onto the canvas haphazardly. There is a plan. A sketch. Then hours and hours of imagination, painstaking detail in delicate brush strokes and careful touch-ups. Beauty is not haphazard. It cannot occur by chance. That is impossible!

Yet we think, while nature is beautiful and glorious, it is also terrifying and unpredictable. How do we weigh this antithesis and make sense of this beautiful yet terrible world we live in?

That is the question. I am afraid to answer it because then I might go on forever and still not come up with something that will satisfy my soul!

Then I remember the verse in the Bible where the Apostle Paul says, 'I planted, and Apollos watered, but it is God who gives the increase.'

Wow. There you go. That is enough to satisfy the first bit of my question. It is GOD who makes it grow! We may plant a seed, water it, and the sun shine on it, but ultimately it is GOD who gives the increase. Who provided the DNA for a 5 petal flower? Or a brilliant yellow for the sunflower? Or the delicate, soft texture of the petal? You know the answer.

Beauty is not haphazard. It cannot occur by chance. Symmetry, order and balance comes from a master design. No doubt. I'm inclined to think, after all I've seen, that there was a master plan.

And you know what, the key to understanding the beauty and unpreditability of our world is to remember this:

THERE IS STILL A MASTER PLAN.

~ j a n i e ll e

Preconceptions

by Janielle Beh on Friday, July 15, 2011 at 8:12pm

None of us are free from preconceptions and prejudices.

We ourselves are influenced by our own preconceptions of other people. I despise the fact that no matter how often we remind ourselves that we should not 'judge a book by it's cover,' it is still inevitable that we will end up falling into the same trap time and again.

Why do we have all these prejudices and misconceptions and stereotypes of the people and the world around us?

We are all brought up in unique circumstances. We all have different parents who will instill in us unique values and ideas. All these shape our thinking and the way we ultimately respond to the world around us.

It is vital that what enters our thoughts, and what moulds our thinking, is sound and true. If we are absorbing distorted half-truths and misconceptions, we will view the world through hazy, dirty lenses. But if our thoughts, ideas and judgments are founded on solid truth and on godly values, we will view the world through God's perspective and live applying wisdom.

~ j a n i e ll e

Stand Your Ground

by Janielle Beh on Friday, July 15, 2011 at 12:24am

'Put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to STAND YOUR GROUND. And having done everything, to stand.' Ephesians 6:13

That is the ultimate call. What's so difficult about simply 'standing'?

In this day and age, everyone is constantly being tossed to and fro by the media, by trends, by the opinions and patterns of this world. We are a distracted lot. What do you really stand for?

Few people have true convictions. We are all being tossed to and fro by mere feelings and emotions that influence our thoughts and actions in the spur of the moment. But what is the unwavering truth that we should stand by in spite of all our emotions and all the distractions we face?

We are not called to go with the flow. Just because the vast majority of young people today enjoy listening to Lady Gaga doesn't mean that's its necessarily good music. Just because everyone accepts something to be the 'norm' doesn't mean it is acceptable and pleasing in God's eyes.

The hardest thing about standing your ground is to stand ALONE. What does is feel like to be the only person speaking out and standing up? Frankly one would imagine it to be embarrassing and quite frightening. But we do not truly stand alone, although physically it seems we are.

It baffles me to think that Jesus, despite all the wonderful miracles he performed, despite the words of Truth, His love for the people in the shadows, was ultimately rejected and crucified by the world, even by the people who knew the good things he did. A servant is not greater than his Master. If Jesus suffered these things, do we expect any less?

Do we expect to lively successfully this side of heaven and compromise the truth we are meant to live by and speak of? Can we expect to comfortably live each day going about our plans, without our friends ever knowing the Hope that we have in Christ? Do we expect to not be ridiculed and persecuted for our belief & our testimony of faith in Jesus?

If we are not facing opposition by the world, that means we are living too comfortably. We are compromising, we do not even realize that we've already begun to fraternize with the enemy. The deception does not occur brazenly, it creeps in ever so subtly. Christians who are half asleep, and spiritually starved will not realize it. That is the danger. We no longer stand our ground when we are not watching and alert.

Having done everything, our call is to stand. In everything we do, remain steadfast in Christ. First things first and the rest will come. Do not worry what the world thinks, for this world is soon passing away. Cling on to the things eternal, not the things temporal. Stand your ground by standing firm on a faith that is founded not on shifty emotions, but on the unwavering Truth.

~ j a n i e ll e

THERE IS MORE - joyceshamini :)

by Janielle Beh on Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 1:10am

'It’s all VERRRRYYYY exciting, how I’m being made to repeat elementary spiritual
lessons now after all those years of being a Christian. I’ll follow  Him wherever He takes me! I really believe that anything could be worked out now, as long as we REMAIN in Him. Live, breathe, laugh, cry, work, operate in Him.

I wonder, why does He say that APART from Him we can do NOTHING? I daresay many have
achieved many things without God. So it can only mean that THERE IS MORE. Imagine putting so much effort and yielding results and yet have your yields labelled ”nothing” in the end. Yer. And so Lord, once again, I enthrone You Lord in everrrrryyyyyyy
branch of my life.

Oh and I admit my stupidity more so You would come teach me
more!'

~ joyce shamini :)

P a s s i o n

by Janielle Beh on Sunday, July 10, 2011 at 10:46pm

Few people have true passions in the journey of life. We often stumble onto something that catches our eye for a moment, but then we do not really find the passion, dedication and courage to pursue it further.

A passion for something, someone or a cause is what drives our life. Unlike mere animals, we are unique individuals created for a unique purpose. No two persons will pursue the exact same thing. Each one goes through experiences unique to themselves. We were made to live for something, for someone.

Since the Fall, men have made the diabolical mistake of living for THEMSELVES. Ever since, we have all been ensnared in the same trap and deception. We THINK we will find happiness, purpose and passion by living for ourselves, by pursuing success, by seeking an ideology, or pursuing a person we admire, and chasing after the things of this world.

But no, we have missed the point, friends! We were created to seek something beyond ourselves. We were made to live our lives not for ourselves or for this temporal world, but for God! And here's where the deception of all time creeps in. We think that to give our lives to this faraway Creator is to relinquish our freedom, our free will, our identity, our uniqueness. But no, oh no! We are so terribly mistaken!

It is when we give up our lives BACK to the One who is the Source, that we FIND our true identity and passions in life. When we hold back and try to conjure happiness and success by living for ourselves and the things of this world, we are in actual fact hindering ourselves from discovering our true passions and purpose in life. Surely, a nail cannot help a hammer do what's its meant to do, but the person HOLDING it can. If we're looking to all these other temporal things for help to discover our passion and purpose in life, we're looking in the wrong direction. Only the inventor knows best what his invention was created for and what it can do!

What are the passions in your life? If you have some in mind, surrender it back to the One who gave it to you & in that, you will find greater freedom to pursue your passion because you will then see the bigger picture!

If you can't exactly think of one that is really driving your life, then ask God. He will know. Maybe we've all been searching in the wrong places and asking the wrong people who are also sadly lost themselves!

True purpose comes when true passion is unleashed. Apart from God, we can do nothing. All is vanity if nothing is done for God's glory!

~ J a n i e ll e B e h

A b i d e

by Janielle Beh on Wednesday, July 6, 2011 at 10:59pm

Jesus said, 'If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you.' John 14:7

IF you abide in Me.

When we pray are we merely asking for what we THINK we want, or what we know GOD desires? In the first place, if I am not abiding in Christ, how can I know what He wills?

We are not supposed to be asking blindly. If God's words remain in us, what we ask for will be in line with His good purpose. The confusion and disappointment comes when we are asking the wrong thing, THINKING that it is the right thing, because we do not have God's Word hidden in our hearts.

That is the danger. Not when we ask the wrong thing, but when we think it is right and continue in our blindness. When we come back to the truth, God's Word always exposes what is in the darkness. It is never too late to make a new prayer.

If we abide in Him and His word is in us, we WOULD be living in accordance with God's will and purpose. And whatever we ask will be given, because as the next verse says, 'this is to the Father's glory.' Not our own. Not for our selfish benefit.

The problem arises when people treat God like some gumball-machine. Or come to Him when its convenient. Or when they are ALREADY in deep trouble. Its never too late, but why wait till disaster strikes when you can start now & perhaps avoid falling into such a situation?

First of all, abide in Christ. Sigh, but with all our distractions & a million preoccupations, that is really the hardest thing to do.

~ j a n i e ll e

F a k e r s

by Janielle Beh on Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 11:25pm

Genuineness is scarce,
Authenticity is rare.
Fakers are rampant,
Artificiality is rife.

Counterfeits everywhere,
Originals too rare.
Imitations seem alright,
Can't tell black from white.


We can't tell no more! Only discerning individuals who hide the truth in their hearts, minds and souls will be able to see clearly the difference between honesty and hypocrisy, authenticity and artificiality, truthfulness and fallacy.

Do you have the Truth?

We all have disguises. We all have different faces. Some are granted, some are not. It is a dangerous business. Having various facades for various people or places. After a while we might not be able to distinguish the real thing from the fake countenance. Then we're doomed. Because in all that pretending, we've lost ourselves. The real me. The real you. Doesn't matter if the real me and you is horrible and shameful. As long as you dare own up to it before God and strip off the facade, you will find again the true you.

You don't want to die an imitation.

~ J a n i e ll e