My testimony and prayer for you!

I haven't blogged in about a month. Literally, I have been working day and night on various deadlines, projects, and commitments. I'm exhausted. I still have a number of things to do before I go to Taiwan for a two-week vacation.

Reflecting about the last month, I must say that it's a miracle how calm and collected I've been thus far. During this period, I did snap at my sister once--and we got into our first argument (since she's moved in with me). But she was gracious enough to calm down first and approach me with kind words--and we settled the matter and fell asleep without an inch of anger.

Come to think of it, there was another time when I was particularly irritable. I was deciding where to eat. This should have been a fun task since I hadn't gone out on a Friday night in a while, my sister was coming along, and I hadn't seen Irene for quite some time. Instead, the whole affair started to feel like an inconvenience but I caught myself, knowing that my attitude was not only annoying but hurtful.

Okay, I began my reflection by thinking that I was calm and collected. But upon further thought, my over-all state of calmness and collectedness is a Christmas miracle. There were too many times I could've snapped and took out my stress on people. But thanks to God and people's prayers, I've been fine and okay all this time. I know that without God in my life, I would've been anxiety-driven, swept away, and buried under my work. I would've been an impossible person to live with, and I'd hate myself for it and end up isolating myself. I know this because I was that person once. Before I was a Christian, I think I was was born with the curse of anxiety. Anxiety followed me like a terrible dark cloud and to make things worse, back then my parents were often moody and irritable reinforcing my natural tendency to stress. But now the peace of Christ characterizes my life (and my parents life!) I realize the mood of this blog is darker than what I had intended, especially in light of Christmas. But this is what's been going on in my life and I am compelled to pray for you!

Brothers and sisters, may the peace of Christ pervade your life! Even when things are tough, I hope you will taste his sweet water. This is my prayer for you!