终

I will be alright.

He will be alright too.

Father, I trust that you have led me all this way, and you have made me see love.

Now, give me the strength to still love, but in a different way.

Now, give me the heart to keep on praying, for the promised change.

Now, lead me further to trust in you and to kneel before your grace and power.

Lord, I thank you.

Wedding Dress

I once read:

The most painful thing is to wish for the happiness of the loved one you've lost. I once thought that was idiocy, for why not? Why can't you wish for the happiness of an impossible past?

What belongs to us will stay...what doesn't will not - it's plain truth. So why not leave in happiness?

I've now realized:

Being human limits so much of our innate abilities, and being human limits so much of our best wishes for each other. Human is helpless, and human is bound to sufferings. I have come to agree that letting the one you love slipping away is the most painful and inevitable thing, because it can't be help, because it can't be redeemed, and because it ought to be.

I'll need to realize:

It will be alright, eventually.

Maybe happiness is not the answer, but joy will be - joy of letting go.

If it is love, it will come around.

Conviction

I have always wanted to be a dancer.

Wait a minute, I mean a singer...

Mm...ok, maybe not a singer, an artist. (Yeah...that should be it...I think)

Having contemplated this for the past ...19 years of my life, I guess I'm back to square one - I DO want to be an artist. I no longer want to fight for ambitions that I cannot follow through, and I no longer want to seek curiosities that I cannot attain. I suppose it's like God, once you fall in love with Him, everything else becomes secondary.

It came to me in one specific moment when I saw the picture below. It hit me so hard that I'm now convicted - I want to be a background artist.

THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO WITH MY LIFE, THIS IS ME! AMEN!

A Love Letter from the Father

My Child,

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image.Genesis 1:2

In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring. Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb. Psalm 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born. Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me. John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. 1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. 1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Psalms 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you. Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession. Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvelous things. Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires. Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Revelation 21:3-4
And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being. Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. 1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. Romans 8:31-32
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. 1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7
I have always been Father, and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…Will you be my child? John 1:12-13
I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32

Love,
Your Dad
Almighty God

John 1:1-28

This is an update for those you who can read Chinese and are interested in a modern version of the Gospel. I decided to start with John, since it's the first Bible chapter that I have ever read.

I never knew translating the Bible can be such hard work...so, apologize if I make stupid mistakes or if it doesn't make any sense.

Gospel of John
(约翰福音)

第一章

当道成为了肉体

1始初，有着道。道和上帝是共同存在的， 然而道也就是上帝。2他，从一开始，也是与上帝同在的。3借着他的存在，所有的事物都被创造了； 没有他，所有被创造的事物也就不存在了。4生命是他的内存，而这生命也就是人们的光明。5这光明在黑暗中闪耀着，但黑暗却不能了解和接受它。

6上帝派遣了一个人，那个人名叫约翰。7他来到了这个世界是为了见证这个光明。因为他，所有的人便可以相信。8他自己并不是那光明；他的到来只是为了见证那光明。9那真正要照亮人世间的光明即将到来。

10他正生活在这个世界里。虽然他创造了这个世界，这个世界并不认识他。11他来到了属于自己的地方，但他自己的世界却没有接受他。12但对所有接受他，相信他名字的人，他给于了他们成为上帝儿女的权利 - 13不是因为情欲，不是因为人的意愿，而是因为上帝而出生的子孙。

14道成为了肉身，入住于了我们之中。我们也目睹过他的荣耀，那唯一饱满宽容和真实的上帝的儿子的荣耀。

15约翰为他做了见证。他呐喊到， “他就是我曾说过的，‘至我以后到来的他超越了我，因为他来自于也属于我的前方’”。16因为他的宽容，我们都领受了一次又一次的恩惠。17摩西传给我们的法律提到：宽容与真实来自于耶稣基督。没有人见过上帝，但是上帝身旁唯一的儿子将他告诉了世人。

约翰否认他是基督

19当耶路撒冷的犹太人们派祭司和利未去约翰那里问他的身分的时候，约翰给了他们以下的见证。20他没有隐瞒任何东西， 他自由地宣称，“我不是基督.”

21他们则是问道， “那你是谁? 你是以利亚吗?” 他回答说， “我不是.” 他们又问道，“那你是先知吗?” 他又回答说， “我不是.”

22终于他们问道, “那你是谁? 请给我们一个答案，这样我们可以回去告诉那些派我们来的人. 你自己说, 你是谁?”

23正如先知以赛亚所说的一样, 约翰回答说, “我是那旷野里那呐喊的声音, 呐喊着 ‘为主把那道路铺平吧!’”

24这时, 有些被派来询问他的法例赛人25问道, “既然你不是基督, 不是以利亚, 也不是先知, 那你为什么为人们洗礼呢?” 26约翰回答说, “我用水为人们洗礼, 但在你们当中站着一位你们不认识的人.27他将出现在我之后，但是我连替他解鞋带都不配.”

28这些都发生在约旦河外的伯大尼, 约翰正在那里替人施洗礼.

Beauty

From now on, I will be starting something new on my blog.
Every week, I'll be posting something that I found aesthetically interesting: Film reviews, Artworks, Photos, Songs - for the sake of my passion, and for the glory of our God.

Also, as some of you might know, I will be going to China this winter visiting my Grandma. Losing my Grandpa and knowing that he is not with Christ is a personal struggle for me, and because of that, I really hope to finish translating the Gospel chapters for my other relatives in China. I hope that through this process, they will at least be able to understand God's Words. (Since the latest version of the Chinese Bible is from the 1970s...and it's more like a King James version in English).

This is going to be a tough project on top of a lot of other things, so whether you believe in Christ or not, please just pray for me. I definitely need all your support and prayers, and I hope it will be another way for me to grow spiritually. Thank you all, <3!

Now, here's the art for this week, hope you enjoy:
(This is actually a photo of my friend Esther Chan and her boyfriend back home @ the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, photographed and copyrighted by Henry Wu.)