Grateful for a season of rest

After a crazy half a year, finally, we have been resting more this month and are now looking forward to our amazing holiday in the States soon.

I know very surely that God planned this rest for us because He knows how taxed we have been physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually since October last year. I am thankful that God knows us well, He knows how much we can be stretched and He knows when we need our break. He will never put us through trials beyond what we can bear. There were so many moments when we felt we were at our breaking point, but never did we once really break.

Although I know that this season of rest may be short and temporary, it's good enough for me, to be given the opportunity to recover and rejuvenate. This rest is to prepare us for even more challenges ahead of us as a family.

We are amazed at how much God has grown us over the past 6 months. We have been stretched so much, like never before but it's also through the process that many parts of His Word came more alive to us. Guess that's how it is with spiritual growth. We need the real experiences in life to test and approve of the wonders of His Word. For that, we are deeply grateful.

Although I do have my questions for God about some issues which He has left open-ended for now, I hope and trust that I can continue walking faithfully until the day He chooses to make everything clear to me. It's so easy to allow our doubts/questions/uncertainties to cause us to lose focus on worshipping Him for who He is, the unchanging "I AM".

I have learnt more about perseverance through the spiritual battles and patience through unanswered prayers and questions. When God chooses to give me no answers for a season, can I still worship Him with all my hearts and press on in giving Him glory everyday? When God puts me through pain through no fault on my part, can I still praise Him for His goodness and unfailing love? Can I still love my neighbors? When there seems to be no end to stress and challenges, with no help in sight, can I still choose to trust that He will not let me down?

It is yet another season of learning Habbakuk 3:17-19 in a deeper way:

Habbakuk 3:17-19

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
    nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
    and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
    and there be no herd in the stalls,
 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
     I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
     he makes my feet like the deer's;
    he makes me tread on my high places.