some things can be passed off as coincidences
but some things cannot
it has to be the work of something greater
it has to be God sending you a powerful message
that is when you listen

now, in CJC, we have PE lectures
i know the idea is really strange but basically, it's like health class
they educate you on what is good for you and what's bad in terms of health
i know, sounds boring right?
it's just the kind of thing that people don't pay attention to
the kind of thing that can mask a good opportunity but many let it fly past
i'm glad i didn't let this one fly past
they talked about my pet subject: INJURIES and how to handle them
very very applicable to me (:
the PE teacher started off his lecture by asking a question:
IS PAIN GOOD OR BAD?
well, the automatic reaction was DUH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PAIN HERE!
then he said "WELL, I LIKE PAIN."
it stunned the hall into silence for, like, 2 seconds before everybody started calling him sadistic and jeering and whatnot
then he began to explain
surprise surprise, he explained it God's way
he told us the story of a leper and how she couldn't feel pain at all
leprosy basically attacks the peripheral nerves so that the leper cannot feel anything, pain or otherwise
the lecturer left me much to ponder upon

pain is, by no means, a bad thing
just like money isn't the root of all evil
after all, God created pain along with everything else
now we know that God creates things for our benefit
so why would we have to feel pain?
pain of any form is God's way of telling us we're going too far too fast for our own good
God doesn't give you pain or attack you in any way
but He allows us to experience pain
for the simple reason: so that we will learn, so that we wouldn't keep making the same mistake
therefore, the ability to feel pain is a blessing
we should be thankful that we're allowed to feel pain at all
a leper will never know when to stop doing something that hurts himself or herself because he or she has no idea what pain is
that is not to say that lepers are cast away from God
they are blessed by God in different ways
let's look at ourselves
so blessed, so fortunate and yet so unappreciative of what God has given
we should be thankful God has put something in us that tells us when to stop
we should be thankful that when we push ourselves too far, our body can tell us that we're going overboard
we should be thankful that when we go too far, we have His Spirit in us to guide our hearts back on the right path

on to all the "coincidental points":
#1: dealing with physical and emotional problems
#2: promising God i wouldn't succumb (refer to the last post)
#3: this enlightening PE lecture
#4: having the greatest bout of chest pain i've ever had a few hours after the lecture

i believe that the 4th coincidence was meant for me to put whatever God has told me into practice
is this too crazy a logic?
is it just too hard to see the blessing, the silver lining, the beauty of God's plan?
i believe the lecture was something to remind me and keep me going
the lecture was a blessing in itself, reminding me of God's grace
still can't see it?
there's something greater coming!
God allowed the pain, yes, no doubt
but the pain came less than 30 minutes after my A Level Chemistry SPA!
still don't see it?
the pain could've come in the morning and i would've been sent home and missed the SPA
the pain could've come during the SPA and i would've had to bear with it and probably do really badly
but the pain came after SPA
why?
because God is graceful
God even filled me with His peace and comforted me
yes, i can feel You right next to me
He also let me experience my friends comforting me

Dear God,
thank You for the pain and the ability to feel pain
thank You for letting the pain come at a time such that i was able to sit for the SPA
thank You for letting me feel Your comfort spiritually
thank You for giving me the opportunity to see Your glory
thank You for letting me see the beauty of Your plan
thank You for placing all those friends in school who comforted me
thank You for placing me in a cellgroup that has been real amazing
thank You for Peijun, Szern, Timo and Shuen who've been helping me through everything
i'm so blessed to have all these people and You in my life
i pray You'll bless them as You've blessed me
many things may happen, many things may change
but everything about You is just constant
from Your faith to Your timing to Your amazing, saving grace to Your unconditional love
after all i've done, what could be deserving of Your mercy?
the truth is that nothing i've done would ever be worthy
but still You choose to shower me with all i'll ever need in this world
everyone has been blessed, whether they realize it or not
my prayer is that You reveal the beauty of Your plan for all of us to all of us
at the same time, i pray we will be so hungry to seek You and Your plan for us that we look out for opportunities and look hard for the clues You give that declare Your awesome-ness
we're so blessed to even know You
i pray that everything that happens to us, every chapter of our story
will just emphasise and amplify to the world how amazing You are
You are amazing beyond comprehension, beyond what words can express
i love You
in Jesus name i pray
amen