Father's Love

Walaupun tidak ada dalam list, persiapan pernikahan mestinya juga menyangkut persiapan untuk hubungan intim antara suami isteri. Walaupun tidak dibicarakan, a bride to be must be thinking about this.

“Kita mampir sebentar ke rumahku ya”, sang calon pacar ngomong sambil belok ke sebuah perumahan di Surabaya Timur, ternyata menyembunyikan kejutan kalau saya akan dikenalkan ke anggota keluarganya!! Singkat cerita, sore itu saya langsung dikenalkan ke Mama dan adik dari sang calon pacar yang memang sedang ada di rumah. Sempat ngobrol sebentar sambil menunggu dia mengambil barang di kamarnya. Dalam hitungan menit, mini drama diakhiri dengan pamitan dan kami lanjut pergi jalan-jalan lagi…. Pertemuan itu singkat dan kelihatannya hanya sekedar ‘mampir’. Namun ternyata, belakangan ketika sudah jadi pacar, dia mengatakan kalau peristiwa itu sudah direncanakan. Supaya tidak terkesan kaku dan formal, dia mengajak ‘mampir’… jadi saya bisa santai dan bersikap apa adanya. Tidak perlu grogi atau sungkan karena mau ketemu “camer”. Wah….I really don’t know what to say…. Read more

S etahun terakhir, saya mendengar dan menyaksikan secara langsung 4 kisah pertunangan yang tidak berhasil lanjut sampai ke pelaminan. Seorang teman berkata, “Ngeri juga ya. Aku jadi takut.” Namun saya menguatkan hati dengan penuh kepercayaan kepada Tuhan. Berhasil atau tidaknya pertunangan saya, bukankah Tuhan tetap memegang kendali? When God is in control, what is there to be afraid of? He was, is, and will always be with us. Photo by Huffington Post Pasangan yang kelihatannya sudah pasti akan menikah bisa tiba-tiba putus hubungan. Semua vendor bisa di- cancel walaupun persiapan pernikahan telah matang. Gosip pun beredar. Air mata tercurah. Hidup makin terasa pahit dan sulit untuk dijalani. Bagaimana kita bisa menjalani hari-hari menanggung rasa sakit dan malu?

Beberapa waktu lalu aku sempat menuliskan kisah tentang pergumulanku mempersiapkan acara pertunangan. Sebenarnya persiapannya cukup simple, karena acara kami sederhana. Namun yang membuat saya bergumul setengah mati adalah karena Mama punya keinginan yang kuat, dan saya mati-matian menolaknya. Silakan  klik di sini  untuk baca keseluruhan kisahnya ya. Saya rasa pada umumnya banyak kok yang mengalami hal seperti ini. Di satu sisi ada impian dan keinginan pribadi yang ingin diwujudkan di hari bahagia, di sisi lain ada kehendak orang tua yang sepertinya mau nggak mau harus diikuti. However, I am so thankful to experience this. Bisa berdebat dengan Mama juga merupakan suatu berkat tersendiri. Itu membuktikan kedekatan kami juga, sehingga kami berdua bebas menyatakan pendapat dan perasaan masing-masing. Moreover, what was happened does not set us apart. Instead, we get closer as a mother and a daughter. Bukan karena saya cukup dewasa, melainkan karena kasih setia Tuhan dalam ...

Yesterday I helped my roommate to pack up her things. She moved out for a happiness. Tomorrow will be her wedding day! I had been excited until she left. I looked around my room and felt loss. For the second time in my life, on the same date, April 28, I have to let someone go. On April 28, three years ago, I lost my dad but life must go on. I missed him and I miss him. But what could I do?  On July 2013, I moved to Palembang and started to have a new roommate. We were not close at the beginning, but as the days went by, we got closer and became best friend. I was blessed to have her by my side. However, I could not have her as my roommate for forever, right? Now she is tying the knot. Time flies really fast. People walk in and out in our lives. I wonder when will I lose someone again. Soon or later, no one will stay forever by my side. But The Lord was, is, and will always be with me. When I moved out from my house to go to college, He was with me. When I went to othe...

Sebagai perempuan muda yang normal, seringkali saya merasa tidak punya baju, sekalipun saya tahu ada banyak orang di luar sana yang bajunya cuma sepotong dua potong. Berulang kali saya kuatir, mau pake baju apa ya? Kok kayaknya koleksi saya kurang fabulous, kurang fashionable. Tapi nggak mungkin juga saya shopping baju tiap bulan. Banyak kebutuhan lain yang jauh lebih penting daripada baju. Sadar tidak sadar, rasanya baju yang saya kenakan menentukan apakah saya tampil cantik atau tidak. Lalu saya menjadi kuatir kalau baju saya biasa-biasa, modelnya bukan yang lagi booming. Kan kelihatannya gimana gitu. Apalagi saya ini guru. Mesti tampil cantik dong di depan ortu murid. Jauh sebelum saya atau perempuan-perempuan lain kuatir akan apa yang akan kita kenakan, Tuhan Yesus sudah ngomong duluan. Dia sudah bahas isu ini.  Matius 6:28-30 (TB)  Dan mengapa kamu kuatir akan pakaian ? Perhatikanlah bunga bakung di ladang , yang tumbuh tanpa bekerja dan tanpa memin...

Note: I wrote this post to other single ladies who struggle to keep their heart focus on their Heavenly Husband while they are waiting for the ones God has prepared. One thing that I struggle so much as I become an adult is relationship with man. I know for sure that now is not the right time for me to get into a courtship. It does not mean I have not experience it before. I have experienced and failed. I don't want to experience it again. Instead, I wan to focus my heart and mind to Jesus Christ. I must let Christ be my everything, my center of life first. I have to set the boundaries so that I might not involve in any love-relationship until God Himself brings me to my Adam. But, to guard my heart is quite hard.

Dua tahun yang lalu, pada suatu hari Minggu pagi, aku melihat teman sekamarku berdandan dengan sangat rapi dan anggun. Nggak tahu kenapa, di mataku dia kelihatan seperti "Ibu Gembala" atau istri pendeta. Pokoknya kelihatan terhormat, cantik, anggun, rapi, enak dipandang. Hehe... Sejak saat itu, aku suka memanggilnya dengan sebutan "Ibu Gembala" sampai sekarang. Dia nggak mau kalah dong... Tiap kali kusapa, dia akan membalas, "Ya, Ibu Gembala Senior." Setelah itu kami tertawa bersama.

My tears dropped as I read this article . Somehow I remember Romans 8:38-39 that God had put it into my heart for these past two years. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God. And there is no condemnation for those believe in Christ.

"Ce, yapa seh nglupano mantan pacar? " (yang nanya orang Surabaya) . "Ci, gimana sih nglupain mantan pacar?" "Gimana sih kak caranya nglupain mantan?" Yah, intinya sih belakangan aku jadi sering ditanya bagaimana caranya melupakan mantan pacar. Jadi supaya tidak berbusa karena berkali-kali menjawab, sebaiknya ditulis aja di sini :) Ini sih berdasarkan pengalaman pribadi, bukan kebenaran mutlak, tapi aku jamin bisa membantu karena sudah dipraktikkan. Bukan berarti aku sukses sempurna lo ya. Sebaliknya aku pun jatuh dan gagal berkali-kali dalam hal melupakan mantan pacar ini. Tapi toh akhirnya bisa juga dengan kasih karunia Tuhan dan ketaatan! So, let's check it out!

As for me, it was hard to wake up around 7 AM on this morning. I slept late because I had to submit my SKRIPSI on the afternoon yet it had not finished. I did not feel well yet I did not sick. There’s should be an Asian History class in the morning. We already planned to watch Mahatma Gandhi but I felt so weak physically and my spirit just broken. I did not go. Instead, I kept lying on my bed with a head worrying about SKRIPSI and did not know what to do. At 9 AM, Silvi came to my room with pancakes for me. It was surprised me because she supposed to watch Mahatma Gandhi. She said that her SKRIPSI-supervisor asked her to submit her SKRIPSI on Wednesday (3/13/13), therefore she asked permission to not watch because she needed more time to work on her SKRIPSI. She reported to our lecturer that I was sick and would watch the Mahatma Gandhi with her later (after Wednesday). I felt blessed as she came to my room. It was not about the pancakes yet I loved it, but her gentle care tow...

Few weeks ago, two sisters and I talked about a brother in our church. In our sights, he is so perfect. He is a godly man that every single-Christian-woman might dream about. I agree with them. Then one of the sisters said, “But, is he too perfect? Imagine, how can we marry someone like him? We are broken-hearted girls. Will he accept a girl like us to be his spouse someday?” I was kept silent. I did not know the answer until I shared our conversation to my accountability partner. “He is a sinner, Novi,” she said. “When you see him so perfect, it is not him that you see, but Christ, the perfect God, that lives in him.” That’s definitely true. “Then, if he is so perfect, just like Jesus, will it be possible that he accepts a broken-hearted girl like one of us? I mean, he is sooooooo godly.” “If he as perfect as our God, he must be merciful and able to forgive his future wife’s sins in the past.” “How if the sin is relate to a sexual relation? It is really serious. Will he fo...

I found this flowchart when Ps. Seth tweeted it. It can be helpful for young and single ladies like me, who "galau" sometimes. Instead of text "him", why don't text Jesus, the only one who died for us because of His great love? No man ever showed me such a great love! Well, this flowchart is not made based on the Bible, but someone's experience. So just enjoy it and be patient as you wait for your prince in shining armor. Enjoy your single-life as God-given's grace!   Should I Text Him? Flowchart infographic by beccaclason . 

I think the biggest good news for Christmas season is reconciliation that Jesus brought. God's idea of reconciliation had been prepared even before Israel became a nation. It started by the time God called Abraham. I believe that God determined the people in the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah purposefully. These sinners below were chosen to show us how great is His love for the sinners!

I met a friend last week and he told me about his worry about finance. He said that a labor's wage now is about 2.2 million rupiah. A labor is not educated. My friend will have double degree in computer and mathematics but he might be paid for ONLY 2.7 million rupiah during 1.5 years of work after he graduates next year. It seems very unfair. He said, " Two point seven million rupiah for a month to live in Lippo Karawaci? That's impossible! How can I survive? For my room I have to pay 1.7 million. Then, I only have 1 million for other needs? 1 million for food, transportation, and other daily needs?? How can I live??"

Seminggu yang lalu secara tidak sengaja aku menemukan buku ini di Times Bookstore diobral sampai tinggal Rp 10000,-!!! Harga aslinya tuh Rp 120000,- lo.. haha... Gak pake lama, langsung dibeli! Hehe... Apalagi workbook-nya pas tinggal 2 eksemplar doang. Kalo nunda-nunda lagi belinya, keburu diborong orang.

Sudah pindah kamar bukan berarti pelayananku sebagai supervisor berakhir. Selama supervisor baru belum muncul, at least sampe 30 Juni, aku tetep bertanggung jawab atas kamar 503-504 sekalipun sekarang sudah pindah ke lantai 4 dan anak-anak yang tinggal di sana jelas bukan anak-anakku.

Beberapa waktu lalu dalam Morning Devotion, Pak Erwin sempat membagikan renungan mengenai "jatuh cinta yang salah". Renungan ini diambil dari kisah cinta Amnon dan Tamar dalam 2 Samuel 13. Sayangnya waktu itu aku gak nyatet sama sekali. Tapi aku masih ingat poin-poinnya. Berikut aku coba uraikan ya pelan-pelan, supaya kita tahu jatuh cinta yang salah itu seperti apa dan apa pula dampaknya.

Very recommended Christian Online Magazine for girls: http://www.setapartgirl.com//home_files/widget1_markup.html

This past week, I really curious about everything that Eric and Leslie Ludy wrote. They are husband and wife who have published eighteen books. Their most famous book is When God Writes Your Love Story (available in Indonesian translation). I want to read that book but can't find anybody who have it. Maybe I'll buy it later. They wrote many things that teach young men and young women how to live a Christ-centered life. I am interested in Leslie's online magazine (which is free! haha...). It titled Set Apart Girl. You can read it by  Click Here . [I am rebuked by the article about Unhealty Blogging and want to recheck how I have been blogging. Am I really glorify God or glorify myself behind the spiritual things that posted on my blog?] Actually I was reading the first chapter of Set Apart Feminity in Times Bookstore (they sell a lot of imported books from America!). She wrote that as Christians, we should be set apart from the pattern of this world. It means that the...