Check - Up

Health is definitely one of the few possessions any person would cherish dearly in life and care for with utter attention. No one can feel your pain, ache or problem except you...and it is you, once feeling any unease, who decide it is time for a close check up...time for a doctor visit. It still amazes me is when some people recognize the pain, yet decide NOT to go to the doctor. You see them not feeling well, and they might even talk about the "not in shape mode", but still they resist the idea of a check up. Their reasoning in 90% most of the time "I know what I have, and I know what the doctor will tell me...he tells me the same every time..stop this and that, eat well, sleep well, change your lifestyle...I know it all!...Don't worry I ll do it myself." That's the moment they realize how a doctor visit induces a Reality check and a CALL for Commitment that some try avoiding under the pretentious reasoning of knowing it all...and a run-away from a sooner than later intervention...where a later intervention...might be just a little bit TOO late!

I admit I do the same with my heavenly Doctor...I shy away from sitting closely one to one with Him, allowing a needed check up. I might know what is going wrong in my veins of faith or my muscular tissues of inner peace, but still I prefer not to ask for this check up..as I just fear commitment, I fear Change I can't handle, I fear failing to follow His prescriptions......and to avoid it...I simply act "normal" and don't tell Him about it...Better keep it for myself..I know what He will tell me...!!

David knew the Heart of His creator..and knew that only Him, the Doctor of it all, can work His healing and show the way...He calls Him to test his heart..and thought:

 "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV)
اختَبِرني يا اللهُ واعرِفْ قَلبي. امتَحِنّي واعرِفْ أفكاري. وانظُرْ إنْ كانَ فيَّ طَريقٌ باطِلٌ، واهدِني طَريقًا أبديًّا. (139 المَزاميرُ:23-24 AVDDV)

Only then I realized a big difference: when one leaves the doctor clinic, he faces the change alone...and is asked to commit alone..a road that might seem tough..and better to avoid. While with HIM, we are never left alone...we leave His clinic with the promise and fact that He walks with us and talks with us..."You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts from far away. You know where I go and where I lie down. You know everything I do. Lord, you know what I want to say, even before the words leave my mouth. Your Spirit is everywhere I go. I cannot escape your presence.You will take my hand and lead me. Your strong right hand will protect me". (Psalms 139:2-4, 7, 10 ERV) I thank you For showing me the way...for Saying I AM THE WAY..and FOR YOUR SPIRIT who makes my walk to healing a commitment..it makes it YOUR Commitment..and Unfailing commitment..and that's THE big difference!

Did you do your check-up lately? May be December is a good month...

Once a Week

Sundays..the source of energy to go on...
Talking about efficiency and effectiveness, imagine this conversation:
Someone asking me: "So, what do you do to improve your aspects of life?"
me answering "Easy...i do it all..here it goes:
For studies, i study once, Monday afternoon
Muscles, i go to the gym once, Tuesday afternoon
Guitar, i play once, Wednesday afternoon
Diet, yes, sure i take care of my weight, i m on diet once Thursday afternoon
Kids and wife, i spend time with them, dedicate an afternoon on Friday
Parents, i give sometime once on Saturday
Prayer and my soul and God, no worries, i give Him An hour once on Sunday!!!"

What would i be getting outof that? I guess nothing at all...an hour a week doesnt take you far! It might give you a reason to tick the box and give yourself peace of mind! For impact to show in your life, you need to dedicate and commit to hard work. I have read a very interesting passage in a book written by Robin Sharma..he talk about hard work "i believe that good things happen to thoses willing to in the effort, exercise discipline and make the sacrifices that personal and professional greatness requires. Hard work opens the doors and shows the world that you are serious about being one of those rand and special human beings that uses the fullness of their talents for the highest and very best".

Are you content with your Sunday hour?! I guess we will be missing a lot if we only stop there.

From Crawling to Sprinting!

Just watching some old clips of my kids made me feel "nostalgic" to their first couple of years..when they had their two two front teeth phase, with exploding cheeks.."ya khwaty 3awzeen yetaklo" as said by all the "tante(s)" we met when they squeezed these cheeks in their hands. This other phase of talking so funny words...some of them linger to this day.."Ya banat esmo super market..mesh super martek"...not mentioning the ongoing fight to convince them that when they talk to me they should say "enta" mesh "enti". those with kids understand these phases, love them, cherich each of them, and know that this process of growing is a journey with its beauty on every step of the way..

However, when it comes to our faith, and commitement..we do sometimes forget these phases...we suddenly want to jump from crawling to sprint..from not knowing to mastering..we want to get there..being the "perfect christian" we want to be..without accepting the phases we should go through! Imagine if Leila realized that she didnt speak well at the age of 2 and decided to let go because speaking is not her thing..she is not made for that..imagine if farida decided that walking is made for someone else not her, just because she fell every time she started her walking experience..imagine what they would have missed..or imagine my pain as a father seeing them letting go..ans I know and i Told them they CAN walk..and they CAN talk..I thank God they believed my words..and went patiently through their growth phase!

Friends, do not let go of the gifts, promises our Father prepared and made for us..just accept your phases of faith..just accept your crwaling moments..above all accept the moment of falling, but get up and try again..dont stay down there..you will soon be walking..you will soon be running..and guess what...people around you will hold your cheeks, wil lift you up..will hold your hand..until they see you sprinting in the path of faith..they will love seeing you grow..and seeing you INSPIRING! Francis chan wrote it well "I don't want to keep crawling, when I have the ability to fly".

Come on, lets start this journey together!

Define the Relationship

All you need is a Decision! I wanna take you further in this thought..i am just imagining on the 8th of July 2004, standing in el batrakhana, i decided in front of everyone to marry Aline..it was our wedding day, we both took the decidion and here we start a relationship...imagine if after our wedding ceremony and the party and el kosha wel buffet, wel ma3azim..i go back home with my parents and she does the same and continue our lives normally the following days..did we decide? YES..but do we live iur marriage..do we live the commitement? NO..simply NO. Decision needs COMMITMENT to be a reality!

I am reading an amazing book now, i will share some thoughts with you, it talks about the DTR (defining the relationship..zat moment lamma el bent to2olak..ehna mawkefna eih fel mougtam3). It is the official talk that takes place at some point of time in a romantic relationship to define the level of commitement!

It is the same with Him..are we just fans (mo3gabeen) of Christ or real committed followers? I quote here from the book "The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but arent actually interested in following Christ. They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them."

Are you a fan or a follower?

Just Do It!

Is it really really important to sit everyday and have my time of prayer..sit with Him everyday? Tab youm wa7ed kefaya?..youmein tayeb? La2? Tab nos sa3a fel marra? Tab abl el akl ba3d el akl?! Everyone asked himself these questions one day..and I say, it depends what do you want out of this relationship. Before any of you decide to embark and commit to something, you know exactly what you are aiming for and the size of your desire defines the size of your prize and impact..just ask the ones who lost 10s of kilos in diet and what it did to their life, ask the ones who wake up everyday to go to the gym and see their shape and health trun for the better, the ones that quit smoking, ask the ones who commit to their studies ans make it through to the university..and yes, the ones that always get promted and grow in their carrers. Just ask yourself, in what were you committed and what did you get out of it. 

Your commitment is fuelled by what you will get at the end...let me ask you one thing: do you really want to see all God's promises turned to reality in your lives..do you the amazing fullfilment He promised..His promises are beyond any imagination..but for those who seek Him and really Love Him...those who come to HimI love those who love me, and those who look for me will find me. Those who find me find life, and the Lord will reward them. (Proverbs 8:17, 35 ERV)..and he is waiting with Open arms..in fact, He will Run to you just seeing there in the horizon coming to Him..yes he wil run to you as He did to "el ebn el dal" 

So he got up and came to his [own] father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity and tenderness [for him]; and he ran and embraced him and kissed him [fervently]. (Luke 15:20 AMP). 

Just decide today..and Commit..and be amazed! Are you ready? Or will you just accept the minimal outcome that "yadobak" keeps you going. Decide and commit! You have done it somtime in your life before...Just Do it!