Rooted and Built up in Christ

Psalm 23 is probably the most popular book of the bible, I'm sure even some non-christians know it by heart. Today, I was having a conversation with my mum that opened my eyes to interpret verse 1 of this psalm differently. The New Living Translation of verse 1 reads, "The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need". So as my mum and I were discussing, she says, "God is your shepherd so you lack nothing, if you ever think you lack something then you don't need it". Wow! Simple as these words were, they were still so profound because for the past few months, I've been burdened by fear, worry, and uncertainty as I've thought about my future. I'm nearing the end of my masters program so I've started job hunting and just in general planning for next steps, but because these past 5 years of my life have been so tumultuous in regards to my career progress, hitting one road block or the other due to my status as an international student, that feeli

Last week was a very tumultuous one to say the least. From losing a high school friend to dealing with conflict in a relationship to disappointment about a performance on a test. Like me, we've all had a fair share of dealing with life's struggles, which sometimes leaves us wondering, "why me?"or "why do bad stuff happen to good people?", questions we'll probably never know the full answers to till we get to ask God face to face. However, I remember last week in the midst of everything happening, God reminded me about the story of Job  (I've linked an interesting summary of the story for your reference), a righteous man who loved and honored God. In fact, God personally described him as "blameless- a man of complete integrity" (Job 1:8). Job was a man of such high-standing before God, the devil had to take permission from God to test him because the devil believed the reason why Job was faithful to God was because of his blessings; Job was

The tightness in your chest, like something heavy is weighing against it. The feeling of hopelessness, unworthiness, worthlessness, frustration, confusion...Depression; it manifests itself in ways, sometimes, words can't express. We've all been there before or maybe you're even going through it right now. As much as we Christians don't like to admit it, depression is real. Many times, we confuse faith with denial. But refusing to acknowledge something isn't faith, that's fake. Furthermore, how can restoration and healing start when we live in denial? So, "what's the alternative?" you may ask. Number one is acknowledgement. Before I started writing this post, the first thing I asked myself and even researched was, "why did God give us emotions?". If it wasn't okay to feel certain emotions, why did God give them to us in the first place? Asking these questions also brought to mind something I learned from a book I read recently, which i

"Don't get tattoos, Don't get piercings" the religious folks would say. But God has them. The only difference between Jesus' tattoos and piercings and most people's is that His aren't frivolous. They hold great value and are symbolic of His love for us. I must also add that His piercings aren't cute either. He went to great lengths to get them on Calvary's cross. The crown of thorns on His head, the nails in His hands, the nails in His feet, the spear in His side...He did it all for you. In chaotic times like this, when we feel alone, forgotten, and helpless, I hope this image remains clear in our heads. God loves us. I pray that we come to understand how far-reaching, deeply intimate, and endless this love is in this season (Ephesians 3:18-19 TPT). "But Dara, I've lost my job. I'm depressed. I'm hungry. I'm frustrated". God sees you. He has tattooed your name on His palms and you're always on His mind (Isaiah 49

The media does what it does best, which is, sell fear. Let's be real, how often do we hear good news on the news? From health to politics to the economy to immigration, you name it, it's all negative. So, in the midst of all these happenings, especially in light of the corona virus, just wanted to remind you that as believers we are covered. This is not to downplay the situation or say you shouldn't do what you're supposed to do like eating healthy, staying hydrated, and washing your hands, but this is to say don't give in to fear. With schools getting shut down, grocery stores running out of supplies, and workplaces switching to working remotely, it is very easy to cave in. But as believers, we must learn to take our stand in situations like this. The scripture that readily comes to mind about protection in times like this is Psalm 91. Please take time to meditate on the entire chapter but I will share a few of my favorite verses below to encourage you. 1. Go

The end of the year is usually a reflective time for all of us. We would use different adjectives to try to qualify what the year has been, and as I scheme my mind to find an adjective to qualify mine, words fail me.  2019 started on a very rough note. I graduated with my masters in August of the previous year, and had received an offer to work for an organization I was so excited about. But my excitement was cut short by some of the challenges international students face in the U.S. The protocol here is that you apply for your work authorization document 90 days before graduation or 60 days after, and the normal processing time to receive the document after you turn in your application is usually no more than 90 days. I applied for mine well in advance of graduation, sometime in June. However, for whatever reason, I did not receive my work authorization card until sometime in February, 238 days/8 months later. Those 238 days were some of the hardest times of my life. I mean I had