As I humbly bow at Your feet,
You cause me to soar above defeat.
I found gratefulness as one of the keys
to the door of happiness.
Though there's more to be achieved,
It's good to celebrate this current feat.
After all, the race is not always to the swift.
Gratitude can act as a switch
To turn from confusion to clarity,
From gloomy to bloomy,
From messy to orderly.
There must be something that
You should be grateful for, search within!

Touring goes beyond visiting places
It also includes meeting different faces
And yes, I saw a number of places & faces,
But there was this one face in particular
(She happened to be my tour leader)
There's a way she talks and smiles
simultaneously that's so spectacular
It comes out of her unforced, it's so natural

Knowledgeable, passionate, calm
And very compassionate she was.
She told stories of the different places
we visited fluently & impeccably
Severally, she pulled laughs out of me
And filled me back with delicious meals

An icing on the cake was hearing her
tell her own personal story
A story of resilience and bouncing back.
$30 in her pocket at age seventeen,
With no single English word in her mouth
She packed her backpack, moved from Asia to America alone, & the States did hit
her in the face with reality

Down times and low moments couldn't
keep her down, at least not for long
Uneasy but She fought & pushed through
Weathered the storm...
Became an Author (The $30 Journey),
a motivator & above all, a happy person.
She rubbed her joyfulness & positivity on me

It was a 3-day journey like none other,
I'm looking forward to another.

When I'm in your presence,
I present my presence
to you like a present,
Always mindful to be present
in every present moment.

How could I claim that I've laid down my life to You
When I'm still strongly holding on to it
My voice is the loudest in church on Sundays
But You only hear it once every 7 days
and even sometimes, I skip
****** words, frequently I speak
Is this really what Christianity means?
Social media has become my new bible
And I constantly meditate on what people think of me
Maybe that's why I try to please everyone
except The One who made me
Isn't that called misplaced priorities?
If this is your narrative as well,
This is to let you know that it's not too late
Merciful He is, wide open are His gates
Make a decision today, backed with actions
Remember Saul became the powerful Paul
He is always ready whenever you are!

Why do I spend so much time worrying
such that I do not hear that You're talking
I'm aware You hold me dear to Your heart
But it's like I'm closer to this pain than I am to You
I know I ought to regard every other thing a liar
& believe Your Word alone to be true
Maybe my faith is truly as small as a mustard seed
and my doubts as big as a mountain
Maybe I'm living inside my head instead
of living in Your Word
Maybe I'm relying on my own strength
instead of committing it all to You
I know of a fact that the blame is not Yours
But here's my hand, help me Lord!