Stinky Workday & Carolling Fun

Well the weekend lasted two days but felt more like five. It's already midnight and my eyes are screaming at me but I've got to keep the blogging alive!

Saturday night was one of the worst nights in my life. I worked in New York City at some Christmas party and had to wear......

These horrendous things for seven hours straight!

By the end of the first hour, my toes were completely swollen. In two hours, they were purple and I couldn't feel much anymore. Each step sent shooting pain up my ankles.

I know your next question is probably "do they really pay that much that you'd be willing to undergo such torture?"

Yeah... NO.

In my opinion, the pay doesn't properly compensate for the emotional (more on that later) and physical trauma I had to go through. But what can I do? This is the fate of the worker in our economic system- to accept your job as it is with all its ills or be fired and earn $0.

The whole night through, I felt as if I was whining and complaining like a baby. At times the pain was so intense that I just felt like crying in a corner. Also I was very upset at the way a female coworker was treating me. Talk about passive-aggressive bullying! It wasn't so much the subtle ways she tried to make me look bad in every situation to the other coworkers and to the manager; it's how I had to hold my tongue and thoughts in check the entire night.

Everytime I tried to be nice or do something right, I felt physically (by the five inch heels) and mentally (by her) stabbed.

To top it off, the whole party was the most un-Christian party you could ever imagine. Debauchery, sexual immorality, drunkenness, orgies... I felt surrounded on all sides by almost everything on the list that God tells us He hates. And honestly, the only thing that got me through the night was prayer.

I prayed in the bathroom before work even started and I knew what to expect. I didn't know why at the time, but the Holy Spirit just prompted me to pray there and then for Him to go ahead of me and be with me at all times that night.

Praise God for His continual presence!

Everytime I felt anger or resentment try to take root in my heart, I just called out to God and asked Him to help me forgive others as He forgave me. I tried not to focus on my coworker and the evil she was trying to do to me but rather to remember that we fight not against flesh and blood but the dark forces of evil in this world.

Let me tell you, it was SO hard. I felt like the more I tried to be nice to her, the more she took it for granted and did all she could to tear me down in her passive-aggressive way. Yet time and again, whenever I called out to God for strength, He provided it. He sent me little bits of encouragement through people who smiled at me when I really needed it or just respite at unexpected moments.

By the time I got home from work, it was around 04:00 Sunday.

Slept 4 hours and got up for church at 09:30.

In the evening, we (young adults' Bible Study C.L.I.M.B.) went Christmas shopping for a family who hasn't much.

They have no idea what's coming their way this Christmas! We are so excited to hear about how happy they'll be when they see these unexpected gifts arriving.

At around 18:00, we joined a bunch of volunteers from church and went carolling.

It was COLD!

It was only negative 2 Celsius (as compared to last year's negative 10 days), but it cut right to the bone.

No matter! We jingle belled and merry christmased our way into the night.

I went dressed for the occasion.

I really enjoy carolling. Especially if people don't expect carollers to show up at their houses. This time the houses that we went to all knew that we were going to come. They'd signed up on a list before. But for the last visit, a group of us went to my house where my family was totally pleasantly surprised. I loved it!

Yeah... I had a lot of thoughts before this post started but my droopy eyes are getting ahead of me.

There were so many splendid things I learnt this weekend.

In short, I learnt that God's plan is so mysterious and that's why we should reserve judgment on others because we really never know what is going on in the depths of their hearts. Only God knows. Only He can fairly render justice and reward His faithful servants!

Also, I learnt a great lesson on patience at work. In my weakness, the Holy Spirit lifted me up and gave me so much patience that I couldn't believe it myself. All those millions of opportunities that I could have retaliated in speech or action, I didn't, because God said to love your enemies and to pray for them. It's just amazing... how God kept me from the snares of the devil and from falling into temptation. The impossible is possible with JESUS CHRIST!

Yeah my toes are still numb even after icing and massaging them. It hurts it hurts... But God said He is a healing God (Exodus 15:26)... And He's proven time and again that His healing power is mightier than any hurt in this world.