Congrats to Iraq for winning the Asian Cup!

Started my day with a prayer, and realized that I’ve probably been haboring too many negative emotions and thoughts without even realizing it, which probably explained a rather sullen and tired mood. But played much better this afternoon, although I lost the first set 6-7, chased back to win the 2nd set 7-6, and the next 7-5, ran out of gas the last set at lost 7-1… but I’ve done what I needed to do for the day.

Came back home, had dinner and watched the entire final between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It wasn’t the best of matches quite frankly… and I’m seriously NOT a big soccer fan. But since I’ve not watched a Middle East Asian Cup final before, I guess it would be interesting to see how they played. Iraq’s defence was absolutely superb, which made the match just boring to watch, but it was exciting to see how the possession was won in midfield. Saudi Arabia just could not create any chances because Iraq’s defenders and midfielders were just all over them, they couldn’t even make past 3 quarters of the pitch! That said, Iraq put up a real gutsy performance and finally scored, and just to see them celebrate was a priceless sight to behold. Eventually they held the 1 goal lead and became AFC Champions for the first time in history. It was what I felt to be a truly great and timely triumph amidst all the political turmoil in the country.

Anyway, about that inviting people to church thingy, I really hope that I’ve not offended people here, but you know, if you think your life is just incredibly sucky… it probably is. The thing about some people is that, they think once they go to church for the first time, they’re expecting something supernatural to take place. And the word ’supernatural’ is very subjective to interpretation. In my own personal opinion, the concept of God itself is supernatural (it requires faith and belief), just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. And this thought basis in itself can be incredibly difficult to reconcile with a logical mind aka human intelligence. Anyway, my point is… although being renounced and cleansed of your sins is a supernatural materialization of salvation, your life doesn’t just change with the snap of the finger.

And perhaps the only way to experience the true living Word of God, is to inculcate the principles that the bible teaches. So what happens? It becomes another additional commitment. My key word is, ANOTHER…. And I think that’s one of those things that can turn people away (myself included) because we as individuals have already made certain choices about how to spend the little time we have on this planet, and we all know what it means to be committed. Its just plain tough.

I’d say if the individual was a person who sought truth and understanding about all things… that desire can be the driving force to that commitment, and it does provide more insight and a newer perspective on how God meant things to work. And truthfully… the things I’ve learnt and applied have worked rather well, although I’ve not been all that successful in other areas. For example, the concept of love and forgiveness is just so powerful when you apply it to any type of social relationship.

I can’t say that I’m a committed christian, and although I do hope that others around me will come to know about God, I really find it hard to be a source of inspiration for you guys at this moment because I’m really no better than any of you. I too struggle with my life and meet obstacles that throw me off ever so often. But knowing that there exists this person who’s always there for me, and always looking after me, knowing that I’m not all that holy… it bring a sense of peace and calmness when you know that no matter what happens, this person loves and cares for your well-being not for just a couple of sundays, but for eternity. He just knows us inside and out, but wait till you find out who He is, and you might just have the greatest discovery of your life.