A sweet soul of the destiny

As a new tea bag was allowed to sink and submerge in a cup of hot water, a scent of steaming smoke rose and filled my whole bedroom. It was so sweet and pleasant to my nose. The cup was brought to my mouth and my tongue tasted a bitter sensation of the forest fruit tea for a first time. Nevertheless, my love for tea never faded. Suddenly, a reminder appeared in my mind and brought up a story of Saint Therese, the Little Flower whom I recently read.

"Jesus deigned to teach me this mystery. He set before me the book of nature. I understood how all the flowers He has created are beautiful, how splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not take away the perfume of the little violet or the delightful simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all the flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty, and the fields would no longer be decked out with little wildflowers." - St Therese, the Little Flower

"And so it is in the world of souls, Jesus' garden. He willed to create great souls comparable to lilies and roses, but He has created smaller ones and these must be content to be daisies or violets destined to give joy to God's glances when He looks down at His feet. Perfection consists in doing His Will, in being what He wills us to be." - St Therese, the Little Flower

At this moment, I was inspired and aspired to the large extend to seek God with all my heart, mind, strength and soul as I read some examples of the famous saints. A friend of mine recently wrote a new blog post regarding our destiny to be what God intended us to be. Yes, I agreed with her statement that in the logical sense God could actually manipulate us like the Sims games. But contrary to that, God has a plan but we have a choice. God said, "My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore." (Psalm 139:17-18) And I rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17) I will never stop doing good to you. (Jeremiah 32:40) For you are my treasured possession. (Exodus 19:5) I desire to establish you with all my heart, and all my soul. (Jeremiah 32:41)

I remembered what my friend told me the other times. At first, he described the bamboo and its flower blooming. He had seen the flower and claimed that it was certainly beautiful. It was a rare sight because the bamboo usually stood many years before it bloomed the flower and withered soon after. So he wanted his life to be like that. And he wanted his own flower to give off the sweet scent before his life ended. What a meaningful story. Maybe I can make my life like the forest fruit tea. It might taste bitter without sugar yet it smelt so sweet like perfume. What I meant is that I must deny myself, take up the cross and follow Jesus so as to bear much fruit in Him. Jesus said, "Whoever remains in Me, and I in Him, will bear much fruit for you can do nothing without Me." (John 15:5) "My Father's glory is shown by your bearing much fruit; and in this way you become my disciple." (John 15:8) Saints had suffered a lot during their times on Earth for the sake of Christ. I am sure their souls are most pleasuring sweet to God as they managed to convert thousands of sinners to much joy among the angels in Heaven. So we can do the same in pleasing God if we follow Him. So I guess I have to discern what God wants me to be.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not trust in your own understanding. Agree with Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

"How happy is the man who has made the Lord his trust, and has not turned to the proud or to the followers of lies." (Psalm 40:4)