Blessings by God's grace this CNY season

Currently listening: Planetshakers - Leave me astounded


Reflecting upon my past few weeks of the CNY festive period, I guess there are things which I can do better, as well as to give thanks for. Need to continue to pray for relationships between relatives to improve, since conflicts still occur in spite of it being the season to come together as a family regardless of our differences.

Give thanks to God for His hand of protection. My shepherd and I were on the way to LG, and it was quite a drive downtown to JB with the heavy downpour. There was a time when I had to hit the brakes to slow down, as a car in front of me spun and lost control. Suddenly we heard a loud crash, not knowing where it came from. Looking at my rearview mirror, I managed to catch a glimpse of a car hitting the divider and bouncing just right behind us. Fortunately, it did not hit the back of my car. Phew! That was a close call..

Before CNY, I was handed a letter by my department's PA - apparently I was one of those selected to receive an award for excellent performance at work in 2015. It came as an unexpected blessing, as I reflected upon the past year - indeed there were probably others who were better than me (honestly I'm not a very smart person, I do get my fair share of rebuke for mistakes made). Nevertheless, it was something I was grateful for.

Last but not least, I finally sat for the MCQ for my postgrad primary exam. I was not expecting to pass, since:
1. I only started preparing 1 month prior to the exams (paid my fees in December, exam in January), whereas I knew of people who prepared 3-6 months in advance (recommended thing to do) for their MRCP / MRCS.
2. I did not take any study leave. I have friends who did in order to prepare for MRCP etc, grabbing some time out and going back to their hometown in the process. I have nothing against study leaves, but personally I believe my leaves can be better spent elsewhere for ministry needs and camps. But that also meant that on top of long days at work and serving in church, it's down to burning the midnight oil until the wee hours of the morning. There were times when I actually ask myself, "Am I going to make it? There's so much stuff to study for anaesthesia compared to other specialties - pharmacology, physiology, physics (yes, physics), anatomy, statistics, clinical medicine.. felt like wana die already."
3. The questions were quite difficult - pretty much what I expected through doing revision MCQs. But I sat for it anyway, consoling myself that whatever the outcome, it was for the experience.
I guess God was gracious because when the results were released, I passed! Somehow it was nothing short of a miracle. All glory to Him :)