My Cough Remedies

My cough that started since last Dec 23th did not fully recover. I suspect that my mild asthmatic condition is resurfacing after my last long cough episode in 2002 (with chronic cough for about 6 months). All medications failed till someone shared a homemade cough recipe with me. It was a concoction by brewing ginger, spring onion, red dates, honey, plus 2 other items (forgotten what they were) together. I took it 3 times a day for about 2 or 3 days and my cough stopped. I seldom cough after that till recently.

For the last few days I have been taking homemade ginger tea. I chopped fresh ginger and boiled it in a mug of water in the microwave for about 2 min. When it boiled I just added a tea bag and a tablespoonful of honey to it. That made a nice but spicy drink for me. I drank that 3 times a day for the last 3 days. I saw some improvement... I only cough once in a while, though not 100% cured.

My internet search shows some useful information about onions and gingers relating to cough showing them as good natural remedies.

Onions& Spring Onions for Respiratory Disease
Onion is said to possess expectorant properties. It liquifies phlegm and prevents its further formation. It has been used as a food remedy for centuries in cold, cough, bronchitis and influenza. Equal amounts of onion juice and honey should be mixed and three to four teaspoon of this mixture should be taken daily in these conditions. It is one of the safest preventive medicine against common cold during winter.

Other useful links below...

CHINESE MEDICAL RECIPE

Pork with Lotus Seeds and Lily Bulb in Soup

Influenza is present in all four seasons and is especially common in Spring and Autumn

Answers to Tough Questions on Relationship

As I was doing my devotion tonight, I came across 2 good articles that answer tough questions on relationship. Below are excerpts of the articles...


How do you handle being rebuffed when you make your best attempts at reconciling a broken relationship?
- by Tim Jackson

One of the most frightening truths that we all must face is the fact that we cannot force someone to love us, no matter what we do. Even if we take appropriate responsibility for harm we've done to them, confess our sin against them, and ask for forgiveness, there is no assurance they will respond in kind. They can choose to remain distant.

While an unresolved relationship is deeply disturbing, one of the most freeing truths is that no one has the power to stop us from loving them. And that's all that God calls us to do, to love others the way He has loved us (John 13:34;15:12).

We all wish there was a "next step" that would make reconciliation work out every time. Sadly, there is no such step. However, at those times when our best efforts at loving are rebuffed, we do have the opportunity to share in our Lord's sufferings, to experience His pain and His relentless longing for reconciliation (Philippians 1:29).

We need to guard against a false guilt that assumes we should be able to do something to "fix" every relationship -- as if it all depends on us alone. While we must take responsibility for our part in a relationship, we must not assume that we are solely responsible for the breach in the relationship. Instead of holding another person responsible for their choices, we can tend to let people off the hook and blame ourselves for "not doing enough" or "missing something" that would be the key to unlocking the relationship.

That kind of thinking is not only demoralizing but controlling and unbiblical. God never asks us to assume responsibility for others, only ourselves. That needs to be our focus.

My Thoughts:
Ah, I also have the tendency to blame myself for all failures in relationship and ended up condemning myself. I need to remember that not all love begets love. In times like these, I begin to understand the pains God feels when His love is being rejected by men.

The above article reminds me of what I can and cannot do. Yes, I do not have the power to make someone love me, but I have the power to love someone.

How should I deal with the impact of rejection in my life?
- by Allison Stevens

When we feel the blow of major rejection -- like the unfaithfulness of a mate, the wound of a family member, or the betrayal of a close friend -- we may wonder if we will ever find someone who will love us again.

In an emotional trauma, we try to make sense of our pain. There's a constant drive to understand and explain why this agony is happening. During this time we can be tempted to respond to rejection in unhealthy ways. We can develop a contempt for ourselves, a contempt for others, a contempt for God, or a combination of all three.

In self-contempt, we take the full responsibility for the failure of the relationship. We wonder, What is it about me that causes people to leave me? We doubt our value as a person, and everything about us is called into question. Doubts of our ability to maintain a loving relationship trouble us. We think, They must have seen something so repulsive in me that no one can love me. Facing the rejection of a spouse, for example, can be especially difficult when you see other couples staying together through devastating experiences. We wonder why our own relationship could not stand the test of trials.

What sounds good about contempt is that it does not require facing additional pain. It avoids grieving losses. It sedates the heart and it keeps others from getting too close. That sounds inviting to a hurting person, but if we nurture contempt, it will lead to depression, loneliness, and bitterness.

We are desperately afraid, because to love again we must risk being vulnerable and admit that we do care, no matter how hard we try to numb our hearts. When we are at the end of our rope and we begin to realize that contempt no longer works for us, we can choose a better way of dealing with life. Letting others get close to us and learning to trust again leads us through the process of grief. For a person who has been hurt, grieving may sound like a sadistic choice. But grief will lead us down the path to restoring our faith, embracing hope, and opening ourselves up to love.

Grieving is important because it provokes us to cry out to God, and thereby to open ourselves to His healing ( Psalm 34:17 ). He is ultimately the One who can give us comfort and protection ( Psalm 61:3; Matthew 5:4 ). When we grieve, we face the truth that we have been deeply hurt and there is something lacking. There is a hole in our hearts that hurts terribly.

It may not feel like it at first, but healing begins when we face the sadness and disappointment of the loss of our hopes and dreams. We tend to avoid our feelings (i.e. deep sadness) because we are afraid that they will consume us, that we will never find comfort. But if we act in faith and "throw ourselves" on the Lord in dependence and cry out to Him, He will be the rock that saves us from the overwhelming waves of pain ( Psalm 34:18 ). God's comfort gives us hope -- hope for a brighter future and for love again. Life without hope is not worth living. Scripture says that God will fill us with hope ( Romans 15:13 ). It also recognizes the vitality and necessity of hope (Psalm 119:116; 147:11 ).

When we see our faith deepen and we are reminded of how God is working in our lives, hope grows. Hope gives us the motivation to love, which is the most important element in the believer's life ( Matthew 22:37-40; 1 Corinthians 13:13 ). Love will open our hearts to hear the truth about our strengths and shortcomings ( 1 Corinthians 13:6 ). Love will soften our hearts for others, cultivate forgiveness, and help us face the beams in our own eyes before we look at the specks in the eyes of our brothers or sisters ( Matthew 7:3-5 ).

We can't fight this battle alone. We need to talk to strong Christian friends who can remind us of the truth of God's love for us. It's important to have friends who will give us freedom and support as we grapple with our doubts and fierce emotion. We may need to seek the help of a good biblical counselor during this rough time. And filling our minds with the truth of God's Word will strengthen us. Meditating on Scripture will equip us and cause our faith to grow.

My Thoughts:
I need to go through the process of grief....

God Answered My Prayers

Praise God that the Christian colleague I mentioned in my post earlier is more ready to take up the challenges of work now. Instead of his original plan to take 2.5 weeks unpaid leave to get over his work stress (i.e. starting this coming Monday), he canceled them and will be back for work on Monday. God has answered my prayers for him. He is learning to trust God more.

I noticed that all my prayers for others always come to pass very quickly. It shows that God will always hear my prayers if I pray with an unselfish heart for others. Another example is my daily prayers for my best friend. They bear fruits... he is now more committed to God and is able to move on in his spiritual journey on his own without me. Next, I pray that God will give him a good help-mate in His time.

Time like these strengthens my trust in God and makes me more outward looking. Not that I don't trust God, but it makes me feel important to God... that He loves and cares for me very much to even answer my prayers. Yes, life can be exciting as I learn to pray and wait in expectancy for God to act, even on my smallest requests.

My God is not too busy... He is always there for those who trust in Him. :D

Tired but Acomplished and Happy

My workload never seems to end. I thought I could leave my office latest by 7 p.m. daily starting this year, yet I still got tied down with lots of work by 9 p.m. on most days. Coupled with my 'incurable' cough, I really felt very drained and tired everyday... I am losing weight now. :(

I didn't make any resolution this year, though I do have a goal as mentioned earlier. I am seeing my goal accomplishing as I prayed to God to make it true. So although I feel tired yet I feel accomplished and happy at work. :)

I had so many opportunities to touch the lives of people I spoke to daily. Example, today I spoke to one of my colleagues who wanted to resign due to work stress. In fact, his resignation letter was ready to be given to me. After listening to him for quite a long while, I shared with him my opinions and solutions. I was quite surprised that he told me he found me very different from all other managers he worked with before and he hoped I could be his mentor. He disclosed to me some personal things which he would not share with others. Thank God that he said he felt better after talking to me. He withdrew is resignation. Praise God!

It's time like this that I find my life worth living, that I have contributed to the happiness of others. Yes, it may seems that my happiness rest in the happiness of others just like in tonight's devotion title "How To be Happy" that mentioned the Ten Rules for Happier Living:

Give something away.
Do a kindness.
Give thanks always.
Work with vim and vigor.
Visit the elderly and learn from their experience.
Look intently into the face of a baby and marvel.
Laugh often—it’s life’s lubricant.
Pray to know God’s way.
Plan as though you will live forever—you will.
Live as though today is your last day on earth

:D

Confirmed Workaholic

Some thoughts came to my mind when I was doing my devotion on "Total Giving". Giving of material things is not as difficult compared to giving of our time. Our time is our life.

I may have given too much of my time to others more than to God. Each week (168 hours), I give to:

work - 70 hours or more (41.67%)
sleep - 49 hours (29.17%)
internet reading & misc - 21 hours (12.5%)
meals & bath - 14 hours (8.33%)
church - 7 hours (4.17%)
devotion - 7 hours (4.17 %)

So I am a real workaholic! Bad! I need to cut down on my time spent in work.

The following was forwarded by my friend. Maybe I should try to be in a ministry rather than in a job...

Some people have a JOB in the church;
others involve themselves in a MINISTRY.
What's the difference?

If you are doing it just because no one else will, it's a JOB.
If you are doing it to serve the Lord, it's a MINISTRY.
If you quit because somebody criticized you, it was a JOB.
If you keep on serving, it's a MINISTRY.
If you'll do it only as long as it does not interfere with your other activities, it's a JOB.
If you are committed to staying with it even when it means letting go of other things, it's a MINISTRY.
If you quit because no one praised you or thanked you, it was a JOB.
If you stay with it even though nobody recognizes your efforts, it is a MINISTRY.
It's hard to get excited about a JOB.
It's almost impossible not to be excited about a MINISTRY.
If our concern is success, it's a JOB.
If our concern is faithfulness, it's a MINISTRY.

An average church is filled with people doing JOBs.
A great and growing church is filled with people involved in MINISTRY.
Where do we fit in? What about us?
If God calls you to a MINISTRY, don't treat it like a JOB.
If you have a JOB, give it up and find a MINISTRY.
God does not want us feeling stuck with a JOB, but excited and faithful to Him in a MINISTRY.

- Author unknown -

As Time Goes By

A friend forwarded me the following which I feel is good food for thought for the new year.

The Reality Clock - will really make you think long and hard...

As Time Goes By

Click On The Clock

A Bad Start for 2007?

I have been sick since the eve of Christmas last year. I started with a slight cough, progressing into bad cough 3 days later. I only went to see the doctor the next day (27 Dec 06) and was given some cough mixture and antibiotic tablets with a day MC. I seemed to have got better after the 3rd day of medication, but my cough came back worse than before after I had completed my medication 2 days ago. The clinics are closed for these few days due to the long public holidays here.

I am still in the midst of doing my home spring cleaning (started since Christmas Day), but I just have no energy or mood to continue, feeling so lethargic and sickly now. I am taking a break now to blog a little and hopefully I will feel better and get back to cleaning the mess after this.

I have no resolution for 2007, except I like to take the comments by Richard as my goal, to be "a channel of God's peace":

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

- attributed to St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)