Blood+...YISS

Aozora no namida - Tears of the Blue Sky
Hitomi Takahashi
Opening Theme from Blood+

Futarikiri kurayamino naka
Kimi no namida no imi wo shitta
Nekau basho fumidashita kedo
Dare mo kizutsuketaku nakute
Umi wo wataru kaze wa kyou mo
Mayowazuni ashita ni mukau no ni
Kokoro wa doushita ugokidasenai
Donna unmei ga matteiru n darou?
Kuyamitakunai yo umareta koto
Kanashimi no naka ni yuuki ga aru
Kagayaki tsukamu to shinjiteiru
Furishikiru aozora no namida
Itsunohika egao ni kaeru you

Alone together in the darkness
I learned the meaning of your tears
I've taken a step toward my destination
But I don't want to hurt anyone.
Today the wind that blows over the ocean
Once again heads unhesitatingly toward tomorrow
So why can't my heart begin to move?
What destiny awaits me?
I don't want to regret being born
There is courage with my sadness
I believe I can grab that sparkle
Tears pour down from a clear blue sky
Someday they'll change into a smile


Somehow this opening theme for the anime Bloodplus is thrilling.. so full of angst.. sadness, yet a pressing faith and hope in tomorrow. It just strikes a chord with me. Not like I'm angsty or sad for that matter, but sometimes, when life gets challenging, this is what I do feel. It's easy to give up, but hard to press on and fight.

Yet this anime talks about a girl who has no choice but to fight for that is what she was created for. Somehow it relates to the Christian life when we are called to Fight the good fight of faith and persevere to the finish line.

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Attending the Youth in the Spirit Seminar (YISS) over the recent weekend was phenomenal. Although I was not really a participant but helping out in the camp, it was like I needed the healing and outpouring sessions for myself. On Sun, I CRIED like so much... I asked God why despite having nothing to worry about, I was suffering, felt fearful, lonely, lack of support, lack of purpose and why life felt so tough. I couldn't even sit in during the sessions and went down to the adoration room to cry it all out.

Amazingly, during that time, sitting before the Lord, reading through Psalms like chapter 30 till 60 or something.. I had a vision of a row of armor suits on the step before me. These belong to my youth ministry, but it is all lying there, waiting for the soldiers to put them on before going into battle. And I felt the Lord saying to me: Fight! Put on your armor!

And I realised, that I was so weak because I had not put on the Armor of Christ: the breastplate of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the word of God, belt of truth, shoes of readiness to spread the good news (being a true witness).

So, come Monday, suddenly I felt equipped. NO trace of sadness. NO trace of hopelessness. NO trace of loneliness. NO trace of fear. Instead, full of joy, hope, peace, love, and readiness to spread the WORD!

Praise God.

Praise God.

Praise God.

And if there's one thing i'll want to say, it's that Faith spreads. When a person is in consolation with God (relationship is right), there IS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE! I am feeling it for myself in this week.. the last 2 days have been so terrifically different from the last 2 months! Praise the Lord for renewing my soul. And this is only the beginning of a long journey ahead to know HIM even more.

"Your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering....This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed." (2 Thessalonians 1:3-5, 7-10)

Do not give up!
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:7-9)