Day with the Lord/Church Sunday

Today, I had to play at the Sunday service in Chino Hills, only that I had to be there way earlier than I'm used to (I had to be there at 8am, an hour before service, and I used to go there at 10). It was difficult waking up because my sleep regimen worked - it was raining and was really cold last night, so I thought of stuffing myself with so much food that I fell asleep immediately (something I'm not used to).

It takes me about half an hour to get there, and I woke up at 7:45 today! It's a good thing I had stuff prepared from last night, which I usually don't do, so it didn't take much time before I was ready to leave.

The other unfortunate thing today was it was still raining, which made it very difficult to drive. And so my travel time of 30 minutes took longer. But anyway I got there safe and sound, which is the important thing.

The other challenge I had today was that from Chino Hills, I had to be in Irvine by 11am - which was about an hour's drive. If I take the toll road, it would take me about 45 minutes. The only thing is that today, and only today, the 91 freeway which leads to the toll road is closed (talk about coincidence) and so I had to take the longer route. The service at Chino Hills ended at 10:15, and I even had to stop to get gas. After that, I was already on the freeway, when I suddenly realized my back door was open, also the gas tank! Geez, I had to move towards the shoulder amidst the speeding cars and the heavy rains. But to cut the long story short, I was fortunate enough to make it to Irvine on time (well, almost. I was just a few minutes late, and didn't miss much).

I loved today's service because they sang one of the praise songs that I love most. The chorus goes:

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
and He hears me when I call

What gets me really emotional about this song is that I suddenly thing about all the hardships, all the heartaches and pains, and I just think about how fortunate I am to have a God and a Father that is close enough to know my pain, and to feel it too; that I am fortunate to have a God and a Father who knows my unspoken dreams, desires and ambitions; that I am fortunate to have a God and a Father who listens to all the things that I say, whether sensinble or senseless - and is able to lovingly correct me with all my faults.

The rest of the day has been very emotional to me, but behind all that, I have a God and a Father who's always there for me. I'd end this with the verses of the song:

I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in His hands

I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go