#Day 42: 11 February 2016

JAM

(Meaning: Become or make unable to move or work due to a part seizing or becoming stuck)

Jakarta, I guess most of you have a good understanding what I am saying when I mentioned these two words: Jam, Jakarta.

Even my daughter invented a new word from it.

"Papa, we are not in Jakarta, we are in Jamkarta", out of her frustration looking at the traffic.

A result of daily traffic jam that we and everyone else have to endure. Well, love it, hate it, this is Jakarta!

Few points crossed my mind when I stucked in the traffic, on our way home (Journey from BSD City at Tangerang to Daan Mogot at Jakarta):

1. Jam (becoming stuck) can be due to our own action:

• Most of the drivers in Jakarta tend to "create" their own lines. A two liners road can ended up with 4 liners!
• Sometimes due to our impatience, intolerance, our ego, we tend to be selfish and that actually causing us to stuck!

2. Jam (becoming stuck) not only impacting us
but also others:

• Not only us that is stuck in the traffic, a lot of other drivers as well!
• Sometimes when we are stuck in our career life, spiritual life and so on. We need to know that it also impacting the people near us, our parents, our pastors, our community, our children, our colleagues, our room mates, etc.
• This is important to know so we can quickly put our back into a correct path, a way from the jam. Moving on with our lives and let others moving on with theirs.
• Know that when you say "it's okay, it is only me that is hurt or sad or stuck". No, thats wrong!! You are causing others to stuck in the jam!

3. There is always an end to a Jam:

• Tonight, the root cause of the traffic jam is the packed toll gate (Jakartarian is still need to be convinced that e-toll card is more efficient than the cash method). This causes around 3 km traffic but it is smooth after the gate.
• Yes, there is always an end to a traffic jam. Whatever the root cause is.
• Sometimes, it is the same with our life. There is always an end to the "jam" that we are facing. We just need to walk through the "jam" and come out of it.
• We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . .  (Romans 8:28 NKJ)

On Day 17 in January, I shared that "...getting stuck is the prerequisite to getting unstuck"

It is indeed true. Sometimes being trapped in a "Jam", we have no choice but to notice what is around us, and we end up searching for Jesus. When we're stuck, we're much more likely to pay attention to our hunger for God and the longings and yearnings we have stifled.

So I said to myself, If one day I am stuck in the "jam" of my life", please:  "Act wisely, Think about others that are impacted, Search for God and get out from it as soon as possible"



Afterall, no one wants to be stuck forever in a jam.

And I said to Constance: No, it is not Jamkarta, it is Jakarta :)

#fgccmalaysia #uplifting #jam