Second Saturday In Hostel

It's day 319 of documenting 2025.

46 days to 2026!

This is definitely a late night post...

Typing by 11pm?

Well, at least I published ONE post.

Today went well.

At first, I was just inside the room...studying God's Word and then I did some recopying of notes from last Monday's lecture.

Then I went to see my friend upstairs and kept her company for a while.

And I slipped back downstairs to finish up my laundry and fetch water for storage, as well as to take my bath. 

Twas quite some effort!

But it's becoming something that's usual now....so I think I have adjusted to that.

I had to go on official duty to get some information for my coursemates.

(Course rep duties 😌)

I came back and then got on a video call with my friend PK. It was nice to see him and we chatted for almost an hour!

We also came to an agreement on a project that would serve the both of us. I pray it all goes well.

This would actually be the first video call since we reconnected in September.

I thank God for our friendship 😊

Alright, that's pretty much how my day went. Let's get into highlights for today and then I'll share a few more thoughts.

By the way, the book we're highlighting is called 365 Days With Self-discipline written by Martin Meadows.

365 Days With Self-discipline

📌 On Learning From Refusal 

"One never knows a man till he has refused him something, and studied the effect of the refusal; one never knows himself till he has denied himself. The altar of sacrifice is the touchstone of character."

Quote by Orrin Philip Gilford

Let’s be clear: denying yourself nice things is neither easy nor fun.

However, in addition to the incredible benefits it brings in the form of increased

self-control, it’s also a powerful test of your character and a self-discovery tool.

For one, self-refusal provides an opportunity to understand what you need

in your life and what you only think you need in your life. 

Unless you stay away from what you consider your “necessities” for a period of time, you won’t know whether they’re really necessities, after all.

For example, on many of my adventures, I had to sleep in less than comfortable circumstances, such as in a car parked by the road or in a soaking wet tent with homeless dogs fighting outside.

I had always thought that I wouldn’t be able to recharge in such circumstances, but often I was actually more recharged after several hours of such uncomfortable sleep than in my own bed. 

What I considered a necessity was in fact a luxury. This realization made me a stronger person. 

I expanded my comfort zone and now I know I can handle sleeping in a wide variety of weird places.

Second, refusing yourself pleasant things can show you the depth of your addiction for them. 

For example, I used to eat a few pieces of dark chocolate daily. 

I assumed it wasn’t a big deal and I thought I could stop eating it whenever I wanted to. 

However, when I decided to take a break from eating all kinds of sweets, I felt immense cravings. Denying myself a few pieces of dark chocolate — an innocent pleasure — made me realize that I had been addicted to it.

Finally, while we were young, it was our parents or other caretakers who told us we couldn’t get something. 

We fumed and protested, but there was

nothing we could do about it.

This way, unbeknownst to ourselves, we learned that we couldn’t always get everything we wanted — and I daresay it was one of the most powerful lessons in self-discipline a child could receive.

Today, as adults, most of us don’t have such gatekeepers. 

If you want to eat chocolate, you can go to the store and buy it; nobody will force you to eat broccoli instead. 

If you want to spend the entire Sunday in bed, nobody will kick you out of it and force you to go out and play with other kids.

This freedom feels good, but there’s also danger in it — by spoiling ourselves this way, we eventually do ourselves the same disservice as parents who spoil their children. 

Self-refusal, in essence, can act as an emergency brake, stopping us from spiraling into overindulgence.

Hmm 🤔

I really key into this idea of denying yourself some pleasures.

I'm actually practicing it more, now that I'm in school.

Like today, I fasted till 6pm.

And Jesus directed me to fix fasting days to Wednesday and Saturday.

My main reason, as I told Him...was to discipline my flesh.

And then I also prayed for wisdom to lead in my new position.

From what I hear, being a course rep is not easy 😏

Sometimes, I just leave off lunch and work on what I have on hand, like an online task or something like that.

I'm becoming more acquainted with the hunger...and when I find myself trying to break that discipline, I would just remind myself that I can always enjoy it later.

The mindset is to do what God has called me to do, in this place where He has put me.

And I'm ready to do it 😌

One action at a time.

One discipline at a time.

One bold initiative at a time.

I always tell Jesus that I can't do it myself. I always ask Him to help me. And He always does.

He has never disappointed.

He's just so wonderful to a sinner like me.

He's my best friend ☺️

I hope Jesus is your friend too.

I hope He's everything to you, like He is to me.

If He's not, then you got your priorities wrong. #Justsaying

I think that would be all for today's post.

Thank for reading 🎀

Like I said in the last post, you can always read up on former posts.

Where??

On the main website, Documenting 2025.

See you in the next post 💜