Chosen Grace

Hey everyone! 2024 is underway and I am so excited to be back! This blog post is intended to serve as a way to look back and to prepare for things to come!

In April of 2023, I posted on “TheCountryofMalaysia” Instagram that I was going to take a break from posting content. As the break began, I thought that I needed to break because I had just finished my first year of graduate school and I just needed to rest.

But, as this break continued- God revealed to me that I needed to rest and let Him work. And so, I did.

During this break, God changed me from the inside out. God revealed to me that certain heart postures of mine were not suitable for the woman that He had called me to be. During a 30 day fast from secular music, God began to show me that certain music artists were not good for my spirit.

While God was changing a lot in me during this time, the thing He did that I am forever grateful for is He changed the way I look at myself. It was during this break that God revealed to me that I was chosen.

To be honest with you all before God placed the word chosen in my heart, I had never truly believed that I was. Even though I had grown up in church and heard time and time again that “I was special” or “You are anointed“, I never believed those words.

It wasn’t that I saw myself as worthless, but I always thought I had to work for people to see me. I felt that if I didn’t do a thing perfectly, then I was not good enough or people would not want to have anything to do with me.

However, when God told me that I was chosen, it’s like the scales fell from my eyes and I truly began to see myself like He has always seen me: chosen, called, and loved. I began to see that God loves me without me having to work for it. It’s like I finally saw myself as His for the first time in my 7 years walking with Him.

As I dwelled on this truth in thankfulness, God led me to the Scripture below:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!

– 2 Corinthians 5:17, CSB

You see, for years I had let my past mistakes, current sins, and the lie that I had to be “perfect” run my life. For years I walked with Christ, but did not let Him carry the load. And for years, I felt that I must run to keep up with God instead of resting where I was.

And once I did rest, I felt FREE! I felt like I had been dipped down dirty and full of filth only to be bought back up a clean and new person.

I felt new, improved, and fully aware that I was indeed God’s chosen.

That leads me to where we are now. God restored and renewed unto me a fresh vision for this website.

Most of you guys know this blog as “The Country of Malaysia” but from here on out, this blog and website will be known as Chosen Grace.

Chosen Grace is an affirmation that simply wants to remind you that, friend, are chosen by grace.

The purpose of this new platform is to remind ourselves that yes, we all fall short and sometimes we feel that we make mistakes we can’t ever come back from. But God will and can restore us. God is faithful when we are faithless (Hebrews 10:23). He will give you beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3).

The bottom line: You are chosen even if you fall, and God loves you so much there’s grace for that too.

As I close this blog post, I just want to say that although the name has changed- we are still the same! I’m going to post a new blog post (hopefully) every other week. Along with that, the Chosen Grace Podcast will have new episodes every Saturday 12PM EST for the run of the season (find more info by clicking “Podcast” at the top of the page).

All in all, I am so blessed to be back, but in a much better headspace. The newness on me is just amazing- the words you’re reading don’t even began to describe what I feel. I want you all to know that I love you all deeply. Thanks for sticking it out with me!

Remember, you too are a new creation in Christ!

With love and a prayer for all things new,

Malaysia 🙂