The musings of a wandergeselle about faith, literature, music, dancing, culture, food, travels, art, fashion, photography, life experiences, and everything in-between from journée to journée.
Yes, I was convicted by the Spirit. Yet again, for the nth time. 😉
I woke up today and remembered it is our 14th monthsary with my fiance. I greeted him and he did the same. But I was vying more on how the world defines celebrations – gifts, dates, cards and flowers. Those were my expectations.
The question is: what if my fiance did not meet my expectations?
That exactly happened. For it is human frailty to set worldly expectations and I am guilty of that. But does that mean that he loves me less? Should I feel bad that it appears I am unappreciated? My initial human emotional reaction was to feel exactly all that. But when I opened my devotion for today, that was when the rebuke happened:
“Contentment springs from trusting God as our supplier and gratefully accepting what He provides.” – ODB
And the Spirit guided me to the following bible verses:
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.Seek the Kingdom of Godabove all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” – Matthew 6: 31-33
“I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.” – Philippians 4:12
What God wanted me to learn is to be content in everything so I won’t become selfish and greedy. For it is in discontentment that the selfish nature of humans arise – the need to have more and more and more. Be patient and be grateful in anything and in everything that the Lord gives us.
I have to look at the things that are far more valuable that my fiance was able to give me and continues to give me. I have to look deeper into their intrinsic values and remember that my worth and his love for me can never be measured by the material things I receive from him for only God defines both.
Unconditional love, time, patience, forgiveness, acceptance, understanding, sacrifices…I began counting all the other things that he did for me and I realized he has given me so much more than I deserve, more than I needed and yet I barely even appreciated them until now. They were these kind of things that my fiance continues to give me each and every single day which keeps our relationship going that are far more valuable than material gifts, lavish dates and “romantic” stuff.
These are things that I should be extremely grateful for. Because they are the things that exemplify what matters to God most. It is not about my fiance pleasing me, nor me pleasing him but it is about pleasing God.
To love is to be selfless, and to demand is to be selfish. Be content, be appreciative and be happy in God and His blessings. It is always about giving your most valuable assets that are far beyond incomparable to material possessions and yet the hardest to give and never all about receiving that we learn to love others.
I do not intend to tell the world about the second coming of Jesus in a way that most people know i. e. placards with those words written on it, preaching about how sinful men are, that our time is short, etc. for back when I was still a non believer, I used to treat them all nonchalantly with a little bit of contempt, cynicism and scorn. I may have received it that way but I didn’t know that the seed was already being implanted.
I believe those who preached the Good News this way in the past were God’s disciples called to do exactly that at that time. Now, I believe, God has a different set of tasks to the newly saved believers to continue the mission that those before us have left in our charge now. There was no social media at that time. 🙂
I don’t need to tell people anymore of what they already know – Jesus’ second coming is near. What I intend to do, on the other hand, is to share to people how it is to prepare for that second coming and the things that most people clearly do not understand. These are the things that are far too basic, far too common and yet most commonly misunderstood and oftentimes disregarded.
Which leads me to the concept of this very simple word: LOVE.
Love is the overused word in the dictionary that permeates with everything. It goes on with a lot of definitions, given in a whole lot of different contexts and manifested in a whole lot of different actions.
So why this word?
I may not understand how everything is interrelated in the following series of events that I will discuss but all I know is that they all centered on one common theme which is LOVE and I have to share them all because the Spirit has prodded me to.
Scenario 1
I lead a small bible study group in church of young, single, female professionals.
Scenario 2
I am in a relationship now and engaged to a fellow Christian.
Scenario 3
Dreams, signs and wonders.
For Scenario 1, it started through my coaching group when our coaching leader assigned chapters of The Purpose Driven Life to each one of us to discuss. It was my first time to read the book. I believe God intended I read it just now. It is this book that spearheaded my passion in fulfilling the mission that Christ has left for us to do. I used the chapters on missions as our discussion platform for my small group. Which led me to buying my own copy of the book but I ended up buying a different but somehow similar book also by Pastor Rick Warren called “Better Together: What on Earth Are We Here For?“.
Better Together by Ptr. Rick Warren
And it was also through this book especially with the first few chapters that led me to the concept of LOVE and what it means in God’s eyes which I am now discussing with my bible study group. To quote some passages:
“Life is all about love and developing relationships – with God and with other people. You may succeed in many areas, but if you fail to love God and love others, you’ll have missed the reason God created you and placed you in this planet.”
“Real love is placing the needs of others before your own. It is making your problem, my problem…It is giving to another without any guarantee of getting anything back. It is giving others what they need, not what they deserve. Although love can create feelings, love is not a feeling. It is a choice, an action, a way of behaving, a commitment. Love is sacrificing for others.”
I remembered a few days back, I saw one status update on my Facebook news feed that really touched me. I wanted to share it at that time but something held me back so I just saved the link. I didn’t know that I would be needing it now to emphasize more of the passages I have written above. It is a short film entitled “Blind Devotion.”
And this will lead us to my Scenario 2, my relationship with my fiance. He is not as devoted as I am, but I can feel that the seed is already there. God gave him to me at a time that both of us did not expect. I was a patient due for eye surgery and he was the nurse. Our love story started there and the rest was history. But as times passed by, we went through what every couple would go through – conflicts, happiness, rage, patience, forgiveness, hurt, pain, joy, laughter…every emotion, every situation – we went through them as a couple. We have been together as a couple for only a year but we have learned so much about each other, how to value a relationship and having God in it except for this: LOVE as how God would define it.
Then came a point I wanted to give him up, he wanted to give up too. We talked but still ended up together. Then he asked me this question, “What is it that makes you stay with me though I have hurt you so many times, you have suffered so much for me, I have made so many mistakes, I keep on failing you and yet you always forgive me? I want to know why.”
I was silent for a time and this thought came to me and I explained why I am like that to him is because of God and my love for Him. God loved us so much He gave us His only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins though we do not deserve it. I told him I want to honor my God that is why I want to honor the commitment and honor him by learning the art of God’s love expounded in 1 Corinthians 13.
This happened just yesterday and when I woke up today, I read my devotion of the day in Our Daily Bread and I broke into tears, because it was an affirmation that I said the right thing to my fiance. This was the bible verse:
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” – Matthew 18: 21-22
March 6 Devotion: ODB
God has forgiven us. So we, too, should forgive those who sinned against us. To quote yet again passages from “Better Together”:
“Jesus says we are to be to one another what He is to us. The love of Christ is self-less, sacrificial, and submitted to the Father’s will. His standard of love is personal – reaching out to the undeserving, looking past their faults and into the desperate needs of their hearts.”
This kind of love now leads us to Scenario 3 – dreams, signs and wonders. I have been having dreams about me and my fiance the past several days which are bad dreams that dealt with my fears of him doing what he is not supposed to do and yet I felt they were all too real in those dreams. I always wake up with a heavy feeling until this morning.
My dream was about my fiance and I and we were supposed to board a bus headed for Baguio City but we got separated because of the huge crowd of commuters. I hopped in on a van instead and was surprised to see my ex boyfriend inside. We chatted for a while but then I noticed the destination name plate of the van and it was headed for Laguna (both my ex and my fiance now reside there). I asked the driver to stop then hurriedly went down the van and waited beside the road for a bus to come along headed towards Baguio City.
Then came a group of women who looked familiar walking towards me but I haven’t seen them yet in real life. Found out they were also headed for Baguio City so we waited for a bus then when one came, we boarded the bus, which was like a 12-seater, and there were only a few of us inside. Then that’s the time I woke up.
The night before, one of the verses in my devotion was Matthew 13:36. I read it but was too sleepy I didn’t understand it clearly. When I woke up today, I felt the urge to reread the verse but I forgot the verse so I randomly chose Matthew 13:3 which led me to the parables. It was all about the harvest and almost the entire chapter are highlighted in red which I don’t normally see in the bible app that I am using. So it means, the chapter I am reading is very significant.
The Parable of the Farmer
It is not a coincidence that my Discipleship 2015 training in church tomorrow has a key verse which is all about the harvest and the ministry that I volunteer in, which is a community outreach ministry, has a training on Urban Farming come this Sunday.
Neither it is a coincidence that after my devotion when I woke up today and checked my phone, I got a notification from a friend of mine regarding a video that she shared with me on Twitter. Here it is:
I cried after watching it. Because I now know the significance of it all. Everything is now crystal clear to me. It is indeed near. And what God was telling me the past days about love is that it is this kind of love that we need to exert to bring more people closer to Him despite of the conflicts and the differences.
“God says we must DECIDE to love one another. We’re to love other believers regardless of how we feel about them or how unlovable they may appear. No matter how difficult it may seem, we’re to actively, consistently, and deeply love the believers God brings into our lives, our congregations – and our small group.” – Better Together
“As members of God’s family, we must choose to love, not who to love.” – Better Together
And I believe this is the message that God wanted for us to understand now. The second coming is near, the more that we have to exemplify what Jesus did extending His love not just to His disciples but to those who are least likely to be loved. Just like the way that God is using my relationship with my fiance to master having that kind of love that is of God’s and not our worldly definition of it. I have been stumbling upon random verses from different books in the bible that have his name in it since last week, which is Joseph. I even joked my fiance our first baby boy will be named Zaphen derived from Zaphenath – Paneah which is the Egyptian name that the Pharaoh gave to Joseph when he appointed him as leader of his officials. This was one of the bible stories I read just a couple of days ago.
The story of Joseph, the dream interpreter.
I now understand why God gave him to me – I am being prepared for a mission and as my mate, he too is being prepared by God because the time is near for the harvesters to harvest this land. My interpretation of my dream today was very overwhelming, I wept. I wept because I know what it means – the message is very clear.
My fiance and I are due for a road trip with his childhood friend and his girlfriend to Baguio City over the weekend. I have visited the place countless of times and it was during one of my hikes at La Trinidad in Benguet, a province in Baguio City, that I was completely amazed by God’s bountiful and beautiful creations at its best. I was on top of a very high mountain after a treacherous hike and what I saw in front me was what I called in my previous article as “heaven here on Earth” because you see nothing else but a sea of clouds. And for me, it was very symbolic of my faith. The treacherous hike, wherein I almost fell off a cliff, was a matter of pain, suffering, life and death. But if you were able to overcome it all, the Kingdom of Heaven is waiting for you above, on top of it and no amount of words could describe how it feels to be there.
Last 3/3 marked my 3rd year since I got saved as a Christian last 3/3/13. The movie Son of God was released on that date too. And this coming 3/13, which falls on a Friday, I have a great feeling it is going to be a significant date as well. The verse regarding the parables can be found in Matthew 13:3 too. Most of my daily verses that I encounter came from the Gospel of Matthew. I did my research and the Gospel of Matthew is considered by scholars as the summary of Jesus’ ministry. It tells of Jesus sending His disciples to preach His Gospel to the whole world. It is also one of the four canonical gospels and it connects the old and the new testament. (wikipedia.org) I know for a non believer you will say it is all coincidence. But I say, as a believer, they are all signs from the Spirit.
Which led me to wonder on these passages written in that chapter:
“That is why I use these parables,
For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear but they don’t really listen or understand.” – Matthew 13:13
After these revelations, I only wept. And in between sobs, this was all I could utter in prayer:
“Lord help me to make them understand. Teach me to love them like how You have loved us.”
My brother is one of my spiritual mentors. He was the one who introduced me to the church and eventually to my faith. I know God appointed him to be that and I can attest through the role that my brother is playing in my life right now. He gave me a planner last year by Paulo Coehlo which contains quotations on life and faith. Each month has a designated character trait and last Christmas, he gave me the same planner. And now I know why. For this month, the character trait is this: COURAGE.
March: COURAGE
And this is the quotation for today:
“The only sin is a lack of LOVE. Be brave, be capable of LOVE, even if LOVE seems a treacherous, terrible thing. Take pleasure in LOVE. Take pleasure in VICTORY.”
The Valkyries by Paulo Coehlo
This may be the longest post I have written here on WordPress but I know every word here is all God’s plan because the mission for us all is starting to get clearer and He requires us to act on that mission. 🙂
Paulo Coehlo Planner 2015, The Holy Bible, Our Daily Bread, Better Together – my daily meal. 🙂
I cannot, for certain reasons, make myself read about “Mr. Grey.” No offense to those who take fancy and a general liking on the book. But I am afraid if its theme is to devalue women by means of female subordination and male chauvinism through eroticism, then I guess I am one with the thousands who are against it. I know for certain I will be coming up with a review regarding my disapproval on its general content criticizing how it primarily identifies women as sexual objects.
Would I be considered bias and a sexist if I’d rather choose to empower women in knowing their self-worth, boost their self-esteem and have that self-respect through Christ, their skills, God-given talents and capabilities and through them and them alone? And would it be wrong to go against the norms and assert my rights as a woman in a patriarchal system? Is it possible then to have a paradigm shift? They say that for a paradigm shift to take place, there has to be a change in mentality first. And for the latter, I believe culture has a huge role in it.
Back in college, majority of the classes I took are literary pieces that centered on feminism and women empowerment. And I’d like to give credit to some of the major novels we have discussed that made a great impact on me in terms of philosophical influences – possibly the main reason why I am rationalizing the way I do now.
I suggest the all-time classical movies – Jane Eyre; Little Women; Mona Lisa Smile and the more contemporary Eat, Pray, Love for good selections on what it means to be a woman. Great novels, they are.
Or better yet, read Proverbs 31. This last one, I highly recommend. 🙂
“How does your worship of God show up in your daily routine?”
I could think of numerous ways and yet two incidents which happened just recently would, I think, answer this question in one big bulk and can be applied in our activities of daily living.
You might wonder why I chose “The G Force”as my title. Pretty catchy and yes, it might remind you of the animated film G Force. But nope, you kinda guessed it wrong if you thought this is a movie review. 😉
It happened a couple weeks back for the first one and for the second one, just a few days ago. They’re two different incidents which took place in two different locations in different days and times. But yes, it has something to do with movies. In particular, the movie house.
First Incident
My bf and I decided to watch Maleficent at SM North Edsa Cinema. We then bought our tickets and reserved our seats ahead of time so we can tour around. Our seat numbers are G8 and G9. I was the one who chose them as I prefer to sit at the middle rows. Everything went fine until we got inside the movie house. When we searched for our seats, a couple was already seated there. So I asked them (while still holding our tickets), “Excuse me po. Ano po bang seat numbers ninyo?” The lady who is in her late 30s to mid 40s answered while rummaging her bag, “Actually hindi ko alam kasi hindi ko mahanap ‘yung tickets at ‘di ko na matandaaan.” I answered, “Kasi po seat numbers po namin ‘yang inuupuan ninyo.” I answered calmly for the second time. But this time, she answered back with a very indignant tone and told us, “Marami namang available na upuan, bakit hindi kayo umupo dun.” Again, I answered her calmly, “Kasi po, ito po yung pina-reserve po naming seat numbers.” She was adamant and other people are sensing the commotion already but I stood there and did not move an inch. Until she told her companion in a very angry voice that they should transfer seats and she said a lot of other things that are not directly addressed to me but she was just ranting her anger away.
We stood silently and waited. When we sat down in our seats, I told my bf, “If she would not budge in this seat, I will not say anything anymore but I will go to the management to fix this for us because I will not allow that I would give in to her request which is not right, in the first place, and end up in a similar situation once other people would ask us to transfer as the seats we are occupying are theirs.”
Second Incident
This happened at Gateway Cineplex 10. My bf and I decided to watch Transformers: Age of Extinction and again chose G13 and G14 as our seats because G row is just my favorite. When we got inside the movie house, a girl and a boy were occupying the G15 and G16 seats. It was okay, no problem so far. BUT, the thing is, their shopping bags were placed in one of our seats (G14). So I approached the girl, who is the one occupying G15. I asked her, “Excuse me po, sainyo po ba ito? Kasi G13 and G14 kasi kami.” She looked at her bf and said, “E di ba marami namang bakante.” But the boy who is in his teens, apologetically said to me, “Ay sorry po, okay lang po. Sorry po talaga.” And ordered the girl to get the stuff. She hesitantly did it and mumbled something that was not pleasing to my ears at all. The boy was looking at me and said his apologies again. I just said, “It is okay. Thank you.”
A few minutes later, two mid 20s girls arrived and asked the couple what their seat numbers were. We then found out that similar to the first incident, they didn’t know their seat numbers and lost their tickets. The girl now was getting hysterical at her bf and started accusing him of carelessly misplacing their tickets. The two girls, on the other hand, went outside to clarify the issue with the management. When they got back, the couple already transferred seats as they could not find their movie tickets.
So, the moral of the story is……it is all about G. 😀
G for GMRC (Good Manners and Right Conduct), G for my favorite row and of course, most importantly, G for God. Nah, I was just kidding for the first two Gs. But for the last one, I guess if it wasn’t for God and if it wasn’t for the Holy Spirit, I would’ve snapped back in those two incidences having temper issues way back when I wasn’t saved yet. I would’ve said a WHOLE LOT of negative words. But if there is one thing that faith has taught me, it is to think of God always in every single thing you do and in every single word you say. What if the person you are having that conflict with is God himself disguised in that form? And you flared up and forgot to keep your cool. Ugh, that is going to be a major epic fail. Now you wouldn’t want that, right? But in case you did flare up, no need to fret too much. Cry if you must. It is okay. We are humans, we get affected, we have emotions, and we feel. BUT you need to apologize, repent and think of better ways you would’ve handled it next time. 🙂
Because every single day in your life, your faith will be tested. Right from the moment you stepped out of the door of your house, from the moment you hailed a cab, a tricycle, a jeepney, a bus, or took the train to the office or even if you are just at home until the day ends, you will be given situations wherein without God in your life, if He is excluded in all you do, you will be making more and more sins which will make you miserable by the end of the day. Imagine that happening for 365 days. Whoa! That is equivalent to this: STRESS.
Patience, discipline and self-control through God’s guidance. That’s The G Force that will help you live up to how a Christian should behave. And having said that, I leave you with a bible verse below. 🙂
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. – Philippians 4:8
P.S.
Oh and yes, my bf and I decided not to choose the G row from now on. I hope our fate in F and H rows are way better. Or worse? Looks like I’d have to pray to God before entering the movie house. I think that will be the best solution. 😀
Imagine yourself on a highway which has a blind curve and you don’t see what’s behind it or if there is an incoming vehicle. You just don’t have any idea.
That was the feeling I always used to have. I was just cruising down this lane which we call “life” based on how this world defines it – complicated, troubled, dirty, rough, broken, pain, and suffering. They are but just some of the words that I could use to describe what life meant for me before. For I never knew who God and Jesus Christ really were back then.
Failed relationships.
They defined most of my past. It was always the search for that right love with the right person. It came to a point that I begged for it, and I sacrificed a lot to have it including my career, my studies, my family’s respect – all because of that enigma which we call “love.”
Love is all-encompassing. I can use all the words in the dictionary but not a single one will define it alone. Its definition varies. And yet it exists.
Yes, it does.
And the greatest example of this was through the son of our God, Jesus Christ – THE CROSS.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16
I got to know this kind of love when I got saved. It was that moment of surrendering everything to Him, simply because everything was too much to bear and I was lost. Not even my family nor my friends could help me from the dark abyss that I was in. I was helpless, depressed, hopeless, and desperate. Shame, guilt, and anger were creeping within me fast that I decided to reach out and ask for help before it was too late. And so I did ask for help – from Him.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:33
It was my brother who introduced me to the faith. I was apprehensive to say “yes” when he invited me to go to church at VictoryFort. But after attending the first service, revelations after revelations happened. Miracles and signs began appearing that not even my brother have the words to explain them.
It was then that I believed that indeed, we have a God. And He listens and sees everything.
But it wasn’t as easy as that. There were times when I was called back to who I was, and I was not consistent in going to church because it’s far from our place. I also had a hard time having fellowship with other believers. I still felt incomplete. The faith was there, but not really there.
Until finally, an incident wherein my life itself was put at stake made me do a 180-degree turn. It was then that I have decided to search for a Victory church in QC and found one at GT Toyota Asian Center (Victory QC) inside my alma mater in UP Diliman. After attending a couple of church services, I finally had the courage to approach the concierge and inquire about a Victory Group. A few days later, I was assigned to one group led by Sheryl San Diego, who became both my friend and my spiritual mentor. She offered if I’d like to undergo a One-to-One Discipleship with her to which I said, “Yes.”
That was how my spiritual journey begun. It was a slow but sure process of a series of transformations – an old self being peeled off inch by inch, layer by layer until came the Victory Weekend. Victory Weekend was the most unforgettable moment that highlighted my newfound love for Christ and God – the beginning of my spiritual journey and the day I committed to have a personal relationship with the Lord. This was indeed Lordship and the life after.
Victory Weekend 3/3/13 (Photo credit: Charls de los Reyes)
Water baptism with Sheryl San Diego and Maj Yu (Photo credit: Joyce Tan)
I was nothing more but GRATEFUL, RENEWED, and READY to face the future. Even as I type this article down, I could not help but shed tears. It is not because of the past, but because I could not imagine living my life right now if it wasn’t for the GRACE – the gift of SALVATION.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
It’s been two years since I got saved. My salvation and walk with God did not promise a storm-free life, but it promised a storm-proof life through the “Armor of God.”
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” – Ephesians 6:11
Because now, I can confidently stand and say that by the love, grace and mercy of God, every heartbreak and headache will be just that. For your every loss, God will replace each of them with what you really need. You will be given new opportunities and relationships that will help you grow and nourish your faith. A new life so to speak.
And though I may fall sometimes, I know who to turn to and I know who to plead for help. Because I have a God who HEALS, a God who PROVIDES, a God who PROTECTS and a God who SAVES.
“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31
“I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:13
I have nothing to fear. Not even death. For I know now that everything I have is not mine. I have learned to let go and let God take control of my life. I have learned to trust Him with my whole life.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” – 2 Timothy 1:7
I may leave this world anytime soon and yet until eternity I carry with me this verse that I hold dear in my heart:
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” – 1 Timothy 6:12
And I will praise His Name forever and ever come what may. GLORY BE TO GOD!
Victory Weekend 3/3/13 (Photo credit: Charls de los Reyes)
When I was saved, the next thing I prayed to God was for Him to use me as an instrument to reach out to the people who are “lost” and let them know about Jesus Christ. Little did I know and neither did I really understand what being an “instrument” meant back then. Until came that time when I was given the actualities on what it really feels and what is it really like to be used as an instrument.
I have learned two things when God used me: sacrifices and humility. Exactly how God sent Jesus Christ as the way for us to be saved. To follow Christ is to accept Him first as your Savior and be Christlike. It meant going through sacrifices and having humility. I didn’t understand at that time why I had to go through the same things I went through before when I am already a Christian now, pure and devoted. Trials after trials came. Setback after setback. I got corrupted again but I held on to my faith. I noticed that the more I become bolder with my faith and in my devotion, the enemy strikes even harder and more painful this time.
But, what the enemy didn’t know that for every hardest blow I take, I come out unscathed. For every failure, I come back up twice as high as I fell. I have wounds, but I am made whole again. For I have a God who heals, who restores and redeems. 🙂
“Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.” – Psalm 55:22
Sacrifices played a crucial role being an instrument in spreading the Word of God. It meant persecution, corruption at one point and eventually reaffirmation of faith. To sacrifice is to bleed, to lay open your wounds, to submit every part of your being for the good of one or many.
To be able to endure sacrifices is humility at its best. You are subdued to the lowest point of your weaknesses leaving them raw and open and yet this is what gives you the opportunity to trust God and have faith in Him wholly, with no reservations and with utmost sincerity.
Indeed, when you reach out to the “lost,” how would you help them when you don’t know what they really are going through? How can you sympathize with them when you don’t know the pain they feel, the sorrow they go through, and the struggles they face in every aspect of their lives? I had to experience them too. And when I went through all that, I already know how to deal with them, I know what to do when I make this mistake, I already know who and where to turn to. And that is what they needed to hear, that is what they needed to learn and that is why God gave me the task.
Testimonies are always the best examples of salvation and ultimately, of God’s love through the Cross. They are the best motivators for a changed life, so to speak. I was subverted back to who I was because God is assured that I can never be led astray this time. Though I have to make the sacrifices, He knows I will be going back to Him, seeking and reaching Him out all the more. Then, share the Word and the meaning of the Cross.
Yes, being an instrument is a two-way learning process. I, too, was learning. I, too, feel the pain. I, too, feel the struggle – with them who are “lost.” But the only difference, I had a steadfast faith and I know the meaning of the Cross. I always go back to God, I always think about the Grace. I “report” what I did, I repent if I made mistakes along the way, I submit to His will and then I accept what needs to be done next through prayers for continued guidance from our Father.
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” – Galatians 5:6
At the end of it all, I ask myself: “Why do that, Tin? Why ask God to give you the task of being an instrument in letting people know about Him? Why let yourself go through all the pain and the sacrifices?”
At first, I don’t know the answer. But God gave the answer: it was LOVE. He loves us so much that is why He sent His son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins. I love my God and Jesus Christ so much for this GRACE, I love the people around me too much I want them to be saved too. It was all for LOVE that I will endure the sacrifices, that I will accept humility. For I know too that this LOVE that saved me will be the LOVE that will save them all too.
This was the love that I used to sarcastically joke about. The love that I used to amusingly take for granted. The love that I have no regard at all. And yet, it was because of this LOVE that I survived in this world.
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his LOVE into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
– Romans 5: 1-5
Before I end this article, I would like to share this verse as a reminder so as to not fall into the trap that the enemy has set out for us in order to cut in on our RACE towards GRACE:
“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
– Galatians 5: 19-21
Forgive yourself, no one is condemning you. But continue to do what is good, what is right and what is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. So my dear brothers and sisters, I pray that may we all work together towards having this through Jesus Christ our Savior – LIFE IN ETERNITY and continue the good fight of faith, no matter what it takes. 🙂
When nostalgia hits you, all you’ve got to do is press rewind and off you go to reminisce mode. Thus, this post. 😉
Before starting this article, I have one thing to ask:
Will the celebration of Valentine’s Day ever be possible without it being commercialized?
I can neither say I am guilty of that nor do I disapprove of it. For the sole reason that I intend to mash-up both ways in celebrating Valentine’s Day: the traditional and the contemporary. The genuine and the commercialized, so to speak. 😀
Let me enumerate why.
The common a.k.a. commercialized Valentine’s Day celebration include but is not limited to flowers, chocolates, gifts, and lavish dates. It involves meticulous and extensive planning weeks prior to the “big day.” Not to mention that it also requires resources: money, time and effort. What is good about them? It is considered a good investment in the relationship synonymous to this – the happiness of your significant other matters more than anything else. The only reason why it should be celebrated in such a manner – never because it is the fad and never because everyone does it. Deviate from the norm by regarding it differently. Remaking the ordinary to make it extraordinary as I put it. 😉
Which leads me now to the traditional way of celebrating it, way back when our ancestors have no other means to celebrate it with their loved ones except through a simple but meaningful time spent together devoid of any material gift and lavish dates. I would like to stress out this word in this portion of the article – meaningful. Yes, that is far more important than anything else in every date. 🙂
So to backtrack….I found myself wondering. Was I successful in combining the two in celebrating Valentine’s Day with my special guys? YES. And I have God to thank for the opportunity as well as the provisions. He made it all happen. I dated two guys – Him and him.
God gave us the opportunity to spend Valentine’s Day in a very meaningful way, commercialized too but only to a minimum. 😉
It has been my tradition to watch any of the UP Feb fair concerts which usually falls on the week of Valentine’s Day. I was more than glad when our Managing Editor, Ms. Anj, gave the writing assignment to me to cover the event for When In Manila, an online publishing company where I am currently a writer. But the fun never stopped there, because the host of the Valentine’s Day concert was a Christian organization in UP, the UP Students of Destiny and Brian was free to attend the event with me. I don’t call it luck, I call it God’s plans. 😀
Read more about the concert and our superb time there here:
Brian and I with our couple hoodies at the Kontrakultura 3 concert grounds. 🙂
Surprises are never my thing, but I am getting used to it and loving it especially when they come from God and from the person you love. Yihee! 😀
Kidding aside now, before the concert, Brian and I met up and he gave me a rose, a very pretty one. But not only that. Along with it he handed me a work of art – a love message in the form of a poem. Though I must say he is trying to imitate my being a poetess. hahaha Kidding. 😉 (You’ve done such an amazing job by the way, baby! I love you to pieces. 🙂 )
Roses are red and poems are the sweetest.
The day after, February 15, Brian asked me if I can have a post V-Day dinner and movie date with him, to which I said yes of course but I also thought that something is lacking. I was looking for that real essence of what Valentine’s Day is really all about – selfless, meaningful love, a love that is not only revolving between Brian and I. I prayed to God and I asked for guidance and for answers. Then the answer came – spend it with the people who are close to you and who need your utmost love too. The first person who crossed my mind was Ate Daisy. She is the mom of the family whom I serve as a Family Support Volunteer for the Victory QC Community Outreach Ministry.
My admiration for Ate Daisy is beyond words. A mom of 4, raising her children on her own as her husband passed away two years ago, she is indeed the true modern “superwoman.” She carries that heavy responsibility of being both a father and a mother to her kids (2 of them are in college already), working 6 or 7 days in a week doing laundry to earn money and provide for her family. It was my first time to volunteer and I have a lot of apprehensions. My first question to God was this: how can I help them knowing that I don’t have the means sufficient enough to help them (financially, new in the faith, not enough experience, etc.)?
And yet, came His answer: your presence is enough. 🙂
So there it was. When a message is being delivered from up above, I do nothing but follow. And I was surprised even more: I was given provisions to buy Valentine’s Day gifts for Ate Daisy and her family, the free time, and a willing companion – Brian. I was nothing more but the happiest. It was my first visit and yet it was the most memorable. We were able to visit Ate Daisy, who greeted us with all smiles, talked with her and asked her how she’s been doing. We left her feeling happy and grateful making us happy and grateful too. After the visit, we ended our Saturday with a dinner and movie date which Brian promised. (Thank you, thank you, baby.)
But I know that this is only the beginning of more meaningful moments, of sharing to the people we care about the beautiful promises of God. We have a faithful God and I will continue to be grateful to Him for that. 🙂
I was planning my next visit to Ate Daisy for this month but I couldn’t decide the exact date yet. I thought I’ll just pray to God and wait when will be His perfect time for it. I prayed that He would equip me. Two days ago, I received the answer, The Crossroads training for Family Support Volunteers will be held starting this week to equip us, volunteers, to better help the families assigned to us. The best part is that God arranged and cleared my schedule though I have several commitments so I could attend them all. God makes things perfect in His time, indeed.
Oh, Father God, thank you so much! May praise and glory be given to You always. I cannot speak of anything else except that. You are my greatest blessing. 🙂
I am grateful to Him too for giving me my partner in my mission to help spread God’s greatness and His message. Just to share a little bit of the love message that Brian gave me (I can’t share everything as it is far too special. 😉 ) which became my prayer too by the way, here it is:
“Embrace us, oh Father, as we walk with You in our journey together.” – J. B. G. R.
And because it was a very memorable Valentine’s Day for me, not only because it is my first Valentine’s Day with Brian but because I intend to make the ordinary as extraordinary, I have thought about preserving one good memorabilia of that day: the ROSE. 😉
I have received roses before but not once did it cross my mind to preserve them. Not until now. So I looked up over the internet how to preserve them which includes hanging the rose upside down, and letting it dry for a couple of weeks. When completely dried, spray with a little bit of hairspray to keep the petals from falling off. I am planning to put it inside a glass container to keep the dust away from the petals as it is hard brushing the petals off without damaging any single one of them.
And here is a picture of my special rose before and after. 🙂
BEFORE and AFTER
The single rose, if you have watched The Phantom of the Opera, is a symbol and a reminder of the Phantom’s love for Christine (the leading lady in the movie).
This rose, for me (being Christine too), is my memorabilia of Brian’s love for me and a promise of my God’s amazing love too. Awww, I know. Please don’t kill me for being extremely mushy. hahaha 😀
Seriously, here is what I have to say, start loving my God too and you will never, ever regret you did that. 😉
This pot of flowers is not your ordinary pot. Why? Because what makes these flowers fascinating to me and special is the idea that they have stayed fresh though they have been picked out from their stems and now floating in what I call a temporary life support system – the pool of water. 🙂
Which made me think of love.
“How can you love if you are afraid to fall?”
Nah, I am not going to talk about the sweet moments just like how love articles are all about. I am going to talk about the other side of love – when you fall. That is, the pain in loving caused by none other than the conflicts.
Conflicts are experienced by all who is in a relationship. Even married Christian couples go through conflicts. I, for one, experienced a conflict at the onset of our relationship. Well, the enemy does not choose a particular timeline nor a particular couple to attack. Everyone gets their own dose.
But I will not be talking of conflicts here in a manner wherein I regard them as a failure. In fact, I just want to share how these conflicts helped me and my boyfriend build my faith in God and establish trust in our relationship.
Now, TRUST is my biggest waterloo. I feared it. I have no courage to have it. Most especially in relationships. Doubts are my greatest enemy.
I almost came close to giving up because of constantly having doubts and not having trust. The reason why I came close to giving up is because I did not trust God fully that He will always be there to guide us in the relationship.
Until I came to a realization whether I should let the conflicts ruin or build my faith. God has a reason why He gave you that person to love. It is up to you if you are to accept it as something good or bad. Differences will always be present because no two persons are ever the same. There will be personal struggles in keeping the purity and holiness intact inside the premises of the relationship. Temptations will be on the rise.
But then, we all love happy endings and yet we know too that love stories are never complete without the trials and suffering. In fact, they are what makes the ending happy, when you come out victorious over them by constantly asking God for guidance and protection.
But the question still remains: Will you let the enemy win?
I cannot. I cannot let my doubts, the conflicts and personal struggles ruin the beautiful promisesthat God has for our relationship. I have to trust God so I can gain trust in the relationship. Believe that it is not you or your boyfriend/husband who will run the relationship but it is God who will be the center of it. Continue to grow and learn from mistakes and strive to be at the right path.
Most of all, choose God and choose love. If you love the person who is willing to do everything for you, you know what to do with that love as how God would want you to. Cherish it. It is God’s lovethat saved us all through His son Jesus Christ freeing us from the chains of our sins.
I am extremely grateful to God for having this relationship. It is God’s blessing that I was given a man who has an open mind and a willing, teachable heart patient enough to understand. Who chose to encourage than condemn, who chose to be gentle than to offend, who chose to be relenting than be stern, who chose to accept than judge. But most importantly, a man who chose to love and follow God than give up.
(I will always be grateful to you, baby. Thank you and I love you so much!)
As I end this article, I would like to leave two quotations – first would be what I learned from the Love Series of Victory entitled It’s Not That Complicated and the other, a bible verse.
“Love will not be complicated if we understand that love is a decision and not just an emotion.”
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is LOVE.
1 Corinthians 13:13
Like the flowers floating in a pool of water, loving requires the decision and the need to stay afloat though circumstances would posit you to be out of your comfort zone, out of your original life support system. The relationship is the flower and love is the water that feeds the relationship, that nourishes it.
Yes, decide that love is enough. That God is more than enough. 🙂
The Journeyman's Moments 