Lenten reflections

lenten reflections

i felt hell during the past two weeks.. my semester ended just last wednesday (april 4) and it was only now that i could say that i've really had a break..

last wednesday i posted something about winning and losing in my blogs but i didn't give details.. i decided not to talk much about it.. not that i'm not over it yet but because i think there are better issues i should talk about.. nonetheless, i would include a bit about it here as i share some of the reflections that i had during the lenten season.

1. in life, you win some, you lose some..
>>i lost my first flash disk when i got hold of the penshoppe denimlab rockfest cd after buying a blouse, a shirt for my brother, and a bag..
>>last wednesday, Chikka Asia hired me as an intern but on the same day

well, i guess that's the way life goes.. God gives us enough victories to make us happy, and enough defeats to make us humble.. i realized that indeed, i've grown up as a person.. unlike before, i can now handle tough situations like i've mentioned above.. i no longer cry like a baby.. i've learned to let go and accept the things that have happened and would happen in the future..

sabi nga ni erap, weather weather lang yan.. kung hindi ukol, hindi bubukol.. siguro hindi lang talaga para sken yung flash disk na yun.. anyway, napalitan ko naman sya eh.. ng mas malaking memory.. 512mb lang yung unang flash disk ko, ngayon, 1gb na.. at yung naging kapalit ng chikka, ok na rin yun.. hindi naman ganun kalaki ang epekto niya.. sana lang wala ng hingin pang ibang requirements yung chikka.. briefing namin sa wednesday and i hope they would no longer ask us to submit additional documents..

2. loving isn't easy..
>>hindi totoo na masarap magmahal.. dahil ang pagmamahal ay may katumbas na sakit at hirap..

my brother and i participated in this year's penitential walk to antipolo.. we've been doing it for 3 years now and this year, nathan walked with us.. first time naming naglakad na walang pahinga.. sa tikling lang kami tumigil para kumain at magpahinga.. after regaining our strength, naglakad na uli kami hanggang sa 14th station of the cross..

i got my second reflection from the reflection in one of the stations na dinaanan namin..

sabi raw ng mga romantiko, masarap magmahal.. but we must be aware that loving also requires getting hurt.. yes, requirement talagang masaktan ka.. sabi nga dun sa reflection, kung madali lang daw para sa atin ang magmahal, baka raw hindi talaga tayo nagmamahal.. bakit hindi nga naman natin subukang mahalin ang mga taong hindi tayo kayang mahalin, mga taong hindi tayo pinapansin, mga taong walang pakialam at walang pagpapahalaga sa atin.. mahirap di ba? but that's the true measure of love.. loving the unlovable, loving without conditions..

sabi sa isang text message na natanggap ko from a friend.. loving unconditionally enables you to say "i love you but you don't have to love me back, i'll be fine."

ang sakit, ang hirap, pero ganun talaga eh..

"if loving means being loved, then i'm not loving enough.. if loving means being special, then i barely love.. but if loving means getting hurt, i guess i'm loving too much"

yes, indeed i'm loving too much.. and i'm fine with that.. at least i know what true love means.. and that makes me different from some people i know who don't take love seriously.. who are afraid of commitment..

there's this guy who told his ex that he still loves her.. the girl wants him back and is willing to "start all over again" but the guy said that he's fine with what they both have.. friendship to the next level.. sort of an open relationship.. he's not ready for a commitment yet.. but is love not enough to keep a commitment?

sad but true, the word "love" is already overused.. people say "i love you" frequently but they're not saying it from the heart.. and if they do, they don't really mean it because they don't understand what love is..

buti na lang hindi ako kabilang sa kanila..

mahirap magmahal lalo na ng taong hindi kayang suklian yung pagmamahal na binibigay mo.. gaya na lang ni Hesus.. minahal niya tayo, he suffered and died for us.. but are we loving Him well?

the following are among the questions Monsi has imposed during his homily last thursday:
*ano ang estado natin sa buhay para mahalin at patawarin tayo ng Diyos?
*ano ang estado natin sa buhay para pagkalooban tayo ng mga biyaya?
*anong ginagawa natin para mapasalamatan ang Panginoon sa lahat ng ginawa at binigay niya despite our unworthiness?

for the last part, i would like to share these beautiful text messages i have received during the Holy Week..

>>in the end what would matter is not what you bought but what you built; not what you got but what you gave; not your success but your significance; not what you learned but what you taught; not your competence but your character; not how long you will be remembered but by whom and for what. CHOOSE TO LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS.<<

>>there was a man who saw a scorpion almost drowning in water. he decided to save it by stretching out his finger, but the scorpion stung him. the man still tried, but the scorpion stung him again. another man nearby told him to stop saving the scorpion. but the man said: "it's the nature of the scorpion to sting. it's my nature to love. why should i give up my nature to love just because it's the nature of the scorpion to sting?" DON'T GIVE UP CARING, DON'T GIVE UP LOVING,DON'T GIVE UP YOUR GOODNESS, EVEN WHEN EVERYONE AROUND YOU STINGS.<<

>>why did God make the world round? so that no matter how small or insignificant you think you are, wherever you stand on it, you're still on top of the world.<<

>>in God's eyes love is always present. in God's heart forgiveness is always there. in God's embrace no one is ever alone.<<

>>He had no servants, yet they called Him Master. No college degree, yet they called Him Teacher. No medicines, yet they called Him Healer. No army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today. Feel honored to serve such a Leader.<<

i hope we all had a meaningful Lenten season..

God bless everyone! =)