God has been faithful and He never fails to surprise me every single day. today, my brother and i were supposed to go to PGH. pa-schedule sana for CT scan. pero sabi ni mama, magpahinga raw muna ako ngayon. bukas na lang daw. so eto, may time ako to blog. hehe. ang saya. while i was typing and singing, my brother came and asked me to solve a math problem. akala ko sa text lang yun, but i was surprised to see what he's holding - it's an entrance exam reviewer! natuwa talaga ako. i've been praying for God to touch my brother and give him the passion to pursue his studies, tapos ngayon, answered prayer na. ang galing talaga ni God! ^_^
start pa lang ng araw, i know more surprises are coming my way. for now, let me share my journal entries for the past two days.
11 May, Sunday
God is an amazing God. He gave me great surprises today and I am overjoyed. I can't thank Him enough for touching the hearts of my instructors and make them understand my situation. I was really touched. I didn't know what to say when I read the replies of Sir Eric and Sir Rom. I just couldn't contain my happiness that I blogged about it. When I got home, I had dinner and headed straight to my room and spent time with God. I am so deeply in love with Him and I've never been this happier. Two years ago, same month, I was in love with someone. Last year, I was falling for and eventually fell deeply, madly, crazy in love with another man. But both ended tragically. The more that I loved, the deeper the pain. But now I realized, those two wrong people, those two wrong loves had led me to the Perfect One, the only love that would never hurt. This year, I fell deeply in love with the Lord and I just can't stop falling in love with Him. I asked for His reply after I prayed and His message was in Jeremiah 42:11. "Do not be afraid.. for I am with you to save you and deliver you." Amazing indeed! He's the sweetest lover and He's my one true love. I know He'll give me my perfect match, someone who is also deeply in love with Him. ^_^ Such a sweet thought.
Shy shared a very good verse, another reminder from God. Amos 5:6, 14-15. (Again, about how to live our lives for the Lord.)
6: Seek the Lord and live...
14: Seek good and not evil, that you may live; So the Lord God of hosts will be with you as you have spoken.
15: Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate...
God really speaks in the Bible and I am so glad that finally, I have come to take it as my Daily Bread. ^_^
12 May, Monday
God is really good and every day, He allows me to see and experience His power, mercy, and unconditional love. Today, I've been blessed by the following and I am thankful for them:
1. Good weather. Sira lahat ng payong namin sa bahay maliban sa mga malalaki na ayaw ko namang dalhin dahil malaking sagabal. Amazing how God controls the weather just to make sure that I won't get soaked in the rain or get burnt by the raging heat of the sun. When I got off the bus, hindi masikat ang araw. Pagsakay ko ng jeep to Banawe, umaraw na. Pagdating ng Welcome Rotonda, kulimlim. I prayed na huwag umulan kasi malapit na akong bumaba. Tatawid at maglalakad pa ako. Answered prayer agad. Hanggang pagpasok ko ng POC, kulimlim lang. When my therapy started, it also began to rain very hard. Pero paglabas ko ng POC, wala na namang ulan. Galing no?! Ganyan ka-powerful si God. ^_^
2. Shy's wisdom. I decided to eat after my therapy. At dahil na-miss ko ang Sto. Domingo, kumain ako sa pinakamalapit na kainan dun, KFC. Wala ng seat sa baba kaya dun na lang ako sa taas. The thing is, walang ilaw. I mean, walang kuryente, so natural, walang aircon. You could just imagine kung gaano kainit. Pero smile pa rin ako. Ok lang, konting tiis lang. =) Ang pinakamaganda dun, na-share ko yun kay Shy and she told me to consider it as a sacrifice. Oo nga naman, maraming hindi na nga nakakakain, hindi pa nakaka-experience ng aircon. I was humbled by her message kaya naman I offered that situation to the hungry and the poor. And I felt better. Everything has a purpose talaga and life is worth living and every situation is worth going through if you're able to recognize it's purpose. Thanks Shy! ^_^
3. A very powerful homily by Father Norman Quilaquil. Shy and I attended the mass (saan pa kundi sa Sto. Domingo Church ^_^) and the homily was brief yet meaningful. Life has its complexities. Life is full of opposites. But these complexities and opposites make life beautiful. We experience love, we experience hatred. We experience indifference, we experience concern. Life is full of opposites and ironies. But these ironies are those that make life beautiful. Imagine if we're all laughing for all time. Eventually, our laughter will no longer have meaning. Same is true for sorrows. The complexities of life and all its ironies and opposites make it beautiful. (Notice how often this statement is repeated. Because that's what we need to remember. ^_^)
Father Norman defined miracle as something that we do that makes a difference in the lives of other people. He further said that "each of us is capable of doing miracles, and that is a proof that God is with us." In today's Gospel, Mark 8:11-13, the Pharisees asked for a sign but Jesus told them, "no sign will be given to this generation." In our world today, we do not need to ask for signs for we ourselves are already signs of God's love. I remember a story where a man asked God why He isn't doing something to heal the world and solve all the problems - hunger, war, etc. Why is God not doing anything to end the sufferings of His people? If He is God, why is He not doing anything? Then God told the man, "I did something. I sent you." Do something. Be a blessing. We were born in this world for a purpose. We ought to do something. We must be a blessing. We must be THE SIGN. I was amazed by how God made me understand the message of the Gospel today. Kanina, when I woke up, I already read today's readings, but I wasn't able to grasp the real meaning of the Gospel. Instead, I dwelt on the first reading, James 1:1-11, and the quote I read in "In His Steps." I even shared them through text. But I really wasn't able to reflect on the Gospel. Thanks to Father Norman, I was able to comprehend the wisdom in it.
By the way, here are the text messages I sent to my distribution lists. ^_^
*James 1:2-4. "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." Endure the hardships for they are God's way of shaping us into what we should become. Every trial we overcome is a step closer to God. Be blessed. Be a blessing.
*On my way to POC, I find comfort in this: "There is no sin too big that God cannot forgive." God is loving. God is forgiving. God is perfect. And life is worth living if we're living it all for Him. ^_^
4. The Rain. Umuulan paglabas namin ng simbahan. Wala akong payong. Shy told me to wait for her kasi kukuha raw siya ng payong sa bahay nila. I decided to come with her. Blessing din kasi finally, na-meet ko na rin si Nanay at si Thothon. At nakakatuwa pa kasi binigyan ako ni Nanay ng bagong payong. May tindahan kasi sila at may tinda silang payong. Nakakatuwa talaga. Nahiya nga ako, gusto ko sanang bayaran (utangin pala kasi wala na rin akong pera. hehe.) pero yun nga, sabi ni Nanay bigay niya yun sken. I will always and forever be grateful. ^_^
5. The many little things. The messages I received, the faces that I saw, a smile from a stranger, a new friend (Madz, the new intern who handled me today), seeing Ate Nanique and Ate Marge at the church, the burger, the chicken steak, and the 5 itlog ng pugo which relieved my hunger while I was away from home, everything! Every little thing. ^_^
I listed only 5 but the blessings are actually countless. Sabi nga ni Shy, "count your blessings, don't stop counting."
After my prayer, I asked for God's reply. His message was in Ecclesiastes 2. Verse 26: "For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight." My prayer is to be holy, to be pure in mind, heart, and soul. I love the Lord so much and I can't stop falling in love with Him. I pray that He'll grant me the grace to remain in Him and be forever pleasing to His sight. Amen.
Shy shared: Amos 5, Jeremiah 4, Philippians 3:7-11
Thothon shared: Psalm 91
While I was reading Philippians 3:7-11, naalala ko lang yung song na "All I Want" and I promised Shy to post the lyrics here. ^_^
ALL I WANT
I believe that nothing can outweigh the advantage of knowing Jesus Christ,
the advantage of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord
Refrain:
All I want is to know Jesus Christ
And the power of His rising
All I want is to know my Lord
And in Him to abide
For Him I take the loss of everything
And I look on everything as naught
If only I have Christ and a place in Him [Refrain]
I'm no longer trying on my own for perfection coming from the law
I want only that which comes through my faith in Him [Refrain]
This is my song:
BETTER THAN LIFE
Better than the riches of this world
Better than the sound of my friends' voices
Better than the biggest dreams in my heart
And that's just the start
Better than getting what I say I need
Better than living the life that I want to
Better than the love anyone could give
Your love is
You hold me now in Your arms
And never let me go
For You O Lord made the sunshine and the moonlight in the night sky
You give me breath and all Your love
I give my heart to You because
I can't stop falling in love with You
I'll never stop falling in love with You
That's it. Til next post. Cheers! God is enough! ^_^
Jesus, because of You, I'm free!
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