The Golden Rule Comes From a Heart of Gold*

*this post is especially for my soul sister mae. she wasn't able to attend because she was at the Discovery Weekend. i know she was also blessed there. sis, eto na yung promise ko. ^_^ this might be another looooonnnnnnnnngggggggg post. just a warning. *wink*

Bo is right, today's FEAST is powerful! He wasn't there but another great Kerygma preacher, Bro. Obet Cabrillas, was God's messenger today. The topic wasn't in the Choose to be Wealthy series (sis, no worries! hindi mo na-miss yung Talk 3. next week pa yun, pagbalik ni Bo. ^_^), instead, it was a special talk on How God Makes Your Heart Glow To Live Out His Golden Rule! [whew! ang haba ng title. hehe. pero I swear, sobrang powerful ng talk na ito!]

Sorry, but I claim this talk. Haha. This is really for me. And I was so happy to be able to be there, be inspired, and be blessed. Honestly, I really wanted to be at the Discovery Weekend. But everything really happens for a good reason. I wasn't able to attend the retreat, because God wants me to be at the Pastoral Congress yesterday and to be at The Feast today! ^_^ Both events affirmed to me that I made the right decision. What decision is that? Well, too personal to share, but it would be obvious, believe me. ^_^

As I was typing this post, I received a text message from Nap. It's from Joshua Harris: "I can throw myself into romance with all the passion of Romeo, but in God's school of true love, I'm afraid I'm still in Kindergarten." I leave to you the interpretation of this quote. As for me, I admit that I may be still in Kindergarten. I'm still learning how to really love, the way God does.

Anyway, here goes the special talk. ^_^ [This came from The Feast supplement given to us.]

We often belittle life and doubt whether we could impact others by our own. No wonder mediocrity became a convenient standard of the modern world. Worse, our society rewards people for being alike and not for being different. Malcolm Forbes was so right when he said: "Too many overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are."

Today let's break free from our comfort zones, reclaim our freedom to become what God planned us to be: Champions of His goodness and love. To the world, you might be one person; but to one person, you might be the world. You are great beyond measure! Let your Heart of Gold shine!

Key passages:

Luke 6:31. Do unto others as you would have them to you.

Matthew 5:8. Blessed are the pure of heart for they will see God.

According to Bro. Obet, "The more you purify your heart, the more you see God; the more you see God, the more you purify your heart."

Ano nga ba ang meron sa ginto? What is it about gold that makes it so precious? Bro. Obet gave two characteristics: authentic, refined.

Another quote from Bro. Obet, "The most stressful situation you can ever get yourself in is to pretend to be someone you are not. You are beautiful. You are unique. Shift from hypocrisy to integrity."

How to Have a Golden Heart [The 4 PRs of a Golden Heart]

1. PReservation (From Survival Instincts to Sincere Concern)

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." - Matthew 16:25

"Yes, know thyself: in great concerns of small. Be this thy care, for this, my friend, is all." - Juvenal

"The capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest significance." - Pablo Casals

Bro. Obet explained the stages that a child goes through. During infancy, he acts as a receiver - needs special attention; can't do much but cry and smile; then he grows a little bigger and stronger and becomes an explorer; then he grows even bigger and stronger until he becomes a helper. Unfortunately, Bro. Obet said, there are people who didn't grow and reach the "helper" stage. And worse, there are people who stayed "receivers" even after childhood, even up to adulthood.

He once asked a psychology professor about the worst problem of humans. And the answer he got was, "Narcissism" - too much love of oneself, self-centered, self-righteous, self-glorifying, basta self! Hehe. Funny how he sang this song, which, according to him, is how Narcissists view the world: "It's MY smile, MY face, MY lips that I miss.." Haha. Tawa talaga kame ng tawa. Sabi pa niya, yung mga ganung tao daw, pagdating sa kwentuhan, ganito yung mga linya nila: "Alam mo AKO.. blah blah.. tsaka yung ano KO.. blah blah.. mahilig din AKO sa.. ikaw, kamusta ka naman? anong masasabi mo sa AKIN??" Haha. Kamusta naman?! IKAW lang ba ang nag-eexist sa mundo? Hehe. Funny, but unfortunately, there are really those people. Exaggerated siguro pero meron talagang taong walang pakialam sa iba. Walang MALASAKIT. Eto pa, what is the root word of "malasakit"? Ano ang salitang-ugat ng "malasakit"? Nakakatawa. May nagsabi dun na "malas"! Haha. Pero ang totoo, "sakit" po ang root word nun. "Sakit" as in SACRIFICE hindi "sakit" na sickness. [para clear lang. ^_^]

Yun daw ang kulang sa atin, yung genuine concern for people. We must not think solely of our own survival. Let's think not just of the preservation of our lives, but also of the lives of the people around us.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "You will discover yourself as you lose yourself in service for others."

Find JOY in JOY - Jesus, Others, Yourself. In Bro. Obet's case, literal talaga yung "Joy" kasi yun din name ng wife niya. Hehe. Kulit lang. I swear he's so funny. Hindi boring. May sense at malalim yung mga sinasabi niya pero he delivers it a non-intimidating manner, very light lang. Parang si Arun Gogna. and si Bo. ^_^

Last point for the first PR (shocks! first palang 'to. anong petsa na. haha.) - from JFK (trivia: according to Guiness, John F. Kennedy is the fastest orator president of all times. ^_^) - this is already familiar: "Do not ask what the country can do for you but what you can do for the country." Change "the country" to these words: God, your family, your friends, others. ^_^

2. PRotection (From Private Safety to Public Security)

[It was during this part that I cried because really, I could relate.]

"Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wing." - Psalm 17:8

"Do not protect yourself by a fence, but rather by your friends." - Czech Proverb

Whew! Bro. Obet said, "ang punong mabunga, binabato." And in difficult situations of persecution, men end up in either of these three F's: fight, flight, fright.

Sabi rin niya, according to one book, "Wild at Heart", there are three essential things in man's existence: a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. Bro. Obet emphasized on this: A BEAUTY to rescue, not BEAUTIES to rescue. Brothers, clear naman yun diba? Haha.

We hold accountable for the people given to us by God. They are gifts (I remember Ate Leah, "Persons are Gifts"), therefore we must take good care of them. And part of caring is protecting. Uh oh, honestly, I have bad memories about that word. And that's the very reason why I wasn't able to hold back the tears as Bro. Obet was explaining. Not only once did I hear people say, "I'm just protecting you.." and yet I can't feel that "protection" they're claiming to give.

This is how Bro. Obet explained it: To protect is to defend. If bad rumors are spreading about a person you care about, you have to defend that person. How do you do it? Just tell the truth. Wag ka ng gumatong pa. Ang nangyayari kasi, every time na may namumuong tsismis tungkol sa isang tao, instead na kausapin yung taong involve (to confirm and to let him/her know what's going on), gagatong pa tayo. Magbabato pa tayo ng mga linyang, "oo nga.. tsaka alam niyo ba, si ano, ganito rin siya... blah blah.." Hindi tayo nakakatulong. Lalo lang natin nilulugmok yung taong pinag-uusapan. Nakakalungkot isiping may mga ganitong klaseng kaibigan, well, sabi nga ni Bro. Obet, hindi talaga sila "kaibigan". Mga nagpapanggap lang. Kaya we should be careful.

Naiyak ako kasi I remember all my REAL friends who stood by me, defended me, and protected me from all the negative things being thrown at me. I realized how few they are. Haha. Yun pala yun. Hehe. Joke lang. Nakakalungkot kasi may mga taong inasahan at tinuring kong kaibigan, pero hindi pala. Oh well. I'm just thankful that God has given me TRUE people. I remember one time a friend told me, "you know what sis, tinanong nila ako kung paano ko raw nakuhang makipag-kaibigan sa'yo; pa'no ko raw natitiis yung ugali mo." Matagal na 'to. Pero recently lang, naulit na naman. Another friend approached me and said, "tinanong niya ako, bakit ka nakikipagkaibigan kay Aiza? napapagod na raw kasi sila sa mga problema mo." Ouch diba? Tapos ang mas ouch dun, sobrang minahal ko yung taong nagsabi nun. I even made a vow that I'll remain a friend to him and that I'll stay for as long as he needs me. Oh well. Sad talaga. But that's the way it is. Sabi nga ni Bro. Obet, "the society is so hurt that it will also hurt you." I also remember what one of my "kuyas" said, "think of it this way sis: their lives are miserable, that's why they want you to be miserable too. They find it hard to believe that you're happy and ok despite all the things they've done to you." Tsk. Tsk. Bro. Obet added, "this culture is already a culture of gatong." Know what "gatong" is? Instead na "patayin yung apoy", lalo pa nating pinapasiklab. Let's stop that attitude, yung siraan at hilahan pababa. It won't do us good. Wala tayong mararating dun. If we really want to "protect" the person we claim to care for, then we must defend him/her and not allow him/her to be even more humiliated. We ARE NOT protecting someone when we keep silent amidst the rumors, neither do we protect him/her by detaching ourself from him/her. So you can't say that, "I'm trying to protect you that's why lumalayo ako." This may be valid in some cases, but not in cases when rumors are already spreading. Ang paglayo sa isang tao dahil lang sa maraming sinasabing hindi maganda tungkol sa kanya ang ibang tao, ay hindi tanda ng pagmamahal. Dahil kung meron kang pinoprotektahan sa ganung paraan, hindi yun yung taong sinasabi mong mahal mo, kundi ang sarili mo lang.

Sabi pa ni Bro. Obet, hindi raw totoong "if you love someone, set him/her free". Dapat daw, "fight for him/her first." If it won't work, then, that's the only time that you let the person go. Tama nga naman. Pero para saken, fight for the person if he's worth fighting for. How would you know that he's worth it? Well, if he, too, is willing to fight for you. Take note, fight FOR you, not, fight YOU. Hehe. Nililinaw ko lang.

We were asked to hold the hand of the person beside us (si Mama yung katabi ko) and to tell that person that we feel secure because of them. Naiyak ako kasi totoong with Mama, Papa, Arnold, and my few true friends, I feel so secure, because through them, I can feel God's hands embracing me. [Soul sister, sayang talaga wala ka dun.]

Tapos kinanta pa ni Bro. Obet yung song ni Rey Valera, "Pangako sa'yo, ipaglalaban ko sa hirap at ginhawa ang ating pag-ibig." I admit, hindi ko na-appreciate yung song na 'to before, siguro kasi may bitterness pa. Ilang beses na ba akong nakarinig ng mga pangakong napako naman? Pero kanina, sobrang na-touch ako. Narealize ko, hindi lang naman pala 'to kanta ng mga may partner e, pwede ko rin 'tong maging kanta kay God, sa family ko, at sa mga mahal ko sa buhay. Kaya people, friends (you know who you are), pangako, hindi ko kayo iiwan.. ipaglalaban ko kayo!

As a conclusion, Bro. Obet encourage us to be a TRUE friend to the people around us. And what is a TRUE friend? He/She is someone who will defend his/her friends. Siya yung taong, kahit buong mundo pa ang galit sa'yo, mananatili siya sa side mo. Hindi ka iiwan, at bibigyan ka ng assurance na may nagmamahal sa'yo, may nagpapahalaga, at may naniniwala. Isang taong kilala kung sino at kung ano ka. Isang taong hindi magpapadala at magpapaapekto sa negative comments ng iba. Let me clarify, to defend is not the same as to tolerate. We know what is right and what is wrong. Kung may mali talaga yung tao, then, kelangan ding pagsabihan. Because aside from being a defender, a real friend is someone who would lead you to the light and not to darkness. Dun mo actually malalaman kung healthy ang isang relationship or hindi - ask yourself, napapabuti ba ako o napapasama?

So there, find a TRUE friend, and keep him/her. Better yet, BE A TRUE FRIEND to someone, to as many people as you can. Again, persons are gifts, they are blessings. We are persons. We are gifts. LET'S BE BLESSINGS. ^_^

3. PRovisions (From Satisfaction to Sharing)

"Anyone who does not provide for his household, especially for his immediate family has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." -1 Timothy 5:8-

"You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give." -Kahlil Gibran-

"There is no such thing as a happy selfish person." -Ralph Waldo Emerson-

When you come to serve the Lord, you give your all - time, talent, treasure. Sabi ni Bro. Obet, hindi raw pwedeng installment, GIVE YOUR ALL. He mentioned about KENOSIS: self-emptying. If one is empty, then he/she is also open and able to receive what the Lord has to give. Because it is when we are empty does God fill us with His abundant love, grace, and mercy. In Bro. Obet's words, "pupunuin tayo ng Diyos, siksik, liglig, umaapaw." Share what you have generously, because it is the Lord who would fill you up again with overflowing blessings which comes with peace, joy, love, and mercy. ^_^

4. PRayers (From Petitions to Intercession)

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." -Philippians 4:6-

"I thank my God every time I think of you. In all my prayers for all of you, I pray with joy." -Philippians 1:3-4-

"The deeper you are drawn to God, the more you have to go to the world and carry divine life into it. The more you pray, the more you should bring out what you prayed about in the world." -St. Edith Stein-

Intercessory prayer is powerful. While it is ok for us to have 'selfish' (not the negative connotation) prayers, we should also make it a point to pray for one another. Bro. Obet shared, one night, 8:30 to be exact, his ninang had a bad dream. Pumunta raw sila sa morgue at pagtanggal nila ng kumot, nakita nila yung mukha ni Bro. Obet. She told her husband about it and they immediately prayed for Bro. Obet. The next day, nagkita sila and his ninang told him what happened the previous night. I swear I had goosebumps when I heard his story. That same night, at exactly the same time, they (Bro. Obet and some friends) met an accident somewhere in Bulacan at muntik na silang sumadsad sa isang malaking wall. And if that happened, they would have died; the nightmare would have been a reality. But see the power of prayer? It can really save lives. Marami akong stories tungkol diyan. And I can really attest to the power of intercessory prayer. We all need each other. Let's pray for one another. ^_^

Wohoo! Matatapos na. Haha. Ang haba pala talaga. Yung last na PR ay PResence. Sabi nga ni Confucius, "wheresever you are, there your heart should be." If a friend needs you, BE THERE. If you're hearing mass or listening to a talk, BE THERE! Presence, in the context of this discussion, is not merely physical presence. It is TOTAL presence - physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.

Pero hindi lahat nagtatapos sa pagkakaroon ng golden heart. Dahil..

Your heart of gold will be tested by fire!

Sirach 2:5. For as gold is tested by fire, so as worthy men in the crucible of trials. (Remember this verse soul sis? ^_^)

1 Peter 1:6-7. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even through refined fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Simple lang, pero matindi yung message ng part na 'to. Sasaktan ka ng mundo. The world will be unfair to you. But DO NOT LET ANYONE STEAL THE KINDNESS IN YOUR HEART.

When people are unkind, be kind anyway. Because in the end, it's not going to be between you and them, but between you and GOD.

Na-comfort ako sa sinabi ni Bro. Obet: sa bawat patak ng luha mo, nalilinis ang puso mo. Naalala ko yung sinabi ni Pope John Paul II. "It is better to cry than to be angry. Because crying cleanses the soul."

At eto yung pinakamatindi (ang ganda pa ng boses ni Bro. Obet kaya sobrang touching talaga), in God's time, when you've gone through every refining fire that would purify your heart and make you as pure as gold, you would hear God singing this to you: "I SEE YOUR TRUE COLORS SHINING THROUGH.. I SEE YOUR TRUE COLORS AND THAT'S WHY I LOVE YOU.. SO DON'T BE AFRAID TO LET THEM SHOW YOUR TRUE COLORS.. TRUE COLORS.. ARE BEAUTIFUL LIKE A RAINBOW.."

Be you. Be true. Be God's vessel of love. Be a blessing. ^_^

Ayun lang po. ^_^

Matutulog na ako. Good night everyone! ^_^