yes to craziness.

Even at the last moment, while tying my shoelaces, I was still wondering why I even said “yes” to this craziness – this craziness of learning how to ice skate. I would eventually see that embracing the new and unfamiliar is exactly what I need.

You see, I have a fear of falling. It’s not the physical pain that scares me but the idea of people laughing at me. But that day, I decided to go with the flow with hopes of overcoming my fear.

As I write this, I am feeling the pain of my muscles and my feet. Along with it are the lessons I learned:

Lesson #1: Let go and you enjoy life to the fullest.

Me not letting go of the railings at the skating rink, is like a ship in a harbor. The ship is safe but it’s not doing what it’s meant to do. This reminds me of saying “yes” to go on mission in a country I didn’t know much about. I could have easily said “no”, stayed in the Philippines and enjoyed my life there. But, boy, am I glad I said “yes”. It was a simple decision that led me to the greatest ride of my life, a journey into and with God’s unfathomable grace.

Lesson #2: Don’t rush things.

I always rush things. Patience does not come naturally to me. So when somebody advised me saying, “Patience is a virtue”, I asked, “Whatever happened to ‘time is gold’?”

While it is important to do the mission with urgency, we also need to loosen up a bit, enjoy and learn the lesson of each moment. As Paulo Coelho says, “Direction is more important than speed”.

Lesson #3: Falling teaches you to be better next time.

There’s nothing degrading about falling, not standing up and failing to learn from every fall is. So stand up, learn from it and move on. About my fear of falling, I also realized that there’s nothing really wrong with being laughed at. Every time I lost my balance, it always made the YFCs laugh. Though at first I felt embarrassed, the joy of seeing others happy because of me was just addicting. I couldn’t help it, so I played along. It made my skating experience better; it changed my life for the best.

So, if God gives you an opportunity to be with Him, drop everything you’ve got. Let go. Learn from your mistakes. Be the best that you can be and enjoy!


Live, laugh and love out loud!

a bee flavored coke.

Everything and everyone has “buts”. There will always be another side to a coin, some bad in every good – much like a nice, cold can of Coke with a bee swimming in it.

Some friends and I were so hungry after some crazy rides in a theme park on weekend that we ate at the first fast food we saw. After consuming everything, one friend realized that there was something else in his Coke. Upon closer inspection, voilà! It was a bee. It could have ruined his day but he didn't make a big deal out of it. A Coke is still a Coke even if there’s a bee in it. Besides, it’s a bee, not a fly. So we just laughed about it and moved on.

Everything or everyone has “buts”. But (see?) are we just going to ignore and miss all the good things life can offer just because of it?

My work here in Indonesia has its own share of “buts”. Indonesians are generally friendly people “but” you just can’t seem to figure out what planet some of them are from. Had I focused on those difficult people, my whole stay would have been a total mess. It was a painstaking process that I had to go through. And true enough, it taught me some valuable lessons:

I have my own “buts” too. To some, I myself am “difficult to deal with.” I believe I have been putting bees into people’s drinks for far too long that God wants me to learn it the hard way and fast.

We can never change people. “But” we can always change our attitude towards them. Learn to live and let live. Take the time to see a person’s goodness. Respect, admire and then finally, enjoy them. “Even if in some cases, you will feel that the goodness of others is more a promise than a fact, you have only to be patient.”

For those who were able to survive me and who have become my real friends, to those who have made me a better person, thank you for believing in me. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for drinking that bee-flavored Coke.


Live, laugh and loveoutloud!






photo (c) jddunn photography

probabilities defied.

had a great conversation with the immigration officer last night... hahahahaha
can't help it, my heart keeps on beating fast as i was approaching the officer (perhaps it was because of my previous deportation case in sg hahaha)... i don't know what made me do it but i transferred to another line, maybe it was because i wanted to rehearse first the possible Q&A haha

but when i got right in front of him, i saw what he was doing  in his table all along,



all i said was:

"hehe mafia wars???"

he smiled back and that's it...

hahahaha he was playing faceboook's mafia wars the whole time...

hey, what are the odds that an "IMMIGRATION OFFICER" is facebooking while working...

probabilities defied, amazing God indeed...

why pray.

3 basic facts we know;   

1. God knows our hearts desires even before we ask.
   
2. God gives and blesses prayers according to what he sees best for us regardless of how much we think we need it.   

3. We have a loving and compassionate God who listens to every word we utter.     


So why do we still need to pray?   


1. Our patience in prayer is a sign of humility. Asking for guidance and his blessings is acknowledging that God is the source of everything. That God is God and we are not.   

2. Sincere prayer shows how much we need the things we’re asking. It purifies our intention; this sanctified condition of our hearts gives the assurance that we won’t just waste God’s gift.   

3. More than anything, God wants to have that intimate and personal relationship with us. Constant prayer builds that up. Answered and unanswered prayer compels us to pray more thus spend more time in knowing Him. He doesn’t just want us to grow; He wants us to grow with and in Him.       

Live, laugh and loveoutloud!

April 14, 2009 
Rammy, Imang, Weng, Ted, Bang, Yana, Ton, Honney, Titing, Tong

future full of hope.

sms discussions #1..

Why future full of hope not future full of happiness?


Human as we are, we have this tendency to be forgetful. If we have a future full of happiness, do you think we can still remember Him?   

Whereas a future full of hope is, a future full of faith. Hope can only be developed through deeper love and trust to God. One can’t be faithful without knowing God and that’s what he wants from us, to have an intimate and personal relationship with Him.   

Furthermore, not everything that’ll make us happy will lead us to Him, sometimes we can be happy without being hopeful and Godly but we can never be hopeful without being happy and contented in God’s love.   


April 13, 2009
Bang, Weng, April, Ian, Daryl, Tong, Kay

puzzled in jb malaysia.

Nobody saw this coming...
Nobody expected this...
But it did happen...
I am in JB malaysia as i write this... puzzled...

December 17, Thursday we received the memo from the Singapore's Ministry of Manpower rejecting our application for S-Pass. 
December 18, Friday we submitted a new application for E-Pass.
December 22, Monday we appealed for an extension from MOM and was denied.
December 23, Tuesday we appealed to immigration office and was denied the second time around... The same day at around 5pm, I left Singapore for JB Malaysia, they say normally it will take you 2 to 3 hours to get there because of the traffic jam and the immigration but 6pm I had dinner with my new hosts...

It's amazing how God can turn our lives in just a weekend...

"When God is shaking things up a bit, never panic, just smile and enjoy the ride"; I just thank the Lord He made me realize and somehow my experiences in YFC prepared me for this. For a person who doesn't know how to surf, waves are threats but for those who do, waves are thrills... by God's grace, I am surfing, I should say...


And as to the reason why i'm here? I still don't know, I just trust Him, allowing Him to surprise me everyday... and yeah, perhaps I am going to spend Christmas in a way I've never experienced before and with the people I've known for just a day but that's what makes my life more exciting...

May we all have a Very Merry and Exciting Christmas...

Blogged December 24, 2008

perfect time to lose.

I just lost my phone on my way home...

It is upsetting but it happens at the right and perfect time...

1) Perfect time to share -
The Lord has been generous to me all my life. The phone is nothing compared to the things I still have and I can never thank Him enough for that. Perhaps there's somebody who needs it more than i do. I'm just happy i was able to contribute to someone else's happiness.

2) Perfect time to have a new one -
I haven't had a new phone for quite some time now and I've always been planning to buy a new one, but since the old one is still working, the plan remained as such up to now.Though I'm still figuring out how it will happen, I know new year means new phone, hehehe.

3) Perfect time to give others a chance to be kind -
It is Christmas, time of bonuses and a season of giving. Lalo na dito sa Singapore, everyone's blessed and it's hard to find someone who isn't, so I'm actually giving people a favor for them to be generous, hahaha.

Nah, the last one is a joke... pero kung merun, aw bakit hiindi? pasko naman, so for donations, please contact me asap hahahahahahahhaha

btw, can you post your phone numbers below? And if we have common friends, can you write their numbers too? If you're too shy or if you're hiding from your admirers (like april gado hahaha), you can just email it to me or you can sms me at my smart roaming 09183451418.


Live, laugh and loveoutloud!

enduring the pain 2.

after i said yes to kuya rommel when he asked me if it's ok with me to be assigned in Singapore...

...2 days after, my mom called and told me that she needs an eye surgery... (strike 1)

...during my mom's surgery (a week after she called), my tita (second mom, who took care of me when i was young) was there in the same hospital for her check-up and was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer... (strike 2)

...during my tita's operation, my father had an accident (at nahulog sa kanal at nakatulog)... (strike 3)


three strikes in just a month...

i wanted to quit... sakit kaayu uy! ikaw daw lalim ba...
but then, if i'll quit, what good will it do? i mean, will it change anything?
so i pressed on, limping, but still moving... SingaFOR-WARD...




i'm in singapore as i write this and here are the updates of the people i love and left behind...

...my mom's surgery was successful (her eye patch was removed days before i left)

...my tita was operated and scheduled for kemo for six months (the doctor said she's doing very very fine, he's actually amazed how fast my tita is recovering)

...my dad though flipped the car he is driving sa kanal,  buti nang walang tubig, he got only bruises and stitches in his left arm

lessons learned through the experience?

1) CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY EVEN IF IT'S PAINFUL

2) CHOOSE TO TRUST EVEN THINGS SEEMED UNCERTAIN

3) CHOOSE TO SERVE NO MATTER WHAT


Live, laugh and loveoutloud!

demand not.

Two days ago I realized that it's ok to "ask" but not to "question" why (see blog Oct 1). Kung di maayu mag "question", unsa nalang kaya ang mag "demand"?

Why?

1) He is an ever-knowing and ever-present God
He knows us better that we know ourselves. (Psalms 139)
If this is the case, we are like a paper doll challenging the paper doll maker for a quiz bee, arm wrestle or scrabble... The odds of winning? Wala... hahaha

2) His wisdom is beyond our capacity (Job 38)
It's like...
... plugging 110v appliance to a 220v outlet
... 1000mg of Dolfenal to a month old child (meron ba? hehe)
... drinking 100 gallons of water a day
... putting a full grown human brain to a 5 inch paper doll
the results are devastating!

3) He is a King
Luke 10:15 is but just one of the manifestation of God's authority over towns and the power over their welfare or their woe. With such authority, who are we to demand?
You just can't demand Pres. Bush for answers of all his actions and decisions, can you? Try mo ipilit, tingnan natin saan ka pupulutin.

God is God and WE ARE NOT hence we are in no position to "question" more so"demand a reason for God's divine actions".

So here I am, still hurting, "asking" with humility, that I am nothing against Him; patience, waiting for the Lord to reveal His plans; and obedience, submitting my self to it.


***just before posting this, i got this sms from my mama:
   "nak, wala kadayun and operation Jacky (my aunt) karon kay taas iya WBC basi naa daw infection, ugma na pud unta, naa daw sya cardiac pnuemonia, monday na pud and sch"
   "ang discription sa cancer ni Jacky kay invasive dectal carcinoma"

***though nag nosebleed ko sa mga terms na only my lola could understand, i don't need not to be a doctor just to understand she's not in good condition...

Lord, there are things I still don't and can't understand... your wisdom I cannot fathom... what ever your plan is, even if it hurts, with respect, I will accept it... but then Lord, di mo naman din siguro mamasamain if we'll do all things necessary just for her to recover and if i'll ask you to please heal her... yet, if everything else fails, just allow me to be strong for our family...

enduring the pain.

Oct02'08 reflection

days after my mama’s operation, my aunt was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. And yes, it hurts, very.

Kahit ganun pa man, tuloy pa din ang agos ng buhay…

Here are 3 reminders for me today…

Somewhere out there, sa mga nasasaktan... perhaps this message is for them too…

***

1. TRUST

(Mathew 18:3) We are called to become a child not just because of their supposed innocence but more so of their complete dependence and trust to their parents. So must our attitude be towards God with our pains and sufferings.

2. HELP WILL COME

Pains and sufferings are not meant to be carried alone. (Psalms 91:11 / Exodus 24:20) Help will come, perhaps it’s already there. It could be your pastor, a family member, your special one or a friend. Just be attentive enough to know and recognize when God sends an angel for it might be in disguise.

3. GOD IS WITH YOU

God is with us when we are in distress. (Ps 91:15) It is in these times we feel closest to the Lord, comforted and embraced by Him. I believe this is more important than just taking the pain away.

jesus followers.

3 would be Jesus followers:

1] voluntary (Lk 9:57)
even without invitation, he choose to follow the Lord...
Christ's response:
Be prepared. This is not going to be easy.

2] tru invitation (Lk 9:59)
preoccupied, busy with the things they love and used to do so there's hesitation...
Christ's response:
Stop acting like you're God.

3] with conditions (Lk 9:61)
the passion to serve is there but sets conditions before doing so...
Christ's response:
As if you're in position to lay conditions.

***

Perhaps serving the Lord was, is and will never be easy, but His promises are true, tested and proven, that He will be with us every step of the way.

Concerns and worrying over the things / people we love is actually illogical knowing that God can take good care of those things far better that us.

And finally, we are in no position to give conditions. Yes, our service is not a guarantee of a good life (the way we see it that is) but it purifies our intention why we serve. Not because of His blessings but because of who He is. Because and out of love. And that leads me to this: "to love is to give your best without any condition"


Live, laugh, and loveoutloud!

isang malupit na byahe.

mga nakasama ko sa byahe from Tacurong to Davao...

1) si First Honor Kuya
    - Siya yung first na sumakay ng van. First seat sa front seat. Siya din yung unang bumaba. 

2) si Ms. Aircon.
    - Laging kinukulikot ang aircon. Lahat ata ng aircon naka-focus sa kanya, walang paki kung naiinitan na ang mga tao sa likod ng van. Galing siguro ng North Pole, di sanay sa Pilipinas, naiinitan.

3) si Maam Nesgosyo.
    - Laging me kinakausap sa phone, kinakamusta ang mga sales nya. Ok lang naman yun, pero sa lakas ba naman ng boses nya, mahihiya ka nang magsalita.

4) si Manong Balikbayan.
    - May malaking bag, maraming karton, naka cap, maong pants at ang pinaka-malaking ibedensya, maong jacket.Kung di yun balik-bayan, malamang bilibid.

5) si Dodong Patisoy.
    - Laging hawak ang buhok. Mayat-maya inaayus. Parang si samson na ang lakas nya nakasalalay sa buhok. (note: di ito dahil nagseselos ako dahil wala akong buhok, kahit gaanu pa ito kalapit sa katotohanan haha)

6&7) si Bother Hubby at si Sister Wife.
    - Umulan man o uminit, laging magkadikit. Basta masingot lang ang kili-kili ni hubby, ok na si ate.

8) si Invisible Ate.
    - Di ko nga maalala kung anong itsura nya, basta ang alam ko lang me tao na naka pwesto dun banda. 

9) si Kuya na magaling mag tounges.
    - Laging me tumatawag at kumakausap sa kanya sa phone, di naman namin naiintindihan ang sinasabi nya, nakakatakot nga eh. 

10) si Brother Singit
    - Singit lang kasi sya, dapat kasi tatluhan lang sa van, pero pinilit para makasama lang kaya yun wala syang sandalan sa likod, naka yuko sya the whole trip. Tiningnan ko nga pagbaba namin, baka nakuba na.

11) si Sleeping Beauty
    - Tulog nang tulog. Wala syang paki-alam kung naka-sandal na sya sa shoulder ng katabi nya, na hindi naman nya kilala, basta ang sa kanya lang, makatulog sya.  

12) si Mr. Dj
    - Sinabit ang erickson phone sa handle bar at nagpatugtug ng music (di naman masyadong malakas, naka full lang naman ang volume, akala ko nga nung una eh, music talaga sa van haha). Ang music?  Song ni Jolina. 

13) si Madamme Techy
    - Me tatlong cellphone, at di basta-bastang cellphone, latest models. Me laptop, at me dala-dalang LCD projector. Me ari siguro ng CDR Queen. 

14) at si Mamang Driver.
    - Boring kasama, wala nang ibang inatupag kundi ang pagdadrive.

--------------------------------------

Iba-iba man ang aming pinanggalingan, ugali at pananaw sa buhay, nakuha naman naming mamuhay, magbayhe ng tahimik (uhm, sige, maingay ng konti yung music) at dumating sa paroroonan ng matiwasay.

Leksyun?

"Hindi dahilan ng pag-aaway ang pagkaka-iba kundi ang di pagrespeto sa paniniwala at pagkaka-iba ng bawat-isa."

istragol talaga.

I’ve been a fulltime worker since 2004. (the batch who started it all). Like anybody else, I also have my own fair share of lamentations;

To tell you honestly, if the training back then was asstrict as it is nowadays, I wouldn’t be here. During my training I am one of those “bench warmers” well, if not the water boy. They say I am too silent and deep, too deep that it covered the whole me six feet under. For some, I am left behind so to speak.

I actively served YFC then eventually went fulltime because I deeply loved, and still love, the Lord Jesus Christ. However, over the years that Love for the Lord had faded as the primary motivation. In my first two years as a missionary, I wanted to be recognized in everything that I’ve done, I am doing and will do. Much of my striving merely fueled my insatiable need for affirmation. But no matter how much I tried, I still feel that I’m unnoticed, unappreciated and invisible at that.

Knowing that I am not what they perceive of me, I wanted to prove that I can be as efficient as any of them. The idea was great but there has been a slight error as to how am I going to achieve it. I decided to change my image. I thought of becoming like kuya JQ the guy with sense of humor (lots of it) and make everybody laugh, however, until now I only got the sense and not the humor but at least I’m half way there. I thought of becoming like Amid the dancer, singer, rocker and everything with er sa dulo… fasionista, artista at lahat ng ta. I thought of becoming like Eggay who designs insanely but all I can do is open the photoshop. I thought of becoming like Gelo the ever passionate speaker of the house. I thought of becoming Billy and Blair na kinakain lang ang computer. But every time I tried to become like any of them, I failed… As what Amid said in one of the FTWs gathering; “if you wanted to be cool but just can’t get there, if you wanted to have a good haircut but it just don’t fit you, this planner is for you”, I know He’s talking to me. Perhaps I need the iskool planner dude. (ano na pala nangayari sa iskool planner plan? hahah)

It was the time when I decided to leave fulltime work that realizations poured in.

Who we are right now is a product of years and years of ups and downs (though a lot of us mas madami ang down ha ha) and experiences. Experiences, which God used to mold us to the person that He wants us to be. I am a work in progress, we all are.  The series of fortunate and unfortunate events that we’ve been through and the lessons coupled with it, are exactly the lessons that we need to look-out in this life time. Let us just thank the Lord he allowed us to be part of each others journey.

As for me, I was just affirmed that I need not to be somebody am not. Being who I am is perfectly ok. No matter what others will say (with or without their appreciation), I am not less than a missionary, I am not less than HIS son.

I may not get the applause here on earth, aint going to get any recognition with what I’ve done, and years from now my name will be unknown but even with that, I will continue to do these things with enthusiasm and finish this race with high spirit. For perhaps my works will be forgotten by men but not by God. That’s definite, that’s certain, and that is what matters most.

-------

Medjo malabo at kung saan saan mapunta ang thought ng blog ko na ito... kung ano ano kasi pumapasok sa utak ko habang nagsusulat ahahahah but bahala na, intindinhin nyo nalang ahahahah

-------

lastly, Allow me to honor my batch mates who work very hard in “solitude” and speaks only when necessary. If you feel like you’ve contributed it all and still feels it’s not that much because nobody noticed it, don’t worry,you might be one in a million but God knows you and he knows how to reward you.
 

Salamat sa inspirasyun.




Live, laugh and loveoutloud!

lipat bahay.

I was in Tacurong for our RCM when a text message from Cotabato was miss-sent to a YFC there. It was Nonoy Maguindanao’s KFC Provincial Kuya. He’s asking for a household kasi lilipat na daw sila ng bahay kinabukasan.

 
Surprised and perplexed why, I decided to travel with Ian and Awgi to pay him some visit.

 
At first I thought I was just a big joke or something but then when I saw tita crying as she was saying her prayer of thanksgiving, it confirmed everything.

 
Yes indeed, they are leaving.

 
It was as twice painful for them as it was for us knowing that they don’t want to leave but they have to. Nang dahil lang sa mga tambay sa kanto na nag-iinuman na nauwi sa muntik nang ikamatay ng nanay, lola, at dalawa pa nyang mga kapatid.

I can’t narrate how it happened exactly (sa kanila nalang kayu mag-tanong, nakikitsismis na naman kayu sa akin e, hahaha).

 
During the “emotional” prayer, I was also reminiscing the times when our family also has to experience the same thing. (Uh, not the trouble, yung lipat bahay lang hehe).

 
4 times na po kaming palipat-lipat ng bahay bago sa bahay naming ngayun.

 
I was 2 years old then nung una kaming lumipat ng bahay (uhm, wag kayu masyadong bilib sa akin, di ko naalala yun, kwento lang ng nanay ko haha). When I was 5 or so, lumipat na naman kami. I was in grade 4 nung lumipat kami the third time around and in grade 6 finally, lumipat kami sa bahay naming ngayun. Phew! (Siguro kung di ako nagfulltime, lipat bahay ang negosyo ko. Hahaha)

 
I know the experience (though painful) will come in handy soon, I just don’t know when and how or why, not until that day.

a new saga.

 
An opportunity to start one’s life afresh.

Because nobody knows you, no one will judge you. You can decide to be the nicest person in the world without prejudices. (that would be very very very hard though hahaha) A great time to reinvent your self, not trying to be the best among the rest but striving to be better than who you are.

 
A chance to be inspired and inspire others.

Think about the new set of people interested to listen in our life’s adventures and misadventures. There will people who will laugh at your old jokes because they didn’t see it as corny (even if it actually is hahaha).

New friends mean new escapades, new lessons. New neighbors comes new stories to inspire us. The possibilities are endless; there is so much to learn.

 
A time to know the Lord more.

When we don’t know what’s in store for us, we trust, thus we pray.

Nobody is sure what the new found land brings, thus we pray.

When we have nobody to talk to because we have no friends, God is willing 24 hrs, thus we pray.

Kitsokoy’s tips:

 
Choose to be happy.

Dealing the experience with bitterness and being upset won’t change anything for the better; it will just worsen the situation. Be happy and allow others to be happy too.

(if you want to hear more about this, read my “Choose to be Happy” blog).

 
Be still.

Worrying won’t improve anything, learn to trust. Know that God is bigger than your problems, larger than your fears. He is still in control, that we can be confident of.

 
Give thanks.

Because we are too focused on what we want, we often miss the blessings that come in disguise. But the truth is it’s what keeps us moving. So no matter how pressing the situation will be, be grateful.

  

As I write this, they are now on their way to General Santos City. What lies ahead for their family? What’s next for them? Is not for us to be anxious of, we just have to be confident that God is God and we are not. Perhaps our plans are not His and at times we wonder why, but in the end of everything, all we’ll do is thank Him for taking charge, smiling in awe. 

In Memory of our dear friend NONOY ahahahahah

antidote to criticism.

Reflection: Matthew 10:32-37

When Jesus showed His goodness and healed somebody (Matt.10:32-33), instead of being applauded and thanked, He was criticized, worse, accused as demonic (Matt.10:34). Yet despite what had happened, never did He defend Himself to anyone, He lived in such a way that nobody believed those who persecute Him. More so, He showed compassion (Matt.10:36) and intensified His work (Matt.10:37).

Jesus showed us how we should respond to criticisms.

1) In doing what God is asking you to do, never let criticism slow you down. You can never please everyone, and you can’t avoid unkind words. But remember if you aren’t worth anything, those who are against you, won’t bother. So, when you do the right thing, expect opposition and take them as a compliment.

2) If people talk negatively about you, about the good things that you do, don't react. Don't even defend yourself to anyone. The person who knows the things you do, doesn't need it, and the people who despise you, won't buy it. The solution is simple, live in such a way that no one will believe them. Just like what Jesus did.

As a friend once said: “I love it when people judge me negatively… especially when they found-out they were wrong.”

Remember this guy? hehe! Live, laugh and love out loud!

the compass.

An old sailor repeatedly got lost at the sea, so his friends gave him a compass and urged him to use it. The next time he went out in his boat, he followed their advice and took the compass with him. But as usual he became hopelessly confused and was unable to find his way back. Finally he was rescued by his friends.

Disgusted and impatient with his they asked, “Why didn’t you use the compass we gave you?” You could have saved us a lot of trouble!”

The sailor responded, “I didn’t dare to! I wanted to go north, but as hard as I tried to make the needle aim in that direction, it just kept pointing south-east.” 

He was so certain he knew which way was north that he stubbornly tried to force his own personal conviction on his compass.

 

Power Quote:

Do not ask the Lord to guide your steps if you are not willing to move your feet.

on thorns and roses.

DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT
THORNS AMONG ROSES;
BE GRATEFUL FOR
ROSES AMONG THORNS.

1) Remember that your troubles did not take God by surprise. He is still in control.

2) Believe that God has a solution, a provision, or a gift of wisdom to match your difficulty.

3) Pray, affirming your faith in God and expressing your confidence in His loving purpose for you.

4) Wait with expectancy and availability, trusting God to work out His perfect will.

5) Praise Him - even before He acts.

"This alternative to complaining gives God an opportunity to work creatively, both in us and in our circumstances. Best of all, even if circumstances don't change, He uses them to change US."

christmas gift.

(CHRISTMAS GIFT; reflection ko nung december 2007, nung nagshopping kami dalawa ni eggay sa boung davao, bumili ng mga gift para sa mga nagmamahal at minamahal hahaha)

----------------------------------

Three days before Christmas, my parents asked me to draw the gift I wanted because “Santa Clause” is coming and that he might just grant it.

I was five years old then, and way back, kids like me really believed in “Santa”. So I immediately grabbed my pencil, tried all the best that I could to sketch the gift I wanted.

Here’s how it more or less it looked like (mas maganda nga lang ito ng konti kesa sa original ko na ginawa hahaha): 

Which I know deep inside my heart is a plane!

Christmas came and I am very much excited to open presents, sa sobrang excited ko, ayoko nang mag-“noche Buena, I rushed to the Christmas tree.

To my surprise, after imaginatively opening the gift, here’s what I’ve got:

a riffle!!!?

Huh? Wait a minute, who asked for this? Too much of high expectations!

Waaahhh!!!

Nakakainis! Umiyak ako syempre, alangan, what

do you expect?

But why? Does he really care? Is he that insensitive? If he does, could he misinterpret this:  

to this 

? Unfair!!!

Because of what happened, I never get the chance to celebrate and to have fun with the rest of the family.

It has been nineteen years now since that tragic evening! (ha ha ha) Yup, it took me that long to realize God’s message for me in that fateful night:

Deep inside me I know what I want; I have a clear picture of it in my mind. You see, the problem lies when we expect too much that people will know and understand what we want. The challenge is for us to share well what we’re thinking or what we want without being misunderstood and or misinterpreted. Lesson #1: Communicate well.

God answers our prayers not according the way we want it to be but according to what He sees best. So lesson #2: Expect the unexpected. Not only will it ease the pain when we don’t get what we want, more so it adds up happiness when God gives our hearts desires.

Because I’m too focused on the fact that I didn’t get what I want, I missed the truth that I have a gift, well, not exactly how I imagined it to be but nonetheless it’s a gift. Should I focused on what I have and considered it as a blessing; my Christmas should have been great. Lesson #3:Never whine. Everything is a blessing, give thanks. Pouting will do no good; it will just make you miss the party.

I might not have the gift I wanted but nineteen years after, I get to ride a real one. Who would have thought that I would not just play with planes but actually ride a real one? It’s worth the wait.