Encouraging Others to Succeed

Last month, our kids had a Sportsfest in school which involved us, the parents. They belonged to different teams according to their level. We were cheering on the sides, giving them the encouragement they needed. We'd shout, "Go Sev!" or "You can do it Kaitlyn!" We cheered on to make them strive harder and to diffuse their doubts. Our kids won some medals and we were very proud of them.

Are you an "encourager?" Do you cheer for other people to help them succeed? The world we live in is very competitive and we find ourselves in this race to success. We strive to reach our goals, so we work hard and jump at opportunities. We tend to look at our status and ask ourselves, "How am I doing compared to my peers?" While we are busy trying to reach the top to get the gold, there are those who are left behind and struggling. The question is, "Do we even care?"

Christ does.

He came from heaven to earth, died on the cross, and rose from the grave so people may join Him in the ultimate finish line...heaven. To achieve a relationship with Jesus is the true gold medal in life. There can be no real success apart from the Lord.

How can we help others succeed in life and in their salvation?

1. Praise others for their strengths.

Each of us is endowed with a gift. This gift is something that we do better than most people. When we recognize this in a person, remind him of how good he is with this talent. This positive input can go a long way in boosting one's confidence.  This will be a source of affirmation and will help in pressing on when times get rough.

2. Support others in their weaknesses.

Instead of just criticizing, loving correction is a better option. When we criticize, we just simply say something negative. When we correct, we first discuss the strong points then identify the areas for improvement, in the most loving way. We encourage him or her to strive harder. We cheer them on.  When a correction is due, the usual problem is that we do not want to experience the discomfort in confronting the person. When a person hears feedback by means of gossip, this will pull him down and even cause anger. Supporting others in their weaknesses will let them realize that there are still people who love and care for them.

3. Lead them to Christ.

The best way to help people succeed is to lead them to Christ, Who wants us to live in abundance. Our hope should be in Christ and not in money, fame, or power. The devil lures mankind to the wrong kind of success. Satan offers fake gold which fades.  The evil one leads the proud to the finish line of suffering and torment. In Jesus, even if we will just live a simple lifestlye, our joy will be immense.

Along the way, some people cheered us on to be able to achieve our goals at the moment. Let us thank these people. Now, it is our turn to cheer for others, even if we ourselves are currently struggling. For it is in giving encouragement that we ourselves also gain it. When we become selfless, we transcend to a higher idea of fulfillment and success. I honor the educators who use their intelligence, skills, and even pass up financial opportunities in order to mold young minds. They find their joy in seeing their students succeed in life. Like our parents, they too are our avid cheerleaders on the sidelines while we run towards our goals of learning. Their example help us understand that for everybody to win, we have to put others first.

So we cheer each other on towards growing in our faith. Go, go, go for Christ! We can do it for the Lord!

Gratitude for 2012, Hope for 2013

There is just so much to thank God for.  I think that we should be able set aside signficant amount of time just to express our gratitude to our Lord. An attitude of gratitude, is something we can develop.

What we can do for the end of the year is to just randomly list down things that God granted upon us for 2012.  His providence may suprise and astound us.

I'd like to share three things as my reflection on His blessings and our posture of thanksgiving.

1. God's blessings will always surpass our failings.

       When we fail, we tend to highlight that particular experience and wallow in regret. But truly, failures are opportunities for us to become better or even become the best in our field. When we look back at our year, let us take time to squeeze out major lessons, specially from our failings.  With humility and in God's wisdom, these so called failures will later transform into deeply rooted values that will contribute to our success.
        If we look around and notice the details of our lives, even for just this year, there is enormous blessings.  Let not our regrets overwhelm us, instead let hope prevail and let His Spirit urge us to press on. Let us thank God for showing us the lessons of our failures.

2. God is faithful and He wants us to be fruitful.

      Often our unfaithfulness hinder God from fully blessing us. Yet, like the prodigal Son, who went back to his father, a feast still awaits.  God is ready to bless us, we just have to embrace His love and accept the kind of life He offers. Let us thank the Father for loving us despite our unfaithfulness.

3. A humble heart will always have room for God's providence. 

     When our hearts are full of pride, is there room for God to bless?  Let us empty our hearts from pride, unforgiveness, doubts, and other negativities. Let us make room for Him and surely  true joy will reside in us. Let us thank God for continuously knocking at the door of our hearts and patiently waiting for us to invite Him in.

4. We ask for the grace to praise and thank Him amidst gloom

For many of us, 2012 was a tough year.  Thousands lost family and friends due to a calamity, a people divided because of social and moral issues, heart wrenching news of kids murdered in Connecticut, personal undertakings that didn't go our way, and many more. Yet, amidst all these things, God is love.  In His mystery, He has a plan for us and for mankind.  This was Job's reaction when everything was taken from him

Job’s Reaction.
Then Job arose and tore his cloak and cut off his hair. He fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I go back there.* The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!” In all this Job did not sin, nor did he charge God with wrong. (Job 1:20-22).

Let us thank God even if it is difficult to do so.

We look forward to the New Year with hope! Let us commit to do better for 2013, with much gratitude in our hearts and with full trust in the hope of God's plan.

Living Out Loud

I was inspired and amazed by a Praise Concert spearheaded by CFC Youth for Christ. It was called "Liveloud." It packed over 7,000 people in the Cuneta Astrodome. It featured original worship songs composed by the community members.  We were on our feet for almost two hours, singing, dancing, and worshipping God.  Even after the concert was over, people still wanted more and even lingered for a while in awe of God's greatness through the songs and sharing of young Christians. We were encouraged to boldly or loudly live out our faith and be on fire to bring others to God.

I am reflecting on the words "Live Loud."  For me it is a challenge of boldness in Christianity in today's age of materialism, apathy, and secularism.  One of those who are living loud in faith is a known Filipino American football player named Tim Tebow, wherein the term "Tebowing" was derived from his act of kneeling before God in the game.  He also wrote on his eyeblack area the verse John 3:16 where it gathered 90 million searches in Google that day he wore it.  Not to mention that he is one of the National Football League's best players today as a quarterback and he is using his influence and fame as a platform for evangelization.

Tebow is living his faith out loud. There are many who praise him for his religious boldness but many also criticize him for the same reason.

In Bishop Quevedo's talk in one of our teachings, he quoted a Vatican paper on New Evangelization about the "New Areopagus" or the "New Courtyard." The Sermon on the Areopagus was referred to the preaching that St. Paul did in Athens (Acts 17:16-34), wherein he gave his fullest speech as a missionary.  He talked boldly against idolatry and elaborated about the one Creator.  In today's modern age there are different  types of  Areopagus or Courtyards. These are the Areopagus of social communications, migration, economy, scientific and technological advancement, and the civil and political life.  Tebow definitely made an impact in the courtyard of social communications side through sports media.

We may not be a sports superstar like Tebow, but each of us have our own "Areopagus" as a venue to be a witness of God's greatness in our lives.  How are we using our influence to bring others closer to God?  What hinders us from Living Out Loud the faith that God wants us to spread in our workplaces and in our homes?  Let us go forth boldly. Let us remember that we evangelize because of the One who saves, Jesus Christ.

For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control (2 Tim 1:7).