Great Things Await

Fear not how I may use you
My purpose will bring you joy
Worry not of the future
Tomorrow is in my hands

Surrender all evil intentions
Let me purify your soul
Receive my offer of blessing
Open your heart to me

My child, to Me you belong
behold your Father's love
Rise up, claim your identity
you are heir to My kingdom

Do not fret on the impossible
your faith can achieve no bounds
wake up from your slumber
Today great things await
 

Joyful Anticipation

In the fast food business, when the food isn't fast enough, they'll give you a number. This tangible object allows you to retain the idea of the 'fast food' and will keep you in suspense of the meal to come.

What is it that you are eagerly waiting for? A job interview, exam results, a business deal, a payout, visa, her sweet "yes", graduation, ordination? Waiting is a part of living. Those who cannot wait, cannot get the best out of life. Waiting can be excruciating at times and you might want to give up and quit, specially when there is nothing else we can do.

We need to savor the lessons of waiting:
1. Waiting allows us to go inward.
We can go deep into our hearts and find God's message for us.
2. Waiting allows us to have time to "smell the flowers." Amidst the busy life, are we still enjoying God's everyday miracles?
3. As we grow in anticipation, we are also to grow in gratitude. When blessings are to come, we thank God for His goodness, in daily increments.

When I was a kid, my mom used to make fruit cakes and she bakes them about 4 months before Christmas. Fruit cakes are my favorite, and these 4 months were "excruciating" (since I know where they were stored). But to get the optimum taste, I had to wait, patiently. So with joyful anticipation, I did wait... and it was worth it.

We know Christ will come again. We are all waiting for the second coming, and He gave us the Bible as a tangible holy object we can hold on and read on. Yes, Christ will come and when that day comes, and if we're ready, it'll be sweet.

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Sharing the Blessing of Education

Last Sunday, my 4-year old son Sev graduated from Senior Nursery.  After receiving the certificate, he went up front and took a bow. Seeing my son go through the commencement exercises filled me with much joy and hope for the future. Moments like this makes the many sacrifices all worth it.  The right to education is very important and I'm happy that in our simple way of life, we were able to provide for our son. Yes, this is just the first of many years of tuition fees and project expenses, but we are grateful that we made it through the first one. Truly the Lord is faithful.

The plight of many Filipino families living in poverty tends to make education a privilege rather than a right.  Although I am happy that my son finished his initial year, it is also sad to imagine the thousands of 4 year-olds not having the same opportunity. Maybe one can start to ask the difficult questions.

What am I doing to provide the poor with the same opportunities that I have?

How has my education helped the poor?

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." John 13:34

Why People Like Jeremy Lin

Everybody (well, the men) is talking about this NBA phenom from Harvard, Jeremy Lin.  This guy comes out of the bench of the New York Knicks and suddenly does wonders for the team. In one of his games, he scored 38 points against the Lakers bagging them the win. Not only that, he is excellent in giving assists, making his other team mates even better.  What I like about him is that he is a religious person. In one interview, He openly expressed his faith and said, "...this whole journey is a blessing from God."

Most people today will attribute their success solely on their hardwork, intelligence, and talent.  In this modern age, God is being put out of the picture.  In 2010, the Pope formed the Pontifical Council on New Evangelization because of the problem of secularization in the first world.  He mentions, "The process of secularization has produced a serious crisis of the sense of the Christian faith and role of the Church", and the new pontifical council would "promote a renewed evangelization" in countries where the Church has long existed "but which are living a progressive secularization of society and a sort of 'eclipse of the sense of God'."


It's good to know that famous people like Jeremy Lin, is bringing God back into the picture.  Truly, a new evangelization is needed.  Let us then take every opportunity to proclaim the greatness of the Lord (Luke 1:46) by being Christ's witnesses in this fast-paced and success-driven modern society.

Faithfulness Amidst the Storm

The storm surrounds us.  Strong winds blowing, rain pouring, streets flooding, trees uprooting. It's "Pedring." My wife said, "What's the purpose of a storm? Surely everything has a purpose."

In our lives, storms arrive. Most of the time, it's unexpected. Some storms are the result of our sinfulness. But some storms just come, and we ask, "Whatever did we do to deserve this?"  Job certainly went through "life's storms" like no other. Everything was taken from him, he even had boils. Yet, he was faithful and at the end the Lord gave back more than whatever he lost.

Not all things that happen to us can be explained by man's limited knowledge and wisdom. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom...(1Cor 1:25). But we hold on to God's truths.

1. If we are faithful, God will bless us.

Storms are tests of our faithfulness. We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). We cannot rationalize everything that happens to us.  We just need to know that there is a purpose behind it, and we have to be firm in our faith. Blessings are not always monetary, God's blessings are what we need. It might be blessings of virtues we have developed through the storm like forgiveness, love, and patience.

2. If we are faithful, God will strengthen us.

Our purpose on earth is to do God's will. Each challenge is meant for us to go from strength to strength with the Holy Spirit. One who does not go through a storm will find it hard to obey when much is demanded from us.  God will not lead us to something we cannot bear.  But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me (2 Cor. 12:19).

I remember "Ondoy." It was the worst of storms but it brought out the best in the Filipino. We became brothers and sisters to one another. We visited homes and helped the victims clean the mud, we gave food, and the nation prayed along with the rest of the world.  Let our faithfulness shine amidst the darkness of the storm. Let us not resort to blame and frustration, but seek hope in the great God who created us for His purpose.